Cato's letters

John Trenchard

W. Wilkins, 1737

Contents

• The CONTENTS of VOLUME: iii
• Of Eloquence confidered philosophically: lxxi
• Address to the Freeholders c about the Choice of their Representatives: 3
• Second Addreſs to the Freeholders c upon: 12
• Polite Arts and Learning naturally produced: 27
• In abſolute Monarchies the Monarch feldom: 41
• A Display of Tyranny its destructive: 55
• The Vanity of Conquerors and the Calamities: 67
• Of the Restraints which ought to be laid upon: 75
• The fame Subject continued p: 84
• Of the Frailty and Uncertainty of human: 97
• The common Notion of Spirits their Power: 99
• The general unhappy State of the World: 104
• No: 106
• A further Detection of the vulgar Abfurdities: 108
• Of the Power of Prejudice p: 112
• ticks p: 118
• An Idea of the Turkish Government taken: 120
• The Established Church of England in: 125
• Popularity no Proof of Merit p: 128
• The Folly and Characters of fuch as would: 132
• Inquiry concerning Madness especially reli: 133
• Of Divine Judgments the Wickedness: 135
• The vain Hopes of the Pretender and: 141
• Dr Prideauxs Reasoning about the Death: 144
• Property the first Principle of Power: 150
• The Reasoning of Dr Prideaux about: 152
• Britain incapable of any Government but: 159
• with an explanatory Introduction: 163
• The Lawfulness of killing Julius Cæfar: 165
• The terrible Confequences of a War: 166
• Address to those of the Clergy who are fond: 173
• Gold and Silver in a Country to be confidered: 176
• A Vindication of Brutus for having killed: 177
• The fame Address continued p: 181
• The Reasonableness and Advantage of allow: 184
• Address to fuch of the Laity as are Followers: 188
• Of falſe Honour publick and private: 192
• The fame Address continued p: 197
• Monopolies and excluſive Companies how per: 199
• Letter from a Lady with an Anfwer about: 201
• How excluſive Companies influence and hurt: 206
• The fame Address continued p: 207
• Against the Petition of the SouthSea Com: 213
• Liberty proved to be the unalienable Right: 214
• Of Reverence true and false p: 216
• An Effay upon Heroes P: 224
• Inquiry into the Doctrine of Hereditary: 225
• All Government proved to be inſtituted: 226
• Against Standing Armies P: 234
• Of Charity and CharitySchools p: 236
• Confiderations on the Weakness and Incon: 237
• Further Reasonings against Standing Armies: 244
• Reflections upon Libelling: 246
• What ſmall and foolish Causes often misguide: 247
• Of Parties in England how they vary: 258
• Cautions against the Encroachment of Power: 263

Popular passages

Page 96 - Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as publick liberty without freedom of speech: Which is the right of every man, as far as by it he does not hurt and controul the right of another; and this is the only check which it ought to suffer, the only bounds which it ought to know.

Page 247 - ... who are more to be regarded, the Governors or the Governed. They indeed owe one another mutual Duties; but if there be any...

Page 100 - Misrepresentation of publick Measures is easily overthrown, by representing publick Measures truly: when they are honest, they ought to be publickly known, that they may be publickly commended; but if they be knavish or pernicious, they ought to be publickly detested. Freedom of Speech is the great Bulwark of Liberty; they prosper and die together: And it is the Terror of Traytors and Oppressors, and a Barrier against them.

Page 253 - Terms, which were called Laws, and put into the Hands of one or more Men to execute. And thus Men quitted Part of their Natural Liberty to acquire Civil Security.

Page 96 - ... in those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call any thing else his own.

Page 97 - Freedom of Speech is ever the Symptom, as well as the Effect, of good Government. In old Rome, all was left to the Judgment and Pleasure of the People, who examined the publick Proceedings with such Discretion, and censured those who administered them with such Equity and Mildness, that in the Space of Three Hundred Years, not Five publick Ministers suffered unjustly.

Page 217 - Manner, that they, and every of them, do " make the moft diligent and careful Enquiry and " Search for the Difcovery of any thing of this " and the like Sort, tending in any wife to the " Corruption of the Principles and Manners of " Men ; and to lay before his Lordfhip fuch Dif...

Page 245 - The exposing therefore of publick wickedness, as it is a duty which every man owes to truth and his country, can never be a libel in the nature of things; and they who call it so, make themselves no compliment.

Page 97 - That Men ought to speak well of their Governors, is true, while their Governors deserve to be well spoken of; but to do publick Mischief, without hearing of it, is only the Prerogative and Felicity of Tyranny: A free People will be shewing that they are so, by their Freedom of Speech. The Administration of Government is nothing else, but the Attendance of the Trustees of the People upon the Interest and Affairs of the People.

Page 250 - As long as there are such Things as Printing and Writing, there will be Libels. It is an Evil arising out of a much greater good. And as to those who are for locking up the Press, because it produces Monsters, they ought to consider that so do the Sun and the Nile, and that it is...

Bibliographic information

• Title: Cato's letters
• Author: John Trenchard
• Edition: 4
• Publisher: W. Wilkins, 1737
• Original from: Oxford University
• Digitized: Sep 19, 2006