The Oceana of James Harrington and his other works, som [sic] wherof are now first publish'd from his own manuscripts : the whole collected, methodiz'd, and review'd, with an exact account of his life prefix'd / by John Toland.

CHAP. IV.

Shewing the State of the Israelits under their Kings, to the Captivity.

[Sect. 1] FOR Method in this part, I shall first observe the Balance or Foundation, then the Superstructures of the Hebrew Monarchys; and last of all, the Story of the Hebrew Kings.

[Sect. 2] THE Balance necessary to Kingly Government, even where it is regulated or not absolute, is thus describ'd by SAMUEL. This will be the manner of the King that shall reign over you: He will take your Fields, your Vinyards, and your Oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his Servants. That is, there being no provision of this kind for a King, and it being of natural necessity that a King must have such an Aristocracy or Nobility as may be able to support the Monarchy (which otherwise, to a People having equal shares in property, is altogether incompatible) it follows, that he must take your Fields, and give them to his Servants, or Creatures.

THIS notwithstanding could not SAUL do, in whose time the Monarchy attain'd not to any balance, but was soon torn from him like the lap of a Garment. The Prince who gave that balance to this Monarchy, which it had, was DAVID: for besides his other Con∣quests, by which he brought the Moabits, the Syrians of Damascus, the Ammonits, the Amalekits, the Edomits, to his Obedience, and ex∣tended his Border to the river Euphrates; he smote the Philistins, and subdu'd them, and took Gath and her Towns, out of the hand of the Phi∣listins.

Now this Country which DAVID thus took, was part of [Chap. 4] the Land given to the People by God, and which was by the Law of MOSES to have bin divided by Lot to them. Wherfore if this di∣vision follow'd not, but DAVID having taken this Country, did hold it in his particular Dominion or Property; then tho he took not from the People any thing wherof they were in actual possession, yet, as to their legal Right, took he from them (as SAMUEL had forewarn'd) their Fields, their Vinyards, and their Oliveyards, even the best of them, and gave them to his Servants, or to a Nobility, which by this means he introduc'd.

THE first Order of the Nobility thus instituted, were, as they are term'd by our Translators, DAVID'S Worthys: to these may be added, the great Officers of his Realm and Court, with such as sprang out of both. But however, these things by advantage of foren Con∣quest might be order'd by DAVID, or continu'd for the time of his next Successor; certain it is, that the balance of Monarchy in so small a Country must be altogether insufficient to it self, or destructive to the People.

THE Commonwealth of Lacedemon, being founded by LYCUR∣GUS [Sect. 3] upon the like Lots with these design'd by MOSES, came, after the spoil of Athens, to be destroy'd by Purchasers, and brought into one hundred hands; wherupon, the People being rooted out, there re∣main'd no more to the two Kings, who were wont to go out with great Armys, than one hundred Lords: nor any way, if they were in∣vaded, to defend themselves, but by Mercenarys, or making War up∣on the Penny; which, at the farthest it would go (not computing the difference in Disciplin) reach'd not, in one third, those Forces which the popular Balance could at any time have afforded without Mony. This som of those Kings perceiving, were of all others the most earnest to return to the popular Balance. What Disorders in a Country no bigger than was theirs, or this of the Israelits, must, in case the like course be not taken, of necessity follow, may be at large perus'd in the story of Lacedemon; and shall be fully shewn, when I com to the story of the present Kings.

FOR the Superstructures of DAVID'S Government, it has bin [Sect. 4] shewn at large what the Congregation of Israel was; and that with∣out the Congregation of Israel, and their Result, there was not any Law made by DAVID. The like in the whole, or for the most part, was observ'd till REHOBOAM, who, refusing to redress the Grie∣vances of the People, was depos'd by one part of this Congregation or Parlament, and set up by another; to the confusion both of Parlament and People. And DAVID (as after him JEHOSHAPHAT) did restore the Sanhedrim; I will not affirm, by popular Election, after the antient manner. He might do it perhaps, as he made JOAB over the Host, JEHOSHAPHAT Recorder, and SERAIAH Scribe. Certain it is, the Jewish Writers hold unanimously, that the seventy Elders were in DAVID'S time, and by a good token; for they say, to him only of all the Kings it was lawful, or permitted, to enter into the Sanhedrim: which I the rather credit, for the words of DAVID, where he says, I will praise the Lord with my whole Heart in the Council, and in the Congregation of the Ʋpright; which words relate to the Se∣nat, and the Congregation of Israel. The final cause of the popular Congregation, in a Commonwealth, is to give such a balance by their

[Book II] Result, as may, and must keep the Senat from that Faction and Cor∣ruption, wherof it is not otherwise curable, or to set it upright. Yet our Translation gives the words cited, in this manner: I will praise the Lord with my whole Heart in the Assembly of the Ʋpright, and in the Congregation. There are other Allusions in the English Psalms, of the like nature, shaded in like manner: As, God is present in the Congre∣gation of God (that is, in the Representative of the People of Israel) he judges among the Gods, that is, among the seventy Elders, or in the Sanhedrim. What the Orders of the Israelitish Monarchy in the time of DAVID were, tho our Translators throout the Bible have don what they could against Popular Government, is clear enough in many such places.

