John Locke 
Two Treatises of Government [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Iauthor than an Engliih courtier: for I {hould not have writ againi’c Sir Robert, or taken the pains to fbew ‚his miflakes, inconfil’rencies, and want of (what he fo much boafts of, and pretends wholly to build on) feripture-proofs, were thereflnot men amongft us, who, by crying up his books; and efpoufin’g his doc trine, fave me from the reproach of writing againfi a dead adverfary. They have been fo zealous in this point, that, if I have done him any wrong, I cannot h0pe they {hould fpare me, I wifh, where they have done the truth and the public wrong, they would be as ready to redrefs it, and allow its juft weight to this reflection, viz. That there cannot be done a greater mifchief to prince and people, than the propagating wrong notions concerning government; that f0 at lai’t all times might not have reafon to complain of the Drum Ecclefiaflic. If any one, concerned really for truth, undertake the confutation of my Hy pothefis, I promife him either to recant my miflake, upon fair conviction; or to anfwer his difficulties. But he mutt remember two things.