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 HAPPY REPUBLIC 
 
 A Philofophical ROMANCE, 
 
 In Two Books. 
 
 Book I. Containing Prelimi- 
 nary Difcourles on the hap- 
 pieft State of a Common- 
 wealth. 
 
 Book II. Containing a Defcrip- 
 tion of the Ifland of Utopia^ 
 
 The Town6, Magiftrates, Me- 
 chanick Trades, and Man- 
 ner of Life of the Utopians^ 
 
 Their Traffick , Travelling , 
 Slaves, Marriages, Military 
 Difcipline, Religions. 
 
 Written in Latin by Sir Thomas More, 
 Lord High Chancellor of England. 
 
 Tranflated into Englifti by Gilbert Burnet D. D« 
 
 Sometime Profefibr of Divinity in the Univcrfity of 
 
 Glafgaw, afterwards Bilhop of Sarum. 
 
 GLASGOW, 
 
 Printed by Robert Foulis, and fold by him there; and, at 
 Edinburgby by Meff. Hamilton and Balfour BookfcIIers, 
 
 M DCC XLIII. 
 
' ^ ■ ^^', V' 
 
Bifhop BURNET'S PREFACE 
 
 CONCERN INO 
 
 TRANSLATION, particularly this 
 of U T O P I A. 
 
 THERE is no Way of writing fo pro- 
 per, for the refining and polifhing a 
 Language, as the tranflating of Books 
 into it, if he that undertakes it has a compe- 
 tent Skill of the one Tongue, and is a Mafter 
 of the other. When a Man writes his own 
 Thoughts, the Heat of his Fancy, and the 
 Quicknefs of his Mind, carry him fo much 
 after the Notions themfelves, that for the 
 moft Part he is too warm to judge of the Apt- 
 nefs of Words, and the Juftnefi of Figures ; 
 fo that he either neglects thefe too much, or 
 over-does them: But when a Man tranflates, 
 he has none of thefe Heats about him: And 
 therefore the French took no ill Method, 
 when they intended to reform and beautify 
 
 a 2 their 
 
iv T/;^ P R E F A C E. 
 
 their Language, in fetting their befl Writers 
 on work to tranflate the Greek and Latin Au- 
 thors into it. There is fo little Praife got by 
 Tranflations, that a Man cannot be engaged 
 to it out of Vanity, for it has palTed for a Sign 
 ofa flow Mind, that can amufe itfelf with fo 
 mean an Entertainment; but we begin to 
 grow wifer, and tho' ordinary Tranflators 
 mufl: fucceed ill in the Efleem of the World, 
 yet fome have appeared of late that will, I 
 hope, bring that Way of WTiting in Credit. 
 The Eiiglijh Language has wrought itfelf out, 
 both of the fulfome Pedantry under wdiich it 
 laboured long ago, and the triflmg Way of 
 dark and unintelligible Wit that came after 
 that, and out of the coarfe Extravagance of 
 Canting that fucceeded this : But as one Ex- 
 tream commonly produces another, fo we 
 were beginning to fly into a fublime Pitch of a 
 ftrong but falfe Rhetorick, w^hich had much 
 corrupted, not only the Stage, but even the 
 Pulpit; two Places, that tho' they ought not 
 to be named together, much lefs to refemble 
 one another; yet it cannot be denied, but 
 the Rule and Meafure of Speech is general- 
 \y taken from them : But that florid Strain is 
 almoft quite w^orn out, and is become now as 
 ridiculous as it wais once admired. So that 
 without either the Expence or Labour that 
 the French have undergone, oiu' Language 
 has, like a rich Wine, wrought out its Tartar, 
 
 and 
 
The V REF AC E, v 
 
 and is unfenfibly brought to a Purity that 
 could not have been compafTed without much 
 Labour, had it not been for the great Advan- 
 tage that we have of a *Prince^ who is fo great 
 a judge, that his fmgle Approbation or Dif- 
 iike has ahnoil as great an Authority over our 
 Language, as his Prerogative gives him over 
 our Coin. We are now fo much refined, that 
 how defective foever our Imaginations or 
 Reafonings may be, yet our Language has 
 fewer Faults, and is more natural and proper, 
 than it was ever at any Time before. When 
 one compares the befh Writers of the laft Age, 
 with thofe that excel in this, the Difference is 
 very difcernable : Even the great Sir Francis 
 Bacor/f that was the firft that writ our Lan- 
 guage corre6lly ; as he is ftill our beft Author, 
 yet in fome Places has Figures fo ftrong, that 
 they could not pafs now before a fevere 
 Judge. I will not provoke the prefent Maf- 
 ters of the Stage, by preferring the Authors of 
 the laft Age to them : For tho' they all ac- 
 knovv^ledge that they come far fhort of B. 
 Johnjon, Beaumont and Fletcher, yet I believe 
 they are better pleafed to fay this themfelves, 
 than to have it obferved by others. Their 
 Language is now certainly properer, and more 
 natural than it was formerly, chiefly fmce the 
 Correction that was given by the Rehear fal ; 
 and it is to be hop'd, that the Effay on Toetry, 
 which may be well matched with the beft 
 
 Pieces 
 
vi The PREFACE. 
 
 Pieces of its Kind that even y^ugu ft us*s Age pro- 
 tluced, will have a more powerful Operation, if 
 clear Senfe, joined with home but gentle Re- 
 proofs, can work more on our Writers, than 
 that unmerciful expofing of them has done. 
 
 I have now much Leifure, and want Diver- 
 fion,ib I have bellowed fome of my Hours up- 
 on Tranflations, in which I have propofed no 
 ill Patterns to m3^felf : But the Reader will be 
 befl able to judge whether I have copied Ikil- 
 fully after fuch Originals. This fmall Volume 
 which I now publifh, being writ by one. of 
 the greatelfMcn that this Ifland has produced, 
 feemed to me to contain fo many fine and well 
 digefted Notions, that I thought it might be 
 no unkind nor ill Entertainment to the Nati- 
 on, to put a Book in their Hands, to which 
 they have io good a Title, and which has a 
 very common Fate upon it, to be more known 
 and admired all the World over, than here at 
 Home. It was once tranflated into EiigUJlj 
 not long after it was written; and I was once 
 apt to think it might have been done by Sir 
 Thomas More himfelf : For as it is in the En- 
 ^Hfi of his Age, and not unlike his Style ; fo 
 the Tranflator has taken a Liberty that feems 
 too great for any but the Author himfelf, who 
 is. Mailer of his own Book, and fo may leave 
 out or alter his Original as he pleafes : Which 
 Is more than a Tranllator ought to do, I am 
 lure it is more than I have prcfumed to do. 
 
 It 
 
 <^ 
 
The V REF ACE. vii 
 
 It was writ in the Year 151 6, as appears 
 by the Date of the Letter of Teter Giles ^ in 
 wliich he fays, That it was fent him but a 
 few Days before from the Author, and that 
 bears Date the firfl of November that Year ; 
 but I cannot imagine how he comes to be 
 called Sheriff of London in the Title of the 
 Book, for in all our printed Catalogues of She- 
 rifis, his Name is not to be found. I do not 
 think myfelf concerned in the Matter of 
 his Book, no more than any other Tranflator 
 is in his Author : Nor do I think More him- 
 felf went in heartily to that which is the chief 
 Bails of his Utopia^ the taking away of all 
 Property, and the levelling the World; but 
 tliat he only intended to fet many Notions in 
 his Reader's Way; and that he might not feem 
 too much in earneft, he went fo far out of all 
 Roads to do it the lefs fufpe^ted: The Earneft- 
 nefs with which he recommends the Precau- 
 tion ufed in Marriages among the Utopians^ 
 makes one think that he had a Misfortune in 
 his own Choice, and that therefore he was 
 fo cautious on that Head; for the Stri^lnefs of 
 his Life covers him from fevere Cenfures: His 
 fetting out fo barbarous a Practice, as the hi- 
 ring of Affaffines to take off Enemies, is fo 
 wild andfo immoral both, that it does not ad- 
 mit of any Thing to foften or excufe it, much 
 lefs to juftify it; and the advihng Men in 
 fome Cafes to put an end to their Lives, not- 
 
 with- 
 
viii The F t E F A C E. 
 
 withflanding all tlie Caution with which he 
 guai'ds it, is a Piece of rough anti fierce Phi- 
 lolbphy. The tendered Part of the whole 
 Work, was the Reprefentation he gives of 
 Henry the feventh's Court ; and his Difcourfes 
 upon it, towards the End of the firft Book, 
 in w hich his Difgiiife is fo thin, that the Mat- 
 ter would not have been much plainer if he 
 had named him : But when he ventured to 
 write fo freely of the Fatlier in the Son's 
 Reign, and to give fuch an Idea of Govern- 
 ment under the haughtieft Prince, and the 
 mofl impatient of uneafy Reftraints that ever 
 reigned in England, who yet was fo far from 
 being difplealed with him for it, that as he 
 made him long his particular Friend, fo he 
 employed him in all his Affairs afterwards, 
 and railed him to be Lord Chancellor, I 
 thought I might venture to put it in more 
 modern Englifh : For as the Tranflators of 
 TlutarcJjs Hero's, or of Tully Offices, are not 
 concerned, either in the Maxims, or in the 
 Actions that they relate; fo I, who only 
 tell, in the bell: Englifi I can, what Sir Tbo- 
 mas More writ in very elegant Lath, muft 
 leave his Thoughts and Notions to tlie Rea- 
 der's Cenfure, and do think myfelf liable for 
 nothing but the Fidelity of the Tranflation, 
 and the Corrednefs of the EngUjh ; and for 
 that I can only fay, that I have writ as care- 
 fully, and as well as I can. 
 
 TEST!- 
 
IX 
 
 TESTIMONYS 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 Sir THOMAS MORE, 
 
 By Great and Learned Men of different 
 Nations and Religions. 
 
 Exn'a6led from the Hiftory of his Life, written by 
 his Great-grand-fon. printed at London 1627. 
 
 Cardinal POOL. 
 
 STRANGERS and Men of other Nations, that 
 never had feen him in their Lives, received fo 
 much Grief at the hearing of his Death, reading the 
 Story thereof, they could not refrain from weeping, 
 bewailing an unknown Perfon only famous unto 
 them for his worthy A6b : Yea, I cannot hold my 
 felf from weeping as I write, tho' I be far oifmy 
 Countiy ; I loved him dearly, who had not fo ma- 
 ny urgent Caufes of his Love, as many others had, 
 only in refpeft of his Virtues and heroical Afts, for 
 which he was a molt necelfary Member of his Coun- 
 
 b try J 
 
X TESTIMONY S. 
 
 try ; and now God is my Witnefs, I fhed for liim^ 
 even whether I would or no, fo many Tears, that 
 they hinder me from writing, and often blot out the 
 Letters quite, which I am framing, that I can pro- 
 ceed no farther. Thy Father, Oh London/ thy 
 
 Ornament, thy Defence, was brought to his Death, 
 being innocent in thy Sight ; by Birth, thy Child ; 
 by Condition, thy Citizen, but thy Father for the 
 many Benefits done unto thee ; for he fliewed more 
 evident Signs of his fatherly Love towards thee, 
 than ever any loving Father hath expreifed to his 
 only and truly beloved Child ; yet in nothing hath 
 he more declared his fatherly Affe6lion, than by 
 
 ills End ; for that he loft his Life for thy Sake. 
 
 Wherefore that which we read in the ancient Sto- 
 ries of Greece, as touching Socrates ^ whom the A" 
 theniims condemned moft unjuftly to take Poifon, 
 fo thou haft now feen thy Socrates beheaded before 
 thine Eyes ; a while after his Death, when in a 
 Play there was recited out of a Tragedy thefc 
 Words: Toil have /lam, yon h aye /lain the be/t Man 
 of all Greece. Upon thefe their Words every Man 
 fo lamented tlie Death of Socrates, calling to Mind 
 that Injuftice, altho' the Poet himfelf dreamed leaft 
 of him, that the whole Theater was filled with no- 
 thing elfe, but Tears and howling, for which Caufe 
 the People prefently revenged his Death, by pu- 
 nifliing grievouily the chief Authors thereof; thofe 
 that were of them to be found, were put to Death 
 prefently, and they that could not be found out, 
 were banilhed. There was alfo a Statue ere6led in 
 his Honour, in the very Market-place. If they 
 therefore at the only hearing of thefe Words upon 
 the Stage took an Occasion to be revenged of that 
 moft innocent Man's Slaughter j what more juft 
 b 2 Caufc 
 
T E S T I M O N Y S. xi 
 
 Caufc may'ft thou, London^ have of CompafTion 
 and Revenge, hearing the like Words to thefe, not 
 pronounced only by any Stage-player at Home, but 
 by mod grave and reverend Men in all Places of 
 Chriflendom, when as they fpeak moft ferioufly, ex- 
 probrating often unto thee thine Ingratitude, and 
 laying : Tou h aye /lain, you have {lain the heft En- 
 glifii-man alhe, 
 
 ERASMUS. 
 
 Every Man bewalleth the Death of Sir Tho- 
 mas More, even they who are Adverfaries un- 
 to him for Religion ; fo great was his Courteile to 
 all Men, fo great his Affability, fo excellent was his 
 Nature. Whom did he ever fend away from him, 
 if he were any Thing learned, without Gifts P Or 
 who was fo great a Stranger unto him, to whom he 
 did not feek to do one good Turn or other ? Many 
 are favourable only to their own Countrym^en ; 
 Frenchmen to Frenchm.en, Germans to Germans, 
 Scottifhmen to Scots. But the Friendfliip of his ge- 
 nerous Soul extended to Irijh^ to French y to Ger- 
 mans, to Scots. This his Bounty hath fo engraven 
 More in every Man's Heart, that they all lament 
 his Death, as the Lofs of their own Father or Bro- 
 ther ; I myfelf have feen many Tears come from 
 thofe Men who never faw More in their Lives, nor 
 ever received any Benefit from him; yea, whiHl I 
 write thefe Things, Tears gulli from me whether I 
 will or no. How many Souls hath that Axe wound- 
 ed, which cut off More's Head ? 
 
 b 2 What 
 
xit TESTIMONYS. 
 
 JO. COCHLEUS. 
 
 What Praife or Honour could you get by that 
 Cruelty, which you excrcifed againft Sh' Thomas 
 More ? He was a Man of moft known and lau- 
 dable Humanity, mild Behaviour, Affability, Boun- 
 ty, Eloquence, Wifdom, Innoccncy of Life, Wit, 
 Learning, exceedinfrly beloved and admired of all 
 Men ; in Dignity, Ijefides, highell Judge of your 
 Country, and next to the King himfelf, famous 
 from his Youth ; beneficial to his Country for ma- 
 ny Embaflages, and now xy\o([ venerable for his gray 
 Head, drawing towards old Age, who having ob- 
 tained of the King an honourable DifmifTion from 
 his Office, lived privately at Home with his Wife, 
 Children, and Nephews, having never committed 
 the lead Offence againfl any, burdenfome to no 
 Man, ready to help every Body, mild and plea- 
 fant of Difpofition. You have given Counfcl to 
 have this fo good a Man drawn out of his own 
 Houfe, out of that fweet Academy of learned and 
 devout Chriflian Philofophers, for no other Caufe 
 but this, that he would not juflify your Lnpieties; 
 his guiltlefs Confcience refilling it, the Fear of 
 God, and his Soul's Health withdrawing him from 
 it. Do you believe that this your wicked Fa6l 
 hath ever pleated any one of what Nation, Sex, 
 or Age foever ? 
 
 PAULUS JOVIUS. 
 
 Fortune, fickle and unconflant, after her ac- 
 cuftomed Manner, and always hating Virtue, if e- 
 ver flie play'd the Part of a proud and cruel Dame, 
 {he hath lately behaved herfelf moft cruelly in Eng- 
 7 , under Hefiry the Eighth, calling down be- 
 
TESTIMONY S. xili 
 
 f jre hei* Thomas More, whom the King, whllft he 
 was an excellent Admh'er of Virtue, had raifed to 
 the higheft Places of Honour in his Realm, that 
 from thence, being by fatal Madnefs changed into 
 a Bead, he might fuddenly throw him down again 
 with great Cruelty, becaufc he would not favour 
 the unfatiable Luft of that furious Tyrant, and for 
 that he would not flatter him in his Wickednefs, 
 being a Man mod eminent for the Accomplifliment 
 df all Parts of Juftice, and moft Saintly in all Kind 
 of Virtues. For when the King would be divorced 
 from his lawful Wife, man-y a Queen, and hafteii 
 to difinherit, with Shame, his lawful Daughter 
 (Mary,) More Lord Chancellor was forced to ap- 
 pear at the Bar guilty only for his Piety and Inno- 
 Gency, and there was condemned moll wrongfully 
 to a mod cruel and fhameful Death like a Traitor 
 and Murderer, fo that it was not lawful for his 
 Friends to bury the difmembred Quarters of his Bo- 
 dy. But Henry for this Fa(5l, an Imitator of Pha- 
 lariSy fhall never be able to bereave him of perpe- 
 tual Fame, by this his unlawful Wickednefs, but 
 that the Name of More fliall remain conftant and in 
 Honour, by his famous Utopia. 
 
 JO. R I V I U S, a learned Protestant. 
 
 He that is in a Prince's Court, ought freely, if 
 he be afked his Judgment, rather to tell his Mind 
 plainly, what is mod behoofeful for his Prince's 
 Good, than to fpeak placentia, tickling his Ears 
 with Flattery ; neither ought he to praife Things 
 which are not Praife-worthy, nor to difpraife Mat- 
 ters that are worthy of high Commendations ; yea, 
 altho' he be in Danger of getting no Favour by per- 
 
 fuading 
 
xiv T E S T I M O N Y S 
 
 fuading it, but rather Punifhment and Difgrace foi? 
 
 gainfaying Men's Appetites. Such a Man was 
 
 lately in our Memory that fingular and excellent 
 for Learning and Piety, yea, the only Ornament 
 and Glory of his Country Thomas More, who be- 
 caufe he would not agree to nor approve by his 
 Confent, againft his own Confcience, the new Mar- 
 riage of the King of England , who would needs be 
 divorced from his firft Wife, and marry another, 
 he was firft caft into Prifon, one that had fingularly 
 well-deferved of the King himfelf, and of England; 
 and when he conftantly continued in his Opinion, 
 which he truly thought to be moft juft, moft lawful 
 and godly, emboldened to defend it by a fincere 
 Confcience, he was put to Death, by that wicked 
 Parricide, that moft hateful and cruel Tyrant ; a 
 Cruelty not heard of before in this our Age. Oh 
 Ingratitude and fingular Impiety of the King's ,who 
 could firft endure to confume and macerate with a 
 tedious and loathfom Imprifonment, fuch a ilncere 
 and holy good Man ; one that had been fo careful of 
 his Glory, fo ftudious of his Country's Profit ; he 
 that had perfuaded him always to all Juftice and 
 Honefty, dilTuaded him from all Contraries, and 
 not convinced of any Crime, nor found in any 
 Fault, he flew him (Oh miferablc Wickednefs ! ) not 
 only being innocent, but him that had defcrved 
 high Rewards, and his moft faithful and trufty 
 Counccllor. Are thefe thy Rewards, O King? 
 is this the Thanks thou returneft him for all his 
 trufty Service and Good-will unto thee ? Doth this 
 Man reap this Commodity for his moft faithful A6ts 
 and Employments ? But, Oh More, thou art now 
 happy, and cnjoyeft eternal Felicity, who wouldft 
 lofe thy Head rather than approve any Thing a- 
 
 gainft 
 
TESTIMONYS xv 
 
 galnft thine own Confcience, who more efteemefl 
 Righteoufnefs, Juftice and Piety, than Life itfelf ; 
 and whilft thou art deprived of this mortal Life, 
 thou palfeft to the true and immortal Happinefs of 
 Heaven j whilft thou art taken away from Men, 
 thou art raifed up amongft the Numbers of holy 
 Saints and Angels of Blifs. 
 
 CHARLES V. Emperor. 
 
 Ch'ailes v. Emperor faid unto Sir Thomas 
 Elliot then the King's Ambaflador in his Court, af' 
 ter he had heard of Bilhop Fijher and Sir Thomas 
 iWor^-'s Sufferings 5 on a Time he fpoke of it to 
 Sir Thomas 'Elliot^ who feemed to excufe the Mat- 
 ter by making fome Doubt of the Report, to whom 
 the Emperor replyM, " It is too true ; but if we 
 <* had two fuch Lights in all our Kingdoms, as 
 ** thefe Men were, we could rather have chofen 
 ** to have loft two of the beft and ftrongeft Towns 
 ** in all our Empire, than fuffer ourfelves to be 
 ** deprived of them, much lefs to endure to have 
 *' them wrongfully taken from us." 
 
 Thomas More Efq; the Author's Great 
 grand-fon, concerning his U T O P I A. 
 
 The Book that carrieth the Prize of all his o- 
 ther Latin Books, of witty Invention, is his Uto- 
 pia ; he doth in it moft lively and pleafantly paint 
 forth fuch an exquilite Platform, Pattern, and Ex- 
 ample of a fingular good Commonwealth, as to the 
 fame, neither the Lacedamonians^ nor the Atheni- 
 ans, nor yet the beft of all other, that of the KomanSy 
 is comparable, full prettily and probably devifing 
 
 the 
 
xvi TESTIMONY S. 
 
 the faid Country to be one of the Countries of the 
 New-found Land?, declared to him in sAnttverp^ 
 by Hythlodius a Portingal, and one of the Sea- 
 companions of ^mericiis Vefputhis, that firft fought 
 out and found thofc Lands ; fuch an excellent and 
 abfolute an Eflate of a Common-wealth, that faving 
 the People were unchriftened, might feem to pafs 
 any Eftate and Common-wealth, I will not fay of 
 the old Nations by mc before mentioned, but even 
 of any other in our Time. Many great learned 
 Men, as Budeus^ and Joannes Pahiduniis, upon 
 a fervent Zeal wiflied, that fomc excellent Divines 
 might be fent thither to preach Chvift's Gofpel ; 
 yea, there were here amongft us at Home, fundry 
 good Men and learned Divines very defirous to 
 take the Voyage to bring the People to the Faith 
 of Chrill, whofe Manners they did fo well like. 
 And this faid jolly Invention of Sir Thomas 
 M o R e's feemed to bear a good Countenance of 
 Truth, not only for the Credit Sir Thomas 
 was of in the World, but alfo for that about the 
 fame Time many flrangc and unknown Nations 
 and Countrys were difcovered, fuch as our Fore- 
 Fathers never knew. — 
 
 A LETTER 
 
[ xvii i 
 
 A 
 
 LETTER 
 
 FROM 
 
 Sii- THOMAS MORE 
 
 T O 
 Peter Giles, concerning UTOPIA, 
 
 1A M almofl afhamed, my dearefl: Peter Giles ^ 
 to fend you this Book of the Utopian Coimnon- 
 luealth, after almoft a Year's Delay ; whereas 
 no Doubt you look'd for it within fix Weeks : For 
 as you know I had no Occafion for u/ing my Inven- 
 tion, or for taking Pains to put Things into any 
 Method, becaufe I had Nothing to do, but to re- 
 peat exa61:ly thofe Things that I heard Raphael 
 relate in your Prefence ; fo neither was there any 
 Occafion given for a fludied Eloquence ; fince as 
 he delivered Things to us of the fudden, and 
 in a carclefs Stile, fo he being, as you know, 
 a greater Mafter of the Greek, than of the Latin, 
 c the 
 
xvlii sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 the plainer my Words are, they will refemble his 
 Simplicity the more, and will be by Confequence 
 the nearer to the Truth; and that is all that I think 
 lies on me, and it is indeed the only Thing in 
 which I thought myfelf concerned. I confefs, I 
 had very little left on mc in this Matter, for other- 
 wife the inventing and ordering of fuch a Scheme, 
 would have put a Man of an ordinary Pitch, either 
 of Capacity, or of Learning, to fome Pains, and 
 have coft him fome Time; but if it had been 
 neceffary that this Relation fliould have been 
 made, not only truly, but eloquently, it could ne- 
 ver have been performed by me, even after all the 
 Pains and Time that I could have beftowed up- 
 on it. My Part in it was fo very fmall, that it 
 could not give me much Trouble, all that belong- 
 ed to mc being only to give a true and full Account 
 of the Things that I had heard : But altho' this re- 
 quired fo very little of my Time ; yet even that 
 little was long denied me by my other Aifairs, 
 which prefs much upon me : For while in plead- 
 ing, and hearing, and in judging or compofing of 
 Caufes, in waiting on fome Men upon Builnefs, 
 and on others out of Refpe6l, the greatefl Part of 
 the Day is fpent on other Men's Affairs, the Re- 
 mainder of it mufl: be given to my Family at Home : 
 So that I can refcrve no Part of it to myfelf, that 
 is, to my Study : I muft talk with ni}^ Wife, and 
 chat with my Children, and I have fomewhat 
 to fay to my Servants ; for all thcfe Things I rec- 
 kon as a Part of Bufmefs, except a Man will re- 
 folve to be a Stranger at Home: and with whom- 
 focvcr either Nature, or Chance, or Choice has en- 
 gaged a Man, in any Commerce, he murt ende - 
 vour to make himfclf as acceptable to thofc abo^* 
 
 himuf 
 
LETTER. x'l^c 
 
 him, as he pofTibly can ; ufing ftill fuch a Temper 
 in it, that he may not fpoil them by an excellivc 
 Gentlenefs, fo that his Servants may not become 
 his Mafters. In fuch Things as I have named 
 to you, do Days, Months and Years flip away ; 
 what is then left for Writing P And yet I 
 have faid Nothing of that Time that mud go for 
 Sleep, or for Meat : In which many do waftc 
 almoft as much of their Time, as in Sleep, 
 which confumes very near the Half of our Life ; 
 and indeed all the Time which I can gain to my- 
 felf, is that which I ileal from my Sleep and my 
 Meals ; and becaufe that is not much, I have 
 made but a flow Progrefs ; yet becaufe it is fomc- 
 what, I hare at laft got to an End of my Utopia^ 
 which I now fend to you, and expe6l that after 
 you have read it, you will let me know if you 
 can put me in mind of any Thing that has efcap- 
 ed me ; for tho'Iwould think myfclf very happy, 
 if I had but as much Invention and Learning as I 
 know I have Memory, which makes me gene- 
 rally depend much upon it, yet I do not rely fo 
 entirely on it, as to think. I can forget Nothing. 
 * My Servant, yohn Clement ^ has flatted fome 
 Things that lliake me : You know he was pre- 
 fent with us, as I think he ought to be at every 
 Converfation that maybe of ufe to hun, for I pro- 
 mife myfelf great Matters from the Progrefs he 
 has fo early made in the Greek and Roman Learn- 
 ing. As far as my Memory fervcs me, the 
 Bridge over Snider at ^maurot^ was 500 Paces 
 broad, according to Raphaelh Account ; but 
 John alfures me, he fpoke only of goo Paces; 
 therefore I pray you recolle61: what you can re- 
 member of this, for if you agree with him, I 
 c 2 will 
 
g Sir 1 HOMJtS MOREh 
 
 will believe that I have been miftaken ; but if 
 you remember Nothing of it, I will not alter 
 what I have written, becaufe it is according to 
 the bed of my Remembrance : For as I will take 
 care that there may be nothing ialfly fet down ; fo 
 if there is any thing doubtful, tho' I may perhaps 
 tell a Lie, yet I am fure I will not make one ; 
 for I would rather pafs for a good Man than for 
 a wife Man : But it will be eafy to corre6l this 
 Millake, if you can either meet -with Raphael 
 himfelf, or know how to write to him. 
 * I have another Difficulty thatpreifes me more, 
 and makes your writing to him the more necef- 
 fary : I know not whom I ought to blame for it, 
 whether Raphael, you, or mylelf ; for as we did 
 not think of aiking it, fo neither did he of tel- 
 ling us, in what Part of the New-found World 
 Utopia is fituated; this was fuch an Omiffion that 
 I would gladly redeem it at any Rale : I am a- 
 fliamed, that after I have toid io many Things 
 concerning this liland, I cannot let my Readers 
 know in what Sea it lies. There are fome a- 
 mong us that have a mighty Defire to go thither, 
 and in particular, one pious Divine is very ear- 
 neft on it, not fo much out of a vain Curiofity of 
 feeing unknown Countries, as that he may ad- 
 vance our Religion, which is fo happily begun 
 to be planted there ; and that he may do this re- 
 gularly, he intends to procure a MifTion from the 
 Pope, and to be fent thither as their Bifhop. In 
 fuch a Cafe as this, he makes no Scruple of afpir- 
 ing to that Character, and thinks it is the rather 
 meritorious to be ambitious of it, when one de- 
 fires it only for advancing the Chriftian Religion, 
 and not for any Honour or Advantage that may 
 
 be 
 
LETTER. xxi 
 
 be had by it, but is a6led merely by a pious 
 Zeal. Therefore I earneftly beg it of you^ if 
 you can poflibly meet with Raphael^ or if you 
 know how to write to him, that you will be plea 
 fed to inform yourfelf of thefe Things, that there 
 may be no Falihood left in my Book, nor any 
 important Truth wanting. And perhaps it will 
 not be unfit to let him fee the Book itfelf : For 
 as no Man can corre6l any Errors that may be in 
 it, fo well as he ; fo by reading it, he will be able 
 to give a.more perfe6l Judgment of it than he 
 can do upon any Difcourfe concerning it : And. 
 you will be likcwife able to difcover whether 
 this Undertaking of mine is acceptable to him or 
 not; for if he intends to write a Relation of 
 his Travels, perhaps he will not be pleafed 
 that I Ihould prevent him, in that Part that 
 belongs to the Utopian Commoii-wealth ; fince 
 if I ihould do fo, his Book will not furprize the 
 World with the Pleafure which this new Difco- 
 vevy will give the Age. And I am fo little fond 
 of appearing in Print upon this Occafion, that 
 if he diflikes it, I will lay it afide ; and even 
 tho' he fhould approve of it, I am not pofi- 
 tively determined as to publiiliing of it. Men's 
 Taftes differ much ; fome are of fo morofe a 
 Temper, fo foure a Difpolition, and make fuch 
 abfurd Judgments of Things, that Men of chear- 
 ful and lively Tempers, who indulge their Ge- 
 nius, feem much more happy, than thofe who 
 wafte their Time and Strength in order to the 
 publifhing fome Book, that tho' of itfelf it might 
 be ufeful or pleafant, yet inftead of being well 
 received, will be fure to be either loathed at, 
 or cenfured. Many know Nothing of Learning, 
 
 and 
 
xxii sir THOMAS MORE\ 
 
 ' and others defpife it : A Man that is accuftont- 
 
 < ed to a coarfe and harfh Stile, thinks every 
 ' Thing is rough that is not barbarous. Our trifl- 
 
 < ing Pretenders to Learning, think all is flight 
 
 < that is not drefl up in Words that are worn out of 
 
 < Ufe; fome love only old Things, and many 
 
 < like Nothing but .what is their own. Some are 
 
 < fo foure that they can allow no Jefts, and o- 
 
 < thers are fo dull that they can endure Nothing 
 
 * that is fliarp ; and fome are as much afraid of 
 
 < any Thing that is quick or lively, as a Man 
 
 < bit with a mad Dog is of Water ; others are fo 
 
 < light and unfettled, that their Thoughts change 
 
 < as quick as they do their Poftures : And fome, 
 « when they meet in Taverns, take upon them 
 
 * among their Cups to pafs Cenfures very free- 
 
 < ly on all Writers ; and with a fupercilious Li- 
 *« berty to condemn every Thing they do not like : 
 
 * In which they have the Advantage that a bald Man 
 
 * has, who can catch hold of another by the Hair, 
 
 * while the other cannot return the like upon 
 
 < him. They are fafe as it were of Gun-fhot, 
 
 * fince there is Nothing in them conliderable e- 
 ' nough to be taken hold of And fome are fo 
 ' unthankful, that even when they are well pleaf 
 
 * fed with a Book, yet they think they owe No- 
 
 * thing to the Author; and are like thofe rude 
 
 * Guefls, who after they have been well cnter- 
 
 * tained at a good Dinner, go away when they 
 
 * have glutted their Appetites, without fo much 
 
 * as thanking him that treated them. But vv'ho 
 
 * would put himfelf to the Charge of making a 
 
 * Feaft for Men of fuch nice Palats, and fo diife- 
 
 * rent Taflcs ; who arc fo forgetful of the Civili- 
 
 * ties that are done .'' But do }ou once clear 
 
 thofe 
 
LETTER. xxlii 
 
 thofe Points with Raphael^ and then it will be 
 Time enough to confider whether it be fit to 
 publifti it or not : for fince I have been at the 
 Pains to write it, if he confents to the pubhfh- 
 ing it, I will follow my Friend's Advice, and 
 chiefly yours. Farewel my dear Peter, commend 
 me kindly to your good Wife, and love me ftill 
 as yoa ufe to do, for I aflure you I love you 
 daily more and more. 
 
 The 
 
( I ) 
 
 The Difcourfes of 
 
 Raphael H y t h l o d a y; 
 
 Of the bell State of a 
 
 Common -Wealth. 
 
 Written hy Sir Thomas More, Citizen 
 and Sheriff 0/ London. 
 
