He, therefore, who may resist must be
allowed to strike. And then let our author, or anybody else, join a
knock on the head or a cut on the face with as much reverence and
respect as he thinks fit. He that can reconcile blows and reverence
may, for aught I know, deserve for his pains a civil, respectful
cudgelling wherever he can meet with it.
Secondly. As to his second- "An inferior cannot punish a
superior"- that is true, generally speaking, whilst he is his
superior. But to resist force with force, being the state of war
that levels the parties, cancels all former relation of reverence,
respect, and superiority; and then the odds that remains is- that he
who opposes the unjust aggressor has this superiority over him, that
he has a right, when he prevails, to punish the offender, both for the
breach of the peace and all the evils that followed upon it.
Barclay, therefore, in another place, more coherently to himself,
denies it to be lawful to resist a king in any case. But he there
assigns two cases whereby a king may unking himself. His words are:
"Quid ergo, nulline casus incidere possunt quibus populo sese
erigere atque in regem impotentius dominantem arma capere et
invadere jure suo suaque authoritate liceat? Nulli certe quamdiu rex
manet.
Pages:
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220