Page:Thoughts on civil liberty, on licentiousness and faction.djvu/147

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Civil Liberty, &c.
143

What follows is the Foundation of his Argument. "All human Government is the Offspring of Violence and Corruption; and must inherit the Imperfection of both its Parents.[1]" "All Governments must be administered by the same Violence and Corruption, to which they are indebted for their Origin.[2]" "Corruption (therefore) must always increase in due Proportion to the Decrease of arbitrary Power; since where there is less Power to command Obedience, there must be more Bribery to purchase it; or there can be no Government carry'd on at all.[3]"

Such is the Sum of this Gentleman's Argument: To which, the following Observations are offered, as a Reply.

There have been two different Pictures given of Man, by different Writers, diametrically opposite to each other. By some, the human Species hath been re-

  1. Origin of Evil, p. 128.
  2. Ib. p. 129.
  3. Ib. p. 135.