 HENRTTYIE EIGHTH, the unconquer'd 
 'islngoi England, a Prince adorned with all 
 the Virtues that become a great Monarch ; 
 having Ibme Differences of no fmall Confequence 
 with Charles the moft ferene Prince of Cujiile, 
 fent me into Flanders, as his Ambaffador, for 
 treating and compofmg Matters between them. I 
 was CoUegue and Companion to that incompara- 
 ble Man Cuthbert Tonjlal, whom the King made 
 lately Mafter of the Rolls, with fuch an univer- 
 ijal Applaufe; of whom I will fay nothing, not 
 becaule I fear that the Teilimony of a Friend 
 will be fufpe6led, but rather becaufe his Learn- 
 ing and Virtues are greater than that they can 
 be fet forth with Advantage by me, and they 
 A are 
 
2 ^\t THOMAS MORE\ 
 
 are fo well known, that they need not my Com- 
 nicndations, unlefs I would, according to the Pro- 
 verb, Shew the Sun -with a Lanthorn. Thofe 
 that were appointed by the Prince to treat with 
 us, met us at Bruges^ according to Agreement ; 
 they were all worthy Men. The Markgraye of 
 Bruges was their Head, and the chief Man a- 
 mong them ; but he that was cfteemed the wifeft^ 
 and that fpokc for the rcil, was George Temfs 
 the Provoft of Cajfelfee ; both Art and Nature had 
 concurred to make him eloquent : He Was very 
 learned in the Law ; and as he had a great Capa- 
 city, fo by a long Pra61:ice in Affairs, he was 
 very dextrous at them. After we had met once 
 and again, and could not come to an Agreement, 
 they went to BruJJels for fome Days to receive 
 the Prince's Pleafure. And /ince our Buiinefs did 
 admit of it, I went to Antiuerp : While I was 
 there, among many that vifited me, there was one 
 that was more acceptable to me than any other ; 
 Peter Giles born at Antwerp, who is a Man of 
 great Honour, and of a good Raflk in his Town; 
 yet it is not fuch as he deferves ; for I do not 
 know if there be any where to be found a learn- 
 eder and^ a better bred young Man : for as he is 
 both a very worthy Perfon, and a very knowing 
 Man; fo he Is fo civil to all Men, and yet fo par- 
 ticularly kind to his Friends, and is fo full of Can- 
 dour and AfFe(5lion, that there is not pediaps a- 
 bove one or two to be found any where, that is 
 in all Refpe(5ls fo perfect a Friend as he is : He 
 is extraordinarily modeil, there is no Artifice in 
 him ; and yet no Man has more of a prudent Sim- 
 plicity than he has : His Converfation was fo plea- 
 iant and fo innocently chearful, that his Company 
 
 did 
 
UTOPIA. 5 
 
 .did in a great meafure leflen any Longings to go 
 back to thy Country, and to my Wife and Child- 
 ren, which an Abfence of four Months had quick- 
 ned very much. One Day as I was returning 
 Home from Mafs at St. Maries^ whicii is the 
 chief Church, and the moft frequented of any in 
 ^4nt-werp, I faw him by Accident talking with 
 a Stranger, that feemed pad the Flower of his 
 Age ; his Face was tanned, he had a long Beard, 
 and his Cloak was hanging careledy about him, 
 fo that by his Looks and Habit, I concluded he 
 was a Seaman. As foon as Peter faw me, he 
 came and faluted me ; and as I was returning his 
 Civility, he took me afide, and pointing to him 
 with whom he had been difcouriing, he faid, i)o 
 you fee that Man ? I was juft thinking to iDring 
 him to you. I anfwered, he fliould have been 
 very welcome on your Account: And on his own 
 too, replied he, if you knew the Man, for there 
 is none alive that can give you fo copious an 
 Account of unknown Nations and Countries as 
 he can do; which I know you very much de- 
 fire. Then faid I, I did not guefs amifs,- for at 
 iirf!: iight I took him for a Seaman : But you are 
 much miftaken, faid he, for he has not failed as 
 a Sen man, but as a Traveller, or rather as a Phi- 
 lofophcr ; for this Raphael^ who from his Family 
 carries the Name of Hythloday, as he is not ig- 
 norant of the Latin Tongue, fo he is eminentlv 
 learned in the Greek, having applied himfelf 
 more particularly to that than to the former, be- 
 caufe he bad given himfelf much to Philofophy, 
 in which he knew that the Romans have left us 
 nothing that is valuable^ except what is to be 
 found in Seneca and Cicero. He is a Portugiicfe 
 
 B 2 by 
 
4 S\r THOMAS MORE'^ 
 
 by Birth, and was fo defirous of ieeing the World, 
 that he divided his Eftate among his Brothers, and 
 run Fortunes with ^jnericus Vefpntius^ and bore a 
 Share in three of his four Voyages, that are now 
 publiflied ; only he did not return with him in 
 his lafl, but obtained leave of Ijim almoft by 
 Force, that he might be one of thofe four and 
 twenty who were left at the farthefl; Place at 
 which they touched, in their lafl Voyage to Ne~u 
 Cajlile. The leaving him thus, did not a little 
 gratifle one that was more fond of travelling than 
 of returning Home, to be buried in his own Coun- 
 try ; for he ufed often to fay, that the AVay to 
 Heaven was the fame from all Places ; and he 
 that had no Grave, had the Heavens flill over 
 him. Yet this Difpofition of Mind had cofl: him 
 dear, if God had not been very gracious to him ; 
 for after he, with five Cajlilians had travelled o- 
 ver many Countries, at lad, by a flrange good 
 Fortune, he got to Ceylon, and from thence to 
 Calicut, and there he very happily found fome 
 Porttiguefe Ships ; and fo, beyond all Men's Ex- 
 pectations, he came back to his own Country. 
 When Peter had faid this to me, I thanked him 
 for his Kindnefs, in intending ip give me the 
 Acquaintance of a Man, whofe Converfition he 
 knew would be fo acceptable to me ; and upon 
 that Raphael and I embraced one another : And 
 after thofe Civilities were part, which are ordi- 
 nary for Strangers upon their firfl: Meeting, we 
 went all to my Houfe, and entering into the 
 Garden, fat down on a green Bank, and enter- 
 tained one another in Difcourfe. He told us, 
 that when Vefputius had failed away, he and his 
 Companions that flaid behind in New Cajlile^ 
 
 did 
 
UTOPIA. 5 
 
 .did by Degrees mfinuate themfelves into the Peo- 
 ple of the Country, meeting often with them, and 
 treating them gently : and at laft they grew not 
 only to live among them without Danger, but to 
 converfe familiarly with them ; and got fo far 
 into the Heart of a Prince, whole Name and 
 Country I have forgot, that he both furniflied 
 them plentifully with all Things neceffary, and 
 alfo with the Conveniences of travelling ; both 
 Boats when they went by Water, and Waggons 
 when they travelled over Land ; and he fent with 
 them a very faithful Guide, who was to introduce 
 and recommend them to fuch other Princes as they 
 had a Mind to fee : and after many Days Journe}'-, 
 they came to Towns, and Cities, and to Common- 
 wealths, that were both happily governed, and 
 well peopled. Under the JEqiiator^ and as far 
 on both Sides of it as the Sun moves, there lay 
 vafl: Defarts that were parched with the perpetu- 
 al Heat of the Sun ; the Soil was withered, all 
 Things look'd difmally, and all Places were ei- 
 ther quite uninhabited, or abounded with wild 
 Beafls and Serpents, and fome few Men, that were 
 neither lefs wild, nor lefs cruel than the Beads 
 themfelves. But as they went farther, a new 
 Scene opened, all Things grew milder, the Air 
 lefs burning, the Soil more verdant, and even the 
 Beads were lels wild : And at lafl there are Na- 
 tions, Towns, and Cities, that have not only mu- 
 tual Commerce among themfelves, and with their 
 Neighbours, but trade both by Sea and Land, to 
 very remote Countries. 'I'hcre they found the 
 Conveniences of feeing many Countries on all 
 Hands, for no Ship went any Voyage into which 
 he and his Companions were not verv welcome. 
 
 The 
 
^ S\y THOMAS MORE's 
 
 The fiift Vellels that they faw were flat-bottonicd, 
 their Sails were made of Reeds and Wicker wo- 
 ven clofc together, only fome were made of Lea- 
 ther ; but afterwards they found Ships made with 
 round Keels, and Canvafs Sails, and in all Things 
 like our Ships ; and the Seamen underftood both 
 Aflronomy and Navigation. He got wonderfully 
 into their Favour, by fliewing them the Ufe of the 
 Needle, of which till then they were utterly ig- 
 norant ; and whereas they failed before with great 
 Caution, and only in Summer Time, now they 
 count all Seafons alike, trufting wholly to the 
 Loadftone, in which they are perhaps more fecure 
 than fafe ; fo that there is Reafon to fear, that, this 
 Difcovery which was thought would prove fo 
 much to their Advantage, may by tbeir Impru- 
 dence become an Occalion of much Milrhief to 
 them. But it were too long to dwell on all that 
 he told us, he had obferved in eve^^ Place, it 
 would be too great a Digreilion from our prefent 
 Purpofe : And whatever is necefifary to be told, 
 chiefly concerning the wife and prudent Inflitutions 
 that he obferved among civilized Nations, may 
 perhaps be related by us on a mote proper Oc- 
 cafion. We alk'd him many Queftions concerning 
 all thefe Things, to which he anfwercd very wil- 
 lingly ; only we made no Enquiries after Monfters, 
 rhan which nothing is more common ; for every 
 where one may hear of ravenous Dogs and Wolves, 
 and cruel Men-eaters ; but it is not fo eafy to hnd 
 States that are well and wifely governed. 
 
 But as he told us of many Things that were a- 
 mils in thofe new-found Nations, fo he reckoned 
 up not a few Things, from which Patterns might 
 be taken for corre6ling the Errors of thefe Nations 
 
 among 
 
UTOPIA. f 
 
 artiong whom we live ; of which an Account may 
 be given, as I have ah-eady promifed, at fome O' 
 ther Time ; for at prefent I intend only to relate 
 thofe Particulars that he told us of the Manners and 
 Laws of the Utdpians : Bnt I will begin with the 
 Occafion that led us to fpeak of that Common- 
 wealth. After Raphael had difcourfed with great 
 Judgment o£ the Errors that were both among us 
 and thefe Nations, of which there was no fmall 
 Number, and had treated of the wife Inftitutions 
 both her£ and there, and had fpoken as diflin(5lly 
 of the Cufloms and Government of every Nation 
 through which he had pad, as if he had fpcnt his 
 whole Life in it ; Fcter being flruck with Admi- 
 ration, faid, I wonder, Raphael, how it com^s that 
 you enter into no King's Service, for I am' 
 lure there are none to Vvhom you would not be 
 fery acceptable : For your Learning and Know- 
 ledge, both of Men and Things, is fuch that yoa' 
 Would not only entertain them very pleafantly, 
 but be of good ufe to them, by the Examples that 
 you could, ict before them, and the Advices that 
 yoii could give them ; and by this Means you 
 would both ferve your own Intcreft, and be of 
 great Ufe to all your Friends. As for my Friends, 
 anfwer'd he, I need not be nmch concerned, havin^ 
 already done all that was incumbent on me toward 
 tliem; for when I was not only in good Health, 
 but frcfli and young, I diflributed that among my 
 Kindred and Friends, which other People do not 
 part with till they are old and fick; and then they 
 unwillingly give among them, that which they can 
 enjoy no longer themfclves. I think my Friend? 
 ought to reft contented with this, and not to ex- 
 pedV that for tlieir Sakes I fliould enflave myfclf 
 
8 S'iY THOMAS MORE's 
 
 to any King whatfoever. Soft and fair, laid Peter,- 
 I do not mean that you Ihould be a Slave to any 
 King, but only that you fhould aflill them, and be 
 ufeful to them. The Change of the Word, faid 
 he, does not alter the Matter. But term it as you 
 will, replied Peter, I do not fee any other way in- 
 which you can be fo ufcful, both in private to 
 your Friends, and to the Publick, and by which 
 you can make your own Condition happier. Hap- 
 pier ! anfvver'd Raphael, is that to be compaffed in 
 a way fo abhorrent to my Genius .'' Now I live as 
 I will, to which I believe few Courtiers can pre- 
 tend: And there are fo very many that court the 
 Favour of great Men, that there will be no great 
 Lofs, if they are not troubled either with me, or 
 witlfi others of my Temper. Upon this, I faid, 
 I perceive Raphael that you neither defirc Wealth 
 nor Grcatnefs ; and indeed I value and admire fuch 
 a Man much more than I do any of the great 
 Men in the World. Yet I think you would do a 
 Thing well becoming fo generous and fo philofo- 
 phical a Soul as yours is, if 3'ou would apply your 
 Time and Thoughts to publick Affairs, even 
 though you may happen to find that a little uneafy 
 to yourfelf ; and this you can never do with fo 
 much Advantage, as by being taken into the Coun- 
 cil of fome great Prince, and by fetting him on to 
 noble and worthy Things, which I know you 
 would do if you were in fuch a Poll; for the 
 Springs both of Good and Evil, flow over a 
 whole Nation, from the Prince, as from a lading 
 Fountain. So much Learning as you have, even 
 without Pra6lice in Affairs ; or fo great a Pra6Hce 
 as yon l^^ve had, without any other Learning, 
 would render you a very lit Counfellor to any King 
 
 vvhallbeveis 
 
UTOPIA. 9 
 
 whatfoever. You are doubly miftaken, fiiiJ he, 
 Mr. More, both in your Opinion of me, and in 
 the Judgment that you make of Things : for as I 
 have not that Capacity that you fmcy to be in me; 
 fo if I had it, tlie Pablick would not be one Jot 
 the better, when I had facrificed my Quiet to it. 
 For moft Princes apply themfelves more to war- 
 like Matters, than to the ufcful Arts of Peace ; 
 and in thcfe I neither have any Knowledge, nor do 
 I much defn-e it : They are generally more fet on ac- 
 quiring new Kingdoms, right or wrong, than on 
 governing thofe well that they have : And among 
 the Minlders of Princes, there arc none that either 
 are not fo wife as not to need any AjfTiftance, or at 
 lead that do not think themfelves fo wife, that 
 they imagine they need none; and if they do court 
 any, it is only thofe for whom the Prince has much 
 perfonal Favour, whom by their Faunings and Flat- 
 teries they endeavour to fix to their own Interefls : 
 And indeed Nature has fo made us, that we all 
 love to be flattered, and to pleafe ourfelves with our 
 own Notions. The old Crow loves his Young, and 
 the Ape his Cubs. Now if in fuch a Court, mada 
 up of Pcrfons that Q'iiMy all others, j^nd do only 
 admire themfelves, one lliould but propofe any 
 Thing that he had either read in Hiilory, or ob- 
 fcrvcd in his Travels, the reft would' think that 
 the Reputation of their Wifdom v/ould fnk, ^nd 
 that there Interefts would be much depreflcd, if 
 they could not run it down: And if all other 
 Things filled, then they would fly to this, That 
 fuch or fuch Things pleafed our Anccftors, and iu 
 were v>^ell for us if v/c could but match them. 
 They would fet up their Reft on fuch an Anf^vcr, 
 fi-s a fuificient Confutation of all that could 
 
 be laid 
 
 B 
 
 as 
 
lo ^i^ THOMAS MOKE's 
 
 as if this were a great Mifchief, that any ihould be 
 found wifcr than his Anccflors: But tho' they will- 
 ingly let go all li.e good Things that were among 
 thofc of iormer Ages; yet if better Things are 
 propofed, they cover themfelves obflinately with 
 this Excufe, of Reverence to part Times. I have 
 met with thefe proud, morofe, and abfurd Judgments 
 of Things in many places, particularly oncein£;/^- 
 land. Was you ever there, iaid I ? Yes, I was, anfwer- 
 edhe, and llaid fome Months there, not long after the 
 Rebellion in the //^>/? was fupprelfed, with a great 
 Slaughter of the poor People that were engaged in it. 
 I was then much obliged to that Reverend Prelate 
 yo/m Morton Archbifhop of Canterhtiry^ Cardi- 
 dinal, and Chancellor of £//^/^;/^; a Man, faid he, 
 Peter (for Mr. More knows well what he was) 
 that was not lefs venerable for his Wifdom and 
 Vutues, than for the high Chara61:er he bore : He 
 was of a middle Stature, not broken with Age ; his 
 Looks begot Reverence rather than Fear ; his Con- 
 verfation was eafy, but ferious and grave ; he took 
 Plcafure fomctimcs to try the Force of thofe that 
 came as Suitors to him upon Bufmefs, by fpeaking 
 fharply, tho' decently to them, and by that he dif- 
 covcrcd their Spirit and prefencc of Mind ; with 
 wliich he was much delighted, when it did not 
 grow up to an Impudence, as bearing a great Re- 
 fcmblancc to his own Temper ; and he looked on 
 fuch Perfohs as the fittJll Men for Affairs. He 
 fpoke both gracefully and weightily ; he was cn\i- 
 ncntly {killed in the Law, and had a \i\i Under- 
 ihmding, and a prodigious Memory : And thofe 
 excellent Talents with which Nature had furniihcd 
 him, were improved bv Study and Experience. 
 '\\ hen I was in Englindj tiic King depended much 
 
 . * on 
 
UTOPIA. II 
 
 on his Councils, and the Government Teemed to be 
 chiefly fupported by hhn; for from liis Youth up, 
 he had been all along pra6lifed in AfFc.irs ; and ha- 
 ving pafTed through many Traverfes of Fortune, he 
 had acquired to his great Coft, a vaft Stock of Wif- 
 dom : Which is not foon loft, when it is purchafed 
 fo dear. One Day when I was dining with him, 
 there happened to be at Table one of the EngUJJy 
 Lawyers, who took Occafion to run out in a high 
 Commendation of the fevere Execution of JulHce 
 upon Thieves, who, as he faid, wxre then hanged 
 fo faft, that there were fometimes twenty on one 
 Gibbet; and upon that he faid, he could not won- 
 der enough how it came to pafs, that fmce fo 
 few efcapcd, there were yet fo many Thieves left 
 who were ftill robbing in all Places. Upon this, I 
 who took the Boldnefs to fpeak freely before the 
 Cardinal, faid. There was no Reafon to wonder at 
 the Matter, lince this Way of punifhing Thieves, 
 was neither juft in itfelf, nor good for the Publick; 
 for as the Severity was too great, fo the Remedy 
 was not effeilual; fimple Theft not being fo great 
 a Crime, that it ought to coft a Man his Life ; and 
 no Punifhment how feVere foever, being able to re- 
 flrain thofe from robbing, who can find out no other 
 Way of Livelyhood ; and in this, faid I, not only 
 you in England, but a great Part of the World imi- 
 tate fome ill Mafters, that are readier to chaftife 
 their Scholars, than to teach them. There are dread- 
 ful Punifhments ena6led againft Thieves, but it 
 were much better to make fuch good Provifions, by 
 which every Man might be put in a Method how 
 to live, and fo be prelerved from the fital Ncceifity 
 of ftealing, and of dying for it. There has been 
 Care enough taken for that, faid he, there are many 
 
 B 2 Handi- 
 
12 Sir THOMAS MO RE\ 
 
 Handicrafts, and there is Husbandry, \>y which 
 they may make a Shift to five, uiilefs they have a 
 jrrcater Mind to follow ill Courfes. That will not 
 fcrveyour Turn, faidi, for many lofe their Limbs in 
 Civil or Forreign Wars, as lately in the CornifJ? Re- 
 bellion, and fomctime ago in your Wars \j\\.\\ Franc Cy 
 who being thus mutilated in the Service of their 
 King and Country, can no more follow their old 
 Trades, and are too old to learn new ones: But 
 fince Wars are only accidental Things, and have In- 
 tervals, let us confider thofe Things that fall out e- 
 vcry Day. There is a great Number of Noble Men a- 
 mong you, that li\c not only idle themfelves as 
 Drones, fubfifling by other Mens Labours, who are 
 their Tenants, and whom they pare to the quick,, 
 and thereby raife their Revenues; this being 
 the only Liltance of their Frugality, for in all other 
 Things they are Prodigal, even to the Beggaring 
 of themfelves : But beiides this, they carry about 
 with them a huge Number of idle Fellows, v\'ho 
 never learned any Art by which they may gain their 
 Living; and thefe, as foon as either their Lord dies, 
 or they themfelves fiiU fick, are turned out of Doors; 
 for your Lords are readier to feed idle People, than 
 to take Care of the Sick; and often the Heir is not 
 able to keep together fo great a Family as the Pre- 
 deceObr did: Now" when the Stomachs of thofe that 
 are thus turned out of Doors, grow keen, they rob 
 no lefs keenly; and what clfc can they do? for 
 afier that, by wandring about, they have worn out 
 both their Health and their Cloaths, and arc tattered, 
 nnd look ghaltly, Men of Quality will not entertain 
 them, and poor Men dare not do it; knowing that 
 one who has been bred up to Idlenefs and Pleafure, 
 ;ind v.ho was ufed to walk about with his Sword and 
 
 Buckler, 
 
UTOPIA. tj 
 
 Buckler, defpifing all the Neighbourhood with an 
 infolent Scorn, a^ far below him, is not fit for the 
 Spade and Mattock; Nor will he ferve a poor Man 
 for fo fmall a Hire, and in fo low a Diet as he can af- 
 ford. To this he anfwered, This Sort of Men. 
 ought to be particularly chcriflicd among us, for in 
 them confifls the Force of the Armies for. which 
 we may have occaiion; fince their Biith infpires 
 them with a nobler Senfe of Honour, than is to be 
 found among Tradefmen or Ploughmen. You may 
 as well fay, replied I, that you muft cherifh Thieves 
 on the Account of Wars, for you never will want 
 the one, as long as you have the other; and as Rob- 
 bers prove fometimes gallant Soldiers, fo Soldiers 
 prove often brave Robbers ; fo near an Alliance there 
 is between thofe two Sorts of Life. Rut this bad 
 Cuftom of keeping many Servants, that is fo com- 
 mon among you, is not peculiar to this Nation. In 
 France there is yet a more pefliferous Sort of Peo- 
 ple, for the whole Country is full of Soldiers, that 
 are flill kept up in Time of Peace ; if fuch a State 
 of a Nation can be called a Peace : ^ And thefe are . 
 kepi in Pay upon the fame Account that you plead 
 for thofe idle Retainers about Noblemen: This- 
 being a Maxim of thofe pretended Statcfmen, that 
 it is neceflary for the publick Safety, to have a good 
 Body o{ Veteran Soldiers ever in readinefs. They, 
 rhiiik raw Men are not to be depended on, and they 
 fometimes feck Occafions for making War, that they 
 may train up their Soldiers in the Art of cutting 
 Throats, or as Sahiji obfervcd, for keeping their 
 Hand", in ufc, that they may not grow dull bv too 
 long Imcrmiflion. But France has Icarn'd to its 
 ' Coft, how dangerous it is to feed fuch Bcafts. The 
 Fate of the Romans, Ciirll:agi?unns, and Syriansy 
 
 and 
 
14 S\v THOMAS MORE's 
 
 and many other Nations, and Cities, which were 
 both overturned, and quite ruined by thofe ftand- 
 ing Armies, fhould make others wiler : And the 
 Folly of this Maxim of the French^ appears plain- 
 ly even from this, That their trained Soldiers find 
 your raw Men prove often too hard for them ; of 
 which I win not [ay much, left you may think I 
 flatter the Englijh Nation. Every Day's Experience 
 ihews, that the Mechanicks in the Towns, or the 
 Clowns in the Country, are not aifraid of fighting 
 V^ith thofe idle Gentlemen, if they are not difabled 
 by fome Misfortune in their Body, or difpirited by 
 extreme Want, fo that you need not fear, that thofe 
 well-fliaped and ftrong Men, (for it is only fuch that 
 iNoblemen love to keep about them, till they fpoil 
 them) who now grow feeble with Eafe, and are foft- 
 ened with their effeminate Manner of Life, would be 
 lefs fit for A6lion if they were well bred and well em- 
 ployed. And itfeems very unreafonable, that for the 
 3?rofpe6l of War, whichyou need never have but when 
 you pleafe, you fhould maintain fo many idle Men, 
 as will always diflurb you in Time of Peace, which 
 is ever to be more confidered than War. But I do 
 not think that this Neceflity of Stealing, arifes only 
 from hence, there is another Caufe of it that is 
 more peculiar to England. What is that ? faid the 
 Cardinal: The Encreafe of Pafturc, faid I, by 
 which your Sheep, that are naturally mild, and ea- 
 sily kept in order, may be faid now to devour Men, 
 and unpeople, not only Villages, but Towns : For 
 wherever it is found, that the Sheep of any Soil 
 yield a fofter and richer Wool than ordinary, there 
 the Nobility and Gentry, and even thofe holy Men- 
 the Abbots, not contented with the old Rents which 
 their Farms yielded, nor thinking it enough that 
 
 they 
 
UTOPIA. 1^ 
 
 diey living at their Eafe, do uo good to the Publick, 
 refolve to do it iluri: inflesd of Good. They flop 
 the Courfc of Agricuhrro, inclofe Grounds, and 
 deflroy Houfes and Towns, referving only the 
 Churches, that they may lodge their Sheep in 
 them : And as if Forrefts and Parks had fwallowed 
 up too little Soil, thofe worthy Country Men turn 
 the beft inhabited Places into Solitudes ; for when 
 any unfatiable Wretch, who is a Plague to his Coun- 
 try, refolves to inclofe many thoufand Acres of 
 Ground, the Owners, as well as Tenants, are turned 
 out of their PolTeilions, by Tricks, or by main 
 Force, or being wearied out with ill Ufage, they 
 are forced to fell them. So thofe miferable People, 
 both Men and Women, Married, Unmarried, Old 
 and Young, with their poor, but numerous Families, 
 (iince Country Bufmefs requires many Hands) are 
 all forced to change their Seats, not knowing whi- 
 ther to go; and they muft fell for almoft nothing, 
 their Houfhold-StuiF, which could not bring them 
 much Money, even tho' they might ftay for a 
 Buyer : when that little Money is at an End, few it 
 will be foon fpent; what is left for them to do, but 
 cither to jfleal, and fo be hanged, (God knows how 
 juftly) or to go about and beg? And if they do 
 this, they are put in Prifon as idle Vagabonds; 
 whereas they would willingly work, but can find 
 none that will hire them ; for there is no more Oc- 
 cafion for Country Labour, to which they have been 
 bred, when there is no Arable Ground left. One ' 
 Shepherd can look after a Flock, which will ftockan 
 Extent of Ground that would require many Hands, 
 if it were to be ploughed and reaped. This like- 
 wife raifes the Price of Corn in many Places. The 
 Price of Wool is alfo rifen, that the poor People 
 
 who 
 
i6 Sir THOMAS MORE'% 
 
 who -were wont to make Cloth, are no more able 
 to buy it ; and this likcwifc makes many of them 
 idle : For /ince the Increafe of Pafture, God has 
 pimiflied the Avarice of the Owners, by a Rot a- 
 mong the Sheep, which has deftroyed vaft Num- 
 bers of them, but had been more juftly laid upon 
 the Owners themfelves. But fuppoie the Sheep 
 fliould encreafc ever fo much, their Price is not 
 like to fall; fince tho' they cannot be called a Mo- 
 nopoiyy bccaufe they are not engrolTcd by one Per- 
 fon, yet they are in fo few Hands, and thefe are fo 
 rich, that as they aire not preft to fell them foonefr 
 than they have a Mind to it, fo they never do it till 
 they have raifed the Price as high as is pofTible. 
 And on the fame Account it is, that the other Kinds 
 of Cattle are fo dear, and fo much the more, be- 
 caufe that many Villages being pulled down, and 
 all Country-Labour being much neglecled, there are 
 none that look after the Breeding of them. The 
 Rich do not breed Cattle as they do Sheep, but buy 
 them lean, and at low Prices ; and after they have 
 kittened them on their Grounds, they fell them a- 
 gain at high Rates. And I do not think that all the 
 Inconveniences that this will produce, are yet ob- 
 ferved ; for as they fell the Cattle dear, fo if they 
 are confumed fafter than the breeding Countries 
 from which they are brought, can afford them ; 
 then the Stock mufl decreafe, and this mufl: needs 
 end in a great Scarcity; and by thefe Means this 
 your Ifland, that feemed as to this Particular, the 
 happieft in the World, will fuffer much by the cur- 
 fed Avarice of a few Perfons ; belldes that, the ri- 
 fmg of Corn makes all People lelfcn their Families 
 as much as they can ; and what can tkofc who are 
 difniilled by them do, but either beg or rob .'' And 
 
 to 
 
UTOPIA. £7 
 
 to this lad, a Man of a great Mind is much fooncr 
 drawn than to the former. Luxury likewife breaks 
 in a-pace upon you, to fet forward your Poverty 
 andMifery; there is an exceflive Vanity in Appa- 
 rel, and great Coft in Diet ; and that not only iti 
 Noblemens Families, but even among Tradefmen, 
 and amonfT the Farmers themfelves, and among all 
 Ranks of Perfons. You have alfo many infamous 
 Houfes, and befides thofe that are known, the Ta- 
 verns and Ale-Houfes are no better ; add to thefe, 
 Dice, Cards, Tables, Foot-ball, Tennis, and Coits, 
 in which Money runs faft away ; and thofe that 
 are initiated into them, mufl in Conclufion betake 
 themfelves to robbing, for a Supply. Banilh thofe 
 Plagues, and give Order that thefe who have dif- 
 peopled fo much Soil, may either rebuild the Vil- 
 lages that they have pulled down, or let out their 
 Grounds to fuch as will do it : Retrain thofe En- 
 groflings of the Rich, that are as bad almoft as 
 Monopolies ; leave fewer Occa/Ions to Idlenefs ; 
 let Agriculture be fet up again, and the Manufac- 
 ture of the Wool be regulated, that fo there may 
 be Work found for thefe Companies of idle People, 
 whom Want forces to be Thieves, or who now 
 being idle Vagabonds, or ufelefs Servants, will 
 certainly grow Thieves at laft. If you do not find 
 a Remedy to thefe Evils, it is a vain Thing to 
 boaft of your Severity of punifhing Theft ; which 
 tho' it may have the Appearance of Juflice, yet in 
 itfelf it is neither juft nor convenient : For if you 
 fufFer your People to be ill educated, and their 
 Manners to be corrupted from their Infancy, and 
 then punifh them for thofe Crimes to which their 
 /irfl: Education difpofed them, what elle is to be 
 
 C con* 
 
i8 S\v ^ HOM^S MORE\ 
 concluded from this, but that you firfl; make Thieves^ 
 and then punifli them ? 
 
 While I \vas talking thus, the Counfellor that 
 Avas prcfent had prepared an Anfwer, and had re- 
 folved to refume all I had faid, according to the 
 Formality of a Debate, in Nvhich Things are gens- 
 rally repeated more faithfully than they are anfwe- 
 red ; as if the chief Trial that were to be made, 
 were of Mens Memories. So he faid to me, you 
 have talked prettily for a Stranger, having heard of 
 many Things among us, which you have not been 
 able to consider well ; but I will make the whole 
 Matter plain to you, and will firfl repeat in Order 
 all that you have faid, then I will fhew how much 
 the Ignorance of our Affairs has miiled you, and 
 will in the laft Place, anfwer all your Arguments. 
 And that I may begin where I promifed, there were 
 
 four Things Hold your Peace, faid the Cardi- 
 
 nal, for you will not have done foon that begin 
 thus ; therefore we will at prefent eafe you of the 
 Trouble of anfwering, and referve it to our next 
 Meeting, which fhall be To-morrow, i( Raphad\ 
 Affairs and yours can admit of it : But, Raphael^ 
 faid he to me, I would gladly know of you upon 
 what Reafon it is that you think Theft ought not to 
 be punifhed by Death ? Would you give Way to 
 it ? or do you propofe any other Punifhment that 
 will be more ufeful to the Publick ? For fincc 
 Death does not reflrain Theft, if Men thought 
 their Lives would be fafe, what Fear or Force 
 could reftrain ill Men P On the contrary, they 
 would look on the Mitigation of the Puniihment, 
 as an Invitation to commit more Crimes. I anfwe- 
 red, It feems to me a very unjuil Thing to take a- 
 way a Man's Life for a little Money j for Nothing 
 
 ill 
 
UTOPIA. 19 
 
 in the World can be of equal Value with a Man's 
 Life : And if it is faid, that it is not for the Money 
 that one fuifers, but for his breaking the Law; I 
 mufl: fay, extream Juftice is an extream Injury : 
 For we ought not to approve of thefe terrible Laws 
 that make the fmalleft Offences Capital; nor of that 
 Opinion of the Stoicks that makes all Crimes equal, 
 as if there were no Difference to be made between 
 the killing a Man, and the taking his Purfe ; be- 
 tween which, if we examine Things impartially, 
 tliere is no Likenefs nor Proportion. God has 
 commanded us not to kill, and fliall we kill fo eafi- 
 iy for a little Money ? But if one fhall fay, That 
 hy that Law we are only forbid to kill any, except 
 when the Laws of the Land allow of it ; upon the 
 fame Grounds, Laws may be made to allow of A- 
 dultery and Perjury in fome Cafes : for God hav- 
 ing taken from us the Right of dlfpofing, either of 
 our own, or of other People's Lives, if it is pre- 
 tended that the mutual Confent of Men in making 
 Laws, allowing of Manflaughter in Cafes in which 
 God has given us no Example, frees People from 
 the Obligation of the Divine Law, and fo makes 
 Murder a lawful A6lion; What is this, but to give 
 a Preference to Human Laws before the Divine ? 
 And if this is once admitted, by the fame Rule 
 Men may in all other Things put what Rc(1:rI6lions 
 they pleafe upon the Laws of God. If by the Mo- 
 faical Law, tho' it was rough and fevere, as being 
 a Yoke laid on an obftinate and fervile Nation, Men 
 were only fined, and not put to Death for Theft ; 
 we cannot imagine that in this new Law of Mercy, 
 n which God treats us with the Tendernefs of a 
 Father, he has given us a greater Licenfe to Cruel- 
 ty, than he did to the yeivs. Upon tliefe Reafons 
 
 C 2 it 
 
20 Sir THOMAS MO REh 
 it is, that I think the putting Thieves to Death is 
 not lawful ; and it is plain and obvious that it is ab- 
 furd, and of illConfequence tothe Common-Wealth, 
 that a Thief and a Murderer fhould be equally pu- 
 nifhed: for if a Robber fees that his Danger is the 
 fame, if he is convi6led of Theft, as if he were 
 guilty of Murder, this will naturally fet him on to 
 kill the Perfon whom othei'wife he would only 
 have robbed, fince, if the Punifhment is the fame, 
 there is more Security, and lefs Danger of Difcove- 
 ry, when he that can beft make it is put out of the 
 Way ; fo that the terrifying Thieves too much, pro- 
 vokes them to Cruelty. 
 
