Cato's Letters (in two volumes): Or, Essays on Liberty, Civil and Religious, and Other Important Subjects

by John Trenchard, Thomas Gordon, Ronald Hamowy (Editor)

Overview

Almost a generation before Washington, Henry, and Jefferson were even born, two Englishmen, concealing their identities with the honored ancient name of Cato, wrote newspaper articles condemning tyranny and advancing principles of liberty that immensely influenced American colonists. The Englishmen were John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon.

John Trenchard (1662–1723) devoted himself to writing on contemporary British politics and for one year was a Member of Parliament from Taunton.

Thomas Gordon (ca. 1695–1750) was a tutor in languages, a publisher, and a pamphleteer.

Ronald Hamowy was Professor Emeritus of Intellectual History at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614871040
Publisher:	Liberty Fund
Publication date:	08/31/1995
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1064
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

VOLUME TWO OF THE SIXTH EDITION NO. 34. Of Flattery. 243
NO. 35. Of publick Spirit. 250
NO. 36. Of Loyalty. 255
NO. 37. Character of a good and of an evil Magistrate, quoted from Algernon Sidney, Esq. 262
NO. 38. The Right and Capacity of the People to judge of Government. 266
NO. 39. Of the Passions; that they are all alike good or all alike evil, according as they are applied. 273
NO. 40. Considerations on the restless and selfish Spirit of Man. 278
NO. 41. The Emperor Galba's Speech to Piso, with an Introduction. 282
NO. 42. Considerations on the Nature of Laws. 288
NO. 43. The natural Passion of Men for Superiority. 294
NO. 44. Men not ruled by Principle, but by Passion. 298
NO. 45. Of the Equality and Inequality of Men. 306
NO. 46. Of the false Guises which Men put on, and their ill Effect. 310
NO. 47. Of the Frailty and Uncertainty of human Judgment. 315
NO. 48. The general unhappy State of the World, from the Baseness and Iniquity of its Governors in most Countries. 320
NO. 49. Of the Power of Prejudice. 326
NO. 50. An Idea of the Turkish Government, taken from Sir Paul Ricaut. 332
NO. 51. Popularity no Proof of Merit. 338
NO. 52. Of Divine Judgments; the Wickedness and Absurdity of applying them to Men and Events. 343
NO. 53. Dr. Prideaux's Reasoning about the Death of Cambyses, examined; whether the same was a Judgment for his killing the Egyptian God Apis. 350
NO. 54. The Reasoning of Dr. Prideaux about the Fate of Brennus the Gaul, and of his Followers, examined; whether the same was a Judgment for an Intention to plunder the Temple of Delphos. 357
NO. 55. The Lawfulness of killing Julius Caesar considered, and defended, against Dr. Prideaux. 367
NO. 56. A Vindication of Brutus, for having killed Caesar. 376
NO. 57. Of false Honour, publick and private. 388
NO. 58. Letter from a Lady, with an Answer, about Love, Marriage, and Settlements. 395
NO. 59. Liberty proved to be the unalienable Right of all Mankind. 405
NO. 60. All Government proved to be instituted by Men, and only to intend the general Good of Men. 413
NO. 61. How free Governments are to be framed so as to last, and how they differ from such as are arbitrary. 420
NO. 62. An Enquiry into the Nature and Extent of Liberty; with its Loveliness and Advantages, and the vile Effects of Slavery. 426
NO. 63. Civil Liberty produces all Civil Blessings, and how; with the baneful Nature of Tyranny. 435
NO. 64. Trade and Naval Power the Offspring of Civil Liberty, and cannot subsist without it. 442
NO. 65. Military Virtue produced and supported by Civil Liberty only. 445
NO. 66. Arbitrary Government proved incompatible with true Religion, whether Natural or Revealed. 462
NO. 67. Arts and Sciences the Effects of Civil Liberty only, and ever destroyed or oppressed by Tyranny. 471
NO. 68. Property and Commerce secure in a free Government only; with the consuming Miseries under simple Monarchies. 483 VOLUME TWO VOLUMES THREE AND FOUR OF THE SIXTH EDITION No. 69 through No. 138 AN APPENDIX CONTAINING ADDITIONAL LETTERS BY CATO No. 1 through No. 6 INDEX

Editorial Reviews

Trenchard and Gordon's arrangement of the Roman statesman's epistles was first published in four volumes in 1755. In addition to the text of the letters, this edition contains a publishing history and notes on the text. For scholarly collections.

Library Journal

An annotated edition of the famous libertarian letters originally published in the London Journal between 1720 and 1723. The immediate occasion of the letters (in November 1720) was the bursting of the South Sea Bubble, which had precipitated a financial crisis earlier in the year. However, only about a dozen of the 144 letters are devoted to the subject, while the remainder range over a wide variety of topics of public concern, including questions of public morality and, most importantly, theoretical discussions of the idea of liberty and the nature of tyranny. Edited, introduced, and annotated by Ronald Hamowy. A steal at the price of $15. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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