The Complaint Of Peace, To Which Is Added, Antipolemus: Or The Plea Of Reason, Religion, And Humanity, Against War (1813)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1813 Excerpt: ... more necessary to us than life, or what do all men value at a higher rate yet even this, men will throw away through their desire after money 1" "It is but a trilling matter that such wretches sell their own death for money, if they did not by the very act, and at the same time, sell the death of innocent men; and they are the more detestable than the common hangman, in proportion, as it is worse to kill a man without any reason at all, than to execute a condemned malefactor. Thus Antisthenes has said, that common executioners-are more respectable characters than despots, inasmuch as executioners put the guilty to death, while th« despots shed innocent blood." Grotius-s note upon this passage is the following quotation from Seneca: " Hoc vero quid aliud quis dixerit quam insaniam? circumfere pericula, et ruere in ignotos,iratum sine injuria, occurentia devastantem, ac ferarum more occidere quern non oderis. "What can one call this but madness? to carry mischief ubout us wherever we go, to fall violently upon people, whom we know nothing of, to be in at great rage without the least provocation, to destroy every thing that comes in our way; and like so many wild beasts, to murder a man that we have no sort of dislike to." Seneca, the poor Heathen. The following observations of Solinus in natural history, has been transferred, with just satire,to political and ecclesiastical characters: "Invalidum ursis caput, vis maxima in hrachiis et in Iumbis. "Bears have but weak heads; their chief strength lies in thvir fore paw s and in their loins," This may be applied to most of those modern despots, who delight in war: "Men will compel others (not to think with them, for that is impossible, but) to say they do; upon which they obtain full leave not to think or re...