consists in the election
of magistrates fearing God, and hating covetousness, and not in their
confining themselves, or being confined, to men of this or that party or
profession. It consists in making the most prudent and religious choice
they can; yet not in trusting to men, but, next God, to their own
orders. "Give us good men, and they will make us good laws," is the
maxim of a demagogue, and is (through the alteration which is commonly
perceivable in men, when they have power to work their own wills)
exceeding fallible. But "give us good orders, and they will make us
good men," is the maxim of a legislator, and the most infallible in the
politics.

But these divisions (however there be some good men that look sadly on
them) are trivial things; first as to the civil concern, because the
government, whereof this nation is capable, being once seen, takes
in all interests. And, secondly, as to the spiritual; because as the
pretence of religion has always been turbulent in broken governments, so
where the government has been sound and steady, religion has never
shown itself with any other face than that of its natural sweetness
and tranquillity, nor is there any reason why it should, wherefore
the errors of the people are occasioned by their governors. If they
be doubtful of the way, or wander from it, it is because their guides
misled them; and the guides of the people are never so well qualified
for leading by any virtue of their own, as by that of the government.

The government of Oceana (as it stood at the time whereof we discourse,
consisting of one single Council of the people, exclusively of the King
and the Lords) was called a Parliament: nevertheless the parliaments of
the Teutons and of the Neustrians consisted, as has been shown, of the
King, lords, and commons; wherefore this, under an old name, was a
new thing a parliament consisting of a single assembly elected by the
people, and invested with the whole power of the government, without
any covenants, conditions, or orders whatsoever. So new a thing, that
neither ancient nor modern prudence can show any avowed example of the
like. And there is scarce anything that seems to me so strange as that
(whereas there was nothing more familiar with these councillors than to
bring the Scripture to the house) there should not be a man of them that
so much as offered to bring the house to the Scripture, wherein, as
has been shown, is contained that original, whereof