 But as to the Queftion, What more convenient 
 Way of Punifliment can be found ? I think it is 
 much eafier to find out that, than to invent any 
 Thing that is worfe ; Why fliould we doubt but 
 the Way that was fo long in ufe among the old Ro- 
 mans^ who underflood fo well the Arts of Govern- 
 jiient, was very proper for their Punifliment ? they 
 condemned fuch as they found guilty of great 
 Crimes, to work their whole Lives in Quarries, or 
 to dig in Mines with Chains about them. But the 
 Method that I liked beft, was that which I obfer- 
 ved in my Travels in Perfta^ among the PolylC' 
 rites^ who are a confiderable and well-governed 
 People. They pay a yearly Tribute to the King 
 of Perfia ; but in all other Refpe^ls they are a free 
 Nation, and governed by their own Laws. They 
 lie far from the Sea, and are environed with Hills; 
 and bemg contented with the Produ6lions of their 
 own Country, which is very fruitful, they have 
 little Commerce with any other Nation ; and as 
 they, according to the Genius of their Country, 
 kave no Appetite of enlarging their Bordjsrs ; fo 
 
 thcii' 
 
UTOPIA. 21 
 
 their Mountains, and the Penflon that they pay to 
 the Perfiafty fecure them from all Invafions. Thus 
 they have no Wars among them ; they live rather 
 conveniently than fplendidly, and may be rather 
 called a Happy Nation, than either Eminent or 
 Famous ; for I do not think that they are known fo 
 much as by Name to any but their next Neigh- 
 bours. Thofe that are found guilty of Theft a- 
 mong them, are bound to make Reftitution to the 
 Owner, and not as it is in other Places, to the 
 Prince, for they reckon that the Prince has no 
 more Right to the ftolen Goods than the Thief; 
 but if that which was ftolen is no more in Being, 
 then the Goods of the Thieves are eftimated, and 
 Reftitution being made out of them, the Remainder 
 is given to their Wives and Children : And they 
 themfelves are condemned to ferve in the Publick 
 Works, but are neither imprifoned, nor chained, 
 unlefs there happened to be fome extraordinary Cir- 
 cumftances in their Crimes. They go about loofc 
 and. free, working for the Publick : If they are idle 
 or backward to Work, they are whip'd; but if they 
 work hard, they are well ufed and treated without 
 any Mark of Reproach, only the Lifts of them are 
 called always at Night, and then they are ftiut up, 
 and they fufter no other Uneafmefs, but this of 
 conftant Labour ; for as they work for the Publick, 
 fo they are well entertained out of the Publick 
 Stock, which is done differently in different Pla- 
 ces: In fome Places, that which is beftowed on 
 them, is raifed by a charitable Contribution ; and 
 tho* this Way may feem uncertain, yet fo merciful 
 are the Inclinations of that People, that they are 
 plentifully fupplied by it ; but in other Places, pu- 
 blick Revenues are fct afide for them j or there is a 
 
 conftant 
 
«2 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 conOant Tax of a Poll-money raifed for their Mam* 
 tenancy. In fome Places they are fct to no Publick 
 Work, but every private Man that has Occafion to 
 hu-e Workmen, goes to the Market-places and hires 
 them of the Publick, a little lower than he would 
 do a Free-man: If they go lazily about their Talk, 
 he may quicken them with the Whip. By this 
 Means there is always fome Piece of Work or other 
 to be done by them ; and befides their Livelihood, 
 they earn fomcwhat ftill to the Publick. They 
 Wear all a peculiar Habit, of one certain Colour, 
 and their Hair is cropt a little above their Ears, and 
 a little of one of their Ears is cropt off. Theii* 
 JFriends are allowed to give them cither Meat, 
 Drink, or Clothes, fo they are of their proper Co- 
 lour; but it is Death, both to the Giver and Ta- 
 ker, if they give them Money; nor is it lefs penal 
 for any Free-man to take Money from them, upon 
 any Account whatfoever : And it is alfo Death for 
 any of thefc Slaves (fo they are called) to handle 
 Arms. Thofe of every Divifion of the Country, 
 are diftinguiflied by a peculiar Mark : And it is ca- 
 pital to lay that afide, and fo it is alfo to go out of 
 their Bounds, or to talk with a Slave of another Ju- 
 rifdi(5lion ; and the very Attempt of an Efcape, is 
 no lefs penal than an Efcape itfelf ; it is Death for 
 any other Slave to be acceffory to it : If a Free- 
 man engages in it, he is condemned to Slavery : 
 Thofe that difcovcr it are rewarded ; if Free-men, 
 in Money; and if Slaves, with Liberty, together 
 with a Pardon for being accelfory to it ; that fo they 
 may find their Account, rather in repenting of their 
 Acceflion to fuch a Delign, than in perfifling in it. 
 Thefe are their Laws and Rules in this Matter; 
 m which both the Gentlenefs and Advantages of 
 
 them 
 
UTOPIA. 2; 
 
 them are very obvious ; fmce by thefe Means, as 
 Vices are deilroyed, fo Men are preferved; but 
 are To treated, that they fee the NeceiTity of being 
 good : and by the refl of their Life they make Re- 
 paration for the Mifchief they had formerly donCi 
 Nor is there any Hazard of their falling back to 
 their old Cuftoms: And fo little do Travellers ap- 
 prehend Mifchief from them, that they generally 
 make ufe of them for Guides, from one Jurifdi6li- 
 on to another; for there is Nothing left them by 
 which they can rob, or be the better for it, fince 
 as they are difarmed, fo the very having of Mo- 
 ney is a fufficicnt Convi6lion : and as they are cer- 
 tainly punijfhed if dilcovcred, fo they cannot hope 
 to efcape : for their Habit being in all the Parts of 
 it different from what is commonly worn, they can- 
 not fly away, unlefs they fhould go naked, and e- 
 Ven then their crop'd Ear would betray them. The 
 only Danger to be fear'd from them is their confpiv- 
 ing againft the Government : But thofe of one Di- 
 vifion or Neighbourhood can do Nothing to any 
 Purpofc, unlefs a general Confpiracy were laid a- 
 mongft all the Slaves of the feveral Jurifdi6lions, 
 which cannot be done, fince they cannot meet or 
 talk together ; nor will any venture on a Defign 
 where the Concealment would be fo dangerous, 
 and the Difcovery fo profitable : and none of them 
 is quite hopelefs of recovering his Freedom, lincc 
 by their Obedience and Patience, and by givino" 
 Grounds to believe that they will change their 
 Manner of Life for the future, they may cxpe6l 
 at lafl to obtain their Liberty : and fome are every 
 Year reftored to it, upon the good Chara6lcr that 
 is given of them. When I had related all this, I 
 added, That I did not fee why fuch a Method 
 
 mighr 
 
24 sir IHOM^S MORE's 
 
 might not be followed with more Advantage, than 
 could ever be expelled from that fevere Juflicc 
 which the Counfellor magnified fo much. To all 
 this he anfwered, That it could never be fo fettled 
 in England^ without endangering the whole Nati- 
 on by it ; and as he faid that, he (hook his Head, 
 and made feme Grimaces, and fo held his Peace ; 
 and all the Company feemed to be 'of his Mind : 
 only the Cardinal faid, It is not eafy to guefs whe- 
 ther it would fucceed well or ill, flnce no Trial 
 has been made of it : But if when the Sentence of 
 Death were pafl; upon a Thief, the Prince would 
 reprieve him for a while, and make the Experi- 
 ment upon him, denying him the Privilege of a 
 San6luary ; then if it had a good Eifecl upon him, 
 it might take Place ; and if it fucceeded not, the 
 word would be, to execute the Sentence on the 
 condemned Perfon at lall. And I do not fee, faid 
 he, why it would be either unjuft or inconvenient, 
 or at all dangerous, to admit of fuch a Delay : And 
 I think the Vagabonds ought to be treated in the 
 fame Manner, againft whom tho' we have made 
 many Laws, yet we have not been able to gain 
 our End by them all. When the Cardinal had faid 
 this, then they all fell to commend the Motion^ 
 tho' they had defpifed it when it came from me ; 
 but they did more particularly commend that con- 
 cerning the Vagabonds, becaufe it had been added 
 by him. 
 
 I do not know whether it be worth the while to 
 tell what followed, for it was very ridiculous ; but 
 I fhall venture at it, for as it is not forreign to this 
 Matter, fo fome good Ufe may be made of it. There 
 was a Jefter {landing by, that counterfeited the 
 Fool fo naturally, that he feemed to be really one. 
 
 The 
 
UTOPIA. 25 
 
 The JeiliS at which he offered were fo cold and 
 dull, that we laughed more at him than at them; 
 yet fometimes he faid, as it were by Chance, 
 Things that were not unpleafant ; fo as to juftiiy 
 the old Proverb, Ihat he ivho throtvs the T>ice of- 
 ten, "will fometimes ha^e a lucky Hit. AVhcn cne 
 of the Company had faid, that 1 had taken Care of 
 the Thieves, and the Cardinal had taken Care of 
 the Vagabonds, fo that there remained Nothing but 
 that fome publick Provifion might be made for the 
 Poor, whom Sicknefs or old Age had difabled from 
 Labour : Leave that to me, faid the Fool, and I 
 Ihall take Care of them ; for there is no Sort of Peo- 
 ple whofe Sight I abhor more, having been fo often 
 vexed with them, and with their fad Complaints ; 
 but as dolefully foever as they have told their 
 Tale to me, they could never prevail fo far as to 
 draw one Penny of Money from me : For either I 
 had no Mind to give them any Thing, or, when I 
 had a Mind to it, I had Nothing to give them : And 
 they now know me fo well, that they will not lofe 
 their Labour on me, but let me pafs without giving 
 me any Trouble, becaufe they hope for Nothing 
 from me, no more in Faith than if I were a Priefl : 
 But I would have a Law made, for fending all thefe 
 Beggars to Monafteries, the Men to the Benedic- 
 tines to be Lay-Brothers, and the Women to be 
 Nuns. The Cardinal fmiled, and approved of it 
 in jeft; but the reft liked it in earneft. There was 
 a Divine prefent, who tho' he was a grave, morofe 
 Man, yet he was fo pleafed with this Reflection 
 that was made on the Priefts and the Monks, that 
 he began to play with the Fool, and faid to him, 
 This will not deliver you from all ijeggars, except 
 you take Care of us Friars. That is done already, 
 D anfwered 
 
26 Sly 1 HO M^S MOREh 
 
 ant'wered the Fool, for the Cardinal has prcrvided 
 for you, by what he propofed for the retraining 
 Vagabonds, and fetting them to work, for I know 
 no Vagabonds like you. This was well entertain- 
 ed by the whole Company, who looking at the Car- 
 dinal, perceived that he was not ill pleafed at it; 
 only the Friar himfclf was fo bit, as may be eaiily 
 imagined, and fell out into fuch a PafTion, that he 
 could not forbear railing at the Fool, and called 
 him Kmiye^ Slanderer, Backbiter, and Son of Per- 
 dition, and cited feme dreadful Threatnings out of 
 the Scriptures againll him. Now the Jcfter thought 
 he was in his Element, and laid about him freely : 
 he faid, Grood Friar, be not angry, for it is writ- 
 ten, /// Patience pojjefs your Soul. The Friar an- 
 fwered, (for I fhall give you his own Words) I am 
 not angry, you Hangman; at leaft I do not fin in 
 it, for the Pfalmlft liiys, Be ye angry, and fin not. 
 Upon this the Cardinal admonifhed him gently, and 
 wiflied him to govern his Paflions. No, my Lord, 
 laid he, I fpeak not but from a good Zeal, which 
 1 ought to have ; for holy Men have had a good 
 Zeal, as It is faid, 'J be Zeal oftby Houfe hath eat- 
 en me up ; and we fing in our Church, that thofe 
 who mock'd EHJJja as he went up to the Houfe of 
 God, felt the Effects of his Zeal ; which that Moc- 
 ker, that Rogue, that Scoundrel, will perhaps feel. 
 You do this perhaps with a good Intention, faid the 
 Cardinal ; but, in my Opinion, it were wifer in 
 you, not to fty better for you, not to engage in fo 
 ridiculous a Contell with a Fool. No, my Lord, 
 anfwcred he, that were not wifely done ; for Solo- 
 vion, the wifefl of Men, faid, Anfnver a Fool ac- 
 cording to his Folly ; which I now do, and lliew 
 him the Ditch into whi^h he will fall, if he is not 
 
 aw arc 
 
UTOPIA. 27 
 
 aware of it ; for if the many Mockers of Elifia, 
 who was but one bald Man, felt the Effe6l of his 
 Zeal, What will become of one Mocker of fo ma- 
 ny Friars, among whom there are fo many bald 
 Men? We have likewife a Bull, bj which all 
 that jeer us arc excommunicated. When the Cardi- 
 nal law that there was no End of this Matter, he 
 made a Sign to the Fool to withdraw, and turned 
 the Difcourfe another Way ; and foon after he rofe 
 from the Table, and difmifling us, he went to hear 
 Caufes. 
 
 Thus, Mr. More, I have run out into a tedious 
 Story, of the Length of which I had been nfliam- 
 ed, if, as you earneftly begged it of mc, I had not 
 obferved you to hearken to it, as if you had no 
 mind to lofe any Part of it : I might have conti-ac- 
 ted it, but I refolved to give it you at large, that 
 you might obferve how thofe that had defpifed what 
 I had propofed, no fooner perceived that the Cardi- 
 nal did not diilike it, but they prefcntly approved 
 of it, and fawned fo on him, and flattered him to 
 fuch a Degree, that they in good earneft applauded 
 thofe Things that he only liked in Jed. And from 
 hence you may gather, how little Courtiers would 
 value either me or my Counfels. 
 
 To this I anfwered. You have done me a great 
 Kindnefs in this Relation ; for as every Thing has 
 been related by you, both v/ifely and pleafantly, 
 fo you have made me imagine, that I was in my 
 own Country, and grown young again, by recalling 
 that good Cardinal into my Thoughts, in whofe 
 Family I was bred from my Childhood ; And tho' 
 you are upon other Accounts very dear to me, yet 
 you are the dearer, becaufe you honour his Memo- 
 yr fo much: But after all this I cannot change my 
 D 2 Opinion, 
 
28 sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 Opinion, fov I ftill think that if you could overcome 
 that Averflon which you have to the Courts of Prin- 
 ces, you might do a great Deal of Good to Man- 
 kind, by the Advices that you would give; and 
 this is the chief Defign that every good Man ought 
 to propofe to himfelf in living : for whereas your 
 Friend Piato thinks that then Nations will be hap- 
 py, when either Philofophers become Kings, or 
 Kings become Philofophers ; no wonder if we are 
 fo far from that Happincfs, if Philofophers will not 
 think it fit for them to aflifl: Kings with their Coun- 
 fels. They are not fo bafe minded, faid he, but 
 that they would willingly do it : many of them 
 iiave already done it by their Books, if thefe that 
 arc in Power would hearken to their good Advices. 
 But Plato judged right, that except Kings them- 
 felves became Philofophers, it could never be 
 brought about, that they who from their Childhood 
 are corrupted wath falfe Notions, fliould fall in in' 
 tircly with the Councils of Philofophers, which he 
 himfelf found to be true in the Perfon oi 'Dionyfius., 
 Do not }«u think, that if I were about any King, 
 and were propodng good Laws to him, and endea- 
 vouring to root out of him all the curfed Seeds of 
 Evil that I found in him, I fhould cither be turned 
 out of his Court, or at leail be laughed at for my 
 Pains ? For Inftance, what could I fignify if I 
 were about the King of France, and wxre called in- 
 to his Cabinet-Council, where feveral wife Men do . 
 in his Hearing propofe many Expedients ; as by 
 what Arts and Practices Milnn may be kept ; and 
 JSa^lcSy that has fo oft fiip'd out of their Hands, re- 
 covered; and how \\\e. P^eitetians, and after them 
 the icft o^ It Illy may be fubdued; and then how 
 Flanders, Brabant ^ and all Burgundy, and fome 
 
 other 
 
UTOPIA. 29 
 
 other Kingdoms which he has fwallowed already iii 
 his Deiigiis, may be added to his Empire. One 
 propofes a League with the Venetians^ to be kept 
 as long as he finds his Account in it, and that 
 he ought to communicate Councils with them, 
 and give them fome Share of the Spoil, till his 
 Succefs makes him need or fear them lefs, and then 
 it will be eafily taken out of their Hands. Anothei: 
 propofes the hiring the Germans, and the fe- 
 curing the Switzers by Penfions. Another pro- 
 pofes the gaining the Emperor by Money, which 
 is Omnipotent with him. Another propofes a 
 Peace with the King of ^rragoUy and in order to 
 the cementing it, the yielding up the King of ISa- 
 yar\ Pretenfions. Another thinks the Prince o^Ca- 
 Jlile is to be wrought on, by the Hope of an Alli- 
 ance ; and that fome of his Courtiers are to be gain- 
 ed to the French Fa6lion by Penfions. The hardeil 
 Point of all is what to do with England: A Treaty 
 of Peace is to be fet on Foot, and if their Alliance 
 is not to be depended on, yet it is to be made 
 as firm as can be; and they are to be called Friends, 
 but fufpe6led as Enemies : Therefore the Scots arc 
 to be kept in Readinefs, to be let loofe upon Eng- 
 land ow every Occafion; and fome banifhed Noble- 
 man is to be fupported underhand, (for by the 
 League it cannot be done avowedly) who has a 
 Pretenfion to the Crown, by which Means that fuf^ 
 pc6led Prince may be kept in Awe. Now when 
 Things are in fo great a Fermentation, and fo ma- 
 ny gallant Men are joining Councils, how to carry 
 on the War, if fo mean a Man as I am Ihould (land 
 up, and wifh them to change all their Counfels, to 
 let Italy alone, and ftay at Home, fmce the King- 
 dom oi France was indeed greater than that it could 
 
^ sir THOMAS MORE\ 
 be well governed by one Man ; fo that he ought 
 not to think of adding others to it : And if after 
 this, I fhould propofc to them the Rcfolutions of 
 the Achorians^ a People that lie over againft the 
 Ifle oi Utopia to the South Eaft, who having long 
 ago engaged in a War, that they might gain another 
 Kingdom to their King, who had a Pretenfion to it 
 by an old Alliance, by which it had defcended to 
 him ; and having conquered it, when they found that 
 the Trouble of k eeping it, was e qual to that of gaining 
 it ; for the conquered People would be ftill apt to rebel, 
 or be expofed to Foreign Invafions,fo that they mufl 
 always be in War, either for them or againfl: them ; 
 and that therefore they could never disband their 
 Army : That in the mean Time Taxes lay heavy 
 on them, that Money went out of the Kingdom ; 
 that their Blood was facrificed to their Kinfj's Glo- 
 xy, and that they were nothing the better by it, e- 
 ven in Time of Peace ; their Manners being cor« 
 rupted by a long War ; Robbing and Murders a- 
 bounding every where, and their Laws falling un- 
 der Contempt, becaufe their King being diftra6ted 
 with the Cares of the Kingdom, was lefs able to ap- 
 ply his Mind to any one of them ; when they faw 
 there would be no End of thofe Evils, they by joint 
 Councils made an humble Addrefs to their King, 
 dellring him to choofe which of the two Kingdoms 
 he had the greatefl: Mind to keep, fmce he could 
 not hold both ; for they were too great a People to 
 be governed by a divided King, fince no Man 
 would willingly have a Groom that fhould be in 
 common between him and another. Upon which 
 the good Prince was forced to quit his new King- 
 dom to one of his Friends, (who was not long af- 
 ter dethroned) and to be contented with his old one. 
 
 To 
 
UTOPIA. 31 
 
 To all this 1 would add, that after all thofe war- 
 like Attempts, and the vaft Confufions, with th« 
 Confumptions both of Treafure and of People that 
 muft follow them ; perhaps upon fome Misfortune, 
 they might be forced to throw up all at lafl ; there- 
 fore it feemed much more eligible that the King 
 fhould improve his antient Kingdom all he could, 
 and make it flourifh as much as was poffible ; that he 
 fhould love his People, and be beloved of them; that 
 he fliould live among them, and govern them gent- 
 ly ; and that he fhould let other Kingdoms alone, 
 fince that which had fallen to his Share was big e- 
 nough, if not too big for him. Pray how do you 
 think would fuch a Speech as this be heard ? I 
 confefs, faid I, I think not very well. 
 
 But what, faid he, if I fliould fort with another 
 Kind of Minifters, whofe chief Contrivances and 
 Confultations were, by what Art Treafure might be 
 heaped up ? Where one propofes the crying up of 
 Money, when the King had a great Debt on him, 
 and the crying it down ,as much when his Reve- 
 nues were to come in, that fo he might both pay 
 much with a little, and in a little receive a great 
 deal : Another propofes a Pretence of a War, that fo 
 Money may be railed in order to the carrying it on,and 
 that a Peace might be concluded as foon as that was 
 done ; and this was to be made up with fuch Ap- 
 pearances of Religion as might work on the People, 
 and make them impute it to the Piety of their Prince, 
 and to his Tendernefs of the Lives of his Subjects, 
 A third offers fome old mufty Laws, that have been 
 antiquated by a long difufe ; and which, as they 
 had been forgotten by all the Subje6ls, fo they had 
 been alfo broken by them ; and that the levying of 
 the Penalties of ihefe Laws, as it vvould bring in a 
 
 vail' 
 
gt Sir <JHOM^S MORE't 
 
 vaft Treafure, fo there might he a very good Pre- 
 tence for it, fince it would look like the executing 
 of Law, and the doing of Juftice. A fourth pro- 
 pofes the prohibiting of many Things under fevere 
 Penalties, efpecially fuch Things as were againfl 
 the Intereft of the People, and then the difpenfing 
 with thefe Prohibitions upon great Ccmpofitions, to 
 thofe who might make Advantages by breaking 
 them. This would ferve two Ends, both o{ them 
 acceptable to many ; for as thofe whofe Avarice led 
 them to tranfgrcfs, would be feverely fined ; fo 
 the felling Licenfes dear, would look as if a Prince 
 were tender of his People, and would not ealily, 
 or at low Rates, difpenfe with any Thing that 
 might be againft the publick Good. Another pro- 
 pofes, that the Judges mufl be made fure, that 
 they may declare always in Favour of the Prero- 
 gative, that they mufl: be often fcnt for to Court, 
 thnt the King may hear them argue thofe Points in 
 which he is concerned; fince that how unjufr foe- 
 ver any of his Pretenfions may be, yet dill fome 
 one or other of them, either out of Contradiction to 
 others, or the Pride of Singularity, or that they may 
 make their Court, would find out fome Pretence or 
 other to give the King a fair Colour to carry the 
 Point: For if the Judges but differ in Opinion, the 
 clearefl: Thing in the World is made by that Means 
 difputablc, and Truth being once brought in Que- 
 flion, the King upon that may take Advantage to 
 expound the Law for his own Profit : The Judges 
 that Hand out will be brought over, either out of 
 Fear or Modefty ; and they being thus gained, all 
 of them may be fent to the Bench to give Sentence 
 boldly, as the King would have it : For fair Pre- 
 tences will never be wanting when Sentence is to 
 
 be 
 
UTOPIA. 53 
 
 be given in the Prince's Favour : It will either be 
 faid, that Equity lies of his Side, or fome Words 
 in the Law will be found founding that Way, or 
 fome forced Senfe will be put on them ; and when 
 all other Things fail, the King's undoubted Prero- 
 gative will be pretended, as that which is above all 
 Law; and to which a religious Judge ought to have 
 a fpecial Regard. Thus all confent to that Maxim 
 o^CraJJiis, that a Prince cannot have Treafure e- 
 nough, ftnce he muft maintain his Armies out of it: 
 That a King, even tho' he would, can do nothing 
 unjuftly: that all Property is in him, not except- 
 ing the very Perfons of his Subje6ls : And that no 
 Man has any other Property, but that which the 
 King out of his Goodnefs thinks fit to leave him : 
 And they think it is the Prince's Intereft, that there 
 be as little of this left as may be, as if it were his 
 Advantage that his People Ihould have neither 
 Riches nor Liberty; fince thefe Things make them 
 lefs eafy and tame to a cruel and unjuft Government; 
 whereas Neceflity and Poverty blunts them, makes 
 them patient, and bears them down, and breaks 
 that Height of Spirit, that might otherwife difpofe 
 them to rebel. Now what if after all thefe Propo- 
 fitions were made, I fhould rife up and affert, that 
 fuch Councils were both unbecoming a King, and 
 mifchievous to him: And that not only his Honour, 
 but his Safety confided more in his People's Wealth, 
 than in his own; if I fhould ftiew, that they choofe 
 a King for their own Sake, and not for his ; that by 
 his Care and Endeavours they may be both eafy 
 and fafe ; and that therefore a Prince ought to take 
 more Care of his People's Happincfs, than of his 
 own, as a Shepherd is to take more Care of his 
 Flock than of himfelf. It is alfo certain, that they 
 
 E are 
 
34 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 are much mlibken, that think the Poverty of 
 a Nation is a Means of the Publick Safety : Who 
 quarrel move than Beggars do? who docs more 
 earnertly long for a Change, than he that is uneafy 
 in his pvefcnt Circumflances ? And who run in to 
 create Confufions with fo defj>erate a Boldnefs, as 
 thofe who having nothing to lofe, hope to gain by 
 them? If a King fhould fall under fo much Con- 
 tempt or Envy, that he could not keep his SubjeiSts 
 in their Duty, but by Oppreflion and ill Utage, 
 and by impoverifhing them, it were certainly bet- 
 ter for him to quit his Kingdom, than to retain it 
 by fuch Methods, by which tho' he keeps the Name 
 of Authority, yet he lofes the Majefty due to it. 
 Nor is it fo becoming the Dignity of a King to reign • 
 over Beggars, as to reign over rich and happy Sub- 
 je6ls. And therefore Fahritms^ that was a Man of a 
 noble and exalted Temper, faid, he would rather 
 govern rich Men, than be rich himfelf ; and for 
 one Man to abound in Wealth and Pleafure, when 
 all about him are mourning and groaning, is to be a 
 Goalcr and not a King : He is an unskilful Phyfici- 
 an, that cannot cure a Difeafe, but by cafling his 
 Patient into another : So he that can find no other 
 Way for correiSling the Errors of his People, but 
 by taking from them the Convcnicncies of Life, 
 fliews that he knows not what it is to govern a free 
 Nation. He himfelf ought rather to Ihake off his 
 Sloth, or to lay down his Pride ; for the Contempt 
 or Hatred that his People have for him, takes its 
 Rife from the Vices in himfelf Let him live upon 
 what belongs to himfelf, without wronging others, 
 and accommodate his Expence to his Revenue. Let 
 him punifli Crimes, and by his wife Conducl let 
 him endeavour to prevent them, rather than be fe- 
 
 vcrc 
 
UTOPIA. 3^ 
 
 vere when he has fuffeved them to be too common : 
 Let hu-n not rafhly revive Laws that are abrogated 
 by difufe^-efpecially if they have been long forgot- 
 ten, and never wanted. And let him never take a- 
 ny Penalty for the Breach of them, to which a 
 Judge would not give Way in a private Man, but 
 would look on him as a crafty and unjuft Perfon 
 for pretending to it. To thefe Things 1 would add, 
 that Law among the Macarians, that lie not far 
 from Utopia, by which their King, .in the Day on 
 which he begins to reign, is tied by an Oath con- 
 firmed by folemn Sacrifices, never to have at once 
 above a thoufand Pounds of Gold in his Treafures, 
 or fo much Silver as is equal to that in Value. This 
 Law, as they fay, was made by an excellent King, 
 who had more Regard to the Riclies of his Coun- 
 trey, than to his own Wealth; and fo provided a- 
 gainfl: the heaping up of fo much Treafure, as might 
 impoverifh the People : He thought that moderate 
 Sum might be fufEcient for any Accident ; if either 
 the King had Occa£on for it againft Rebels, or the 
 Kingdom againft the Invafion of an Enemy, but 
 that it was not enough to encourage a Prince to in- 
 vade other Men's Rights, which w^as the chief 
 Caufeofhis making that Law. He alfo thought, 
 that it was a good Proviiion for a free Circulation 
 of Money, that is neceflary for the Courfe of Conir 
 merce and Exchange : And when a King mufl; diG 
 tribute all thefe extraordinary Acccffions that in- 
 creafe Treafure beyond the due Pitch, it makes 
 him lefs difpofed to opprefs his Subjc6ls. Such n, 
 King as this is, will be the Terror of ill Men, an4 
 will be beloved of all good Men. 
 
 If, I fay, I Ihould talk of thefe or fuch like 
 
 Things, to Men that had taken their Biafs another 
 
 E 2 Way, 
 
^6 Sir THO MA S MO R E s 
 
 Way, how deaf would they be to it all? No Doub^ 
 very deaf, anfwered I ; and no Wonder, for one 
 is never to oifer at Propofitions or Advices, that he 
 is certain will not be entertained. Difcourfes fo 
 much out of the Road could not avail any Thing, 
 nor have any Eife61: on Men, whofe Minds were 
 prepolfefTed with different Sentiments. This philofo- 
 phical Way of Speculation, is not unplcafant among 
 Friends in a free Converfatlon , but there is no 
 Room for it in the Courts of Princes, where great 
 Affairs are carried on by Authority. That is what 
 I was faying, replied he, that there is no Room for 
 Philofophy in the Courts of Princes. Yes, there is, 
 faid I, but not for this fpcculative Philofophy, that 
 makes every Thing to be alike fitting at all Times : 
 But there is another Philofophy that is more pliable, 
 that knows its proper Scene, and accommodates it- 
 lelf to it ; and that teaches a Man to a<Si that Part 
 which has fallen to his Share, fitly and decently. 
 If when one of Plantus\ Comedies is upon the 
 Stage, and a Company of Servants are ailing their 
 Parts, you fhould come out in the Garb of a Phi- 
 lofophcr, and repeat out of O^^/v//?, aDifcourfeof 
 Seneca'' s to Nero, had it not been better for you to 
 have faid nothing, than by mixing Things of fuch 
 diiferent Natures, to have made fuch an impertinent 
 Tragi-Comcdy ? For you Ipoil and corrupt the 
 Play that is in Hand, when you mix with it Things 
 ditagrceing to it, even tho' they were better than 
 it is : Tlicreforc go through with the Play that is 
 a6ling the bed you can ; and do not confound it, 
 becaufe anotlier that is pleafantcr comes into your 
 Thoughts. It is even fo in a Common-Wealth, and 
 in the Councils of Princes ; if ill Opinions cannot 
 be quite rooted out j and if you cannot cure fome 
 
 received 
 
UTOPIA. 57 
 
 received Vices according to your Wifhes, you muil 
 not therefore abandon the Common-Weakh;or forfake 
 the Ship in a Storm, becaufe you cannot command 
 the Winds ; nor ought you to ailault People withDif- 
 courfes that are out of their Road, when you fee 
 their Notions are fuch that you can nake no Impref- 
 fion on them : But you ought to cafl; about, and as 
 far as you can to manage Things dexteroufly, that 
 fo if you cannot make Matters go well, they may 
 be as little ill as is poflible ; for except all Men 
 were good, all Things cannot go well; which I do 
 not hope to fee in a great while. By this, anfwe- 
 red he, all that I ftiall do fhall be to preferve my- 
 felf from being mad, while I endeavour to cure the 
 Madnefs of other People : For if I will fpeak 
 Truth, I mufl: fay fuch Things as I was formerly 
 faying ; and for lying, whether a Philofopher can 
 do it or not, I cannot tell ; I am fure I cannot do 
 it. But tho' thefe Difcourfes may be uneafy and 
 ungrateful to them, I do not fee why they Ihould 
 feem foolilh. or extravagant : Indeed if I (hould ei- 
 ther propofe fuch Things as Plato has contrived in 
 his Common- Wealth, or as the Utopians praftife in 
 theirs, tho' they might feem better, as certainly 
 they are, yet they arc fo quite different from our 
 Eftablifhment, which is founded on Property, there 
 being no fuch Thing among them, that I couJ.d not 
 expe6l that it fhould have any EfFe6l on them : 
 But fuch Difcourfes as mine, that only call pad E- 
 vils to mind, and give Warning of what may fol- 
 low, have nothing in them that is fo abfurd, that 
 tliey may not be ufed at any Time ; for they can 
 only be unpleafant to thofe who are refolved to run 
 headlong the contrary*" Way : And if we mull let a- 
 lone every Thing as abfurd or extravagant, which 
 
 by 
 
58 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 by Reafon of the wicked Lives of many, may fccm 
 uncouth, we mufl, even among Chriftians, give o- 
 ver prcifing the greateft Part of thofe Things that 
 Chiiit hath taught us : Tho' he has commanded us 
 not to conceal them, but to proclaim on the Houfe* 
 tops that which he taught in fecret. The greateft 
 Parts of his Precepts are more difagreeing to the 
 Lives of the Men of this Age, than any Part of my 
 Difcourfe has been: But the Preachers feem to 
 have leam'd that Craft to which you advife me ; 
 for they obferving that the World would not wil- 
 lingly fute their Lives to the Rules that Chrift has 
 given, have fitted his Do6lrine, as if it had been 
 a leaden Rule, to their Lives ; that fo fomc Way 
 or other they might agree with one another. But I 
 fee no other Effect of this Compliance, except it 
 be that Men become more fecure in their Wicked* 
 nefs by it. And this is all the Succefs that I can 
 have in a Court ; for I muft always differ from the 
 reft, and tlien I will fignify nothing ; or if I agree 
 with them, then I will only help forward their 
 Madnefs. I do not comprehend what you mean 
 by your carting about, or by the bending and hand- 
 ling Things fo dexteroufly, that if they go not 
 well, they may go as little ill as may be : For in 
 Courts they will not bear with a Man's holding his 
 Peace, or conniving at them: A Man muft bare- 
 facedly approve of the worft Councils, and confent 
 to the blackeft Deflgns : So that one would pafs 
 for a Spy, or poffibly for a Traytor, tliat did but 
 coldly approve of fuch wicked Pra6lices : And 
 when a Man is engaged in fuch a Society, he will 
 be fo far from being able to mend Matters by his 
 cafting about, as you call it, *tliat he will find no 
 Occafions of doing any Good : The ill Company 
 
 will 
 
UTOPIA, 39 
 
 win fooner corrupt him, than be the better for him* 
 Or if notwithflanding all their ill Company, he re- 
 mains ftill entire and innocent, yet their Follies 
 and Knavei-y will be imputed to him; and by mix- 
 ing Councils with them, he muft bear his Share of 
 all the Blame that belongs wholly to others. 
 
 It was no ill Simile, by which Plato fet forth the 
 Unreafonablenefs of a Philofopher's meddling with 
 Government: If one, fays he, fiiall fee a great 
 Company run out into the Rain every Day, and 
 delight to be wet in it ; and if he knows that it will 
 be to no purpofe for him to go and perfuade them 
 to come into their Houfes, and avoid the Rain ; fo 
 that all thar can be expe61:ed from his going to 
 fpeak to them, will be, that he fhall be wet with 
 them; when it is fo, he does beft to keep within 
 Doors, and preferve himlelf, fince he cannot pre- 
 vail enough to corre6l other People's Folly. 
 
 Tho' to fpeak plainly what is my Heart, I mufl 
 freely own to you, that as long as there is any Pro- 
 perty, and while Money is the Standard of all o- 
 ther Things, I cannot think that a Nation can be 
 governed either juftly or happily : Not juftly, be- 
 caufe the beft Things will fall to the Share of the 
 worft of Men : Nor happily, becaufe all Things 
 will be divided among a few, ( and even thefe are 
 not in all refpefts happy ) the reft being left to be 
 abfolutely miferablc. Therefore when I refle($l on 
 the wife and good Conftitutions of the Utopians^ a- 
 mong whom all Things are fo well governed, and 
 with fo few Laws ; and among whom as Virtue hath 
 its due Reward, yet there is fuch an Equality, 
 that every Man lives in Plenty ; and when I com- 
 pare with them fo many other Nations that are ftill 
 making new Laws, and yet can never bring theie 
 
 Conrtitw- 
 
40 'S'lv <7 HO M^S MORE'^ 
 
 ■ Conftltmion to a right Regulation, cimong whotn 
 tho' every one has his Property ; yet all the La\"sfe 
 that they can invent, cannot prevail fo far, that 
 Men can either obtain or preferve it, or be certainly 
 able to diftinguifh what is their own, from what is 
 another Man's ; of which the many Law-Suits that 
 every Day break out, and depend without any End, 
 give too plain a Demonftration : When, I fay, I 
 ballance all thefc Things in my Thoughts, I grow 
 more favourable to Plato, and do not wonder that 
 he refolved, not to make any Laws for fuch as 
 would not fubmit to a Community of all Things : 
 For fo wife a Man as he was, could not but forefee 
 •that the fetting all upon the Level, was the only 
 way to make a Nation happy ; which cannot be ob- 
 tained fo long as there is Property : For when eve- 
 ry Man draws to himfelf all that he can compafs, 
 hy one Title or another, it muft needs follow, that 
 how plentiful foever a Nation may be, yet a few di- 
 viding the Wealth of it among themfelves, the reft 
 muft fall under Poverty. So that there will be two 
 Sorts of People among them, that deferve that their 
 Fortunes fliould be interchanged ; the former being 
 ufelefs, but wicked and ravenous ; and the latter, 
 who by their conflant Induftry ferve the Publick 
 more than themfelves, bemg fincerc and modeft 
 Men. From whence I am perfuadcd, that till Pro- 
 perty is taken away, there can be no equitable or 
 juft Diftribution made of Things, nor can the World 
 be happily governed; for as long ns that is main- 
 tained, the greated and the far bell Part of Mankind, 
 will be flill opprelfed with a Load of Cares and An- 
 f.xieties. I confcfs, without the taking of it quite 
 away, thofe Preflures that lie on a great Part of 
 Mankind, may be made lighter j but they can ne- 
 ver 
 
UTOPIA. 4t 
 
 ver be quite removed. For if Laws were made, 
 determining at how great an Extent in Soil, and at 
 how much Money every Man muft flop, and limit- 
 ing the Prince that he may not grow too great, and 
 rertraining the People that they may not become 
 too infolent, and that none might fa6lL0ufly afpire 
 to publick Employments ^ and that they might nei- 
 ther be fold, nor made burthenfome by a great Ex- 
 pence; fince otherwife thofe that ferve in them, 
 will be tempied to reimburie themfelves by Cheats 
 and Violence, and it will become neceflary to find 
 out rich Men for undergoing thofe Employments 
 for which wife Men ought rather to be fought out ; 
 thefe Laws, I fay, may have fuch Effe6ls, as good 
 Diet and Care may have on a lick ATan, whofo Re- 
 covery is defperate : They may allay and mitigate 
 the Difeafe, but it can never be quite healed, nor 
 the Body Politick be brought again to a good Ha- 
 bit, as long as Property remains ; and it will fall 
 out as in a Complication of Difeafes, that by ap- 
 plying a Remedy to one Sore, you will provoke 
 another ; and that which removes the one ill Sym- 
 ptom produces others, while the flrengthening of 
 one Part of the Body weakens the reft. On the con- 
 trary, anfwered I, it feems to me that Men cannot 
 live conveniently, where all Things are common : 
 How can there be any Plenty, where every Man 
 will excufe himfelf from Labour : For as the Hope 
 of Gain doth not excite him, fo the Confidence he 
 has in other Men's Induftry, may make him fioth- 
 ful : And if People come to be pijichcd with Want, 
 and yet cannot difpofe of any Thing as their own ; 
 what can follow upon this, but perpetual Sedition 
 and Bloodilied, cfpecially when the Reverence 
 and Authority due to Magilh-ates falls to the 
 F Ground? 
 
