Book One: Why the World Needs One Ruler · Monarchy

All men whom the Higher Nature has stamped with the love of truth should take particular care, it seems, to labour for those who come after them, so that, as they have been enriched by the labour of their forefathers, they may enrich posterity in their turn. For he who has been taught the public doctrines and does not care to contribute something to the commonwealth is far from his duty: he is not a tree planted by the waters, bearing fruit in due season, but rather a destructive whirlpool, forever swallowing and never giving back.

Thinking often on these things, so that I may not be accused of burying my talent, I want not only to grow but to bear fruit for the public good, by showing truths not attempted by others. For what fruit would there be in proving again a theorem of Euclid? in trying to show again what happiness is, which Aristotle has shown? Among the hidden and useful truths, the knowledge of the temporal monarchy is the most useful, and the most hidden, and has been attempted by no one, because it does not lead directly to gain.

I mean by "temporal monarchy," which they call the Empire, a single sovereignty set over all others in time, that is, over all who are measured by time. Three questions arise about it: first, whether it is necessary for the well-being of the world; second, whether the Roman people took the office of monarch to itself by right; and third, whether the monarch's authority depends directly on God, or on some minister or vicar of God.

First, we must find the purpose of human society as a whole: for every thing that exists, from the smallest part to the whole, has its own proper work; and God and nature make nothing in vain.

What is the proper work of the human race, taken all together? It is not simply to be, for the elements share that; nor to live, for plants live; nor to feel, for beasts feel. It is to understand, by the possible intellect, which is proper to man alone, and to no being above or below him. And since this power cannot be fully realised all at once by one man or by any one community, there must be a multitude in the human race, through which the whole of this power may be brought into act — as there must be a multitude of things that can be generated, so that the whole power of first matter may always be in act.

The "possible intellect" is a concept from Aristotle, developed by the Arab philosopher Averroës; Dante mentions him here.

So the proper work of the whole human race is to realise always the whole power of the possible intellect: first in contemplation, and secondarily, by extension, in action. And as the individual man grows in wisdom and prudence when he sits in quiet, so the human race, in the calm and tranquillity of peace, is most freely and easily at its proper work. It is clear, then, that universal peace is the best of the things ordered to our happiness. That is why the shepherds heard from on high not "riches," not "pleasures," not "honours," not "long life," not "health," not "strength," not "beauty," but "peace": "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." And "Peace be with you" was the Saviour's greeting.

Now I show, by many arguments, that for the world to be well, there must be a single monarch.

When several things are ordered to one end, one of them must rule and direct the others: in the single man, the intellect rules the other powers; in the household, the father; in the village, one head; in the city, one government; in the kingdom, one king. So in the whole human race, ordered to one end, there must be one ruler: the Monarch, or Emperor.

The whole is ordered to one, as the parts to the whole; so the human race, which is a part of the universe, ordered to its single Prince, God, must itself have a single prince within it, to be well ordered.

The human race is best disposed when it is most like God; and it is most like God when it is most one, for the true ground of unity is in God alone — "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one." And it is most one when it is all united under one ruler.

Wherever there can be disputes, there must be judgement; and between two princes, neither subject to the other, there must be a third, of wider jurisdiction, who is set over both; and this must go on until we reach a first and supreme judge — or go on to infinity, which is impossible. That supreme judge is the Monarch.

The world is best disposed when justice is strongest in it. And justice is strongest in the Monarch. For the greatest enemy of justice is greed — cupiditas; but where there is nothing left to desire, greed is impossible; and the Monarch, whose jurisdiction is bounded only by the ocean, has nothing left to desire. Other princes desire one another's lands; the Monarch, who has all, cannot. Remove greed, and charity — right love — grows strongest; and charity is the soul of justice.

And the human race is best off when it is most free. The first principle of our freedom is freedom of choice, which many have on their lips but few in their minds. This freedom is the greatest gift God has given to human nature: by it we are happy here as men, by it we are happy elsewhere as gods. Under the Monarch, the human race exists for its own sake, and not for another's; for only he does not twist governments into tyrannies, but rights them — the twisted governments of democracies, oligarchies and tyrannies, which drive the human race into slavery. For citizens do not exist for the sake of consuls, nor the people for the king; but on the contrary, consuls for the citizens, and the king for the people. The Monarch is the servant of all.

What can be done by one is better done by one than by many. And being is the root of unity, and unity of goodness; so the best is that which is most one.

And finally, a witness: experience. If we look back over the history of men since our first parents' fall, we find that never was the world at peace everywhere except under the divine Augustus, when there was a perfect monarchy. That is when the Son of God, to save mankind, chose to become man; and that the human race was then happy in the tranquillity of universal peace, all historians bear witness, and the poets, and even the scribe of the gentleness of Christ — Luke — deigned to testify. That was "the fullness of time," as Paul calls it.

But what has happened since the seamless robe of the Empire was first torn by the claws of greed can be read, and alas can be seen.

"O human race, by how many storms and losses and shipwrecks must you be tossed, so long as you are made a beast of many heads, struggling in different directions! You are sick in both your intellects, and sick in your affection: you do not heal your higher intellect with unshakeable reasons, nor your lower with the sight of experience, nor your affection with the sweetness of divine persuasion, when the trumpet of the Holy Spirit sounds to you: 'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!'"