Horatio could not keep himself from falling into a deep musing at the
recital of this adventure: he thought Patkul worthy of compassion, yet
found reasons to justify the king's resentment; and as this officer had
often disburthened himself to him with the greatest freedom, he had no
reserve toward him, and this led them into a discourse on arbitrary
power.--Horatio said, that he could not help believing that nature never
intended millions to be subjected to the despotic will of one person,
and that a limited government was the most conformable to reason. The
officer agreed with him in that; except the person who ruled had really
more perfections than all those he ruled over and if so, said he, and
his commands are always calculated for the happiness of the subject,
they cannot be more happy than in an implicite obedience. True, replied
Horatio, I am confident that such a prince as ours knows how to chuse
for his people much better than they do for themselves; but how can they
be certain that his descendants will have the same virtues; and when
once an absolute power is granted to a good prince, it will be in vain
that the people will endeavour to wrest it from the hands of a bad
one.
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