''3 
 
 42 Sir THOMAS MORE 
 Ground ? For I cannot imagine how that can be 
 kept up among thole that arc in all Things equal to 
 one another. I do not wonder, faid he, that it 
 appears fo to you, /incc you have no Notion, or at 
 lead no right one, of fucli a Conftitution : But if 
 you had been in Utopia with me, and had feen 
 their Laws and Rules as I did, for the Space of 
 five Years, in which I lived amonf]j them ; and dur- 
 ing which time I was fo delighted with them, that 
 Indeed I would never have left them, if it had not 
 been to make the Difcovery of that new World to 
 the Eiiropenns ; you w^ould then confefs that you 
 had never feen a People fo well conflitutcd as they 
 are. Yon will not cafdy perfuadc me, faid Peter, 
 that any Nation in that new World is better go- 
 ixerned than thoic anion q; us are. For as our Un- 
 derflandings are not w'orfe than theirs, fo our Go- 
 vernment, if I miltake not, being antienter, a long 
 Practice has helped us to find out many Conveni-' 
 encics of Life : And fome happy Chances have dif- 
 covered other Things to us, which no Man's Un- 
 derflandinof could ever have invented. As for the 
 Antiquity, cither of their Government, or of ours, 
 faid he, you cannot pals a true Judgment of it, un- 
 lefs you had read their Hillories ; for if they arc to 
 be believed, they had Towns among them, before 
 thefe Parts were fo much as inhabited : And as for 
 thefc Difcoveries, that have been either hit on by 
 Chance, or made by ingenious Men, thefc might 
 have happened there as well as here. I do not de- 
 ny but we are more ingouious than they arc, but 
 they exceed us much in Induftry and Application : 
 They knew little concerning us, before our Arri- 
 val among them ; they call us all by a general 
 Name of the Nations that lie beyond ihc Equino- 
 
 aiai 
 
UTOPIA. 45 
 
 ^tlal Line ; for their Chronicle mentions a Ship- 
 wrack that was made on their Coall: 1200 Years a- 
 go ; and that fonie Romans and Egyptians that 
 were in the Ship, getting fafe a Shore, fpcnt the 
 reft of their Days amongft them; and fuch was their 
 Ingenuity, that from this fingle Opportunity, they 
 drew the Advantage of Learning from thoic un- 
 look'd-for Guefts, all the ufeful Arts that were 
 then among the Romans^ which thofc Shipwrack'd 
 Men knew : And by the Hints that they gave 
 them, they themfelves found out even fome of 
 thofc Arts which they could not fully explain to 
 them J fo happily did they improve that Accident, 
 of having fome of our People call upon their Shore : 
 But if any fuch Accident have at any Time brought 
 any from thence into Europe, we have been fo far 
 from improving it, that wc do not fo much as re- 
 member it ; as in after Times perhaps it will be for- 
 got by our People that I was ever there. For 
 though they from one fuch Accident, made ihem- 
 lelves Maftcrs of all the good Inventions that were 
 among us ; yet I believe it would be long before 
 we would learn or put in Pra6lice any of the good 
 Inftitutions that are among them : And this is the 
 true Caufc of their being better governed, and liv- 
 ing happier than we do, though we come not fliort 
 of them in point of L^nderftanding or outward Ad- 
 vantages. L^ponthis I faid to him, I do eamcfily 
 beg of you, that you would defcribe that Illand ve- 
 ry particularly to us. Be not too fliort in it, but fct 
 out in Order all Things relating to their Soil, theif 
 Rivers, their Towns, their People, their Manners, 
 Conftltution, Laws : and in a Word, all that you 
 imagine Yy'c defu'c to know : And you may well i- 
 
44 Sir 1 HOM^S MORE'^. 
 
 maglne that \vc dcfire to know every Thing con- 
 cerning them, of which we are hitherto ignorant. I 
 "will do it very willingly, faid he, for I have dige- 
 fled ^hc whole Matter carefully ; but it will take 
 up fomc Time. Let us go then, faid I, firll and 
 dine, and then we Ihall have Leifure enough. Be 
 it fo, fiid he. So we went in and dined, and af- 
 ter Dinner we came back, and fat down in the fame 
 place. I ordered my Servants to take Care that 
 none might come and interrupt us : And both Pe- 
 ter and I deiired Raphael to be as good as his 
 Word : So when he faw that we were very intent 
 Upon it, he paufcd a little to recolledl himfelf, and 
 began in this manner. 
 
 ^be Second BOOK. 
 
 THE Ifland of Utopia, iii the Middle of it 
 where it is broadeft, is two Hundred Miles 
 broad, and holds almoft at the fame iireadth over 
 a great Part of it ; but it grows narrower towards 
 both Ends. Its Figure is not unlike a Crefcent : 
 Between its Elorns, the Sea comes in eleven Miles 
 broad, and fprcads itfelf into a great 3-rf, which is 
 environed with Land to the Compafs of about five 
 Hundred Miles, and is well fecured from Winds : 
 There is no great Current in the Bay, and the 
 whole Coaft is, as it were, one continued Harbour, 
 which rives all that live in the I/land (Treat Conve- 
 nience for mutual Commerce : But the Entry into 
 the Bay, what by Rocks on one Hand, and Shal- 
 lows on the other, is very dangerous. In the 
 Middle of it there is one iingle Rock wliich appears 
 
 above 
 
-•UTOPIA. 4j 
 
 above Water, and fo is not dangerous ; on the Top 
 of it there is a Tower built, in which a Garrifon is 
 kept. The other Rocks lie under Water, and are 
 very dangerous. The Channel is known only to 
 the Natives, fo that if any Stranger fliould enter 
 into the Bay, without one of their Pilots, he would 
 run a great Danger of Shipwrack : For even they 
 themfelves could not pafs it fafe, if fome Marks 
 that are on their Coaft did not dire^ their Way j 
 and if thefe fhould be but a little fliifted, any Fleet 
 that might come againft them, how great foever it 
 were, would be certainly loft. On the other Side 
 of the liland, there are likewife many Harbours ; 
 and the Coaft is fo fortified, both by Nature and 
 Art, that a fniall Number of Men can hinder the 
 Defcent of a great Army. But they iisport ( and 
 there remain good Marks of it to make it credible ) 
 that this was no Ifland at firft, but a Part of the 
 Continent. Utopiis that conquered it (whofe Name 
 it ftill carries, for jihraxa was its firft Name) and 
 brought the rude and uncivilized Inhabitants into 
 fuch a good Government, and to that Meafure of 
 Politenefs, that they do now far excel all the reft 
 of Mankind ; having foon fubdued them, he de- 
 figned to fcparate them from the Continent, and to 
 bring the Sea quite about them, and in order to that 
 he made a deep Channel to be digged fifteen Miles 
 long : He not only forced the Inhabitants to work 
 at it, but likewife his own Soldiers, tliat the Na- 
 tives might not think he treated them like Slaves : 
 and having fet vaft Numbers of Men to work, he 
 brought it to a fpeedy Conclufion beyond all Men's 
 Expe6tations : By this their Neighbours, who 
 laughed at the Folly of the Undertaking at firft, 
 were lU'uck with Admiration ajid Terror, when 
 
 they 
 
46 Sir IHOM^S MORELS 
 
 they Hnv it brought to Pcrfc^lion. There tire Fifty- 
 four Cities in the Ifland, all large and well built : 
 Xhe Manners, Cultoms, and Laws of all their Ci- 
 ties arc tl"i,e fame, and they arc all contrived as near 
 in the fime JVIanner as the Ground on which they 
 fland will allow : The nearcft lie at leail Twenty- 
 four Miles Diftancc from one another, and the 
 moft remote are not fo far diftant, but that a Man 
 Can go on Foot in one Day from it, to that which 
 lies next it. Every City fends three of their wifeft 
 Senators once a Year to jimmtrat, for confulting a- 
 bout their common Concerns ; for that is the chief 
 Town of the Illand, being fituated near the Center 
 of itjfo that it is the moft convenient Place for their 
 AfTemblies. Every City has fo much Ground fet 
 off for its JurifdiiStion, that there is twenty Miles 
 of Soil round it, afligned to it : And where the 
 Towns lie wider, they have much more Ground : 
 No Town deflres to enlarge their Bounds, for they 
 Con£der themfclves rather as Tenants than Land- 
 lords of their Soil. They have built over all the 
 Country, Farm-houfcs for Husbandmen, which arc 
 well contrived, and arc furnillied with all Things 
 necellary for Country Labour. Inhabitants are fent 
 by Turns from the Cities to dwell in them; no 
 Country Family has fewer than forty Ivlen and 
 Women in it, bcfldes two Slaves. There is a Ma- 
 ftcr and a Miftrcfs fet over every Family ; and over 
 thirty Families there is a Magiftrate fettled. Eve- 
 ry Year twenty of this Family come back to the 
 Town, after they have flayed out two Years in the 
 Country: And in their Room there are other twen- , 
 ty fent from the Town, that they may learn Coun- 
 try Work, from rhofe that have been already one 
 Year in the Countr\\ which they muft teach rhofe 
 
 that 
 
UTOPIA. 47 
 
 that come to them the ntxt Year from the Town. 
 By this Means fuch as dwell in thofe Country 
 Farms, are never ignorant of Agriculture, and fo 
 commit no Errors in it, which might otherwife be 
 fatal to them, and bring them under a Scarcity of 
 Corn. But tho' there is every Year fuch a ihiiting 
 of the Husbandmen, that none may be forced a- 
 gainfl: his Mind to follow that hard Courfe of Life 
 too long ; yet many among them take fuch Plea- 
 furc in it, that they defire Leave to continue ma- 
 ny Years in it. Thefe Husbandmen labour the 
 Ground, breed Cattle, hew Wood, and convey it 
 to the Towns, either by Land or Water, as is mofi: 
 convenient. They breed an infinite Multitude of 
 Chickens in a very curious Manner : For the Hens 
 do not fit and hatch them, but they lay vafl; Num- 
 bers of Eggs in a gentle and equal Heat, in which 
 they are hatched; and they are no fooncr out of 
 the Shell, and able to ilir about, but they fecm to 
 conllder thofe that feed them as their Mothers, and 
 follow them as other Chickens do the Hen that 
 hatched them. They breed very few Horfes, but 
 thofe they have, are full of Mettle, and arc kept 
 only for exereiling their Youth in the Art of fitting 
 and riding of them ; for they do not put them to any 
 Work, cither of Plov/mg or Carriage, in which 
 they employ Oxen ; for tho' Horfes are Wronger, 
 yet they find Oxen can hold out longer; and as 
 they are not fubje6l to fo many Difcafcs, fo they 
 are kept upon a lefs Charge, and with Icfs Trouble: 
 And when they ate fo worn out, that they arc no 
 more fit for Labour, they are good Meat at laft. 
 They fow no Corn, but that which is to be theli' 
 Bread ; for they drink cither Wine, Cider, or Per- 
 ry, and often Water, fomctimcs pure, and ibme- 
 
 times 
 
xf8 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 times boiled with Honey or Liquorifli, with which 
 they abound : and tho' they know exactly well 
 how much Com will ferve every Town, and all 
 that Tra6l of Country which belongs to it, yet 
 they fow much more, and breed more Cattle than 
 are necefiary for their Confumption: And they give 
 that Overplus of which they make no Ufe, to their 
 Neighbours. When they want any Thing in the 
 Country which it does not produce, they fetch 
 that from the Town, without cai-rying any Thing 
 in Exchange for it: And the Magiibates of the 
 Town rake Care to fee it given them: For they 
 meet generally in the Town once a Month, upon 
 a Fefiival Day. When the Time of Harvefl comes, 
 the Magiftrates in the Country fend to thofe in the 
 Towns, and let them know how many Hands they 
 will need for reaping the Harvefl ; and the Number 
 they call for being fent to them, they commonly 
 difpatch it all in one Day. 
 
 Of their Towns ^ particularly of Amaurot. 
 
 HE that knows one of their Towns, knows 
 them all, they are fo like one another, except 
 where the Situation makes fome Difference. I fliall 
 therefore defcribe one of them, and it is no Matter 
 which; but none is fo proper as Amaurot : For as 
 none is more eminent, all the reft yielding in Pre- 
 cedence to this, becaufc it is the Seat of their fu- 
 pream Council ; fo there was none of them better 
 known to me, I having lived five Years altogether 
 in it. 
 
 It lies upon the Side of a Hill, or rather a rifing 
 Ground ; Its Figure is almoft Sc^uarc, for from the 
 
 one 
 
UTOPIA. 49 
 
 one Side of it, which flioots up almofl to the Top 
 of the Hill, it runs down in a Defcent for two 
 Miles to the River .Anider ; but it is a little broader 
 the other Way that runs along by the Bank of that 
 River. The Snider rifes about eighty Miles above 
 ^manrot, in a fmall Spring at firfl ; but other Brooks 
 falling into it, of which two are more confiderable : 
 As it runs by ^maiirot^ it is grown half a Mile 
 broad, but it ftill grows larger and larger, till after 
 /ixty Miles Courfe below it, it is buried in the O- 
 cean. Between the Town and the Sea, and for 
 fome Miles above the Town, it ebbs and flov/s e- 
 very fix Hours, with a ftrong Current. The Tide 
 comes up for about thirty Miles fa full, that there 
 is nothing but Salt-water in the River, the frefh 
 "Water being driven back with its Force ; and above 
 that, for fome Miles, the Water is brackifli, but a 
 little higher, as it runs by the Town, it is quite 
 frefh; and when the Tide ebbs, it continues frefh 
 all along to the Sea. There is a Bridge caft over 
 the River, not of Timber, but of fair Stone, con- 
 lifling of many flatcly Arches ; it lies at that Part 
 of the Town which is farthefl from the Sea, fo that 
 Ships without any Hindrance lie all along the Side 
 of the Town. Thexe is likewife another River 
 that runs by it, which tho' it is not great, yet it 
 runs pleafantly, for it rifes out of the fame Hill on 
 which the Town (lands, and fo runs down through 
 it, and falls into the Anider. The Inhabitants have 
 fortified the Fountain-head of this River, which 
 fprings a little without the Town; that fo if they 
 fliould happen to be befieged,the Enemy might not 
 be able to flop or divert the Courfe of the Water, nor 
 poifon it ; .from thence it is carried in earthen Pipes 
 to the lower Streets : And iox. thofc Places of the 
 
 G Town 
 
5<3 Sir THO MAS MOR Eh 
 
 To\vn,to which the Water of that fmall River can- 
 not be conveyed, they have great Ciftevns for recei- 
 ving the Rain-watcv, which fupplies the Want of 
 the other. The Town is compalTed with a high 
 and thick Wall, in which there are many Towers 
 and Forts; there is alfo a broad and deep dry 
 Ditch, fct thick whh Thorns, cail round three Sides 
 of the Town, and the River is inftead of a Ditch 
 on the fourth Side. The Streets are made very con- 
 venient for all Carriage, and are well flieltered 
 from the Winds. Their Buildings are good, and 
 are fo uniform, that a whole Side of a Street looks 
 like one Houfc. The Streets are twenty Foot 
 broad; there lie Gardens behind all their Houfes ; 
 thefc arc large, but inclofed with Buildings, that 
 on all Hands face the Streets ; fo that every Houi^ 
 has both a Door to the Street, and a back Door to 
 the Garden : Their Doors have all two Leaves, 
 which as they are eafily opened, fo they fhut of 
 their own Accord ; and there being no Property a- 
 mong them, every Man may freely enter into any 
 Houfe whatfocvcr. At every ten Years End, they 
 iliift their Houfes by Lots. They cultivate their Gar- 
 dens with great Care, fo that they have both Vines, 
 Fruits, Herbs, and Flowers in them; and "all is fo 
 well ordered^ and fo finely kept, that I never faw 
 Ciardens any where that were both fo fruitful and 
 fo beautiful as theirs are. And this Humour of or- 
 dering their Gardens fo well, is not only kept up 
 by the Plcafure they find in it, but alfo by an Emu- 
 lation between the Inhabitants of the feveral Streets, 
 who vie with one another in this Matter; and there 
 is indeed notliing belonging to the whole Town, 
 that is both mo^-e ufeful, and more plealant. So 
 that he who founded the Town, fecms to have ta- 
 
 kca 
 
UTOPIA. 51 
 
 ken Care of nothing more than of then* Gardens ] 
 for they fay, the whole Scheme of the Town was 
 dcfigned at £rft by UtopuSy but he left all that be- 
 longed to the Ornament and Improvement of it, 
 to be added by thofe that fliould come after him, 
 that being too much for one Man to bring to Per- 
 fe6lion. Their Records, that contain the Hiflory 
 of their Town and State, are preferved with an ex- 
 a6t Care, and run backwards 1760 Years. From 
 thefe it appears, that their Houfes were at firft low 
 and mean, like Cottages, made of any Sort of Tim- 
 ber, and were built with Mud Walls, and thatch'd 
 with Straw : But now their Houfes are three Stories 
 high, the Fronts of them are faced either with Stone, 
 Plaiftering, or Brick ; and between the Facings of 
 their Walls, they throw in their Rubbifli ; their 
 Roofs are flat, and on them they lay a Sort of Plai- 
 fter which cods very little, and yet it is fo temper* 
 ed, thatas it is not apt to take Fire, fo it refills the 
 Weather more than Lead does. They have abun- 
 dance of Glafs among them, with which they glaze 
 their Windows : they ufe alfo in their Windows, a 
 thill Linen Cloth, that Is fo oiled or gummed, that 
 by that Means it both lets in the Light more freely 
 to them, and. keeps out the Wind the better. 
 
 Of their Magiftrates. 
 
 THirty Families choofe every Year a Magiflrate, 
 who was called anciently the Syphogrant^hKi.x. 
 is called the Philarch : and over every ten Syphc- 
 grants with the Families fubjecl: to them, there is 
 another Magiflratc. who was anciently called the 
 T^r author Cy but of late the Arch philarch. All the 
 
 G 2 Sypho- 
 
52 S\x THOMAS MORE's 
 
 Syphogrants, who arc in Number 200, clioofe the 
 Prince out ot' a Lift of four, whom the People of 
 the four Divifions of the City name to them, but 
 they take an Oath before they proceed to an Elec- 
 tion, that they will choofe him whom they think 
 nieeteft for the Oilicc : They give theit Voices fe- 
 cretly, fo that it is not known for whom every One 
 gives his Suffrage. The Prince is for Life, unlefs 
 he is removed upon Sufpicion of fome Dc/ign to en- 
 flave the People. The Tranihors are new chofeii 
 every Year, but yet they are for the moft Part ftill 
 continued. All their other Magiftrates are only an- 
 nual. The 'J^ranibors meet every third Day, and 
 oftner if Need be, and confult with the Prince, ei- 
 ther concerning the Affairs of the State in General, 
 or fuch private Differences as may arife fometimes 
 among the People : tho' that falls out but feldom. 
 There are always two Syphogrants called into the 
 Council-Chamber, and thefe are changed every 
 Day. It is a fundamental Rule of their Govern- 
 ment, that no Conclufion can be made in any Thing 
 that relates to the Pablick, till it has been fiift deba- 
 ted three feveral Days in their Council. It is Death 
 for any to meet and confult concerning the State, 
 "unlefs it be either in their ordinary Council, or in 
 the Aflembly of the whole Body of the People. 
 
 Thcfe Things have been fo provided among 
 them, that the Prince and the 'Jranibors may not 
 confpire together to change the Government, and 
 cnflave the People ; and therefore when any Thing 
 of great Importance is let on Foot, it is fent to the 
 Syphograttts ; who after they have communicated 
 it with the Families that belong to their Divifions, 
 and have confidered it among themfelves, make 
 Report to the Senate; and tipon great Occaiions, 
 
 the 
 
UTOPIA. 55 
 
 the Matter Is referred to the Council of the whole 
 Ifland. One Rule obferved in their Council, is, 
 never to debate a Thing on the fame Day in which 
 it is firft propofed ; for that is always referred to the 
 next Meeting, that fo Men may not raflily, and in 
 the Heat of Difcourfc, engage themfelves too foon, 
 which may biafsthem fo much, that inftead ofconfi- 
 dering the Good of the Publick,they will rather fludy 
 to maintain their own Notions ; and by a pcrverfe 
 and prepofterous Sort of Shame, hazard their Coun- 
 try, rather than endanger their own Reputation, or 
 venture the being fufpe61:ed to have wanted Fore- 
 light in the Expedients that they propofed at £rft. 
 And therefore to prevent this, they take Care that 
 they may rather be deliberate, than fudden in their 
 Motions, 
 
 Of their trades ^ and Manner of Life, 
 
 AGRICULTURE is that which is fo uni- 
 verfally underftood among them all, that no 
 Perfon, either Man or Woman, is ignorant of it • 
 from their Childhood they are inflru6led in it, part- 
 ly by what they learn at School, and partly by 
 Practice, they being led out often into the Fields, 
 ftbout the Town, where they not only fee others at 
 Work, but are likewife exercifed in it th$mfelves. 
 Befides Agriculture, which is fo commort to them 
 all, every Man has fome peculiar Trade to vv'hich 
 he applies himfelf, fuch as theManufa61:ureof Wool, 
 or Flax, Mafonry, Smiths Work, or Carpenters 
 Work ; for there is no other Sort of Trade that is in 
 great Efteem among them. All the Ifland over, 
 they wear the fame Sort of Clothes without any o- 
 
 ther 
 
54 Sli' THOMAS MOREs 
 
 ther DiftIn6lIon, except that which is nccefTary for 
 marking the Difference between the two Sexes, and 
 the married and unmarried. The Fafhion never al- 
 ters; and as it is not ungrateful nor uneafy, fo it is 
 fitted for their Climate, and calculated both for their 
 Summers and Winters. Every Family makes their 
 own Clothes ; but all ameng them, Women as well 
 as Men, learn one or other of the Trades formerly 
 mentioned. Women for the mofl; Part, deal in Wool 
 and Flax, which fute better with their Feeblenefs, 
 leaving the other ruder Trades to the Men. Gene- 
 rally the fame Trade palfes down from Father to 
 Son, Inclinations often following Defcent : But if 
 any Man's Genius lies another Way, he is by A- 
 doption tranilated into a Family that deals in the 
 Trade to which he is inclined : And when that is to 
 be done, Care is taken not only by his Father, but 
 by the Magiftrate, that he may be put to a difcreet 
 and good Man. And if after a Man has learned 
 one Trade, he defires to acquire another, that is alfo 
 allowed, and is managed in the fame Manner as 
 the former. When he has learn'd both, he follows 
 that which he likes bell, unlefs the Publick has 
 more Occafion for the other. 
 
 The chief, and almoll the only Bufinefs of the 
 Syphogrants, is to take Care that no Man may live 
 idle, but that every one may follow his Trade dili- 
 gently : Yet they do not wear themfelves out with 
 perpetual Toil, from Morning to Night, as if they 
 were Beads of Burden, which as it is indeed a hea- 
 vy Slavery, fo it is the common Courfe of Life of 
 all Tradelmen every where, except among the If- 
 topans : But they dividing the Day and Night in- 
 to twcntyfour Hours, appoint fix of thefc for Work, 
 three of them arc before Dhmer j and after that 
 
 they 
 
UTOPIA. 57 
 
 they dine, and interrupt their Labour for two Hours, 
 and then they go to work again for other three 
 Hours ; and after that they fup, and at eight a 
 Clock, counting from Noon, they go to Bed, and 
 flcep eight Hours : And for their other Hours, be- 
 lides thofe of Work, and thofe that go for eating 
 and fleeping, they are left to every Man's Difcreti- 
 on ; yet they are not to abufe that Interval to Lu- 
 xury and Idlenefs, but muft employ it in fome pro- 
 per Exercife according to their various Inclinations, 
 which is for the mod Part Reading. It is ordinary 
 to have publick Le6lures every Morning before 
 Day-break ; to which none are obliged to go, but 
 thofe that are marked out for Literature ; yet a great 
 many, both Men and Women of all Ranks, go to 
 hear Le6lures of one Sort or another, according to 
 the Variety of their Inclinations. But if others, that 
 are not made for Contemplation, choofe rather to 
 eitv^loy themfelves at that Time in their Trade, as 
 many of them do, they are not hindered, but are 
 CO mmended rather, as Men that take Care to ferve 
 their Country. After Supper, they fp^nd an Horn- 
 in fome Diverfion: In Summer it is in their Gar- 
 dens, and in Winter it is in the Halls where they 
 eat; and they entertain themlelvcs in them, either 
 with Mufick or Difcourfe. They do not fo much 
 as know Dice, or fuch like foolifh and mifchie- 
 vous Games : They have two Soits of Games 
 not unlike our Chefs ; the one is between feveral 
 Num bers, by which one Number, as it were, con- 
 fumes another: The other refembles a Battle be- 
 tween the Vices and the Virtues, in which the En- 
 mity in the Vices among themfelves, and their A- 
 grcement againfl Virtue is not unplcafantly reprefen- 
 ted ; toget her with the fpeclal Oppofltious between 
 
 the 
 
5^ Sir THOMAS MO RE'S 
 
 the particular Virtues and Vices; as alfo the Me- 
 thods by which Vice does either openly alTault, or 
 fccretly undermine Virtue ; and Virtue on the other 
 Hand reflfts it ; and the Means by which either 
 Side obtains the Victory. But this Matter of the 
 Time fet off for Labour, is to be narrowly examin- 
 ed, otherwife you may perhaps imagine, that fince 
 there are only fix Hours appointed for Work, they 
 may fall under a Scarcity of neccfTary Provifions. 
 But it is fo far from being true, that this Time is 
 not fufficicnt for fupplying them with a Plenty of 
 all Things, that are either necelTary or convenient; 
 that it is rather too much ; and this you will eafily 
 apprehend, if you confider how great a Part of all 
 other Nations is quite idle. Firfl, Women general- 
 ly do little, who are the half of Mankind ; and if 
 fome few Women are diligent, their Husbands are 
 idle: Then confider the great Company of idle 
 Priefts, and of thofe that are called religious Men; 
 add to thefe all rich Men, chiefly thofe that have 
 Eftates in Lands, who are called Noblemen and 
 Gentlemen, together with their Families, made up 
 of idle Perfons, that do nothing but go fwaggering 
 about : Reckon in with thefe, all thofe flrong and 
 lufty Beggars, that go about pretending fome Dif- 
 cafe, in Excufe for their Begging ; and upon the 
 whole Account you will find, that the Number of 
 thofe by whofe Labours Mankind is fupplicd, is 
 much lefs than you did perhaps imagine : Then 
 confider how few of tliofe that work, are employed 
 in Labours that Men do rea,lly need : For we who 
 meafure all Things by Money, give Occafions to 
 many Trades that arc both vain and fupcrfluous, 
 and that ferve only to fupport Riot and Luxury. 
 For if thofe who are at Work, were employed oi> 
 
UTOPIA. 57 
 
 ly in fucli Things as the Conveniencies of Life re- 
 quire ,thcre would be'fuch an Abundance of them, and 
 by that means the Prices of them would fo fink, that 
 Tradefmen could not be maintained by their Gains ; 
 if all thofe who labour about ufelcfs Things, were 
 fet to more profitable Trades ; and if all that Num- 
 ber that languiflies out their Life in Sloth and Idle- 
 nefs, of whom everyone confumes as much as any 
 two of the Men that are at Work do, were forced 
 to labour, you may eafily imagine that a fmall Pro- 
 portion of Time would ferve for doing all that is 
 either neceflary, profitable or pleafant to Mankind, 
 Pleafure being llill kept within its due Bounds : 
 Which appears very plainly in Utopia, for there, 
 in a great City, and in all the Territory that lies 
 round it, you can fcarce find five hundred, either 
 Men or Women, that by their Age and Strength, 
 are capable of Labour, that are not engaged in it ; 
 even the Syphogrants themfelves, tho' the Law ex- 
 cufes them, yet do not excufe themfelves, that fo 
 by their Examples they may excite the Induflry of 
 the reft of the People j the like Exemption is al., 
 lowed to thofe, who being recommended to the 
 People by the Priefts, are by the fecret Sufii'ages 
 of the Syphogrants, privileged from Labour, that 
 they may apply themfelves wholly to Study ; and 
 if any of thefe fall lliort of thofe Hopes that he 
 feemed to give at firft, he is obliged to go to work. 
 And fometimes a Mechanick, that does fo employ 
 his Leifure Hours, that he makes a confiderable 
 Advancement in Learning, is eafed from being a 
 Tradefman, and ranked among their learned Men. 
 Out of thefe they choofe theiy Ambaifadors, their 
 Priefts J their TrmihrSf and the Prince himfelf ; 
 
 H who 
 
58 Sit T HO MA S MOR Fs 
 
 who \7as antiently called their Barzeties, but is cal- 
 led of late their Lddctntts. 
 
 And thus fiom the great Numbers among them, 
 that are neither fuifered to be idle, nor to be em- 
 ployed in any fruitlefs Labour; you may eafily 
 make the Etlimatc, how much good Work may be 
 done in thofc few Hoars in which they are obliged 
 to labour. But bcfides all that has been already 
 faid, this is to be confidered, that thofe needful 
 Arts which are among them, are managed with lefs 
 Labour than any where elfe. The Building, or 
 the repairing of Houfes among us, employs many 
 Hands, becaufe often a thriftlefs Heir fuffers a 
 Houfe that his Father built, to fall into Decay, fo 
 that his Succeflbr mud, at a great Cofl, repair that 
 which he might have kept up with a fmall Charge : 
 And often it falls out, that the fame Houfe which 
 one built at a vafl: cxpence, is negle6led by another 
 that thinks he has a more delicate Senfe of fuch 
 Things , and he fufferiug it to fall to Ruin, builds 
 another at no lefs Charge. But among the Utopi- 
 ans y all Things arc fo regulated, that Men do ve- 
 ry feldom build upon any new Piece of Ground ; 
 and they arc not only very quick in repairing their 
 Houfes, but fliew their Forefight in preventing 
 their Decay : So that their Buildings are preferved 
 very long, with very little Labour : And thus the 
 Craftfmen to whom that Care belongs, are often 
 without any Employment, except it be the hewing 
 of Timber, and the fquaring of Stones, that fo the 
 Materials may be in Readinefs for railing a Build- 
 ing very fuddenly, when there is any Occafion for 
 it. As for their Clothes, obferve how little Work 
 goes for them : While they arc at Labour,, they are 
 clothed with Leather and Skins, call carelcily a- 
 
 bout 
 
UTOPIA. ^^ 
 
 bout them, which will lad feven Years ; and when 
 they appear in Publick, they put on an upper Gar- 
 ment, which hides the other : And thefe are all of 
 one Colour, and that is the natural Colour of the 
 Wool: And as tliey need lefs woollen Cloth than 
 is ufed any where elfe, fo that which they do need, 
 is much lefs coftly. They ufe Linen Cloth more ; 
 but that is prepared with lefs Labour, and they va- 
 lue Cloth only by the Whitenefs of the Linen, or 
 the Cleannefs of the V/ool, without much Regard 
 to the Finenefs of the Thread ; and whereas in o- 
 ther Places, four or five upper Garments of wool- 
 len Cloth, and of different Colours, and as many 
 Verts of Silk will fcarce ferve one Man; and thole 
 that are nicer, think ten too few ; every Man there 
 is contented with one, which very oft ferves him 
 two Years. Nor is there any Thing that can tempt 
 a Man to dcfire more ; for if he had them, he would 
 neither be the warmer, nor would he make one 
 Jot the better Appearance for it. And thus fince 
 tliey are all employed in fome ufeful Labour ; and 
 fince they content themfelves with fewer Things, 
 it falls out tliat there is a great Abundance of all 
 Things among them : So that often, for Want of 
 other Work, if there is any Need of mendmg their 
 High Ways at any Time, you will fee marvellous 
 Numbers of People brought out to work at them ; 
 and when there is no Occalion of any publick 
 Work, the Hours of working, arc lefTened by pub- 
 lick Proclamation; for the Magiflrates do not engage 
 the People into any needlcfs Labour, fince by their 
 Conftitution they aim chiefly at this, that except in 
 fo far as publick Neceffity requires it, all the People 
 may have as much free Time for themfelves as 
 may be neceifary for the Lnprovemcnt of thcit' 
 H 3 Minds, 
 
6o Sk THOMAS MORE'i 
 
 Minds, for in this they think the Happniefs of Life 
 coniifts. 
 
 Of their Traffick. 
 
 BU T it is now Time to explain to you the mu- 
 tual Intercourfe of this People, their Com- 
 merce, and the Rules by which all Things arc dif- 
 tiibuted among them. As their Cities are compofcd 
 of Families, fo their Families are made up of thofe 
 that arc nearly related to one another . Their Wo- 
 men, when they grow up, are married out ; but all 
 the Males, both Children and Grandchildren, live 
 ftill in the fame Houfe, in great Obedience to their 
 common Parent, unlefs Age has wcakned his Un- 
 derrtanding^ and in that Cafe, he that is next to him 
 in Age, comes in his Room. But left any City 
 fliould become either out of Meafure great, or fall 
 under a difpeopling by any Accident, Provifion is 
 made that none of their Cities may have above fix 
 thoufand Families in it, befides thofe of the Coun- 
 try round it ; and that no Family may have lefs 
 than ten, and more than fixteen Perfons in it ; bur 
 there can be no determined Number for the Chil- 
 dren under Age : and this Rule is eafily obferved, 
 by removing fome of the Children of a more fruit- 
 ful Couple, to any other Family that does not a- 
 bound fo much in them. By the fame Rule, they 
 fupply Cities that do not increafe fo faft, by others 
 that breed fader : And if there is any Increafe over 
 the whole Ifland, then they draw out a Number of 
 their Citizens out of the feveral Towns, and fend 
 them over to the neighbouring Continent ; where, 
 if ihey iind that the Inhabitants have more Soil 
 
 than 
 
UTOPIA. 6i 
 
 than, they can well cuhivate, they fix a Colony, 
 taking in the Inhabitants to their Society, if they 
 will live with them ; and where they do that o£ 
 their own Accord, tliey quickly go into their Me- 
 thod of Life, and to their Rules, and this proves a 
 Happinefs to both the Nations : For according to 
 their Conftitution, fuch Care is taken of the Soil, 
 that it jpecomes fruitful enough for both, tho' it 
 might be otherwife too narrow and barren for any one 
 of them. But if the Natives refufe to conform them- 
 felves to their Laws, they drive them out of thofe 
 Bounds which they mark out for themfelves, and 
 ufe Force if they refifl. For they account it a ve- 
 ry juft Caufe of War, if any Nation will hinder o- 
 thers to come and poffefs a Part of their Soil, of 
 which they make no ufe, but let it lie idle and un- 
 cultivated ; fince every Man has by the Law of 
 Nature a Right to fuch a wafte Portion of the Earth, 
 as is neceflary for his Subfiftence. If any Accident 
 has fo lefTened the Number of the Inhabitants of a- 
 ny of their Towns, that it cannot be made up from 
 the other Towns of the Ifland, without diminifhing 
 them too much, which is faid to have fallen out but 
 twice, jfince they were fiifl: a People, by two Plagues 
 that were among them ; then the Number is filled 
 up, by recalling fo may out of their Colonies, for 
 they will abandon their Colonies, rather than fuifei' 
 any of their Towns to fink too low. 
 
