GHIST 225: US History
Kevin R. Hardwick
Spring 2012
LECTURE 05
The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance:
Early 18 th Century English Ideas about Government

Part One: Evolution of British Republicanism after
1688
Part Two: Colonial Administration and the British
Constitution
Documents:
1. Trenchard and Gordon, Cato 33, CAPCT pp. 85-86
2. Sir John Randolph’s 1736 re-election speech, CAPCT pp. 96-97

• First Anglo-Dutch War: 1652-1654
• Second Angl0-Dutch War: 1665-1667
• Third Anglo-Dutch War: 1672-1674
• Nine-Years War: 1688-1697 (England, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Holland v
France)
• War of the Spanish Succession: 1702-1713 (England and Scotland/Great Britain,
Germany, Portugal and Holland v France and Spain )

British Public Finance:

"the crowd of offices in the gift of the crown"
"the artful caresses, and familiar and deceitful addressed of great men to weak men"
"luxurious dinners, and rivers of [Booze] thrown down the throats of gluttons"
”pensions and other personal gratifications"

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
Considering what sort of creature man is it is scarce possible to put him under too many restraints, when he is possessed of great power: He may possibly use it well, but they act most prudently who, supposing that he would use it ill, enclose him within certain bounds, and make it terrible to him to exceed them. (p. 85)

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
It is nothing strange, that men, who think themselves unaccountable, should act unaccountably, and that all men would be unaccountable if they could. (p. 85)

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
The world is governed by men, and men by their passions; which, being boundless and insatiable, are always terrible when they are not controlled. Who was ever satiated with riches, or surfeited with power, or tired of honors?

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
Power is naturally active, vigilant, and distrustful; which qualities in it push it upon all means and expedients to fortify itself, and upon destroying all opposition, and even all seeds of opposition, and make it restless as long as anything stands in its way. It would do what it pleases, and have no check. (p. 86)

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
Now, because liberty chastises and shortens power, therefore power would extinguish liberty; and consequently liberty has too much cause to be exceedingly jealous, and always upon her defense.

Faculty Psychology

Sir John Randolph, Re-election Speech, 1737
You have not been intoxicated with the power committed to you by his Majesty but have used it like a faithful trustee for the public good and with proper cautions. (p. 97)

Trenchard and Gordon, Cato’s Letters, No. 33
Power, without control, appertains to God alone; and no man ought to be trusted with what no man is equal to.
In truth there are so many passions, and inconsistencies, and so much selfishness, belonging to human nature, that we can scarce be too much upon our guard against each other. The only security that we can have that men will be honest, is to make it their interest to be honest; and the best defense we can have against their being knaves, is to make it terrible for them to be knaves. As there are many men wicked in some stations, who would be innocent in others; the best way is to make wickedness unsafe in any station. (p. 87)