[Sect. 5] TO conclude this Chapter with the story of the Hebrew Kings: Till REHOBOAM, and the division (thro the cause mention'd) of the Congregation in his time, the Monarchy of the Hebrews was one, but came thenceforth to be torn into two: that of Judah, consisting of two Tribes, Judah and Benjamin; and that of Israel, con∣sisting of the other ten. From which time this People, thus di∣vided, had little or no rest from the flame of that Civil War, which, once kindl'd between the two Realms or Factions, could never be ex∣tinguish'd but in the destruction of both. Nor was Civil War of so new a date among them; SAUL, whose whole Reign was impo∣tent and perverse, being conquer'd by DAVID; and DAVID in∣vaded by his Son ABSALOM so strongly, that he fled before him. SOLOMON, the next Successor, happen'd to have a quiet Reign, by settling himself upon his Throne in the death of ADONIJAH his elder Brother, and in the deposing of the High Priest ABIATHAR; yet made he the yoke of the People grievous. After him, we have the War between JEROBOAM and REHOBOAM. Then, the Conspiracy of BAASHA against NADAB King of Israel, which ends in the destruction of JEROBOAM'S House, and the Usurpation of his Throne by BAASHA, which BAASHA happens to leave to his Son ASA. Against ASA rises ZIMRI, Captain of the Chariots; kills him with all his kindred, reigns seven days; at the end wherof he burns himself for fear of OMRI, who upon this occasion is made Cap∣tain by one part of the People, as is also TIBNI by another. The next Prize is plaid between OMRI and TIBNI, and their Facti∣ons; in which TIBNI is slain. Upon this success, OMRI out∣doing all his Predecessors in Tyranny, leaves his Throne and Virtues to his Son AHAB. Against AHAB drives JEHU furiously, de∣stroys him and his Family, gives the flesh of his Queen JEZEBEL to the Dogs, and receives a Present from those of Samaria, even seventy Heads of his Masters Sons in Baskets. To ASA and JEHOSHA∣PHAT, Kings of Judah, belongs much Reverence. But upon this Throne sat ATHALIAH; who, to reign, murder'd all her Grand∣children except one, which was JOASH. JOASH being hid by the High Priest, at whose command ATHALIAH was som time after slain, ends his Reign in being murder'd by his Servants. To him succedes his Son AMAZIA, slain also by his Servants. About the same time ZACHARIAH King of Israel was smitten by SHAL∣LUM, who reign'd in his stead: SHALLUM by MANAHIM, who reign'd in his stead: PEKAHA the Son of MANAHIM by PEKAH one of his Captains, who reign'd in his stead: PEKAH

by HOSHEA. HOSHEA having reign'd nine years, is carry'd by [Chap. 4] SALMANAZZER King of Assyria with the ten Tribes into Cap∣tivity. Now might it be expected that the Kingdom of Judah should injoy Peace: a good King they had, which was HEZEKIAH; but to him succeded his Son MANASSEH, a shedder of innocent Blood. To MANASSEH succeded his Son AMMON, slain by his Servants. JOSIAH the next, being a good Prince, is succeded by JEHOAHAZ, who being carry'd into Egypt, there dys a Prisoner, while JEHOIAKIM his Brother becoms PHARAOH'S Tributa∣ry. The last of these Princes was ZEDEKIAH, in whose Reign was Judah led away captive by NEBUCHADNEZZAR. Thus came the whole Enumeration of those dreadful Curses denounc'd by MOSES in this case, to be fulfil'd in this People; of whom it is also said, I gave them a King in my anger, and took him away in my wrath.

TO conclude this Story with the Resemblances or Differences that are between Monarchical and Popular Government: What Parallel can there be beyond the Storys wherby each of them are so largely de∣scrib'd in Scripture? True it is, that AHIMELEC usurp'd the Magistracy of Judg in Israel, or made himself King by the men of Sichem; that the men of Ephraim fought against JEPTHA, and that there was a Civil War caus'd by Benjamin: yet, in a Popular Government, the very womb (as they will have it) of tumult, tho never so well founded that it could be steddy, or take any sufficient root, can I find no more of this kind.

BUT the Tribuns of the People in Rome, or the Romans under [Sect. 6] the Magistracy of their Tribuns, throout the whole Administration of that Government, were never quiet; but at perpetual strife and enmity with the Senat. It is very true; but first, this happen'd not from a Cause natural to a Popular Government, but from a Cause un∣natural to Popular Government; yea, so unnatural to Popular Govern∣ment, that the like has not bin found in any other Commonwealth. Secondly, the Cause is undeniably discover'd to have consisted in a Faction introduc'd by the Kings, and foster'd by the Nobility, ex∣cluding the Suffrage of the main body of the People thro an Optimacy, or certain rank or number admitted not by the People or their Election, but by the value of their Estates, to the Legislative Power, as the Com∣mons of that Nation. So the State of this People was as if they had two Houses of Lords, and no House of Commons. Thirdly, this danger must have bin in any other Nation, at least in ours, much harder to be incur'd, than Authors hitherto have made it to be seen in this. And last of all, this Enmity, or these Factions, were without Blood, which in Monarchys they are not, as you saw well in those mention'd; and this Nation in the Barons Wars, and in those of York and Lancaster, besides others, has felt. Or, if at length they came in∣deed to Blood, this was not till the Foundations were destroy'd, that is, till the Balance of Popular Government in Rome was totally ruin'd; which is equally in cases of the like nature inavoidable, be the Govern∣ment of what kind soever, as of late years we have bin sufficiently in∣form'd by our own sad Experience.

Notes

• The Method of this part.
• The Balance of this Monarchy.

  1 Sam. 8. 11, 14.
• 2 Sam. 8. 1. 1 Chron. 11.
• 2 Sam. 23. 1 Chron. 11.
• A Parallel of the Monarchi∣chal Balances in Israel and in Lacedemon.

  Plutarch in A∣gis and Cleo∣menes.
• The Superstruc∣tures of the He∣brew Monar∣chy.
• 1 Sam. 8. 15.
• Psal. 111. 1.
• Psal. 82. 1.
• The Story of the Hebrew Kings.
• Deut. 28.
• Hos. 13. 11.
• A Parallel of the Tribunitian Storms with those in the Hebrew Mo∣narchys.