 But to return to the Manner of their living toge- 
 ther; the antienteft of every Family governs it, as 
 has been faid. Wives ferve their Husbands, and 
 Children their Parents, and always the Younger 
 ferves the Elder. Every City is divided into four 
 equal Parts, and in the Middle of every Part there 
 is a Market-place : That which is brought thither 
 
 manu- 
 
62. Sue THOMAS MO RE'S 
 
 manufailured by the fcveial Families, is carried 
 from thence to Houfes appointed for that Purpofe, 
 in which ^11 Things of a Sort are laid by them- 
 felves; and every Father of a Family goes thither, 
 and takes whatfoever he or his Family fland in 
 need of, without either paying for it, or laying in 
 any Thing in Pawn or Exchange for it. There is 
 no Reafon for denying any Thing to any,Perfon, 
 Cnce there is fuch Plenty of every Thing among 
 them : And there is no Danger of any Man's afking 
 more than he needs ; for what fliould make any do 
 that, fince they are all fure that they will be al- 
 ways fup plied ? It is the Fear of Want that makes 
 any of the whole Race of Animals, either greedy 
 or ravenous; but befides Fear, there is in Man a 
 vaft Pride, that makes him fancy it a particular 
 Glory for him to excel others in Pomp and Excefs. 
 But by the Laws of the UtopianSy there is no Room 
 for thefe Things among them. Near thefe Markets 
 there are alfo others for all Sorts of Vi6luals, where 
 there are not only Herbs, Fruits and Bread, but alfo 
 Fifli, Fowl, and Cattle. There are alfo without their 
 Towns, Places appointed near fomc running Water, 
 for killing their Bea(ls,and for walliing away their filth; 
 which is done by their Slaves, for they fuifer none of 
 their Citizens to kill their Cattle, becaufe they think, 
 that Pity and good Nature, which arc among the 
 bed: of thofe Affc6lions that are born with us, are 
 much impaired by the butchering of Animals : Nor 
 do they fuifer any Thing that is foul or unclean to 
 be brought within their Towns, left the Air fliould 
 be infefted by ill Smells which might prejudice 
 their Health, In every ftreet there are great Halls 
 that lie at an equal Diftancc from one another, which 
 are marked by particular Names. The Syphogrants. 
 
 dwell 
 
UTOPIA. 63 
 
 dwell in thefe, that are fet over thirty Families, 
 fifteen lying on one Side of it, and as many on the 
 other. In thefe they do all meet and eat. The 
 Stewards of every one of them come to the Market- 
 place at an appointed Hour ; and according to the 
 Number of thofe that belong to their Hall, they 
 Garry home Proviilons. But they take more Care 
 of their Sick, than of any others, who are looked 
 after and lodged in publick Hofpitals : They have 
 belonging to every Town four Hofpitals, that are 
 built without their Walls, and are fo large, that 
 they may pafs for little Towns : By this MeanSj^ 
 if they had ever fuch a Number of lick Perfons, 
 they could lodge them conveniently, and at fuch 
 a Diflance, that fuch of them as are fick of infe6li- 
 ous Difeafes, may be kept fo far from the reft, that 
 there can be no Danger of Contagion. The Hofpitals 
 are fo furnifhed and ftored with all Things that are 
 convenient for the Eafe and Recovery of the Sick ; 
 and thofe that are put in them, are all looked after 
 with fo tender and watchful a Care, and are fo con- 
 llantly treated by their fkilful Phyficians ;that as none 
 is fent to them againft their Will, fo there is fcarce 
 one in a whole Town, that if he fhould fall ill, 
 would not choofe rather to go thither, than lie Hck 
 at home. 
 
 After the Steward of the Hofpitals has taken for 
 them whatfoever the Phyfician does prefcribe at the 
 Market-place, then the beft Things that remain, 
 are diftributed equally among the Halls, in propor- 
 tion to then- Numbers, only, in the firft Place, they 
 ferve the Prince, the chief Priefl, the Tranibors 
 and AmbalTadors, and Strangers, (if there are any, 
 which indeed falls out but feldom, and for whom 
 
 there 
 
11^4 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 there are Houfes well furnifhed, particularly ap- 
 pointed when they come among them.) At the 
 Hours of Dinner and Supper, the Syphogranty be- 
 ing called together by Sound of Trumpet, meets 
 nnd eats together, except only fuch as are in the 
 Hofpitals, or lie fick at Home. Yet after the Halls 
 are ferved, no Man is hindred to cany Provifions 
 Home from the Market-place ; for they know that 
 none does that but for fome good Reafon; for the' 
 any that will may eat at Home, yet none does it 
 tvillingly, fince it is both an indecent and fooliih 
 Thing, for any to give themfelves the Trouble to 
 make ready an ill Dinner at Home, when there is 
 a much more plentiful one made ready for him fo 
 near hand. All the uneafy and fordid Services a- 
 bout thefe Halls, are performed by their Slaves ; 
 but the drelling and cooking their Meat, and the 
 ordering their Tables, belongs only to the Women, 
 which goes round all the Women of every Family 
 by Turns, They fit at three or more Tables, ac- 
 cording to their Numbers ; the Men fit towards the 
 Wall, and the Women fit on the other Side, that 
 if any of them fliould fallfuddenly ill, which is or- 
 dinary to Women with Child, flie may, without 
 difturbing the reft, rife and go to the Nurfcs Room, 
 who are there with the fuckling Children ; where 
 there is always Fire, and clean Water at hand, and 
 fome Cradles in which they may lay the young 
 Children, if there is Occafion for it, and that they 
 may fhift and drefs them before the Fire. Every 
 Child is nurfed by its own Mother, if Death or 
 Sicknefs does not intervene; and in that Cafe the 
 Syphogrants Wives find out a Nurfe quickly, which 
 is no hard Matter to do; for any one that can do 
 it, oifers herfelf chearfully : For as they are much 
 
 inclined 
 
UTOPIA. 6^ 
 
 inclined to that Piece of Mercy, fo the Child whom 
 they nurfe, confideis the Nurfe as its Mother. All 
 the Children under five Years old, fit among the 
 Nurfes, the reft of the younger Sort of both Sexes, 
 till they are fit for Marriage, do either ferve thofc 
 that fit at Table ; or if they are not ftrcng enough 
 for that, they ftand by them in great Silence, and 
 eat that which is given them, by thofe that fit at 
 Table ; nor have they any other Formality of din- 
 ing. In the Middle of the firft Table, which flands 
 in the upper End of the Hall, a-crofs fits the Sy- 
 phogrant and his Wife, for that is the chief and 
 moft confpicuous Place : Next to him fit two of the 
 moft ancient, for there go always four to a Mefs, 
 If there is a Temple within that Syphogranty, the 
 Prieft and his Wife fit with the Syphogrant above 
 all the reft : Next them there is a Mixture of old 
 and young, who are fo placed, that as the young 
 are fet near others, fo they are mixed with the more 
 Ancient, which they fay was appointed on this Ac- 
 count, that the Gravity of the old People, and the 
 Reverence that is due to them, might reftrain the 
 younger from all indecent Words and Geftures. 
 Difhes are not ferved up to the whole Table at 
 firft, but the beft are firft fet before the Ancienter, 
 whofe Seats are diftinguifiied from the younger, 
 and after them all the reft are ferved alike. The 
 old Men diftribute to the younger any curious Meats 
 that happen to be fet before them, if there is not 
 fuch an Abundance of them that the whole Compa- 
 ny may be ferved by them. 
 
 Thus old Men are honoured with a particular 
 Refpeft ; yet all the reft fare as well as they do. 
 They begin both Dinner and Supper with fonie 
 Le^lure of Morality that is reud to them j but it is 
 
 I fo 
 
66 Sir ^HOM.dS MORE'^ 
 
 To fliort, that it is not tedious nor uneafy to then! 
 to hear it : Upon that the old Men take OcCvifion 
 to entertain thofe about them, with feme ufeful and 
 plcafant Enlargements; but they do not engrofs the 
 whole Difcouric lb to themrelves, during their 
 jMcals, that the younger may not put in for a Share: 
 On the contrary, they engage them to talk, that fo 
 they may in that free Way of Converfation, find 
 out the Force of every one's Spirit, and obfervc 
 their Temper. They difpatch their Diimers quick- 
 ly, but lit long at Supper: becaufe they go to work 
 after the one, and are to lleep after the other, dur- 
 ing which they think the Stomach carries on the 
 Concoclion more vigoroully. They never fup 
 without Mufick; and there is always Fruit ferved 
 up after Meat ; while they fit at Meat, fome burn 
 Pei-fumcs, and fprinkle about fwect Ointments, and 
 fweet Waters : And they are wanting in nothing 
 that may chear up their Spirits, for they give them- 
 felves a large Allowance that Way, and indulge 
 themfclves in all fuch Pleafurcs as are attended 
 with no Inconvenience. Thus do thofc that are in 
 the Towns live together ; but in the Country, 
 where they live at a greater Diflance, every one 
 eats at Home, and no Family wants any neceflary 
 Sort of Proviiion, for it is from them that Provifions 
 are fent unto thofc that live in the Towns. 
 
 Of the Travelling of the Utopians. 
 
 IF any of ihcm has a Mind to vifit his Friends 
 that live in fome other Town, or defires to tra- 
 vel and ice the reft of the Country, he obtains Leave 
 very cuJily from the Syphogrant and Tranibors to 
 
 do 
 
UTOPIA. 67 
 
 do it, when there is no particular Occafion for him 
 at Home: Such as travel, carry with them a PalT- 
 port from the Prince, which both certifies the Li- 
 cence that is granted for travelling, and limits the 
 Time of their Return. They arc furnillied wiih a 
 Waggon and a Slave, who drives the Oxen, and 
 looks after them: But unlefs there are Women in 
 the Company, the Waggon is fent back at the End 
 of the Journey as a needlefs Trouble: While they 
 are on the Road, they carry no Provifions with 
 them ; yet they want nothing, but are every Way 
 treated as if they were at Home. If they ftay in a- 
 ny Place longer than a Night, every one follows 
 his proper Occupation, and is very well uibd by 
 thofe of his own Trade : But if any Man goes out 
 of the City to which he belongs, without Leave, 
 and is found going about without a Palfport, he is 
 roughly handled, and is puniflicd as a Fugitive, and 
 fent Home difgracefully ; and if he falls again into 
 the like Fault, he is condemned to Slavery. If a- 
 ny Man has a Mind to travel only over the Precinct 
 01 his own City, he may freely do it, obtaining his 
 Father's Permiflion, and his Wife's Confent ; but 
 when he comes into any of the Country Houfes, he 
 mull: labour with them according to their Rules, if 
 he expecls to be entertained by them : And if he 
 does this, he may freely go over the whole Pre- 
 cin6l, being thus as ufcful to the City to which he 
 belongs, as if he were llill within it. Thus yop fee 
 that tTierc are no idle Perfons among them, nor Pre- 
 tences of excufing any from Labour. There are no 
 Taverns, no Ale-houfes, nor Stews among them ; 
 nor any other Occafions of corrupting themfelves or 
 of getting into Corners or forming themfelves into 
 Parties : AU Men live in full View, fo that all arc 
 1 2 obliged. 
 
68 Sir quo MAS MO RE'S 
 
 obliged, both to perform their ordinary Talk, and 
 to employ themfclves well in their Ipare Hours. 
 And it is certain, that a People thus ordered, mufl 
 live in a great Abundance of all Things ; and thefe 
 being equally dilhibutcd among them, no Man can 
 want any Thing, or be put to beg. 
 
 In their great Council at Amatirot, to which there 
 are three fent from every Town once every Year, 
 they examine what Towns abound in Provifions^ 
 and what are under any Scarcity, that fo the one 
 may be furnifhed from the other ; and this is done 
 freely, without any Sort of Exchange ; for accord- 
 ing to their Plenty or Scarcity, they fupply, or are 
 fupplied from one another; fo that indeed the whold 
 Jfland is, as it were, one Family. When they have 
 thus taken Care of their whole Country, and laid 
 up Stores for two Years, wliich they do in Cafe 
 that an ill Year fhould happen to come, then they 
 order an Exportation of the Over-plus, both of 
 Corn, Honey, Wool, Flax, Wood, Scarlet, and 
 Purple; Wax, Tallow, Leather, and Cattle, which 
 they fend out commonly in great Quantities to c- 
 thcr Countries. They order a feventh Part of all 
 thefe Goods to be freely given to the Poor of the 
 Countries to which they fend them, and they fell 
 the reft at nioderate Rates. And by this Exchange, 
 they not only bring back thofe few Things that 
 they need at Home, for indeed they fcarce need 
 any Thing but Iron, but likewife a great deal of 
 Gold and Silver ; and by their driving this Trade fo 
 long, it is not to be imagined how vafl: a Treafure 
 they have got among them: So that now they do 
 not much care whether they fell off their Merchan- 
 dize for Money in Hand, or upon Truft. A great 
 Part of their Treafure is now in Bonds; but in all 
 
 their 
 
UTOPIA. 6^ 
 
 tlieir Contracts no private Man (lands bovincl, but 
 the Writing runs in Name of the Town; and the 
 Towns that owe them Money, raife it from thofe 
 private Hands that owe it to them, and lay it up in 
 their publick Chamber, or enjoy the Profit of it till 
 the Utopans call for it; and they choofe rather to 
 let the greateft Part of it lie in their Hands, who 
 make Advantage by it, than to call for it themfelves : 
 But if they fee that any of their other Neighbours 
 Hand more in Need of it, then they raife it, and 
 lend it to them ; or ufe it themfelves, if they arc 
 engaged in a War, which is the only Occafion that 
 they can have for all that Treafure that they have 
 laid up ; that fo either in great Extremities, or 
 fudden Accidents, they may ferve themfelves by 
 it; chiefly for hiring foreign Soldiers, whom they 
 more willingly expofe to Danger than their own 
 People : They give them great Pay, knowing well 
 that this will work even on their Enemies, and en- 
 gage them either to betray their own Side, or at 
 ieaft to defert it, or will fet them on to mutual Fac- 
 tions among themfelves : For this End they have 
 an incredible Treafure ; but they do not keep it as 
 a Treafure, but in fuch a Manner as I am almofl a- 
 fraid to tell it, left you think it fo extravagant, that 
 you can hardly believe it ; which I have the more 
 Keafon to apprehend from others, becaufe if I had 
 not feen it myfelf, I could not have been eafily per- 
 fuadcd to have believed it upon any Man's Re- 
 port. 
 
 It is certain, that all Things appear fo far Incre- 
 dible to us, as they differ from our own Cuftoms : 
 But one who can judge aright, will not wonder to 
 find, that fince their other Conftitutions differ fo 
 much from ours, their Value of Gold and Silver 
 
 Ihould 
 
70 Sir 'THOMAS MORE's 
 
 iliould be meafured, not by our Standard, but hy 
 one that is very different from it; for fince they 
 have no ufe of Money among themfelves, but keep 
 it for an Accident ; that tho' as it may poflibly fall 
 out, it may have great Intervals ; they value it no 
 farther than it deferves, or may be uieful to them. 
 So that it is plain, that they muft prefer Iron either to 
 Gold or Silver : For Men can no more live without 
 Iron, than without Fire or Water; but Nature has 
 marked out no Ufe for the other Metals, with which 
 wc may not very well difpenfe. The folly of Man 
 has enhanfed the Value of Gold and Silver, becaufe 
 of their Scarcity : Whereas on the contrary they rea- 
 fon, that Nature, as an indulgent Parent, has given 
 US all the beft Things very freely, and in great A« 
 bundance, fuch as are Water and Earth, but has laid 
 up and liid from us the Tilings that are vain and 
 ufelefs. 
 
 If thofe Metals were laid up in any Tower a- 
 mong them, it would give Jealoufy of the Prince 
 and Senate, according to that foolifti Miftrufl into 
 which the Rabble is apt to fall, as if they intended 
 to cheat the People, and make Advantages to them^ 
 felves by it ; or if they fliould work it into Veflels, 
 or any Sort of Plate, they fear that the People 
 might grow too fond of it, and fo be unwilling to 
 let the Plate be run down, if a War made it necef- 
 fary to pay their Soldiers with it : Therefore to prC' 
 vent all thefe Inconveniencies, they have fallen 
 upon an Expedient, which as it agrees with their other 
 Policy, fo is very diiferent from ours, and will 
 fcarce gain Belief among us, who value Gold fo 
 much, and lay it up fo carefully: For whereas they 
 eat and drink out of Vefiels of Earth, or Glafs, that 
 the' they look very pretty, y^t arc of very flight 
 
 Mate 
 
UTOPIA. 71 
 
 Materials ; they make their Chamber-pots and Clofe= 
 flools of Gold and Silver ^ and that not only in 
 their Publick Halls, but in their private Houfcs : 
 Of the fame Metals theylikewife make Chains and 
 Fetters for their Slaves ; and as a Badge of Infamy, 
 they hang an Ear-ring of Gold to fome, and make 
 others wear a Chain or a Coronet of Gold; and thus 
 they take Care, by all Manner of Ways, that Gold 
 and Silver may be of no Efteem among them ; and 
 from hence it is, that whereas other Nations part 
 with their Gold and their Silver, as unwillingly as 
 if one tore out their Bowels, thofe of Utopia would 
 look on their giving in all their Gold or Silver, 
 when there were any Ufe for it, but as the parting 
 with a Trifle, or as we would eilimate theLofs of a 
 Penny. They find Pearls on their Coafl: ; and Dia- 
 monds, and Carbuncles on their Rocks : They do 
 not look after them, but if they find them by 
 Chance, they polifh them, and with them they a- 
 dorn their Children, who are delighted with them, 
 and glory in them during their Childhood ; but 
 when they grow to Years, and fee that none but 
 Children ufe fuch Baubles, they of their own Ac- 
 cord, without being bid by their Parents, lay them 
 afide , and would be as much afliamed to ufe them 
 afterwards, as Children among us, when they come 
 to Years, are of their Nuts, Puppets, and other 
 Toys. 
 
 I never faw a clearer Inllance of the different 
 Impreflions that different Cufloms make on People, 
 than I obferved in the AmbaJI'adors of the ^nemo- 
 Hans who came to Ainaiirot when I was there. 
 And becaule they came to treat of Affairs of great 
 Confequencc, the Deputies from feveral Towns 
 had met to wait for their coming. The Amballa- 
 
 dors 
 
72 Sir THO MA S MO RE's 
 
 dors of the Nations that lie near Vtopiay knowing 
 their Culloms, and that fine Clothes are of no E- 
 lleem among them ; that Silk is defpifed, and Gold 
 is a Badge of Infamy, ufe to come very modeftly 
 clothed ; but the Anemolians that lay more remote, 
 and fo had little Commerce with them, when they 
 underfiood that they were coarfly clothed, and all 
 in the fame manner, they took it for granted that 
 they had none of thofe fine Things among them of 
 which they made no Ufe ; and they being a vain- 
 glorious, rather than a wife People, refolvcd to 
 fet themfelves out with fo much Pomp, that they 
 fiiould look like Gods, and fo flrike the Eyes 
 of the poor Utopians with their Splendor. Thus 
 three Ambafladors made their Entry with an hun- 
 dred Attendants, that were all clad in Garments of 
 different Colours, and the greater Part in Silk ; the 
 Ambafladors themfelves, who were of the Nobility 
 of their Country, were in Cloth of Gold, and a- 
 dorned with mafly Chains, Ear-rings and Rings of 
 Gold : Their Caps were covered with Bracelets 
 fet full of Pearls and other Gems : In a Word, 
 they were fet out with all thofe Things, that a- 
 mong the Utopians were either the Badges of Sla- 
 very, the Marks of Infamy, or Children's Rattles. 
 It was not unpleafant to fee on the one Side how 
 they look'd big, when they compared their rich 
 Habits with the plain Cloaths of the Utopians, who 
 were come out in great Numbers to fee them make 
 their Entry. And on the other Side, to obferve 
 how much they were miflaken in the Impre/Iion 
 which they hoped this Pomp would have made 
 on them ; It appeared fo ridiculous a Shew to all 
 that had never flirred out of their Country, and fo 
 had not fcen the Cuftoms of other Nations ; that 
 
 tho' 
 
UTOPIA. 75 
 
 tho' they paid fome Reverence to thofe that were the 
 moft meanly clad, as if they had been the Ambafladors, 
 yet when they law the AmbalTadors themfelves, lb 
 full of Gold Chains they looked upon them as 
 Slaves, made them no Reverence at all. You might 
 have feen their Children, who were grown up to 
 that Bignefs, that they had thrown away their Jew- 
 els, call to their Mothers, and pufli them gently, 
 and cry out. See that great Fool that wears Pearls 
 and Gems, as if he were yet a Child. And their 
 Mothers anfwered them in good earncfl, Hold your 
 Peace, this is I believe, one of the Ambaflador's 
 Fools. Others cenfuredthe Fafhion of their Chains, 
 and obferved that they were of no Ufe, for they 
 were too flight to bind their Slaves, who could ea- 
 fily break them; and they faw them hang fo loofe 
 about them, that they reckoned they could eafily 
 throw them away, and fo get from them. But af^ 
 ter the AmbalTadors had ftaid a Day among them, 
 and faw fo vaft a Quantity of Gold in their Houfes, 
 which was as much defpifed by them, as it was e- 
 fteemed in other Nations, and that there was more 
 Gold and Silver in the Chains and Fetters of one 
 Slave, than all their Ornaments amounted to, their 
 Plumes fell, and they were alhamed of all that 
 Glory for which they had formerly valued them- 
 felves, and fo laid it afide : To which they were 
 the more determined, when upon their engaging .,. 
 into fome free Difcourfe with the Utopians, they dif- ~^- 
 covered their Senfe offuch Things, and their other- 
 Ci:^oms. The Utopians wonder how any Man 
 fhould be fo much taken whh the glaring doubtful 
 Lullre of a Jewel orStone,that can lookup to a Star, 
 or to the Sun hlmfelf; or how any fhould value him- 
 felf, becaufe his Cloth is made of a finer Thread: 
 
 K Foe 
 
74 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 For how fine foever that Thread may be, it was 
 once no better than the Fleece oi a Sheep, and that 
 Sheep was a Sheep flill for all its wearing it. They 
 wonder much to hear, that Gold which in itfelf is 
 fo ufclefs a Thing, fhould be every where fo much 
 cfleemed, that even Man for whom it was made, 
 and by whom it has its Value, fhould yet be thought 
 of let's Value than it is: So that a Man of Lead, 
 who has no more Senfe than a Log of Wood, and is 
 as bad as he h foolifh, fliould have many wife and 
 good Alcn ferving him, only becaufe he has a 
 great Heap of that Metal; and if it fliould fo hap- 
 pen, that by fome Accident, or Trick of Law, 
 which does fometmies produce as great Changes as 
 Chance itfelf, all this Wealth fliould pafs from the 
 ^lafler to the meaneft Varlet of his whole Family, 
 he himfelf would very foon become one of his Ser- 
 vants, asifhewerca Tiling that belonged to his 
 Wealth, and fo were bound to follow its Fortune. 
 But they do much more admire and detefl their Fol- 
 ly, who when they fee a rich Man, the' they nei- 
 ther owe him any Thing, nor are in any Sort ob- 
 noxious to him, yet merely becaufe he is rich, 
 they give him little lefs than Divine Honours ; e- 
 ven tho' they know him to be fo covetous and bafe 
 minded, that notwithftanding all his Wealth, he 
 will not part with one Farthing of it to them as 
 long as he lives. 
 
 Thefe and fuch like Notions has that People 
 drunk in, partly from their Education, being bred 
 in a Country, whofe Culloms and Conllitutions ar« 
 very oppofite to all fuch foolifli Maxims : And part- 
 ly from their Learning and Studies ; for tho* there 
 are but few in any Town that are excufed from La- 
 bour, fo that they may give thcmfelves wholly to 
 
 their 
 
UTOPIA. 75 
 
 theirStudles,therebemgonlyruchPeribnsasdIfcover 
 from their Childhood an extraordinary Capacity and 
 Difpofition for Letters, yet their Children andagrcat 
 Part of the Nation, both Men and Women, are taught to 
 fpend thofe Hours in which they are not obliged to 
 work, in Reading: And this they do their whole Life 
 long. They have all their Learning in their own 
 Tongue; which is both a copious and pleaiant Lan- 
 guage, and in which a Man can fully exprefs his 
 Mind : It runs over a great Tra6l of many Coun- 
 tries, but it is not equally pure in Places : They 
 had never fo much as heard of the Names of any of 
 thofe Philofophers that are fo famous in thefe Parts 
 of the World, before we went among them : And 
 yet they had made the fame Difcoveries that the 
 Greeks had done, both in Muilck, Logick, Arith- 
 metick, and Geometry. But as they are equal to 
 the ancient Philofophers almoft in all Things, fo 
 they far exceed our modern Logicians, for they 
 •have never yet fallen upon the barbarous Niceties 
 that our Youth are forced to learn in thofe trifling 
 logical Schools that are among us ; and they are fo 
 far from minding Chimera's, and fantaftical Images 
 made in the Mind, that none of them could com- 
 prehend what we meant, when we talked to them 
 of a Man in the Abftraft, as common to all Men in 
 particular, (fo that tho' we fpoke of him as a Thing 
 that we could point at with our Fingers, yet none 
 of them could perceive him) and yet di{lin(5l from 
 every one, as if he were feme molhous Coloffus or 
 Giant. Yet for all this Ignorance of thcfe empty 
 Notions, they knew Aftronomy, and all the Mori- 
 ons of the Orbs exa6lly ; and they have many Tn- 
 rtruments, well contrived and divided, by^^hic'l 
 they do very accurately compute the Courfc and 
 K 2 Poilti. 
 
7^ Sir THO MAS MOR Fs 
 
 Pofltlons of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. But for the 
 Cheat, of divhiing by the Stars, and by then* Op- 
 pofitlons or Coniun6lions, it has not fo much as 
 entrcd into their Thoughts. They have a particu- 
 lar Sagacity, founded on much Obfervation, of 
 judging of the Weather, by which they know when 
 they may look for Rain, Wind, or other Alterati- 
 ons in the Air : But as to the Philofophy of thofe 
 Things, and the Caufes of the Saltnefs of the Sea, 
 and of its ebbing and flowing, and of the Original 
 and Nature both of the Heavens and the Earth ; 
 they difpute of them, partly, as our antient Philo- 
 fophers have done; and, partly, upon fome new 
 Hypothefis, in which, as they differ from them, 
 fo they do not in all Things agree among thenv 
 felves. 
 
 As for moral Philofophy, they have the fame 
 Difpute s among them, that we have here : They 
 examme what Things are properly good, both for 
 the Body and the Mind : And whether any outward 
 Thing can be called truly good^ or if that Term 
 belongs only to the Endowments of the Mind. 
 They enquire likewife into the Nature of Virtue 
 and Pleafure ; but their chief Difpute is, concern- 
 ing the Happinefs of a Man, and wherein it con- 
 iifts ? Whether in fome one Thing, or in a great 
 many ? They feem indeed more inclinable to that 
 Opinion that places, if not the whole, yet the chief 
 part of a Man's Happinefs in Pleafure ; and which 
 may feem more fhange, they make ule of Argu- 
 ments even from Religion, notwithftanding its Se- 
 verity and Roughnefs, for the Support of that Opi- 
 nion, that is fo indulgent to Pleafure : For they r»e- 
 ver difpute concerning Happinefs without fetching 
 fome Arguments from the Principles of Religion, 
 
 as 
 
UTOPIA. 77 
 
 as well as from natural Rcafon ; (ince without the 
 former, they reckon that all our Enquiries after 
 Happinefs, mud be but conje6lural and dcfeftive. 
 
 Thofe Principles of their Religion, are, that the 
 Soul of Man is immortal, and that God of his Good<= 
 nefs has defigned that it fhould be happy ; raid that 
 he has therefore appointed Rewards for good and 
 virtuous A6lions, and Punilliments for Vice, to be 
 diftributed after this Life : And though thefe Prin- 
 ciples of Religion are conveyed down among them 
 by Tradition, they think, that even Reafon itfelf 
 determines a Man to believe and acknowledge 
 them : And they freely confefs, that if thefe were 
 taken away, no Man would be fo infenfible, as not 
 to feek after Pleafure by all manner of Ways, law- 
 ful or unlawful ; ufing only this Caution, that a lef- 
 fer Pleafure might not fland in the "Way of a great- 
 er, and that no Pleafure ought to be purfued, that 
 fhould draw a great deal of Pain after it : For they 
 think it the maddeft Thing in the World to purfue 
 Virtue, that is a four and diflScult Thing : and not 
 only to renounce the Pleafures of Life, but willinor. 
 ly to undergo much Pain and Trouble, if a Man has 
 no Profpe^lof a Reward. And what Reward can 
 there be, for one that has paffed his whole Life, not 
 only without Pleafure, but in Pain, if there is no- 
 thing to be expefted after Death ? Yet they do 
 not place Happinefs in all Sorts of Pleafures, but 
 only in thofe that inthcmfelves are good and honefl : 
 For whereas there is a Party among them that 
 places Happinefs in bare Virtue, others think that 
 our Natures are conducted by Virtue to Happinefs, 
 as that which is the chief Good of Man. They 
 define Virtue thus, that it is a living according to 
 J^ature j and think that we arc made by God for 
 
 that 
 
78 S\r THOMAS MORE\ 
 
 that End : They do believe that a Man does then 
 follow the Di(5lat€S of Nature, when he purfues or 
 avoids Things according to the Dire^ion of Rea- 
 fon : They fay, that the firft Di(5late of Reafon is, 
 the kindling in us a Love and Reverence for the Di- 
 vine Majefty, to whom we owe both all that wc 
 have, and all that we can ever hope for. In the 
 next Place, Reafon dire6ls us, to keep our Minds 
 as free of Paflion, and as chearful as we can ; and 
 that we fhould confider ourfelves as bound by the 
 Ties of good Natme and Humanity, to ufe our ut- 
 mofl: Endeavours to help forward the Happinefs of 
 all other Perfons ; for there was never any Man 
 that was fuch a morofe and fevere Purfuer of Vir- 
 tue, and fuch an Enemy to Pleafure, that though 
 he fet hard Rules to Men to undergo, much Pain, 
 many Watchings, and other Rigours, yet did not 
 at the fame Time advifc them to do all they could 
 in order to the relieving and eafing fuch People as 
 were miferable ; and did not reprefent it as a Mark 
 of a laudable Temper, that it was gentle and good 
 natured : And they infer from thence, that if a 
 Man ought to advance the Welfare and Comfort of 
 the refl: of Mankind, there being no Virtue more 
 proper and peculiar to our Nature, than to eafe the 
 Miferies of others, to free them from Trouble and 
 Anxiety, in furnilhing them with the Comforts of 
 Life, that confift in Pleafure ; Nature does much 
 much more vigoroully lead him to do all this for 
 himfelf A Life of Pleafure, is either a real Evil : 
 and in that Cafe we ought not only, not to ailift o- 
 thcrs in their Purfuit of it, but on the contrary, to 
 keep them from it all we can, as from that which 
 is hurtful and deadly to them ; or if it is a good 
 Thing, fo that we nor only may, but ought to 
 
 help 
 
UTOPIA. 7^ 
 
 help others to it, why then ought not a Man to be- 
 gin with himfelf ? Since no Man can be more 
 bound to look after the Good of another, than after 
 his own ; For Nature cannot dire(5l us to be good 
 and kind to others, and yet at the fame Time to 
 be unmerciful and cruel to ourfelves. Thus as 
 they define Virtue to be a living according to Na- 
 ture, fo they reckon that Nature fets all People on 
 to feek after Pleafure, as the End of all they do. 
 They do alfo obferve, that in order to the fupport- 
 ing the Pleafures of Life, Nature inclines us to en- 
 ter into Society ; for there is no Man fo much 
 raifed above the reft of Mankind, that he fliould 
 be the only Favourite of Nature, which on the con- 
 trary feems to have levelled all thofe together that 
 belong to the fame Species. Upon this they infer, 
 that no Man ought to feek his own Conveniences 
 fo eagerly, that thereby he fhould prejudice others ; 
 and therefore they think, that not only all Agree- 
 ments between private Perfons ought to be obferv- 
 cd; but likewife, that all thofe Laws ought to be 
 kept, which either a good Prince has publilhed in 
 due Form, or to which a People, that is neither 
 opprelTed with Tyranny, nor circumvented by 
 Fraud, has confented, for diftributing thofe Con- 
 veniencies of Life which afford us all our Plea- 
 fures. 
 
 They tliink it is an Evidence of true Wifdom, 
 for a Man to purfue his own Advantages, as far as 
 the Laws allow it. They account it Piety, to pre- 
 fer the publick Good to one's private Concerns ; 
 but they think it unjuft, for a Man to feek for liis 
 own Pleafure, by fnatching another Man's Plea- 
 fures from him. And on the contrary, they think 
 it a Sign of a gentle and good Soul, for a Man to 
 
 dir- 
 
So Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 difpenfe with his own Advantage for the Good of 
 others; and that by fo doing, a good Man finds as 
 much Plcafure one Way, as he parts with another; 
 for as he may expe6l the like from others when he 
 may come to need it, fo if that fliould fail him, yet 
 the Senfe of a good A6lion, and the Reflections 
 that one makes on the Love and Gratitude of thofe 
 whom he has fo obliged, gives the Mind more 
 Pleafure, than the Body could have found in that 
 from which it had reftrained itfelf : They are alfo 
 perfuaded that God will make up the Lofs of thofe 
 fmall Pleafures, with a vaft and endlefs Joy, of 
 which Religion does eafily convince a good Soul. 
 
 Thus upon an Enquiry into the whole Matter, 
 they reckon that all our A61:ions, and even all our 
 Virtues terminate in Pleafure, as in our chief End 
 and greateft Happinefs ; and they call every Moti- 
 on or State, either of Body or Mind, in which Na* 
 ture teaches us to delight, a Pleafure. And thus 
 they cautiouily limit Pleafure, only to thofe Appe- 
 tites to which Nature leads us ; for they reckon that 
 Nature leads us only to thofe Delights to which 
 Reafon as well as Senfe carries us, and by which 
 we neither injure any other Perfon, nor let go grea- 
 ter Pleafures for it ; and which do not draw Trou. 
 bles on us after them : But they look upon thofe 
 Delights which Men, by a foolilh tho' common Mif 
 take, call Pleafure^ as if they could change the 
 Nature of Things, as well as the ufe of Words, as 
 Things that not only do not advance our Happinefs, 
 but do rather obih-u(5l it very much, becaufe they 
 do fo intirely poffefs the Minds of thofe that once 
 go into them, with a falfe Notion of Pleafure, that 
 there is no Room left for truer and purer Pleafures. 
 
