The free notions of the English. From the Persian Letters
Authors of source text
Charles Louis de Secondat, baron La Brède and Montesquieu
Contributions
- John Ozell
- translator
- Thomas Spence
- publisher
Related resources
- is other edition
- Persian letters. Translated by Mr. Ozell translation has other edition
- is part of
- One pennyworth of pig's meat or, Lessons for the swinish multitude. Collected by the poor man's advocate, in the course of his reading for more than twenty years. Intended to promote among the labouring part of mankind proper ideas of their situation, of their importance, and of their rights And to convince them that their forlorn condition has not been entirely overlooked and forgotten, nor their just cause unpleaded, neither by their maker not by the best and most enlightened of men in all ages
Summary (extracted citations)
But if a prince, instead of endeavouring to make his subjects happy, studies only how to oppress and destroy them, the foundation of obedience ceases; nothing ties, nothing obliges them to him, and they return to their natural liberty. They maintain that no unlimited power can be lawful, because it could never have a lawful beginning. For we cannot, say they, give to another more power over us than we have over ourselves: Now we have not an unlimited power over ourselves; for instance, we can∣not touch our own lives; no man upon earth there∣fore, conclude they, can have such a power.
Notes
Pigs' meat, vol. 1 (1793), p. 85-86. Short fragment of n. 104 of the Persian Letters about the English aversion of authoritarian monarchs. It is taken from John Ozell's translation, first published in 1730.