Synthesized answer
The lost middle papers of "The Second Treatise of Government" are described as being "more than all the rest" and were intended to fill the middle section of Locke's work [1], [5]. Locke suggests that if the remaining papers are sufficiently convincing, their absence may not be greatly missed by the reader, and he expresses no inclination to repeat the effort of refuting Sir Robert Filmer's arguments within those lost sections [1].
The passages indicate that the lost papers contained a detailed refutation of Sir Robert Filmer [1]. Specifically, they aimed to establish a different "original of political power, and another way of designing and knowing the persons that have it, than what Sir Robert Filmer hath taught us" [2], [3]. Their rediscovery would likely deepen our understanding of the full scope of Filmer's system that Locke sought to overcome and the extent of his refutation, as Locke implies he would not trace Filmer's "windings and obscurities" again if the remaining work was adequate [1]. However, the passages do not detail the specific arguments Locke would have made in the lost papers or how their content might alter or deepen specific arguments in the "Second…
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From the book
the papers that should have filled up the middle, and were more than all the rest, it is not worth while to tell thee. These, which remain, I hope are sufficient to establish the throne of our great restorer, our present King William; to make good his title, in the consent of the people, which being the only one of all lawful governments, he has more fully and clearly, than any prince in Christendom; and to justify to the world the people of England, whose love of their just and natural rights, with their resolution to preserve them, saved the nation when it was on the very brink of…
nal of political power, and another way of designing and knowing the persons that have it, than what Sir Robert Filmer hath taught us.
That if even that had been determined, yet the knowledge of which is the eldest line of Adam’s posterity, being so long since utterly lost, that in the races of mankind and families of the world, there remains not to one above another, the least pretence to be the eldest house, and to have the right of inheritance: All these premises having, as I think, been clearly made out, it is impossible that the rulers now on earth should make any benefit, or derive any the least shadow of authority from that, which is held to be the fountain of all power, Adam’s private dominion and…
who, by crying up his books, and espousing his doctrine, save me from the reproach of writing against a dead adversary. They have been so zealous in this point, that, if I have done him any wrong, I cannot hope they should spare me. I wish, where they have done the truth and the public wrong, they would be as ready to redress it, and allow its just weight to this reflection, viz. that there cannot be done a greater mischief to prince and people, than the propagating wrong notions concerning government; that so at last all times might not have reason to complain of the Drum…
LY, R. WITHY, C. AND R. WARE, S. BAKER, T. PAYNE, A. SHUCKBURGH, 1. HINXMAN MDCCLXIII TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT. IN THE FORMER THE FALSE PRINCIPLES AND FOUNDATION OF SIR ROBERT FILMER AND HIS FOLLOWERS ARE DETECTED AND OVERTHROWN. THE LATTER IS AN ESSAY CONCERNING THE TRUE ORIGINAL EXTENT AND END OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 1764 EDITOR’S NOTE The present Edition of this Book has not only been collated with the first three Editions, which were published during the Author’s Life, but also has the Advantage of his last Corrections and Improvements, from a Copy delivered by him to Mr.…
More questions about this book
- Locke explicitly states his purpose is to "establish the throne of our great restorer, our present King William; to make good his title, in the consent of the people." Explain how this immediate political agenda might shape the *types* of philosophical arguments Locke presents about the "true original extent and end of Civil Government," and what implications this has for the universal applicability of his theories.
- The preface mentions the English people "saved the nation when it was on the very brink of slavery and ruin." Without reading the core arguments of the Treatise, what fundamental assumptions about the nature of power, individual liberty, and the ultimate purpose of government can you infer Locke already holds, simply from this strong assertion?
- The title page states the work "DETECTED AND OVERTHROWN" the "FALSE PRINCIPLES AND FOUNDATION OF SIR ROBERT FILMER." Based solely on Locke's stated justification for King William's rule through "the consent of the people," how would you hypothesize the core difference between Filmer's "false principles" and Locke's "true original extent and end of Civil Government"?
- The text details various editions, collations, and Locke's "last Corrections and Improvements." How do these textual history details influence our approach to interpreting Locke's work, and what specific questions might a scholar ask about the evolution or stability of Locke's ideas given the existence of multiple authoritative versions?