 There 
 
UTOPIA. 8i 
 
 There arc many Things that in themfelves have 
 nothing that is truly delighting: On the contrary, 
 they have a good deal of Eitterncl's in them; and 
 yet by cm- pervei-fe Appetites after forbidden Ob- 
 je6ls, are not only ranked among the Plcafures, but 
 are made even the greatefl Defigns of Life. Among 
 thofe whopurfue thefe fophifticated Pleafures, they 
 reckon thofe whom I mentioned before, who think 
 themfelves really the better for having fine Clothes; 
 in which they think they are doubly midaken, 
 both in the Opinion that they have of their Clothes, 
 and in the Opinion that they have of themfelves ; 
 for if you conlider the Ufe of Clothes, why iliould 
 a fine Thread be thought better than a coarfe one ? 
 And yet that Sort of Men, as if they had fome real 
 Advantages beyond others, and did not owe it whol- 
 ly to their Miftakcs, look big, and feem to fancy 
 themfelves to be the more valuable on that Account, 
 and imagine that a Refpe(5l is due to them for the 
 Sake of a rich Garment, to which they would nof 
 have pretended, if they had been more meanly 
 clothed; and they refent it as an Aifront, if that 
 Refpe6t is not paid them. It is alfo a great Folly 
 to be taken with thcfe outward Marks of Refpccl, 
 which fignify nothing : For what true or real Plca- 
 fure can one find in this, that another Man flands 
 bare, or makes Legs to him ? Will the bendimr 
 another Man's Thighs give you any Eafe ? And will 
 his Head's being bare, cure the Madnefs of yours ? 
 And yet it is wonderful to fee how this falie Noti- 
 on of Pleafure bewitches many, who delight them- 
 felves with the Fancy of their Nobility, and arc 
 pleafed with this Conceit, that they are defcended 
 from Anceflors, who have been held for fome Suc- 
 ceflions rich, and that they have had great Poflcfiions; 
 
 L for 
 
^2 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 for this is all that makes Nobility at prefent; yet 
 they do not think themfelvcs a whit the Icfs noble, 
 tho' their immediate Parents have left none of this 
 Wealth to them ; or tho' they themfelves have 
 fquandred it all away. The Utopians have no bet- 
 ter Opinion of thole, who are much taken with 
 Gems and precious Stones, and who account it a 
 Degree of Happinefs, next to a' Divine one, if 
 they can purchafe one that is very extraordinary ; 
 efpecially if it be of that Sort of Stones, that is 
 then in greatefl Requeft ; for the fame Sort is not at 
 all Times of the fame Value with all Sorts of Peo- 
 ple ; nor will Alen buy it, unlefs it be difmounted 
 and taken out of the Gold : And then the Jeweller 
 is made to give good Security, and required folemn- 
 ]y to fwear that the Stone is true, that by fuch an 
 exact Caution, a falfe one may not be bought in- 
 flead of a true : Whereas if you were to examine it, 
 your Eye could find no Difference between that 
 which is counterfeit, and that which is true ; fo that 
 they are all one to you as much as if you were 
 blind : And can it be thought that they who heap 
 up an ufelefs Mafs of Wealth, not for any ufc that it 
 is to bring them, but merely to pleafe themfelves 
 with the Contemplation of it, enjoy any true Plea- 
 fure in it ? The Delight they find, is only a falfe 
 Shadow of Joy : Thofe are no better, whofe Er- 
 ror is fomewhat different from the former, and who 
 hide it, out of their Fear of lofing it;for what other 
 Name can fit the hiding it in the Earth, or rather 
 the refloring It to it again, it being thus cut off 
 from being ufcful, cither to its Owner, or to the 
 reft of Mankind? And yet the Owner having hid 
 it carefully, is glad, becaufe he thinks he is now 
 fuic of it. And in cafe one fliould come to Ileal it, 
 
 the 
 
UTOPIA. 83 
 
 the Owner, tho' he might live perhaps ten Years 
 after that, would all that while after the Theft, of 
 which he knew nothing, find no Difference between 
 his having it, or lofing it, for both Ways it was e- 
 qually ufelefs to him. 
 
 Among thofe foolifh Purfuers of Pleafure, they 
 reckon all thofe that delight in Hunting, or Bird- 
 ing, or Gaming: Of whofe Madnefs they have only 
 heard, for they have no fuch Things among them : 
 But they have asked us, What Sort of Pieafure is it 
 that Men can find in throwing the Dice ? For if 
 there were any Pieafure in it, they think the doing 
 it fo often fhould give one a Surfeit of it : And 
 what Pieafure can one find in hearing the barking 
 and howling of Dogs, which feem rather odious 
 than pleafant Sounds ? Nor can they comprehend 
 the Pieafure of feeing Dogs run after a Hare, more 
 than of feeing one Dog run after another ; for you 
 have the fame Entertainment to the Eye on both 
 thefe Occafions ; if the feeing them run is that 
 which gives the Pieafure, fince that is the fame in 
 both Cafes : But if the Pieafure lies in feeing the 
 Hare killed and torn by the Dogs, this ought ra- 
 ther to ftir Pity, when a weak, harmlefs and fear- 
 ful Hare, is devoured by a ftrong, fierce, and cru- 
 el Dog. Therefore all this Bufinefs of Hunting, is 
 among the Utopians turned over to their Butchers ; 
 and thofe are all Slaves, as was formerly faid : And 
 they look on Hunting, as one of the bafefl: Parts of 
 a Butcher^s Work : For they account it both more 
 .profitable, and more decent to kill thofe Beafls that, 
 are m.ore necelfary and ufeful to Mankind ; where 
 as the killing and tearing of fo fmall and miferable 
 an Animal, which a Huntfman propofes to himfelf, 
 can only attra^H; him whh the falfe Shew of Plea- 
 L 2 fure : 
 
84 Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 lure ; for it is of fo little ufe to him : They lool: on 
 the Defirc of the Bloodflied, even of Beafts, as a 
 Mark of a Mind that is already corrupted with Cru- 
 elty, or that at Icart by the frequent Returns of fo 
 brutal a Pleafure, mud degenerate into it. 
 
 Thus tho' the Rabble of Mankind looks upon 
 thcfe, and all other Things of this kind, which arc 
 indeed innumerable, as Pleafurcs ; the Uiopinns on 
 the contrary obferving, that there is nothing in the 
 Nature of them that is truly pleafant, conclude 
 that they are not to be reckoned among Pleafurcs : 
 For tho' thcfe Things may create fomc tickling in 
 the Senfes, (which fcems to be a true Notion of 
 Pleafure) yet they reckon that this does not arifc 
 from the Thing itfelf, but from a depraved Cuftom, 
 which may (o vitiate a Man's Tafte, that bitter 
 Things may pafs for fweet ; as Women with Child 
 think Pitch or Tallow tafts fweeter than Honey ; 
 but as a Man's Senfe when corrupted, either by a 
 Diieafe, or fomc ill Habit, does not change the 
 Nature of other Things, fo neither can it change 
 the Nature of Pleafure. 
 
 They reckon up feveral Sorts of thcfe Pleafurcs, 
 which they call true Ones : Some belong to the 
 Body, and others to the Mind. The Pleafurcs of 
 the Mind lie in Knowledge, and in that Delight 
 which the Contemplation of Truth carries whh it ; 
 to which they add the joyful Refle6lions on a well- 
 Ipcnt Life, and the alfured Hopes of a future Hap- 
 pinefs. They divide the Pleafurcs of the Body in- 
 to two Sorts ; the one is that which gives our Senfes 
 fome real Delight, and is performed, either by the 
 recruiting of Nature, and fupplying thofe Pans on 
 which the internal Heat of Life feeds ; and that is 
 done by eating or drinking ; Or when Nature is caf- 
 
 ed 
 
UTOPIA. 85 
 
 cd of any Surcharge that opprefTes it, as when we 
 empty our Guts, beget Children, or free any of 
 the Parts of our Body from Aches or Heats by Fric- 
 tion. There is another Kind of this Sort of Plea- 
 fure, that neither gives us any Thing that our Bo- 
 dies require, nor frees us from any Thing with 
 which we are overcharged; and yet it excites our 
 Senfes by a fecret unfeen Virtue, and by a gene- 
 rous Impreflion, it fo tickles and afFe6ls them, that 
 it turns them inwardly upon themfelves ; and this 
 is the Pleafure begot by Mufick. Another Sort of 
 bodily Pleafure is, that which confifts in a quiet 
 and good Conftitution of Body, by which there is 
 an intire Healthinefs fpread over all the Parts of the 
 Body, not allay'd with any Difeafe. This, when 
 it is free from all Mixture of Pain, gives an inward 
 Pleafure of itfelf, even tho' it fhould not be excit- 
 ed by any external and delighting Obje6t ; and al- 
 tho' this Pleafure does not fo vigoroufly affe6l the 
 Senfe, nor a6l fo ftrongly upon it ; yet as it is the 
 greatefl: of all Pleafures, fo almoft all the Utopians 
 reckon it the Foundation and Bafis of all the other 
 Joys of Life; fmce this alone makes one's State of 
 Life to be eafy and defirable; and when this is 
 wanting, a Man is really capable of no other Plea- 
 fure. They look upon Indolence and Freedom 
 from Pain, if it does not rife from a perfect Health, 
 to be a State of Stupidity rather than of Pleafure. 
 There has been a Controverfy in this Matter very 
 narrowly canvalfed among them ; whether a firm 
 and entire Health could be called a Pleafure, or 
 not ? Some have thought that there was no Plea- 
 fure, but that which was excited by fome feniible 
 Motion in the Body. But this Opinion has been 
 long ago run down among them, fo that now they 
 
 do 
 
86 Sh 1 HOM^S MORE's 
 
 do almoft all agree in this, That Health is the grea- 
 teft of all bodily Pleafurcs; and that as there is a 
 Pain in Sicknefs, which is as oppofite in its Nature 
 to Pleafure, as Sicknefs itfelfis to Health, fo they 
 hold that Health carries a Pleafure alonfr with it ; 
 And if any fhould fay, that Sicknefs is not really a 
 Pain, but that it only carries a Pain along with it, 
 they look upon that as a Fetch of Subtility, that 
 does not much alter the Matter. So they think it 
 is all one, whether it be faid, that Health is in it- 
 felf a Pleafure, or that it begets a Pleafure, as Fire 
 gives Heat ; fo it be granted, that all thofe whofe 
 Health is entire, have a true Pleafure in it : And 
 they reafon thus. What is the Pleafure of eating, 
 but that a Man's Health which had been weakened, 
 does, with the AiTiftance of Food, drive away Hun- 
 ger, and fo recruiting itfelf, recovers its former "Vi- 
 gour ? And being thus refreflied, it finds a Plea- 
 fure in that Confli6l : And if the Conflict is Pica- 
 lure, the Vi6lory muft yet breed a greater Pleafure, 
 except we will fancy that it becomes ftupid as foon 
 as it has obtained that which it purfued, and fo does 
 neither know nor rejoycc in its own Welfare. If 
 it is faid, that Health cannot be felt, they abfolute- 
 ]y deny that, for what Man is in Health, that does 
 not perceive it when he is awake P Is there any 
 Man that is fo dull and flupid, as not to acknow- 
 ledge that he feels a Delight in Health ? And what 
 is Delight, but another Name for Pleafure ? 
 
 But of all Pleafures, they efteem thofe to be the 
 mofl: valuable that lie in the Mind ; and the chief 
 of thcfe, are thofe that arife out of true Virtue, and 
 the Witnefs of a good Confciencc : They account 
 Health the chief Pleafure that belongs to the Body ; 
 for they think that the Pleafure of Eating and 
 
 Drinking, 
 
UTOPIA. 87 
 
 ]Ormking, and all the other Delights of the Body, 
 are only lb far defirable, as they give or maintain 
 Health : But they are not pleafant in themfelves, 
 otherwife than as they reiift thofe Imprellions that 
 our-i natural Infirmity is flill making upon us : And 
 as a wife Man defires rather to avoid Difeafes, than, 
 to take Phyfick ; and to be freed from Pain, rather 
 than to find Eafe by Remedies : So it were a more 
 defirable State, not to need this Sort of Pleafure, 
 than to be obliged to indulge it. And if any Man 1- 
 magines that there is a real Happinefs in this Plea- 
 fure, he muft then confefs that he would be the 
 happicfl: of all Men, if he were to lead his Life in a 
 perpetual Hunger, Thirft, and Itching, and by Con- 
 lequence in perpetual Eating, Drinking, and Scratch- 
 ing himfelf, which any one may eafily fee would 
 be not only a bafe but a miferable State of Life. 
 Thefe are indeed the lowefl: of Pleafures, and the 
 leafl pure: For we can never relifli them, but when 
 they are mixed with the contrary Pains. The 
 Pain of Hunger muft give us the Pleafure of Eat- 
 ing ; and here the Pain out-ballances the Pleafure: 
 And as the Pain is more vehement, fo it lads much 
 longer ; for as it is upon us before the Pleafure 
 comes, fo it does not ceafe, but with the Pleafure 
 that extinguifh.cs it, and that goes off with it : So 
 that they think none of thofe Pleafures are to be va- 
 lued, but as they arc necelfary- Yet they rejoyce 
 in them, and with due Gratitude acknowledge the 
 Tendernefs of the Great Author of Nature, who 
 has planted in us Appetites, by which thofe Things 
 that are neceffary for our Prefervation, are likewifc 
 made pleafant to us. For how miferable a Thing 
 would Life be, if thofe daily Difeafes of Hunger 
 and Tliirft, were to be carried off by fuch bitter 
 
 Drugs, 
 
88 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 Drugs, as we mud ulc for thofe Difeales that return 
 fcldomer upon usP And thus thefe pleafant, as 
 well as proper Gifts of Nature, do maintain the 
 Strength and the Sprightlinefs of our Bodies. 
 
 They do alfo entertain themfelveswith the other 
 Delights that they let in at their Eyes, their Ears, 
 and their Noftrils, as the pleafant Rcliflies and Sea- 
 fonings of Life, which Nature feems to have mark- 
 ed out peculiarly for Man : Since no other Sort of 
 Animals contemplates the Figure and Beauty of the 
 Univerfe ; nor is delighted with Smells, but as they 
 diftinguifli Meats by them ; nor do they apprehend 
 the Concords or Difcords of Sounds ; yet in all 
 Plcafures whatfoevcr, they obferve this Temper, 
 that a leffer Joy may not hinder a greater, and that 
 Plealure may never breed Pain, which they think 
 does always follow diflionefl: Pleafures. But they 
 think it a Madnefs for a Man to wear out the Beau- 
 ty of his Face, or the Force of his natural Strength, 
 and to corrupt the Sprightlinefs of his Body by 
 Sloth and Lazinefs, or to wafte his Body by fall- 
 ing, and fo to weaken the Strength of his Conftitu- 
 tion, and reject the other Delights of Life; unlefs 
 by renouncing his own Satisfa6lion, he can either 
 ferve the Publick, or promote the Happinefs of o- 
 thers, for which he expe6ls a greater Recompence 
 from God. So that they look on fuch a Courfe of 
 Life, as a Mark of a Mind, that is both cruel to it- 
 felf, and ingrateful to the Author of Nature, as if 
 we would not be beholden to him for his Favours, 
 and therefore would reject all his Bleilings, and 
 fhould affli61: himfclf for the empty Shadow of Vir- 
 tue; or for no better End, than to render himfelf 
 capable to bear thofc Misfortunes which poifibly 
 will never happen. 
 
 This 
 
UTOPIA. S9 
 
 This IS their Notion of Virtue and of Pleafure ; 
 they think that no Man's Reafon can carry him to 
 a truer Idea of them, unlefs fome Difcovery from 
 Heaven fhould infpire one with fublimer Notions. 
 I have not now the Leifure to examine all this, 
 whether they think right or wrong in this Matter : 
 Nor do I judge it neceflary, for I have only under- 
 taken to give you an Account of their Conftltution, 
 but not to defend every Thing that is among them. 
 I am fure, that whatfoever may be faid of their No- 
 tions, there is not in the whole World, either a bet- 
 ter People, or a happier Government : Their Bo- 
 dies are vigorous and lively ; and though they are 
 but of a middle Stature, and though they have nei- 
 ther the fruitfulleft Soil, nor the pureft Air in the 
 World ; yet they do fo fortify themfelves by their 
 temperate Couric of Life, againft the Unhealthi- 
 nefs of their Air; and by their Induftry ihey do fo 
 cultivate their Soil, that there is no where to be 
 feen a greater Increafe, both of Corn and Cattle, 
 nor are there any where healthier Men to be found, 
 find freer from Difeafes than among them : For one 
 may fee there, not only fuch Things put in Pra- 
 <5lice, that Husbandmen do commonly for manur- 
 ing and improving an ill Soil, but in fome Places a 
 whole Wood is plucked up by the Roots, as well 
 as whole ones planted in other Places, where there 
 were formerly none : In doing of this the chief 
 Confideration they have is of Carriage, that their 
 Timber may be either near their Towns, or lie 
 upon the Sea, or fome Rivers, fo that it may be 
 floated to them^ for it is a harder Work to carry 
 Wood at any Diftance over Land, than Corn. The 
 People are induflrious, apt to learn, as well as 
 chearful and pleafant ; and none can endure more 
 
 M Labonr, 
 
90 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 Labour, when it is nccelTary, than they; but, ex- 
 cept in that Cafe, they love their Eafe. They are 
 unwearied Purfuers of Knowledge; for when we 
 had given them fome Hints of the Learning and 
 Difcipline of the Greeks^ concerning whom we on- 
 ly inflrucled them, (for wc know that there was 
 nothing among the Romans, except their Hiflorians 
 and their Poets, that they would value much) it 
 was ftrange to fee how eagerly they were fet on 
 learning that Language: We began to read a little 
 of it to them, rather in Compliance with their Im- 
 portunity, than out of any Hopes of their profiting 
 much by it : But after a very fliort Trial, we found 
 they made fuch a Progrefs in it, that we faw our 
 Labour was like to be more fuccefsful than 5we 
 could have expe6led. They learned to write their 
 Chara61:ers, and to pronounce their Language fo 
 light, and took up all fo quick, they remembred it 
 fo faithfully, and became fo ready and corre6l in 
 the ufe of it, that it would have looked like a Mi- 
 racle, if the greater Part of thofe whom we taught 
 had not been Men, both of extraordinary Capacity, 
 and of a fit Age for it : They were for the greateft 
 Part chofen out among their learned Men, by their 
 chief Council, tho' fome learned it of their own 
 Accord. In three Years Time they became Maf- 
 ters of the whole Language, fo that they read the 
 befl of the Greek Authors very exa6lly. I am in- 
 deed apt to think, that they learned that Language 
 the more eafily, becaufe it feems to be of kin to 
 their own: I believe that they were a Colony of 
 the Greeks ; for tho' their Language comes nearer 
 the Perfian, yet they retain many Names, both 
 for their Towns and Magidrates, that are o^ Greek 
 
 Origination 
 
UTOPIA. 91 
 
 Origination. I had happened to carry a great ma- 
 ny Books with me, inftead of Merchandife, when 
 I failed my fourth Voyage ; for I was fo far from 
 thinking of coming back foon, that I rather thought 
 never to have returned at all, and I gave them all 
 my Books, among which many of Plato\ and fome 
 o{ Anftotle\ Works were. I had alfo Theophraftus 
 of the Plants, which to my great Regret, was im- 
 perfe6l; for having laid it carelefly by, while we 
 were at Sea, a Monkey had fallen upon it and had 
 torn out Leaves in many Places. They have no 
 Books of Grammar, but Lafcares, for I did not car- 
 ry Theodorus with me ; nor have they any Diftio- 
 naries but Hefichius and T>iofcorides. They ejfleem 
 Plutarch highly, and were much taken with Luci- 
 an^s Wit, and with his pleafant Way of Writing. 
 As for the Poets, they have Ariflophanes, Homer, 
 Euripides, and Sophocles of Aldush Edition ; and 
 for Hiftorians, they have Thucidydes, Herodotus, 
 and Herodian. One of my Companions, 'Thriciits 
 Apinatus, happened to carry with him fome of 
 Hippocrates''^ Works, and Galen\ Microtechne, 
 which they hold in great Eftimation; for tho' there 
 is no Nation in the World, that needs Phyfick fo 
 little as they do, yet there is not any that honours 
 it fo much : They reckon the Knowledge of it to 
 be one of the pleafanteft and profitable ft Parts of 
 Philofophy, by which, as they fearch into the Se- 
 crets of Nature, fo they not only find marvellous 
 Pleafure it, but think that in making fuch Enquiries, 
 they do a moft acceptable Thing to the Author of 
 Nature ; and imagine that he, as all Inventors of 
 curious Engines, has expofcd to our View this great 
 Machine of the Univerfe, we being the only Crea- 
 tures cjtpablc of contemplating it : And that there - 
 M 2 fore 
 
92 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 fore an exa6l and curious Obferver and Admirer of 
 his Workmanfliip, is much more acceptable to him, 
 than one of the Herd ; who as if he were a Beafl, 
 and not capable of E.cafon, looks on all this glori- 
 ous Scene, only as a dull and unconcerned Spe6la- 
 tor. 
 
 The Minds of tl:e Utopians, when they are once 
 excited by Learninj^, are very ingenious in finding 
 out all fuch Arts as tend to the Conveniences of 
 Life. -Two Things they owe to us, which are the 
 Art of Printing, and the Manufa6lure of Paper : 
 Yet they do not owe thefe fo entirely to us, but 
 that a great Part of the Invention was their own ; 
 for after we had fliewed them fome Paper Books of 
 yildus\ ImprelTion, and began to explain to them 
 the Way^pf making Paper, and of Printing, the' 
 we fpake but very crudely of both thefe, not be- 
 ing pra(5lifed in either of them, they prefently toolc 
 up the whole Matter from the Hints that we gave 
 them -.And whereas before they only writ on Parch- 
 ment, or on the Barks of Trees, or Reeds ; they 
 have now fet up the Manufa6lure of Paper, and 
 Printlng-Preffes : And tho' at firfl they could not ar- 
 rive at a Perfc(51:lon in them, yet by making many 
 Ellays, they at lafl: found out,and corrected all their 
 Errors, and brought the whole Thing to Perfection ; 
 fo that if they had but a good Number of Greek 
 Authors, they would be quickly fupplied with ma- 
 ny Copies of them : At prefent, tho' they have 
 no more than thole I have mentioned, yet by feve- 
 ral Imprefiions, they have multiplied them into ma- 
 ny thoufanJs. If any Man fliould go among them, 
 that had fome extraordinary Talent, or that by 
 much travelling had obferved the Cufloms of many 
 Nations, (which made us to be fo well received) 
 
 he 
 
UTOPIA. 95 
 
 he would be very welcome to them ; for they are 
 very deiirous to know the State of the whole 
 World. Very few go among them on the Account 
 of Traflick, for what can a Man carry to them but 
 Iron, or Gold, or Silver, which Merchants defire 
 rather to export, than import to any firange Coun- 
 try: And as for their Exportation, they think it 
 better to manage that themfelves, than to let Fo- 
 reigners come and deal in it, for by this Means, as 
 they underfland the State of the neighbouring Coun- 
 tries better, fo they keep up the Art of Navigation, 
 which cannot be maintained but by much Practice 
 in it. 
 
 Of their Slaves, and of their Marriages. 
 
 THEY do not make Slaves of Prifoners of 
 War, except thofe that are taken fighting a- 
 gainft them ; nor of the Sons of their Slaves, nor 
 of the Slaves of other Nations : The Slaves among 
 them, are only fuch as are condemned to that State 
 of Life for fome Crime that they had committed, 
 or, which is more common, fuch as their Merchants 
 find condemned to die in thofe Parts to which they 
 trade, whom they redeem fometimes at low Rates; 
 and in other Places they have them for nothing ; 
 and fo they fetch them away. All their Slaves arc 
 kept at perpetual Labour, and are always ^chained, 
 but with this Difference, that they treat their own 
 Natives much worfe, looking on them as a more 
 profligate Sort of People ; who not being retrained 
 from Crimes, by the Advantage? offo excellent an 
 Education, are judged worthy of harder Ufage than 
 others. Another Sort of Slaves, is, when Ibmc of 
 
 the 
 
94 Sk THOMAS MO RE'S 
 
 the poorer Sort in the neighbouring Countries, of^ 
 fer of their own accord to come and ferve them ; 
 they treat thefe better, and ufe them in all other 
 Refpe^ls, as well as their own Countrymen, except 
 that they impofe more Labour upon them, which 
 is no hard Talk to them that havie been accuftomed 
 to it ; and if any of thefe have a mind to go back to 
 their own Country, which indeed falls out but fel- 
 dom, as they do not force them to flay, fo they do 
 not fend them away empty-handed. 
 
 I have already told you with what Care they 
 look after their Sick, fo that nothing is left undone 
 that can contribue either to their Eafe or Health i 
 And for thofe who are taken with fixed and incur- 
 able Difeafes, they ufe all poflible Ways to cherifh 
 them, and to make their Lives as comfortable as 
 may be : They vifit them often, and take great 
 Pains to make their Time pafs olf eafily : But when 
 any is taken with a torturing and lingring Pain, fo 
 that there is no Hope, either of Recovery or Eafe, 
 the Priefts and Magiftrates come and exhort them, 
 that fmce they are now unable to go on with the 
 Bufinefs of Life, and are become a Burden to them- 
 felves, and to all about them, fo that they have 
 really outlived themfelves, they would no longer 
 nourifh fuch a rooted Diflemper, but would choofe 
 rather to die, fince they cannot live, but' in much 
 Mifery^ being aifured, that if they either deliver 
 themfelves from their Prifon and Torture, or arc 
 willing that others fhould do it, they fhall be hap- 
 py after their Deaths : And fince by their dying 
 thus, they lofc none of the Pleafures, but only the 
 Troubles of Life •, they think they a6l, not only 
 reafonably in fo doing, but religioufly and pioufly ; 
 bccaufe they follow the Advices that are given 
 
 them 
 
UTOPIA. 9^ 
 
 them by the Priefts, who are the Expounders of 
 the "Will of God to them. Such as are wrought on 
 by thefe Perfuaflons, do either ftarve themfelves of 
 their own Accord, or they take Opium, and fo they 
 die without Pain. But no Man is forced on this 
 Way of ending his Life; and if they cannot be per- 
 fuaded to it, they do not for that fail in their Atten- 
 dance and Care of them: But as they believe that 
 a voluntary Peath, when it is chofen upon fuch an 
 Authority, is very honourable ; foif any Man takes 
 away his own Life, without the Approbation of the 
 Priefts and the Senate, they give him none of the 
 Honours of a decent Funeral, but throw his Body 
 into fome Ditch. 
 
 Their Women are not married before eighteen, 
 nor their Men before two and twenty ; and if any 
 of them run into forbidden Embraces before their 
 Marriage, they are feverely punifhed, and the 
 Privilege of Marriage is denied them, unlefs there 
 is a fpecial Warrant obtained for it afterward from 
 the Prince. Such Diforders caft a great Reproach 
 upon the Mafter and Miftrefs of the Family in 
 which they fall out ; for it is fuppofed, that they 
 have been wanting to their Duty. The Reafon of 
 punifliing this fo feverely, is, becaufe they think 
 that if they were not fo ftri<5lly reftrained from all 
 vagrant Appetites, very few would engage in a 
 married State, in which Men venture the Quiet of 
 their whole Life, being reftri6led to one Pcrfon ; 
 belides many other Inconveniences that do accom- 
 pany it. In the Way of choofing of their Wives, 
 they ufe a Method that would appear to us very 
 abfurd and ridiculous, but is conftantly obferved a- 
 mong them, and accounted a wife and good Rule. 
 Before Marriage, foaie grave Matron prefcnts the 
 ^ Bride 
 
96 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 Bride naked, whether ihe is a Virgin or a Widow, 
 to the Bridegroom ; and after that, fome grave Man 
 prefents the Bridegroom naked to the Bride. We 
 indeed both hiughed at this, and condemned it as a 
 very indecent Thing. But they, on the other hand, 
 wondred at the Folly of the Men of all other Nati- 
 ons; who if they are but to buy a Horfe of a fmall 
 Value, are fo cautious, that they will fee every 
 Part of him, and take off both his Saddle, and all 
 his other Tackle, that there may be no fecret Ul- 
 cer hid under any of them ; and that yet in the 
 Choice of a Wife, on which depends the Happinefs 
 or Unhappinefs of the reft of his Life, a Man fliould 
 venture upon Truft, and only fee about an hand- 
 breadth of the Face, all the reft of the Body being 
 covered ; under which there may lie hid that which 
 may be contagious, as well as loathfome. All Men 
 are not fo wife, that they choofe a Woman only for 
 her good Qiialities ; and even wife Men confider 
 the Body, as that which adds not a little to the 
 Mmd : And it is certain, there may be fome fuch 
 Deformity covered with one's Clothes, as may total- 
 ly alienate a Man from his Wife, when it is too 
 late to part with her : For if fuch a Thing is difco- 
 vered after Marriage, a Man has no Remedy but 
 Patience : So they think it is reafonable, that there 
 fliould be a good Provifion made againft fuch mif- 
 chievous Frauds. 
 
 There was fo much the more Reafon in making 
 a Regulation in this Matter, becaufe they are the 
 only People of thole Parts that do neither allow of 
 Polygamy, nor of Divorces, except in the Cafes 
 of Adultery, or infulicrable Perverfenefs : For in 
 thefe Cafes the Senate diftblves the Marriage, and 
 grants the injured Perfon leave to marry again ; but 
 
 the 
 
UTOPIA. 97 
 
 the Guilty are made infamous, and are never allow- 
 ed the Privilege of a fecond Marriage. None are 
 fuifered to put away their Wives againfl their Wills, 
 becaufe of any great Calamity that may have fallen 
 on their Perfon ; for they look on it as the Height 
 of Cruelty and Treachery to abandon either of the 
 married Perfons, when they need mod the ten- 
 der Care of their Confort ; and that chiefly in the 
 Cafe of old Age, which as It carries many Difeafes 
 along with it, fo it is a Difeafe of itfelf. But it falls 
 often out, that when a married Couple do not agree 
 well together, they by mutual Confent feparate, 
 and find out other Perfons with whom they hope they 
 may live more happily: Yet this is not done, with- 
 out obtaining Leave of the Senate ; which never ad- 
 mits of a Divorce, but upon a ftri6l Enquiry made, 
 both by the Senators and their Wives, into the 
 Grounds upon which it proceeds : and even when 
 they are fatisfied concerning the Reafons of it, they 
 go on but llowly, for they reckon that too great 
 Eafinefs, in granting Leave for new Marriages, 
 would very much fliake the Kindnefs of married 
 Perfons. They punifli feverely thofe that defile 
 the Marriage bed : If both Parties are married, they 
 are divorced, and the injured Perfons may marry 
 one another, or whom they pleafe; but the Adulte- 
 rer and the Adulterefs are condemned to Slavery. Yet 
 if either of the injured Perfons cannot fliakc oif the 
 Love of the married Perfon, they may live with 
 them ftill in that State ; but they mufl: follow them 
 to that Labour to which the Slaves are condemned; 
 and fometimcs the Repentance of the condemned 
 Perfon, together with the unfiiaken Kindnefs of the 
 Innocent and injured Perfon, has prevailed fo far 
 with the Prince, that he has taken off the Sentence : 
 
 N But 
 
9? Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 But thofc that relapfe, after they are once pardon- 
 ed, are puniflied whh Peath. 
 
 Their Law does not determine the Puniflimcnt 
 for other Crimes ; but that is left to the Senate, to 
 temper it according to the Circumftances of the 
 Fa6l. Husbands have Power to corre6l their Wives, 
 and Parents to correct their Children, unlefs the 
 Fault is fo great, that a publick Punifhment is 
 thought ncccdary for the ftriking Terror into others. 
 For the mofl: Part, Slavery is the Punifliment even 
 of the m-eatcfl: Crimes; for as that is no lefs terrible 
 to the Criminals themfelves than Death; fo they 
 think the preferving them in a State of Servitude, 
 is more for the Interefl: of the Common-Wealth, 
 than the killing them outright ; fince as their La- 
 bour is a greater Benefit to the Publick, than their 
 Death could be , fo the Sight of their Mifery is a 
 more lading Terror to other Men, than that which 
 would be given by their Death. If their Slaves 
 rebel, and will not bear their Yoke, and fubmit to 
 the Labour that is enjoined them, they are treated 
 as wild Beafts that cannot be kept in Order, neither 
 by a Prifon, nor by their Chains; and are at laft 
 put to Death. But thofe who bear their Punifhment 
 patiently, and are fo much wrought on by that 
 Prclliue, that lies fo hard on them, that it appears 
 that they are really more troubled for the Crimes 
 they have committed, than for the Miferies they 
 fuffcr, are not out of Hope, but that at laft either 
 the Prince will, by his Prerogative, or the People 
 W'iU by their Interceflion reftore them again to their 
 Liberty, or at leaft very much mitigate their Slave- 
 ry. He that tempts a married Woman to Adultery, 
 is no lefs fevcrely puniflied, than he that commits 
 it ; for they reckon that a laid and ftudied Dcfign of 
 
 commit- 
 
UTOPIA, 9^ 
 
 committing any Crime, is equal to the Fa6l itfclf ; *t^ 
 fince its not taking Effe6i does not make the Peu- 
 fon that did all that in him lay in order to it, a whit 
 the lefs guilty. 
 
 They take great Pleafure in Fools, and as it is 
 thought a bafe and unbecoming Thing to ul'e them 
 ill, fo they do not think it amifs for People to divert 
 themfelves with their Folly: And they think this is 
 a great Advantage to the Fools themfelves : For if 
 Men were fo fullen and fevere, as not at all to 
 pleafe themfelves with their ridiculous Behaviour, 
 and fooliih. Sayings, which is all that they can do 
 to recommend themfelves to others, it could not be 
 expe6led that they would be fo well look'd to, nor 
 fo tenderly ufed as they mufl otherwife be. If any 
 Man fliould reproach another for his being miflia- 
 ped or imperfe(5l in any Part of his Body, it would 
 not at all be thought a Reflexion on the Perfon that 
 were fo treated, but it would be accounted a very 
 unworthy Thing for hun that had upbraided ano- 
 ther with that which he could not help. It is 
 thought a Sign of a fluggifli and fordid Mind, not 
 to preferve carefully one's natural Beauty ; but it is 
 like wife an infamous Thing among them to ufe 
 Paint or Fard. And they all fee that no Beauty re- 
 commends a Wife fo much to her Husband, as the 
 Probity of her Life, and her Obedience: For as 
 fome few are catchcd and held only by Beauty, fo 
 all People are held by the other Excellencies which 
 charm all the World, 
 
 As they fright Men from committing Crimes by 
 
 Punifhments, fo they invite them to the Love of 
 
 Virtue, by pubUck Honours : Therefore they ere(5l 
 
 Statues in Honour to the Memories of fuch worthy 
 
 Men as have deferved well of their Country, and 
 
 N 2 fqt 
 
 i 
 
106 Sir THOMAS MO RE'S 
 
 fct theCe in their Market-places, both to perpetu- 
 ate the Remembrance of their Actions, and to be 
 an Incitement to their Pofterity to follow their Ex- 
 ample. 
 
