larmine, p. 8. and, by a victory over him, eftablishes his fatherly authority beyond any queftion. Bellarmine being routed by his own confeffion, p. 11. the day is clear got, and there is no more need of any forces: for having done that, I observe not that he states the question, or rallies up any arguments to make good his opinion, but rather tells us the ftory, as he thinks fit, of this ftrange kind of domineering phantom, called the fatherhood, which whoever could catch, prefently got empire, and unlimited abfolute power. He affures us how this fatherhood began in Adam, continued its course, and kept the world in order all the time of the patriarchs till the flood, got out of the ark with Noah and his fons, made and supported all the kings of the earth till the captivity of the Ifraelites in Egypt, and then the poor fatherhood was under hatches, till God, by giving the Ifraelites kings, re-established the ancient and prime right of the lineal fucceffion in paternal government. This is his bufinefs from p. 12. to 19. And then obviating an objection, and clearing a difficulty or two with one half reafon, p. 23. to confirm the natural right of regal power, he ends the first chapter. I hope it is no injury to call an half quotation an half reason; for God fays, Honour thy father and mother; but our author contents himself with half, leaves out thy

mother quite, as little ferviceable to his purpofe. But of that more in another place.

§. 7. I do not think our author fo little skilled in the way of writing difcourfes of this nature, nor fo careless of the point in hand, that he by over-fight commits the fault, that he himself, in his Anarchy of a mixed Monarchy, p. 239. objects to Mr. Hunton in thefe words: Where firft 1 charge the author, that he hath not given us any definition, or defcription of monarchy in general; for by the rules of method he should have first defined. And by the like rule of method Sir Robert should have told us, what his fatherhood or fatherly authority is, before he had told us, in whom it was to be found, and talked fo much of it. But perhaps Sir Robert found, that this fatherly authority, this power of fathers, and of kings, for he makes them both the fame, p. 24. would make a very odd and frightful figure, and very difagreeing with what either children imagine of their parents, or fubjects of their kings, if he fhould have given us the whole draught together in that gigantic form, he had painted it in his own fancy; and therefore, like a wary phyfician, when he would have his patient swallow fome harsh or corrofive liquor, he mingles it with a large quantity of that which may dilute it; that the fcattered parts may go down with lefs feeling, and caufe lefs averfion.

§. 8.

8. Let us then endeavour to find what account he gives us of this fatherly authority, as it lies fcattered in the feveral parts of his writings. And firft, as it was vefted in Adam, he fays, Not only Adam, but the fucceeding patriarchs, had, by right of fatherbood, royal authority over their children, p. 12. This lordship which Adam by command had over the whole world, and by right defcending from him the patriarchs did enjoy, was as large and ample as the abfolute dominion of any monarch, which hath been fince the creation, p. 13. Dominion of life and death, making war, and concluding peace, p. 13. Adam and the patriarchs had abfolute power of life and death, p. 35Kings, in the right of parents, fucceed to the exercife of fupreme jurifdiction, p. 19. kingly power is by the law of God, so it hath no inferior law to limit it; Adam was lord of all, p. 40. The father of a family governs by no other law, than by his own will, p. 78. The fuperiority of princes is above laws, p. 79. The unlimited jurifdiction of kings is fo amply defcribed by Samuel, p. 80. Kings are above the laws, p. 93. And to this purpose fee a great deal more which our author delivers in Bodin's words: It is certain, that all laws, privileges, and grants of princes, have no force, but during their life; if they be not ratified by the express confent, or by fufferance of the prince following, especially privileges, Obferyations, p. 279. The reafon why laws have

As

been also made by kings, was this; when kings were either bufied with wars, or distracted with public cares, fo that every private man could not have access to their perfons, to learn their wills and pleasure, then were laws of neceffity invented, that fo every particular fubject might find his prince's pleafure decyphered unto him in the tables of his laws, p. 92. In a monarchy, the king must by neceffity be above the laws, p. 100. A perfect kingdom is that, wherein the king rules all things according to his own will, p. 100. Neither common nor ftatute laws are, or can be, any diminution of that general power, which kings have over their people by right of fatherhood, p. 115. Adam was the father, king, and lord over his family; a fon, a fubject, and a fervant or flave, were one and the fame thing at first. The father had power to difpofe or fell his children or fervants; whence we find, that the first reckoning up of goods in fcripture, the man-fervant and the maid-fervant, are numbred among the poffeffions and fubftance of the owner, as other goods were, Obfervations, Pref. God alfo hath given to the father a right or liberty, to alien his power over his children to any other; whence we find the fale and gift of children to have much been in ufe in the beginning of the world, when men had their fervants for a poffeffion and an inheritance, as well as other goods; whereupon we find the power of caftrating and making eunuchs much in ufe in old times, Obfervations,

fervations, p. 155. Law is nothing else but the will of him that hath the power of the fupreme father, Obfervations, p. 223. It was God's ordinance that the fupremacy should be unlimited in Adam, and as large as all the acts of his will; and as in him fo in all others that have fupreme power, Observations, p. 245.

§. 9.

I have been fain to trouble my reader with these several quotations in our author's own words, that in them might be feen his own defcription of his fatherly authority, as it lies fcattered up and down in his writings, which he supposes was firft vested in Adam, and by right belongs to all princes ever fince. This fatherly authority then, or right of fatherhood, in our author's fenfe, is a divine unalterable right of fovereignty, whereby a father or a prince hath an abfolute, arbitrary, unlimited, and unlimitable power over the lives, liberties, and eftates of his children and fubjects; fo that he may take or alienate their eftates, fell, caftrate, or use their perfons as he pleases, they being all his flaves, and he lord or proprietor of every thing, and his unbounded will their law.

§. 10. Our author having placed fuch a mighty power in Adam, and upon that fuppofition founded all government, and all power of princes, it is reasonable to expect, that he fhould have proved this with arguments clear and evident, fuitable to the weightiness of