 If any Man afpircs to any Office, he is fure ne- 
 ver to compafs it : They live all eafily together, for 
 none of the Magiftrates are either infolent or cruel 
 to the People ; but they affe6l rather to be called 
 Fathers, and by being really fo, they well deferve 
 that Name; and the People pay them all the Marks 
 of Honour the more freely, becaufe none are exact- 
 ed of them. The Prince himfelf has no Dillin6li- 
 on, either of Garments or of a Crown; but is only 
 known by a Sheaf of Corn that is carried before 
 him, as the High Prieft is alfo known by a Wax 
 Light that is carried before him. 
 
 They have but few Laws, and fuch is their 
 Conititution, that they need not many. They do 
 very much condemn other Nations, whofe Laws, 
 together with the Commentaries on them, fwell up 
 to fo many Volumes ; for they think it an unrea- 
 fonable Thing to oblige Men to obey a Body of 
 Laws, that are both of fuch a Bulk, and fo dark, 
 that they cannot be read or underllood by every 
 one of the Subjects. 
 
 They have no Lawyers among them, for they 
 confider them as a Sort of People, whofe Profeffion 
 it is to difguife Matters, as well as to wrefl Laws ; 
 and therefore they think it is much better that eve- 
 ry Man fhould plead his own Caufe, and trull it to 
 the Judge, as well as in other Places the Client 
 docs it to a Counfellor. By this Means they both 
 cut off many Delays, and find out Truth more 
 certainly : For after the Parties have laid open the 
 Merits of their Caufe, without thofe Artiiices which 
 
 Lawyets 
 
UTOPIA. lor 
 
 Lawyers arc apt to fuggeft, the Judge examines 
 the whole Matter, and fupports the Simplicity of 
 fuch well-meaning Perfons, whom otherwife crafty 
 Men would be fiire to run down : And thus they a- 
 void thofe Evils, which appear very remarkably 
 among all thofe Nations that labour under a vaft 
 Load of Laws. Every one of them is fkilled in 
 their Law, for as it is a very Ihort Study, fo the 
 plaineft Meaning of which Words are capable, is 
 always the Senfe of their Laws. And they argue 
 thus ; all Laws are promulgated for this End, that 
 every Man may know his Duty; and therefore the 
 plaineft and moft obvious Senfe of the Words, is 
 that which muft be put on them ; fince a more re- 
 fined Expofltion cannot be eafily comprehended, 
 and Laws become thereby ufelefs to the greater 
 Part of Mankind, who need moft the Direction of 
 them : For to them it is all one, not to make a Law 
 at all, and to couch it in fuch Terms, that without 
 a quick Apprehenfion, and much Study, a Man 
 cannot find out the true Meaning of it; and the 
 Generality of Mankind are bothfo dull, and fo much 
 employed in their feveral Trades, that they have 
 neither the Leifure nor the Capacity requifite for 
 fuch an Enquiry. 
 
 Some of their Neighbours, who are Mafters of 
 their own Liberties, having long ago, by the AfTif- 
 tance of the Utopians, fhaken off the Yoke of Ty- 
 ranny; and being much taken with thofe Virtues 
 that they obferve among them, have come to them 
 and defired that they would fend Magiftrates a- 
 mong them to govern them ; fome changing them 
 every Year, and others every five Years, At the 
 End of their Government, they bring them back to 
 Utopia, with great ExpreiTions of Honour and E. 
 
 fteem, 
 
I02 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 fteem, and cany away others to govern in their 
 Stead. In this they Teem to have fallen upon a ve* 
 xy good Expedient for their own Happinefs and 
 Safety : For fincc the good or ill Condition of a 
 Nation depends fo much upon their Magiltrates, 
 they could not have made a better Choice, than by 
 pitching on Men whom no Advantages can byafs ; 
 for Wealth is of no ufe to them, fince they muft 
 go fo foon back to their own Country ; and they 
 being Strangers among them, are not engaged in a- 
 ny of their Heats or Animo£ties : And it is certain, 
 that when publick Judicatories are fwayed, either 
 by partial Affe^lions, or by Avarice, there mufl 
 follow upon it a Dilfolution of all Jullice, which is 
 tlie chief Sinew of Society. 
 
 The Utopians call thofe Nations that come and 
 afk Magiftrates from them, Neighbours ; but they 
 call thofe to whom they have been more particu- 
 larly alTilling, Friends. And whereas all other Na- 
 tions are perpetually either making Leagues or 
 breaking them, they never enter into any Alliance 
 with any other State. They think Leagues are 
 ufelefs Things, and reckon, that if the common 
 Ties of Human Nature do not knit Men together, 
 the Faith of Promifes will have no great Effect on 
 them : And they are the more confirmed in this, by 
 that which they fee among the Nations round about 
 tliem, who are no flri6l Obfervers of Leagues and 
 Treaties. We know how religioufly they are ob- 
 ferved in Europe ; more particularly where the 
 Chrillian Do6lrine is received, among whom they 
 are ficred and inviolable. Which is partly owing 
 to the Juftice and Goodnefs of the Princes them- 
 felves, and partly to their Reverence that they pay 
 to the Popes : ^^'ho as they are moil religious Ob- 
 
 fervers 
 
UTOPIA. 105 
 
 fervei'S of their own Promifes, fo they exhort all o- 
 ther Princes to perform theirs ; and when fainter 
 Methods do not prevail, they compel them to it 
 by the Severity of the Paftoral Cenlure ; and think 
 that it would be the moft indecent Thing poffible, 
 if Men who are particularly defigned by the Title 
 of the Faithful, fhould not religioufly keep the 
 Faith of their Treaties. But in that new found 
 World, which is not more diftant from us in Situa- 
 tion, than it is difagreeing from us in their Manners 
 and Courfe of Life, there is no trafting to Leagues, 
 even tho* they were made with all the Pomp of 
 the moft facred Ceremonies that is poflible : On the 
 contrary, they are the fooner broken for that, fome 
 flight Pretences being found in the Words of the 
 Treaties, which are contrived in fuch ambiguous 
 Terms, and that on Delign, that they can never 
 be fo ftri6lly bound, but they will always find 
 fome Loop-hole to efcape at; and fo they break 
 both their Leagues and their Faith. And this is 
 done with that Impudence, that thofe very Men 
 who value themfelves on having fuggefted thefe 
 Advices to their Princes, would yet, with a haugh- 
 ty Scorn, declaim againft fuch Craft, or, to fpeak 
 plainer, fuch Fraud and Deceit, if they found pri- 
 vate Men make ufe of it in ther Bargains ; and 
 would readily fay, that they deferved to be hanged 
 for it. 
 
 By this Means it is, that all fort of Juftice paffes 
 in the World, but for a low-fpirited and vulgar Vir- 
 tue, which is far below the Dignity of Royal 
 Greatnefs. Or at leaft, there are two Sorts of Juf 
 tice fet up: The one is mean, and creeps on the 
 Ground, and therefore becomes none but the bafer 
 Soit of Men, and fo muft be kept in fevcrel}- by 
 
 many 
 
104 Sir 1 HOM^S MO RE'S 
 
 many Reftraints, that it may not break out beyond 
 the Bounds that arc fet to it. The other is the pe- 
 culiar Virtue of Princes, which as it is more Majef- 
 tick than that which becomes the Rabble, fo takes 
 a freer Compafs; and lawful or unlawful, are only 
 meafured by Pleafure and Intcreft. Thefe Prac- 
 tices among the Princes that lie about Utopia, who 
 make fo little Account of their Faith, feem to be 
 the Reafons that determine them to engage in no 
 Confederacies : Perhaps they would change their 
 Mind if they lived among us : But yet tho* Trea- 
 ties were more religioufly obfervcd, they would 
 ftill diflike the Cuftom of making them ; fince the 
 World has taken up a falfe Maxim upon it, as if 
 there were no Tie of Nature knitting one Nation 
 to another, that are only feparated perhaps by a 
 Mountain, or a River, and that all were born in a 
 State of Hoftility, and fo might lawfully do all that 
 Mifchief to their Neighbours, againft which there 
 is no Provifion made by Treaties : And that when 
 Treaties are made, they do not cut off the Enmi- 
 ty, or reftrain the Licenfe of preying upon one an- 
 other, if by the unfkilfulnefs of wording them, 
 there are not eire6lual Provifo's made again ft them. 
 They on the other Hand judge, that no Man is to 
 be efteemcd our Enemy that has never injured us; 
 and that the Partnerfhip of the human Nature, that 
 is among all Men, is inftcad of a League. And 
 that Kindnefs and good Nature unite Men more ef- 
 fe6lually, and more forcibly than any Agreements 
 whatfoever ; fmce thereby the Engagements of 
 Men's Hearts become ftronger, than any Thing can 
 ^e to which a few Words can bind them. 
 
 Of 
 
UTOPIA. 10^ 
 
 Of their M'd'itary Di/cipline. 
 
 THEY deteft War as a very brutal Thing; 
 and which, to the Reproach of Human Na- 
 ture, is more pra6lifed by Men, than by any Sort 
 of Beads : And they, againft the Cuflom of almofl: 
 all other Nations, think that there is nothing more 
 inglorious than that Glory that is gained by War : 
 And therefore tho' they accuftom themfelves daily 
 to Military Exercifes, and the Difcipline of War, 
 in which not only their Men, but their Women 
 likewife, are trained up, that fo in Cafes of Necef- 
 fity, they may not be quite ufelcfs : Yet they do 
 not raflily engage in War, unlefs it be either to de- 
 fend themfelves, or ];heir Friends, from any unjuft 
 Aggreflbrs ; or out of good Nature, or in Compaf^ 
 lion to an opprcffed Nation, that they afHfl: them to 
 the fhaking off the Yoke of Tyranny. They in- 
 deed help their Friends, not only in defenfive, 
 but alfo in olfcniive Wars : But they never do that, 
 unlefs they had been confulted with while the 
 Matter was yet entire ; and that being fatis£ed with 
 the Grounds on which they went, they had found 
 that all Demands of Reparation Avere reje61:ed, Co 
 that a War was nccelliiry : Which they do not think 
 to be only jufl, when one Neighbour makes an In- 
 rode on another, by publick Order, and carries a- 
 way their Spoils ; but when the Merchants of one 
 Country are oppreflcd in another, either under the 
 Pretence of fome unjuft Laws, or by the pcrvcrfe 
 wreding of good ones: This they count a jurter 
 Caufe of War than the other, becaufe thofe Injuries 
 
 Q ' aic 
 
io6 Sh- THOMAS MOREh 
 
 are done under fome Colour of Laws. This was 
 the only Ground of that War, in which they engag- 
 ed with the Nephelogetes againll: the AleopolitaneSy 
 a little before our Time : For the Merchants of the 
 former, having, as they thought, met with great 
 Injuflice among the latter, that whether it was in 
 itfelf right or wrong, did draw on a terrible War, 
 many of their Neighbours being engaged in it ; and 
 their Kecnnefs in carrying it on, being fupportcd 
 by their Strength in maintaining it ; it not only 
 lliook fome very flourifhing States, and very much 
 affli(5led others ; but after a Series of much Mifchief, 
 it ended in the entire Conqueft and Slavery of the 
 Aleopolitajies, who tho' before the War, they were 
 in all Refpe6ls much fupcrior to the Nephelogetes^ 
 yet by it they fell under their Empire ; but the U- 
 topians, tho' they had afTiiled them in the War, yet 
 pretended to no Share of the Spoil. 
 
 But tho' they aflift their Friends fo vigoroufly, 
 in taking Reparations for Injuries that are done 
 them in fuch Matters; yet if tkey themfelvcs 
 fhould meet with any ftich Fraud, provided there 
 were no Violence done to their Perfons, they would 
 only carry it fo far, that unlefs Satisfaction were 
 made, they would give over trading with fuch a 
 People. This is not done becaufe they confidcr 
 their Neighbours more than their own Citizens ; but 
 fince their Neighbours trade every one upon his own 
 Stock,Fraud isamorefcnfiblelnjuryto them, than it 
 is to \.\\c Utopians^ among whom the Publickonlyfui- 
 fers in fuch a Cafe: And iince they expert nothing 
 in return for the Merchandize that they export, but 
 that in which they abound fo much, and is of little 
 ufe to them, the Lof^ does not much afre6l them ; 
 therefore they think if would be toofevere a Thing 
 
 to 
 
UTOPIA. 107 
 
 to revenge a Lofs that brings fo little Inconvenience 
 with it, either to their Life or to their Livelihood, 
 with the Death of many People ; but if any of their 
 People is either killed or wounded wrongfully, 
 whether that be done by publick Authority, or on- 
 ly by private Men, as foon as they hear of it, they 
 fend Ambafladors, and demand, that the guilty Per- 
 fons may be delivered up to them ; and if that is 
 denied, they declare War ; but if that is done, 
 they condemn thofe either to Death or Slavery. 
 
 They would be both troubled and afhamed of a 
 Moody ViSiory over their Enemies ; and think it 
 would be as fbolifli a Purchafe, as to buy the molt 
 valuable Goods at too high a Rate. And in no 
 Victory do they glory fo much, as in that which 
 is gained by Dexterity and good Conduct, without 
 Bloodjfhed. They appoint publick Triumphs in 
 fuch Cafes, and erect Trophies to the Honour of 
 thofe who have fucceeded well in them ; for then 
 do they reckon that a Man a6ls fuitably to his Na- 
 ture, when he conquers his Enemy in fuch a Way, 
 that no other Creature but a Man could be capable 
 of it, and that is, by the Strength of his Under- 
 flanding. Bears, Lions, Boars, Wolves and Dogs, 
 and other Animals, employ their bodily Force one 
 againft another, in which as many of them are fu- 
 pcrior to Man, both in Strength and Fierccnefs, fo 
 they are allfubdued by the Reafon and Underlland- 
 ing that is in him. 
 
 The only Defign of the Utopians in War, is to 
 obtain that by Force, which if it had been granted 
 them in Time, would have prevented the War ; or 
 if that cannot be done, to take fo fevere a Revenge 
 of thofe that have injured them, that they may be 
 terrified from doing the like in all Time coming*. 
 
 O 2 By 
 
io8 Sir THOMAS MORE'^ 
 By thefe Ends they mcafuve all their Defigns, and 
 manage them fo, that it is vi/ible that the Appetite 
 of Fame or Vain-glory, does not work fo much on 
 them, as a juil^ Care of their own Security. 
 
 As foon as they declare War, they take Care to 
 have a great many Schedules, that are fealed with 
 their common Seal, affixed in the mod confpicuous 
 Places of their ILnemics Country. This is carried 
 fecretly, and done in many Places all at once. In 
 thofe they promife great Rewards to fuch as fliall 
 kill the Prince, and Icller in Proportion to fuch as 
 fhall kill any other Perfons,who are thofe on whom, 
 next to- the Prince himfelf,they caft the chief Blame 
 of the War. And they double the Sum to him, that 
 inrtead of killing the Merlon fo marked out, fliall 
 take hhn alive, and put him in their Hands. They 
 offer not only Indemnity, but Rewards, to fuch of 
 the Perfons themfelves that are fo marked, if they 
 will a6l againfl: their Countrymen. By this Aleans 
 thofe that are named in their Schedules, become 
 not only diftruilful of their Fellow-Citizens, but are 
 jealous of one another: And are much diflra6led by 
 Fear and Danger ; for it has often fallen out, that 
 many of them, and even the Prince ^himfe If, have 
 been betrayed by thofe in whom they have trufled 
 moft : For the Rewards that the Utopians offer, are 
 fo unmeafurably great, that there is no Sort of Crime 
 to which Men cannot be drawn by them. They 
 coniider the Rifque that thofe run, who undertake 
 fuch Services, and offer a Recompence proportion- 
 ed to the Danger ; not only a vail: deal of Gold, 
 but great Revenues in Lands, that lie among other 
 Nations that are their Friends, where they may go 
 and enjoy them very fecurely ; and they obierve 
 the Promifcs they make of this Kind mofl religi- 
 
 ouily. 
 
UTOPIA. 109 
 
 oufly. They do very much approve of this Way 
 -of corrupting their Enemies, tho' it appears to o- 
 thers to be a bafe and cruel Thing ; but they look 
 on it as a wife Courfe, to make an End of that 
 which would be otherv/ife a great War, without fo 
 much as hazarding one Battle to decide it. They think 
 it likewife an A61 of Mercy and Love to Mankind, 
 to prevent the great Slaughter of thofe that muft o- 
 therwife be killed in the Progrefs of the War, both 
 of their own Side, and of their Enemies, by the 
 Death of a few that are moft guilty ; and that in fo 
 doing, they are kind even to their Enemies, and 
 pity them no lefs than their own People, as know- 
 ing that the greater Part of them do not engage in 
 the War of their own accord, bat are driven into it 
 by the Paffions of their Prince. 
 
 If this Method does not fuccecd with them, then 
 they fow Seeds of Contention among their Enemies, 
 and animate the Prince's Brother, or fome of the 
 Nobility, to afpire to the Crown. If they cannot 
 difunite them by domeftick Broils, then they en- 
 gage their Neighbours againft them, and make them 
 fet on Foot fome old Pretenfions, which arc never 
 wanting to Princes, when they have Occaflon for 
 them. And they fupply them plentifully with Mo- 
 ny, tho' but very fparingly with any auxiliary 
 Troops : For they are fo tender of their own Peo- 
 ple, that they would not willingly exchange one 
 of them, even with the Prince of their Enemies 
 Country. 
 
 But as they keep their Gold and Silver only for 
 fuch an Occafion, fo when that offers itlclf, they 
 ealily part with it, fince it would be no Inconveni- 
 ence to them, tho' they fliould referve nothing of 
 it to themfelves. For beiidcs the Wealth that they 
 
 have 
 
no Sir THOMAS MOREh 
 have among them at Home, they have a vafl: Trea- 
 fure abroad ; many Nations round about them, be- 
 ing deep in their Debt : So that they hire Soldiers 
 from all Places for carrying on their Wars ; but 
 chiefly from the Zapoletes, who lie five hundred 
 Miles from Utopia eailward. They are a rude, 
 wild, and fierce Nation, who delight in the Woods 
 and Rocks, among which they were born and bred 
 up. They are hardned both againfl: Heat, Cold 
 and Labour, and know nothing of the Delicacies of 
 Life. They do not apply themfclves to Agricul- 
 ture, nor do they care either for their Houles or 
 their Clothes. Cattle is all that they look after ; 
 and for the greateft Part, they live either by their 
 Hunting, or upon Rapine ; and are made, as it 
 were, only for War. They watch all Opportuni- 
 ties of engaging in it, and very readily embrace 
 fuch as are offered them. Great Numbers of them 
 will often go out, and offer themfclves upon a ve- 
 ry low Pay, to ferve any that will employ them : 
 They know none of the Arts of Life, but thofe 
 that lead to the taking it away ; they ferve thofe 
 that hire them, both with much Courage and great 
 Fidelity ; but will not engage to ferve for any de- 
 termined Time, and agree upon fuch Terms, that 
 the next Day they may go over to the Enemies of 
 thofe whom they ferve, if they offer them a greater 
 Pay : And they will perhaps return to them the 
 Day after that, upon a higher Advance of their 
 Pay. There are few Wars in which they make not 
 a confiderable Part of the Armies of both Sides : 
 So it falls often out, that they that are of Kin to 
 one another, and were hired in the fame Country, 
 and fo have hved long and familiarly together; yet 
 they forgetting both their Relation and former 
 
 Friend- 
 
UTOPIA. Ill 
 
 Friendlhlp, kill one another upon no other Conli- 
 deration, but becaufe they are hived to it for a little 
 Money, by Princes of different Interefls : And fo 
 great Regard have they to Money, that they are 
 eafily wrought on by the Difference of one Penny 
 a Day, to change Sides. So entirely does their 
 Avarice turn them, and yet this Money on which 
 they are fo much let, is of little Ufe to them ; for 
 what they purchafe thus with their Blood, they 
 quickly wafte it on Luxury, which among them is 
 but of a poor and miferable Form. 
 
 This Nation ferves the Utopians againfl: all Peo- 
 ple whatfoever, for they pay higher than any other. 
 The Utopians hold this for a Maxim, that as they 
 feek out the bed Sort of Men for their own Ufe at 
 Home, fo they make ufe of this worft Sort of Men 
 for the Confumption of War, and therefore they 
 hire them with the Offers of vaft Rewards, to ex- 
 pofe themfelves to all Sorts of Hazards, out of 
 which the greater Part never returns to claim their 
 Promifes. Yet they make them good mod religi- 
 oufly to fuch as efcape. And this animates them 
 to adventure again, when there is Occafion for it ; 
 ■ for the Utopians are not at all troubled how many 
 of them foever happen to be killed ; and reckon it 
 a Service done to Mankind, if they could be a 
 Mean to deliver the World from fuch a lewd and 
 vicious Soit of People, that feem to have run toge* 
 iher, as to the Drain of human Nature. Next to 
 thefe, they are ferved in their Wars, with thofe up- 
 on whofe Account they undertake them, and with 
 the auxiliary Troops of their other Friends, to 
 whom they join feme few of their own People, and 
 fend fome Man of eminent and approved Virtue to 
 command in chief Thcie are two fent with him, 
 
 wh- 
 
112 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 who during his Command, are but private Men, 
 but the firft is to lucceed him if he fhould happen 
 to be either killed or taken ; and in Cafe of the 
 like Misfortune to him, the third comes in his 
 Place ; and thus they provide againft ill Events, 
 that fuch Accidents as may bcfal their Generals, 
 may not endanger their Armies. When they draw 
 out Troops of their own People, they take fuch 
 out of every City as freely offer themfelvcs, for 
 none are forced to go againft their Wills, fince they 
 think that if any Man is preffed that wants Courage, 
 he will not only a6i faintly, but by his Cowardice 
 he will dilhearten others. But if any Invafion is 
 made of their Country, they make ufe of fuch 
 Men, if they have good Bodies, tho' they are not 
 brave ; and cither put them aboard their Ships, or 
 place them on the Walls of their Towns, that be- 
 ing fo ported, they may not find Occafions of fly- 
 ing away ; and thus either Shame, the Heat of 
 Action, or the ImpofTibility of flying, bears down 
 their Cowardice ; and fo they make often a "Virtue 
 ofNecefHty, and behave therafclves well, becaufe 
 nothing clfe is left them. But as they force no Man 
 to go into any foreign War againft his Will, fo they 
 do not hinder fuch Women as are willing to go a- 
 long with their Husbands : Qn the contrary, they 
 encourage and praife them much for doing it ; they 
 ftand often next their Husbands in the Front of the 
 Army. They alfo place thofe that are related to- 
 gether, and Parents, and Children, Kindred, and 
 thofe that arc mutually allied, near one another; 
 that thofe whom Nature has infpired with the grea- 
 tcft Zeal of alfiftlng one another, may be the near- 
 eft and rcadleft to do it: and it is Matter of great 
 Reproach, if Husband or Wife furvive one another, 
 
 or 
 
UTOPIA. 113 
 
 or If aCHld furvlves his Parent, and therefore when 
 they come to be engaged in Action, they contmue 
 to fight to the laft Man, if their Enemies ftand be- 
 fore them : And as they ufe all prudent Methods 
 to avoid the endangering their own Men ; and 11 it 
 is pofTible, let all the A61ion and Danger fall upon 
 the Troops that they hire ; fo if it comes to that, 
 that they muft: engage, they charge then with as 
 much Courage, as they avoided it before with Pru- 
 dence : Nor is it a fierce Charge at firft, but it in- 
 creafes by Degrees ; and as they continue in Acti- 
 on, they grow more obftinate, and prefs harder up- 
 on the Enemy, infomuch that they will much foon- 
 er die than give Ground; for the certainty in which 
 they are, that their Children will be well looked 
 after, when they are dead, frees them from all An- 
 xiety concerning them, which does often mafler 
 Men of great Courage ; and thus they are animated 
 by a noble and invincible Refolution. Their Skill 
 in Military Matters encreafes their Courage ; and 
 the good Opinions which are infufed in them dur- 
 ing their Education, according to the Laws of the 
 Country, and their Learning, add more Vigour to 
 their Minds : For as they do not undervalue Life 
 to the Degree of throwing it away too prodigally ; 
 fo they are not fo indecently fond of it, that when 
 they fee they muft facrifice it honourably, they 
 will preferve it by bafe and unbecoming Methods. 
 In the greateft Heat of A6lion, the braveft of their 
 Youth, that have jointly devoted themfelves for 
 that Piece of Service, fingle out the General of their 
 Enemies, and fet on him either openly, or lay an 
 Ambufcade for him: If any of them are fpent and 
 wearied in the Attempt, others come in their ftcad, 
 Co that they never give over purfuing him, either 
 
 P by 
 
114 Sir THOMAS MORE'^ 
 
 by clofc Weapons, when they can get neir him, or 
 thofe that wound at a Diftance, when others get in 
 between : Thus they ieldom fail to kill or take 
 him at lafl, if he does not fecure himfelf by Flight. 
 When they gain the Day in any Battle, they kill 
 as few as poffibly they can ; and are much more 
 fet on taking many Prifoners, than on killing thofe 
 that fly before them : Nor do they ever let their 
 Men fo loofe in the Purfuit of their Enemies, that 
 they do not retain an intire Body flill in Order ; fo 
 that if they have been forced to engage the lad of 
 their Battalions, before they could gain the Day, 
 they will rather let their Enemies all efcape than 
 purfue them, when their own Army is in Difor- 
 der; remembring well what has often fallen out to 
 themfelves ; that when the main Body of their Ar- 
 my has been quite defeated and broken, fo that 
 their Enemies reckoning the Vi6lory was fure and 
 in their Hands, have let themfelves loofe into an ir- 
 regular Purfuit, a few of them that lay for a Re- 
 ferve, w^aiting a fit Opportunity, have fallen on 
 them while they were in this Chace, flraggling in 
 Diforder, apprehenfive of no Danger, but counting 
 the Day their own ; and have turned the whole 
 A6lion, and fo wrcfting out of their Hands a Vi6lo- 
 ry that feemed certain and undoubted, the van- 
 quillied have of a fudden become victorious. 
 
 It is hard to tell whether they are more dexte- 
 rous in laying or avoiding Ambullies : They fome- 
 t'tmes feem to fly when it is far from their Thoughts; 
 and when they intend to give Ground, they do it 
 i"o, that it is very hard to find out their De/ign. If 
 they fee they are ill ported, or are like to be over- 
 powered by Numbers, then they either march off 
 in the Night with great Silence, or by fome Strata- 
 gem 
 
UTOPIA. 115 
 
 gem they delude their Enemies : If they retire in 
 the Day-time, they do it in fuch Order, that it is 
 no lefs dangerous to fall upon them in a Retreat, 
 than in a March. They fortify their Camps well, 
 with a deep and large Trench ; and throw up the 
 Earrh that is dug out of it for a Wall ; nor do they 
 employ only their Slaves in this, but the whole Ar- 
 my woiks at it, except thofe that are then upon 
 the Guard ; fo that when fo many Hands are at 
 Work, a great Line and a flrong Fortification is fi- 
 nilTied in fo a fhort Time, that it is fcarce credible. 
 Their Armour is very flrong for Defence, and yet 
 is not fo heavy as to make them uncafy in their 
 Marches ; they can even fwim with it. All that 
 are trained up to War, pra6life fwimming much : 
 Both Horfe and Foot make great ufe of Arrows, 
 and are very expert at it : They have no Swords, 
 but fight with a Poll-ax that is both fharp and hea- 
 vy, by which they thrufl or ftrike down an Enemy; 
 they are very good at finding out warlike Machines, 
 and difguife them fo well, that the Enemy does 
 not perceive them, till he feels the Ufe of them ; 
 fo that he cannot prepare fuch a Defence againft 
 them, by which they might be made ridiculous, as 
 well as ufelefs ; the chief Confideration had in the 
 making of them, is, that they may be eafily carried 
 and managed. 
 
 If they agree to a Truce, they obfcrve it fo re- 
 ligioufly, that no Provocations will make them 
 break it. They never lay their Enemies Country 
 wafle, nor burn their Corn, and even in their 
 Marches they take all poflible cure, that neither 
 Horfe nor Foot may tread it down, for they do not 
 know but that they may have ufe for it themfclvcs. 
 They hurt no Man that they find difarmed, unlefs 
 
 P 2 he 
 
ii6 Sh IHOMAS MORE's 
 
 he is a Spy. When a Town is furrendered to thtfm, 
 they take it into their Protection : And when they 
 carry a Place by Storm, they never plunder it, but 
 put thofe only to the Sword that oppofed the ren- 
 dring it up, and make the reft of the Garrifon 
 Slaves, but for the other Inhabitants, they do them 
 no hurt ; and if any of them had advifed a Surren- 
 der of it, they give them good Rewards out of the 
 Eftates of thofe that they condemn, and diftribute 
 the reft among their Auxiliary Troops, but they 
 themfelves take no Share of the Spoil. 
 
 When a War is ended, they do not oblige their 
 Friends to reimburfe them of their Expence in it ; 
 but they take that from the Conquered, either in 
 Money, which they keep for the next Occa/ion, 
 or in Lands, out of which a conftant Revenue is to 
 be paid them ; by many Increafes, the Revenue 
 which they draw out from feveral Countries on fuch 
 Occafions, is now rifen to above 700, 000 Ducats 
 a Year. They fend fome of their own People to 
 receive thefe Revenues, who have Orders to live 
 magnificently, and like Princes, and fo they con- 
 fume much of it upon the Place ; and either bring 
 over the reft to Utopia, or lend it to that Nation in 
 which it lies. This they moft commonly do, un- 
 lefs fome great Occafion, which falls out but very 
 fcldom, fhould oblige them to call for it all. It is 
 out of thefc Lands that they allign thofe Rewards to 
 fuch as they encourage to adventure on defperate 
 Attempts, which was mentioned formerly. If any 
 Prince that engages in War with them, is making 
 Preparations for invading their Country, they pre- 
 vent him, and make his Country the Seat of the 
 War ; for they do not willingly fiiffer any War to 
 break in upon their liland; and if that lliould hap- 
 pen. 
 
UTOPIA. 117 
 
 pen, they would only defend themfelves by their 
 own People ; but would not at all call for Auxilia- 
 ry Tfoops to their AfTiftance. 
 
 Of the Rel'tgions of the Utopians. 
 
 THerc are feveral Sorts of Religions, not only 
 in different Parts of the Ifland, but even in 
 every Town ; fome worfliipping the Sun, others 
 the Moon, or one of the Planets : Some worlhip 
 fuch Men as have been eminent in former Times 
 for Virtue, or Glory, not only as ordinary Deities, 
 l)ut as the fupream God : Yet the greater and wifer 
 3oit of them worfliip none of thefe, but adore one 
 eternal, invifible, infinite, and incomprehenfible 
 Deity ; as a Being that is far above all our Appre- 
 henfions, that is fpread over the whole Untverfe, 
 not by its Bulk, but by its Power and Virtue ; him 
 they call the Father of all, and acknowledge that 
 the Beginnings, the Increafe, the Progrefs, the Vi- 
 cilTitudes, and the End of all Things come only 
 fi-om him ; nor do they offer divine Honours to any 
 but to him alone. And indeed, tho' they differ 
 concerning other Thmgs, yet all agree in this; 
 that they think there is one fupream Being that 
 made and governs the World, whom they call in 
 the Language of their Country, Mithras. They 
 differ in this, that one thinks the God whom he 
 worfhips is this fupream Being, and another thinks that 
 his Idol is that God ; but they all agree in one Prin- 
 ciple, that whatever is this fupream Being, is alfo 
 that great Elfence, to whofe Glory and Majefty all 
 Honours are afcribed by the Confent of all Nations. 
 By Degrees, they all fall off from the various 
 
 Super- 
 
ii8 Sir THOMAS MO REh 
 
 Superftitions that are among them, and grow up to 
 that one Religion that is moft in Requeft, and is 
 much the bed ; and there is no Doubt to be made, 
 but that all the others had vaniflied long ago, if it 
 had not happened that fome unlucky Accidents, 
 falling on thofe who were advifmg the Change of 
 thofe fupcrftitious Ways of Worfhip ; thefe have 
 been afcribed not to Chance, but to fomewhat from 
 Heaven ; and fo have raifed in them a Fear, that 
 the God, whofe Worfliip was lilvc to be abandoned, 
 has interpofed and revenged himfeif on ihofe that 
 defigncd it. 
 
 After tliey had heard from us, an Account of the 
 Do<5lrine, the Courfe of Life, and the Miracle* of 
 Chrift, and of the wonderful Confiancy of fo many 
 Martyrs, whofe Blood that was fo willingly offered up 
 by them, was the chief Occaiion of fpreading their 
 Religion over a vaft Number of Nations ; it is not 
 to be imao^ined how inclined thev were to receive 
 it. I fliall not determine whether this proceeded 
 from any f ecret Infpiration of God, or whether it 
 was becaufe it feemed fo favourable to that Com- 
 munity of Goods, which is an Opinion fo particu- 
 lar, as well as fo dear to them ; fince they perceiv- 
 ed that Chrifl: and his Followers lived by that Rule ; 
 and that it was flill kept up in fome Communities a- 
 monfj the iincerefl: Sort of Chriftlans. From which 
 foever of thefe Motives it might be, true it is, that 
 many of them came over to our Religion, and were 
 Initiated into it by Baptifm. But as two of our Num- 
 ber were dead, fo none of the four that furvived, 
 were in PrielPs Orders ; therefore we could do no 
 more but baptize them; fo that to our great Regret, 
 they could not partake of the other Sacraments, 
 that can only be adminiftrcd by Priells : But they 
 
 are 
 
UTOPIA. 119 
 
 are m{lru6led concerning them, and long moft ve- 
 hemently for them; and they were dlfputing very 
 much among themfelves, whether one that were 
 chofen by them to be a Prieft, would not be there- 
 by qualified to do all the Things that belong to 
 that Chara6ler, even tho* he had no Authority de- 
 rived from the Pope ; and they feemed to be refol- 
 ved to choofe fome for that Imployment, but they 
 had not done it when I left them. 
 
 Thofe among them that have not received our 
 Religion, yet do not fright any from it, and ufe 
 none ill that goes over to it ; fo that all the while I 
 was there, one Man was only puniflied on this Oc- 
 calion. He being newly .baptized, did, notwith- 
 ftanding all that we could fay to the contrary, dif- 
 pute publickly concerning the Chriftian Religion, 
 with more Zeal than Difcretion; and with fo much 
 Heat, that he not only prefer'd our Worfhip to 
 theirs, but condemned all their Rites as profane ; 
 and cried out againft all that adhered to them, as 
 impious and facrilegious Perfons, that were to be 
 damned to cverlafting Burnings. Upon this he, 
 having preached thefe Things often, was feized on, 
 and after a Trial, he was condemned to Banifli- 
 ment, not for having difparaged their Religion, but 
 for his inflaming the People to Sedition : For this is 
 one of their antientefl Laws, that no Man ought to 
 be punifhed for his Religion. At the firft Ccnflitu. 
 tion of their Government, Utopiis having under- 
 Jftood, that before his coming among them, the old 
 Inhabitants had been engaged in great Quarrels con- 
 cerning Religion, by which they were fo broken 
 among themfelves, that he found it an eafy Thing 
 to conquer them, fince they did not unite their For- 
 ces againfl: him, but every diiferent Party in Rcru 
 
 gion 
 
120 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 gion fought by themfelves : Upon that, after he 
 had fubdu'd them, he made a Law that every Man 
 might be of what Religion he pleafed, and might 
 endeavour to draw others to it by the Force of Ar- 
 gument, and by amicable and modeft Ways, but 
 without Bitteraefs againft thofc of other Opinions ; 
 but that he ought to ufe no other Force but that of 
 Perfuaiion ; and was neither to mix Reproaches nor 
 "Violence with it ; and fuch as did othcrwife were 
 to be condemned to Banifhment or Slavery. 
 
 This Law was made by Utopus, not only for 
 prcferving the publick Peace, which he faw fuffer- 
 ed much by daily Contentions and Irreconcilable 
 Heats in thefe Matters, but becaufe he thought the 
 Intereft of Religion itfelf required it. He judged 
 it was not fit to determine any Thing rallily in that 
 Matter ; and feemed to doubt whether thofc diffe- 
 rent Forms of Religion might not all come from 
 God, who might infpire Men differently, he being 
 poflibly pleafed with a Variety in it : And fo he 
 thought it was a very indecent and foolifh Thing 
 for any Man to frighten and threaten other Men to 
 believe any Thing becaufe it feemed true to him; 
 and in cafe that one Religion were certainly true, 
 and all the reft falfe, he reckoned that the native 
 Force of Truth would break forth at laft, and fhine 
 bright, if it were managed only by the Strength of 
 Argument, and with a winning Gentlnefs ; whereas 
 if fuch Matters were carried on by Violence and 
 Tumults, then, as the wickcdeftSortof Men is al- 
 ways the moft obrtinate, fo the holieft and befl Re- 
 ligion in the World might be overlaid with fomuch 
 foolifli Superftition, that it would be quite choaked 
 with it, as Corn is with Briars and Thorns ; there- 
 fore he left Men wholly to their Liberty in this 
 
 Matter, 
 
UTOPIA. 121 
 
 Matter, that they might be free to believe as they 
 fhould fee Caufe ; only he made a folemn and fevere 
 Law againft fuch as Ihould fo far degenerate from 
 the Dignity of human Nature, as to think that our 
 Souls died with our Bodies, or that the World was 
 governed by Chance, without a wife over-ruhng 
 Providence: For they did all formerly believe that 
 there was a State of Rewards and Punifhments to 
 the Good and Bad after this Life ; and they look 
 on thofe that think otherwife, as fcarce fit to be 
 counted Men, fince they degrade fo noble a Being 
 as our Soul is, and reckon it to be no better than a 
 Beaft's ; fo far are they from looking on fuch Men 
 as fit for human Society, or to be Citizens of a well- 
 ordered Commonwealth ; fince a Man of fuch Prin- 
 ciples mull needs, as oft as he dares do it, defpife 
 all their Laws and Cuftoms : For there is no Doubt 
 to be made, that a Man who is afraid of nothing 
 but the Law, and apprehends nothing after Death, 
 will not ftand to break through all the Laws of his 
 Country, either by Fraud or Force, that fo he may 
 fatisfy his Appetites. They never raife any that 
 hold thefe Maxims, either to Honours or Ofiices, 
 nor employ them in any publick Truft, but defpife 
 them, as Men of bafe and fordid Minds : Yet they 
 do not punilli them, becaufe they lay this down for 
 a Ground, that a Man cannot make himfelf believe 
 any Thing he plcafes ; nor do they drive any to 
 diflemble their Thoughts by Threatnings, fo that 
 Men are not tempted to lie or difguife their Opini- 
 ons among them ; which being a Sort of Fraud, is 
 abhorred by the Utopians : They take indeed care 
 that they may not argue for thefe Opinions, efpeci- 
 ally before the common People : But they do fuf- 
 fer, and even encourage them to difpute concem- 
 
122 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 ing them in private with their Priefts, and othet 
 grave Men, being confident that they will be cured 
 of thofe mad Opinions, by having Reaion laid be- 
 fore them. There are many among them that run 
 far to the other Extreme, tho' it is neither thought 
 an ill nor unreafonable Opinion, and therefore is not 
 at all difcouraged. They think that the Souls of 
 Beads are immortal, tho' far inferior to the Digni- 
 ty of the human Soul, and not capable of fo great 
 a Happinefs. They are almofl: all of them very 
 firmly perfuaded, that good Men will be infinitely 
 happy in another State ; fo that tho' they are com- 
 panionate to all that are fick, yet they lament no 
 Man's Death, except they fee him part with Life 
 uneafy, and as if he were forced to it ; for they look 
 on this as a very ill Prefage, as if the Soul being 
 confcious to itfelf of Guilt, and quite hopelefs, 
 were afraid to die, from fome fecret Hints of ap- 
 proaching Mifery. They think that fuch a Man's 
 Appearance before God, cannot be acceptable to 
 him, who being called on, does not go out chear- 
 fully, but is backward and unwilling, and is, as it 
 were, dragged to it. They are llruck with Hor- 
 ror, when they fee any die in this Manner, and 
 carry them out in Silence, and with Sorrow, and 
 praying God that he would be merciful to the Er- 
 rors of the departed Soul, they lay the Body in the 
 Ground : But when any die chearfuUy, and full of 
 Hope, they do not mourn for them, but fing Hymns 
 when they carry out their Bodies, and commending 
 their Souls very earnellly to God, in fuch a Manner, 
 that their whole Behaviour is rather grave than fad, 
 they burn their Body, and fet up a Pillar where 
 the Pile was made, with an Infcription to the Ho- 
 nour of fuch Men's Memory, And when they 
 
 come 
 
UTOPIA. 125 
 
 come from the Funeral, they difcourfe of then- good 
 Life, and worthy A6lions, but fpeak of nothing oft- 
 ner and with more Pleafure, than of their Serenity 
 at their Death. They think fuch Rerpe6l paid to 
 the Memory of good Men, is both the greateft In- 
 citement to engage others to follow their Example, 
 and the mod acceptable Worfliip that can be offered 
 them ; for they believe, that tho', by the Imper- 
 feftion of human Sight, they are invifible to us, yet 
 they are prefent among us, and hear thofe Difcour- 
 fes that pafs concerning themfelves. And they think 
 that it does not agreee to the Happinefs of departed 
 Souls, not to be at Liberty to be where they will : 
 Nor do they imagine them capable of the Ingrati- 
 tude of not defiring to fee thofe Friends, with 
 whom they lived on Earth in the flri61:e{l Bonds of 
 Love and Kindnefs: And they judge, that fuch 
 good Principles, as all other good Things, are ra- 
 ther increafed than lelfened in good Men after their 
 Death : So that they conclude they are ftill a- 
 mong the Living, and do obferve all that is faid or 
 done by them. And they engage in ail Affairs that 
 they fet about, with fo much the more Affurance, 
 trufting to their Prote6lion; and the Opinion that 
 they have of their Anccflors being ftill prefent, is a 
 ccrcat Rcftraint on them from all ill Defig-ns. 
 
 They defpife and laugh at all Sorts of Auguries, 
 and the other vain and fuperflitious Ways of Divi- 
 nation, that are fo much obferved among; other Na- 
 tions; but they have great Reverence for fuch Mi- 
 racles as cannot flow from any of the Powers of Na- 
 ture, and look on them as Effects and Indications of 
 the Prefence of the Supieam Being, of which they 
 fay many Inflances have occurred among them 5 
 and that fometimes their Publick Prayers, which 
 
 Q_ 2 upon 
 
124 Sir THOMAS MORE\ 
 
 upon great and dangerous Occafions they have fo 
 lemnly put up to God, with aflured Confidence of 
 behig heard, have been anfwercd in a miraculous 
 Manner. 
 
 They think the contemplating God in his Works, 
 and the adoring liim for them, is a very acceptable 
 Piece of Worfhip to him. 
 
 There are many among them, that upon a Mo- 
 tive of Religion, negleft Learning, and apply them- 
 felves to no Sort of Study ; nor do they allow them- 
 felves any Leifure-time, but ate perpetually employ- 
 ed ill doing fomewhat, believing that by the good 
 Things that a Man does he fecures to himfelf that 
 Happinefs that comes after Death. Some of thefe 
 viiit the fick; others mend High-ways, cleanfc 
 Ditches, or repair Bridges, and dig Tm-f, Gravel, 
 or Stones. Others fell and cleave Timber, and 
 bring Wood, Corn, and other Necelfaries, on Carts 
 into their Towns. Nor do thefe only ferve the Pu- 
 blick, but they ferve even private Men, more than 
 the Slaves themfelves do : For if there is any where 
 a rough, hard, and fordid Piece of Work to be done, 
 from which many are frightened by the Labour 
 and Loathfomencls of it, if not the Defpair of ac- 
 complifhing it, they do chearfully, and of their 
 own Accord, take that to their Share ; and by that 
 Means, as they eafe others very much, fo they af- 
 fli6l themfelves, and fpend their whole Life in hard 
 Labour : And yet they do not value themfelves 
 upon that, nor leflen other People's Credit, that by 
 fo doing they may raife their own ; but by their 
 ftooping to fuch fervile Employments, they are fo 
 far from being defpifed, that they are fo much the 
 more efleemed by the whole Nation. 
 
 Of thefe there are two Sorts : Some live unmar- 
 ried 
 
UTOPIA. 125 
 
 lied and chafte, and abftain from eating any Sort 
 of Flefh ; and thus weaning themfelves from all 
 tlie Pleaiurcs of the prefent Life, which they ac- 
 count hurtful, they purfue even by the hardeft and 
 painfullefl Methods polTible, that BleiTednefs which 
 they hope for hereafter ; and the nearer they ap- 
 proach to it, they are the more chearful and earnefl 
 in their Endeavours after it. Another Sort of them 
 is lefs willing to put themfelves to much Toil, and 
 fo they prefer a married State to a fingle one ; and 
 as they do not deny themfelves the Pleafure of it, 
 fo they think the begetting of Children is a Debt 
 which they owe to human Nature, and to their 
 Country ; Nor do they avoid any Pleafure that does 
 not hinder Labour ; and therefore they eat Flelh fo 
 much the more willingly, becaufe they fmd them- 
 felves fo much the more able for Work by it : The 
 Utopians look upon thefe as the wifer Se(5l, but 
 they efteem the others as the holier. They would 
 indeed laugh at any Man, that upon the Principles 
 of Reafon, would prefer an unmarried State to a 
 Married, or a Life of Labour to an eafy Life : But 
 they reverence and admire fuch as do it upon a Mo 
 tive of Religion. There is nothing in which they 
 are more cautious, than in giving their Opinion pofi- 
 tively concerning any Sort of Religion. The Men 
 that lead thofe fevere Lives, are called in the Lan- 
 guage of their Country BnithejhaSy which anfwers 
 to thofe we call Rehgioiis Orders. 
 
 Their Priefts are Men of eminent Piety, and 
 therefore they are but few, for there are only thir- 
 teen in every Town, one for every Temple in it ; 
 but when they go to War, feven of thefe go out 
 with their Forces, and feven others are chofen to 
 fupply thcii Room in theii* Abfencej but thefe 
 
 enter 
 
126 sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 enter again upon their Employment when they 
 return 5 and thofe who ferved in their Abfence, at- 
 tend upon the High-Frieft, till Vacancies fall by 
 Death ; for there is one that is fet over all the 
 reft. They are chofen by the People as the other 
 Magiftrates are, by Suffrages given in fecret, for 
 preventing of Factions : And when they are 
 chofen, they are confecrated by the College of 
 Priefts. The Care of all facred Things, and the 
 Woifliip of God, and an Infpe6lion into the Man- 
 ners of the People, is committed to them. It is a 
 Reproach to a Man to be fent for by any of 
 them, or to be even fpoke to in fecret by them, 
 for that always gives fome Sufpicions : All that is 
 incumbent on them, is only to exhort and admo- 
 nifh People; for the Power of corrc61:ing and puniih- 
 ing ill Men, belongs wholly to the Prince, and to 
 the other Magiftrates : The fevereft Thing that 
 the Prieft does, is the excluding of Men that are 
 defperately wicked from joining in their Worfliip : 
 There's not any Sort of PuniOiment that is more 
 dreaded by them than this, for as it loads them 
 with Infamy, fo it fills them whh fecret Horrors, 
 fuch is their Reverence to their Religion; nor will 
 their Bodies be long exempted from their Share 
 of Trouble ; for if they do not very quickly fatisfy 
 the Priefts of the Truth their Repentance, they 
 are feized on by the Senate, and puniflied for their 
 Impiety. The breeding of the Youth belongs to 
 the Priefts, yet they do not take fo much care of 
 inftru6ling them in Letters, as of forming their 
 Minds and Manners aright ; and they ufe all pof- 
 fible Methods to infufe very early in the tender 
 and flexible Minds of Children, fuch Opinions as 
 are both good in themfelvcs, and will be ufeful to 
 
 their 
 
UTOPIA. 127 
 
 their Country: For when deep Impreilions of thefc 
 Things are made at that Age, they follow Men 
 through the whole Courfe of their Lives, and con- 
 duce much for the preferving the Peace of the Go- 
 vernment, which fuffers by nothing more than by 
 Vices that rife out of ill Opinions. The Wives of 
 their Priefts are the moft extraordinary Women of 
 the whole Country; fometimes the Women them- 
 felves are made Priells, tho' that falls out but fel- 
 dom, nor are any but antient Widows chofcn into 
 that Order. 
 
 None of the Magiftrates have greater Honour 
 paid them, than is paid the Priefts; and if they 
 Ihould happen to commit any Crime, they would 
 not be queftioned for it : Their Punifhment is left 
 to God, and to their own Confciences: For they 
 do not think it lawful to lay Hands on any Man, 
 how wicked foever he is, that has been in a pecu- 
 liar Manner dedicated to God ; nor do they find any 
 great Inconvenience In this, both becaufc they have 
 fo few Priefts, and becaufe thefe are chofen with 
 much Caution, fo that it mull be a very unufual 
 Thing to find one who was merely out of Regard 
 to his Virtue, and for his being efteemed a fingu- 
 larly good Man, raifed up to fo great a Dignity, 
 degenerate into fuch Corruption and Vice : And if 
 fuch a Thing fhould fall out, for Man is a chanee- 
 abie Creature ; yet there being a few Priefts, and 
 thefe having no Authority, but that which rifes 
 out of the Refpe6l that is paid them, nothing that 
 is of great Confequence to the Publick, can come 
 from the Indemnity that the Priefts enjoy. 
 
 They have indeed very few of them, left greater 
 Numbers fharing in the fame Honour,might make the 
 Dignity of that Order which they eftecm fo highly, 
 
 to 
 
128 sir THOMAS MORE's 
 
 to fink in its Reputation : They alfo think it is hard 
 to find out many that are of fuch a Pitch of Good- 
 nefs, as to be equal to that Dignity for which they 
 judge that ordinary Virtues do not qualify a Man 
 fufficiently : Nor are the Priefts in greater Venera- 
 tion among them, than they are among their neigh- 
 bouring Nations, as you may imagine by that 
 which I think gives Occafion for it. 
 
 When the Utopians engage in a Battle, the Priefts 
 that accoinpany them to the War, kneel down dur- 
 ing the A(5lion, in a Place not far from the Field, 
 apparalled in their facred Veftments : And lifting 
 up their Hands to Heaven, they pray, firft for 
 Peace, and then for Vi6lory to their own Side, and 
 particularly that it may be gained without the Effu- 
 lion of much Blood on either Side ; and when the 
 Victory turns to their Side, they run in among 
 their own Men to reftrain their Fury ; and if any of 
 their Enemies fee them, or call to them, they are 
 preferved by that Means : And fuch as can come fo 
 near tbem as to touch their Garments, have not on- 
 ly their Lives, but their Fortunes fecurcd to them : 
 It is upon this Account that all the Nations round a- 
 bout confider them fo much, and pay them fo great 
 Reverence, that they have been often no lefs able 
 to preferve their own People from tlie Fury of their 
 Enemies, than to fave their Enemies from their 
 Rage : For it has fometimes fallen out, that when 
 their Armies have been in Diforder, and forced to 
 fly, fo that their Enemies were running upon the 
 Slaughter and Spoil, the Priefts by interpoftng, 
 have ftop'd the fliedding of more Blood, and have 
 feparated them from one another ; fo that by their 
 Mediation, a Peace has been concluded on very 
 leafonable Terms ; noj: is there any Nation about 
 
 them 
 
UTOPIA. 129 
 
 them fo fierce, cruel, or barbarous, as not to look 
 upon their Perfons as facred and inviolable. 
 
 The firft and the lad Day of the Month, and of 
 the Year, is a Feftival : They meafure their Months 
 by the Courfe of the Moon ; and their Years by the 
 Courfe of the Sun: The firfl: Days are called in 
 their Language the Cynemernes, and the lafl: the 
 T'rapemernes, which anfwers in our Language to 
 the Feftival that begins, or ends the Seafon. 
 
 They have magnificent Temples, that are not 
 only nobly built, but are likewife of great Recep- 
 tion : Which is neceflary, fince they have fo few 
 of them: They are a little dark within, which flows 
 not from any Error in their Archlte6lure, but is done 
 on Defign ; for their Priefts think that too much 
 Light dillipates the Thoughts, and that a more mo- 
 derate Degree of it, both recolle6ls the Mind, and 
 raifes Devotion. Tho' there are many different 
 Forms of Religion among them, yet all thefe, how 
 various foever, agree in the main Point, which is 
 the worfliipping the Divine Eifence ; and therefore 
 there is nothing to be feen or heard in their Tem- 
 ples, in which the feveral Perfuafions among them 
 may not agree; for every Se6l performs thofe Rites 
 that are peculiar to it, in their private Houfes, nor 
 is there any Thing in the publick Worlliip, that con- 
 tradiils the particular Ways of thofe different Sedls. 
 There are no Liiages for God in their Temples, fo 
 that every one may reprelent him to his Thoughts, 
 according to the Way of his Religion ; nor do they 
 call this one God by any other Name, but that of 
 Mithras^ which is the common Name by which 
 they all exprefs the divine Effence, whatlbever o- 
 therwife they think it to be j nor are there any 
 
 R Prayers 
 
igo sir THOMAS MOREh 
 
 Prayers among them, but fuch as every one of them 
 may ufe without Prejudice to his own Opinion. 
 
 They meet in their Temples on the Evening of 
 the FelHval that concludes a Seafon : And not hav- 
 ing yet broke their Faft, they thank God for their 
 good Succefs during that Year or Month, which is 
 then at an End ; And the next Day, being that 
 which begins the new Seafon, they meet early in 
 their Temples, to pray for the happy Progrefs of 
 all their Affairs during that Period, upon which 
 they then enter. In the Feftival which concludes 
 the Period, before they go to the Temple, both 
 Wives and Children fall on their Knees before their 
 Husbands or Parents, and confefs every Thing in 
 which they have either erred or failed in their Du- 
 ty, and beg Pardon for it: Thus all little Difcon- 
 tents in Families are removed, that fo they may o£- 
 fer up their Devotions with a pure and ferene Mind; 
 for they hold it a great Impiety to enter iipon them 
 with difturbed Thoughts j or when they are confci- 
 ous to themfelves that they bear Hatred or Anger 
 in their Hearts to any Perfon j and think that they 
 ih.ould become liable to fevere Punifhments, if 
 they prefumed to oifer Sacrifices without clean/ing 
 their Hearts, and reconciling all their Differences. 
 In the Temples, the two Sexes are feparated, the 
 Men go to the right Hand, and the Women to the 
 left ; And the Males and Females do all place them- 
 felves before the Head, and Mafter or Miftrefs of 
 that Family to which they belong ; fo that thofe 
 v/ho have the Government of them at Home, may 
 fee their Deportment in Publick. And they inter- 
 n\ingle them fo, that the younger and the older 
 may be fet by one another ; for if the younger Sort 
 were all fet together, they would perhaps trifle away 
 
 that 
 
UTOPIA. 131 
 
 that Time too much, in which they ought to beget 
 in themfelves a moft religious Dread of thefupream 
 Being, which is the greatefl, and almoft the only 
 Incitement to Virtue. 
 
 They offer up no living Creature in Sacrifice, nor 
 do thej think it fuitable to the Divine Being, from 
 whofe Bounty it is that thefe Creatures have deriv- 
 ed their Lives, to take Pleafure in their Desth, or 
 the offering up their Blood. They burn Incenfe, 
 and other fweet Odours, and have a great Numbei* 
 of Wax Lights during their Worfhip; not out of a- 
 ny Imagination that fuch Oblations can add any 
 Thing to the Divine Nature, for even Prayers do 
 not that ; but as it is a harmlefs and pure Way of 
 worfhipping God, fo they think thofe fweet Savours 
 and Lights, together with fome other Ceremonies, 
 do, by a fecret and unaccountable Virtue, elevate 
 Men's Souls, and inflame them with more Force 
 and Chearfulnefs during the Divine Worfliip. 
 
 The People appear all in the Temples in white 
 Garments J but the Priefl's Veftments are parti-co. 
 loured ; both the Work and Colours are wonderful : 
 They are made of no rich Materials, for they are 
 nehher embroidered, nor fet with precious Stones, ] - 
 but are compofed of the Plumes of feveral Birds, ) rV 
 laid together withfo much Art, and fo neatly, thati' S^ 
 the true Value of them is far beyond the coftlieft^'^' -^ 
 Materials. They fay, that in the ordering and pla- ' * 
 
 cing thofe Plumes, fome dark Myfleries are repre- W^^'''" 
 fented, which pafs down among their Priefts in afe- ■ ,«>" - 
 cret Tradition concerning them; and that they are ^^ 
 as Hieroglyphicks, putting them in Mind of the 
 Blefhngs that they have received from God, and of 
 their Duties, both to him and to their Neighbours. 
 As foon as the Prieft appears in thofe Ornaments, 
 
 R 2 they 
 
132 Sk THOMAS MORE's 
 
 they all fall proftrate on the Ground, with fo much 
 Reverence and fo deep a Silence, that fuch as look 
 on, cannot but be Ihuck with it, as if it were the 
 Effe6l of the Appearance of a Deity. After they 
 have been for fome Time in this Pofture, they all 
 fland up, upon a Sign given by the Pried, and fing 
 fome Hymns to the Honour of God, fome mufical 
 Inftruments playing all the while. Thefe are quite 
 of another Form than thofe that are ufed among us : 
 But, as many of them are much fweetei- than ours, 
 fo others are not to be compared to thofe that we 
 have. Yet in one Thing they exceed us much, 
 which is, that all their Mufick, both Vocal and In- 
 Itrumental, does fo imitate and exprefs the Paffions, 
 and is fo fitted to the prefent Occafion, whether 
 the Subje6l-matter of the Hymn is chearful, or 
 made to appeafe, or trouble, doleful, or angry ; 
 that the Mufick makes an ImprefHon of that which 
 is reprefented, by which it enters deep into the 
 Hearers, and does very much affedl and kindle 
 them. When this is done, both Priefts and People 
 oifer up very folemn Prayers to God in a fet Form 
 of Words ; and thefe are fo compofed, that whatfo- 
 ever is pronounced by the whole Aflcmbly, may 
 be likewife applied by every Man in particular to 
 his own Condition ; in thefe they acknowledge 
 God to be the Author and Governor of the World, 
 and the Fountain of all the Good that they receive; 
 for which they offer up their Thankfgivings to him; 
 and in particular, they blefs him for his Goodnefs 
 in ordering it fo, that they are born under a Go- 
 vernment that is the happiefl: in the World, and are 
 of a Religion that they hope is the trueft of all o- 
 thers : But if they are miftaken, and if there is ei- 
 ther a better Government, or a Religion more ac- 
 ceptable 
 
UTOPIA. 133 
 
 ceptable to God^ they implore his Goodnefs to let 
 them know it,vowing that they refolve to follow him 
 whitheifoever he leads them : But if their Govern- 
 ment is the beft, and their Religion the trueft, then 
 they pray that he may fortify them in it, and bring 
 all the World, both to the fame Rules of Life, and 
 to the fame Opinions concerning himfelf ; unlefs, 
 according to the Unfearchablenefs of his Mind, he 
 is pleafed with a Variety of Religions. Then they 
 pray that God may give them an eafy PalTage at 
 lafl to himfelf; not prefuming to fet Limits to him, 
 how early or late it fliould be ; but if it may be 
 wiflied for, without derogating from his Supream 
 Authority, they deiire rather to be quickly delive- 
 red, and to go to God, tko' by the terriblefl: Sort 
 of Death, than to be detained long from feeing 
 him, in the moft profperous Courfe of Life poflible. 
 When this Prayer is ended, they all fall down again 
 upon the Ground, and after a little while they rife 
 up, and go home to Dinner ; and fpend the reft of 
 the Day in Diverfion or Military Exercifes. 
 
 Thus have I defcribed to you, as particularly as 
 I could, the Conftitution of that Common-wealth, 
 which I do not only think to be the beft in the 
 World, but to be indeed the only Common- 
 ivealth that truly defcrves that Name. In all 
 other Places, it is vifible, that whereas People ! 
 talk of a Common-ivealth, every Man only feeks 
 his own JVealth ; but there, where no Man has a- 
 ny Property, all Men do zealoully purfue the Good 
 of the Publick : And indeed, it is no wonder to fee 
 Men a6l fo differently, for in other Common- 
 wealths, every Man knows, that unlefs he provides 
 for himfelf, how flourifhing foever the Common- 
 wealth may be, he mult die of Hunger ; fo that he 
 
 fees 
 
i$4 Sir THOMAS MORE's 
 fees the NecefTityof prcferrmg his own Concerns to 
 the Publick ; but in Utopia, where every Man has 
 a Right to every Thing, they do all know, that if 
 care is taken to keep the Publick Stores full, no 
 private Man can want any Thing ; for among them 
 there is no unequal Diftiibution, fo that no Man is 
 poor, nor in any Necefitity ; and tho' no Man has 
 any Thing, yet they are all rich; for what can 
 make a Man fo rich, as to lead a ferene and chear- 
 ful Life, free from Anxieties ; neither apprehend- 
 ing Want himfelf, nor vexed with the endlefs Com- 
 plaints of his Wife ? He is hot afraid of the Mife- 
 ry of his Children, nor is he contriving how to 
 raife a Portion for his Daughters, but is fecure in 
 this, that both he and his Wife, his Children and 
 Grand-Children, to as many Generations as he can 
 fancy, will all live, both plentifully and happily, 
 iince among them there is no Icfs Care taken of 
 thofe who w^ere once engaged in Labour, but grow 
 afterwards unable to follow ir, than there is elfe- 
 where for thefe that . continue Hill at it. I would 
 gladly hear any Man compare the Juftice that is a- 
 mong thein, with that which is among all other 
 Nations; among whom, may I perifli, if I fee any 
 Thing that looks either like Juflicc, or Equity j 
 for what Juflice is there in this, that a Nobleman, 
 a Goldfmith, or a Banquer, or any other Man, that 
 cither does nothing at all, or at befl is employed in 
 Things that are of no Ufe to the Publick, fliould 
 live in great Luxury, and Splendor, upon that 
 which is fo ill acquired ; and a mean Man, a Car- 
 ter, a Smith, or a Ploughman, that works harder, 
 even than the Beafts themfelves, and is employed 
 in Labours that are fo ncceffary, that no Common- 
 wealth could hold out an "i ear to an End without 
 
 them, 
 
UTOPIA. 135 
 
 them, can yet be able to earn fo poor a Livelihood 
 out of it, and muft lead fo miferable a Life in it, 
 that the Beafts Condition is much better than theirs ? 
 For as the Beafts do not work fo conftantly, fo they 
 feed almoft as well, and more pleafantly; and have 
 no Anxiety about that which is to come, whereas 
 thefc Men are deprelTed by a barren and fruitlefs 
 Employment, and are tormented with the Appve- 
 henfions of Want in their old Age ; lince that which 
 they get by their daily Labour, does but maintain 
 them at prefent, and is confumed as faft as it canifis. 
 in ; fo that there is no Overplus left them which 
 they can lay up for old Age. 
 
 Is not that Government both unjuft and ungrate- 
 ful, that is fo prodigal of its Favours, to thofe that 
 are called Gentlemen, or Goldfmiths, or fuch o- 
 thers that are idle, or live either by Flattery, or by 
 contriving the Arts of vain Pleafure ; and on the o- 
 ther Hand, takes no Care of thofe of a meaner Sort, 
 fuch as Ploughmen, Colliers, and Smiths, without 
 whom it could not fubfift : But after the Publick 
 has been ferved by them, and that they come to be 
 opprclTed with Age, Sicknefs, and Want, all their 
 Labours and the Good that they have done is for- 
 gotten ; and all the Recompenfe given them, is, 
 that they are left to die in great Mifery : And the 
 richer Sort af e often endeavouring to bring the Hire 
 of Labourers lower, not only by their fraudulent 
 Pra6lices, but by the Laws which they procure to 
 be made to that Effect : So that tho' it is a Thing 
 moft unjuft in itfelf, to give fuch fmall Rewards to 
 thofe who deferve fo well of the Publick, yet they 
 have given thefe Hardfhips the Name and Colour 
 of Juftice, by procuring Laws to be made for regu- 
 latii:ig it. 
 
 There- 
 
j^6 Sir 1 HOMAS MORE's 
 
 Therefore I mufl: fay, that as I hope for Mercy, 
 I can have no other Notion of all the other Govern- 
 ments that I fee or know, than that they are a Con* 
 fpiracy of the richer Sort, who on Pretence of 
 managing the Publick, do only purfue their private 
 Ends, and devife all the Ways and Arts that they 
 can find out ; firft, that they may, without Danger, 
 preferve all that they have fo ill acquired, and 
 then, that they may engage the poorer Sort to toil 
 and labour for them, at as low Rates as is poflible, 
 and opprefs them as much as they pleafe : And if 
 they can but prevail to get thefe Contrivances ella- 
 bliilied, by the Show of publick Authority, which 
 is confidered as the Reprefentative of the whole 
 People, then they are accounted Laws : And yet thefe 
 wicked Men after they have by a moft infatiable 
 Covetoufnefs, divided that among themfelves, with 
 which all the reft might have been well fupplied, 
 are far from that Happinefs, that is enjoyed among 
 the Utopians : For the Ufe as well as the Defire of 
 Money being extinguijfhed, there is much Anxiety 
 and great Occafions of Mifchief cut off with it : 
 And who does not fee that Frauds, Thefts, Rob- 
 beries, Quarrels, Tumults, Contentions, Seditions, 
 Murders, Treacheries, and Witchcrafts, that are 
 indeed rather puniflied than reftrained by the Seve- 
 rities of Law, would all fall off, if Money were not 
 any more valued by the World ? Mens Fears, So- 
 licitudes, Cares, Labours, and Watchings, would 
 all perifli in the fame Moment, that the Value of 
 Money did fink : Even Poverty itfelf, for the Re- 
 lief of which Money feems moft neceflary, would 
 fall, if there were no Money in the World. And 
 in Order to the apprehending this aright, take one 
 Inftance. 
 
 Confider 
 
UTOPIA. 137 
 
 Confidei* any Year that has been fo unfruitful, 
 that many thoufands have died of Hunger ^ and yet 
 if at the End of that Year a Survey were made of 
 the Granaries of all the rich Men that have hoard- 
 ed up the Corn, it would be found that there was 
 enough among them, to have prevented all that 
 Confumption of Men that perifhed in that Mifcry: 
 And that if it had been diftributcd among them, 
 none would have felt the terrible Eife6ls of that 
 Scarcity ; fo eafy a Thing would it be to fupply 
 all the NeccfTities of Life, if that bleffed Thing cal- 
 led Money^ that is pretended to be invented for 
 procuring it, were not really the only Thing that 
 oblh-u6led it. 
 
 I do not doubt but rich Men are fenfible of this, 
 and that they know well how much a greater Hap- 
 pinefs it were to want nothing that were neceffary, 
 than to abound in many Superfluities ; and to be re- 
 fcued out of fo much Mifery, than to abound with 
 fo much Wealth: And I cuunor ihink but the Senfe 
 of every Man's Intereft, and the Authority of 
 Chrift's Commands, who. as he was infinitely wife, 
 and fo knew what was beft, fo was no lefs good in 
 difcovering it to us, would have drawn all the 
 World over to the Laws of the Utopians^ if Pride^ 
 that Plague of human Nature, that is the Source of 
 fo much Mifery, did not hinder it ; which does not 
 meafure Happinefs fo much by its own Conveni- 
 ences, as by the Miferies of others ; and would 
 not be fatisfied with being thought a Goddefs, if 
 none were left that were miferable, over whom fhe 
 might infult; and thinks its own Happinefs fhines 
 the brighter, by comparing it with the Misfortunes 
 of other Perfons ; that fo by difplaying its own 
 Wealth, they may feel their Poverty the more fen- 
 
 S fibly. 
 
138 Sh- THOMAS MOREh 
 
 fibly. This is that infernal Serpent that creeps in- 
 to the Breads of Mortals, and pofFefles them too 
 much to be eafily drawn out : And therefore I am 
 glad that the Utopians have fallen upon this Form 
 of Government, in which I wifh that all the World 
 could be fo wife as to imitate them : For they have 
 indeed laid down fuch a Scheme and Foundation of 
 Policy, that as Men live happy under it, fo it is 
 hke to be of great Continuance : For thev having 
 rooted out of the Minds of their People, all the 
 feeds, both of Ambition and Fa6lion, there is no 
 Danger of any Commotions at Home : Which alone 
 has been the Ruin of many States, that feemed o- 
 therwife to be well fecured ; but as long as they 
 live in Peace at Home, and are governed by fuch 
 good Laws, the Envy of all their neighbouring 
 Princes, who have often attempted their Ruin, but 
 in vain, will never be able to put their State into a- 
 ny Commotion or Diforder. 
 
 When Raphael had thus made an End of fpeak- 
 ing, tho' many Things occurred to me, both con- 
 cerning the Manners and Laws of that People, that 
 feemed very abfurd, as well in their Way of mak- 
 ing War, as in their Notions of Religion, and di- 
 vine Matters; together with feveral other Particu- 
 lars, but chiefly that which feemed the Foundation 
 of all the reft, their living in common, without any 
 Ufe of Mone}?-, by which all Nobility, Magnifi- 
 cence, Splendour and Majefly; which, according 
 to the common Opinion, are the true Ornaments of 
 a Nation, would be quite taken away; yet fince I 
 perceived that Raphael was weary, and I was not 
 lure whether he could eafily bear Contradi»51:ion in 
 thefe Matters, remembring that he had taken notice 
 of fomCjWho feemed to think that they were bound 
 
 in 
 
UTOPIA. 159 
 
 in Honour for fupporting the Credit of their own 
 Wifdom, to find out feme Matter of Cenfure in all 
 other Men's Inventions, befides their own ; there- 
 fore, I only commended their Conftitution, and the 
 Account he had given of it in general ; and fo ta- 
 king him by the Hand, I carried him to Supper, 
 and told him I would find out fome other Time for 
 examining that Matter more particularly, and for 
 difcGurfmg more copiouily concerning it; for which 
 I wifh I may find a good Opportunity. In the 
 mean while, tho' I cannot perfe^Iy agree to every 
 Thing that was related by Raphael, yet there are 
 many Things in the Common-wealth of Utopia^ 
 that I rather wifli than hope to fee followed in ouc 
 Governments ; tho' it muft be confefled, that he is 
 both a very learned Man, and has had a great Prac- 
 tice ia the World. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 THERE is intended for the Prefs, 
 Sir r HO MAS M R E's 
 
 Familiar Letters ; to which will be prefixed, 
 the moft memorable Occurrences of his Life. 
 
^^L Ou-v