A Course of Legal Study Author:David Hoffman Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: What has been there advanced in praise of the excellence and value of the treatise of "Morals," may with perhaps additional propriety be extended to the work on ... more »"Politicks," as it is a production which most persons will unite with Dr. Taylor in pronouncing "One of the most sterling among the works of antiquity, and a most inexhaustible treasure to the statesman, the lawyer, and the philosopher." Mr. Locke, in a letter to Mr. King, who had requested his opinion as to a plan of reading on morality and politicks, remarks that "to proceed orderly in this, the foundation should be laid in inquiring into the ground and nature of civil society, and how it is formed into different models of government, and what are the several species of it. In this science, Aristotle is allowed to be a master; and few enter into this consideration of government without reading his 'Politicks.' " In order to give the student a previous idea of the valuable contents of this work, we shall, in as brief a manner as possible, exhibit a summary of it, differently and more extensively stated by Dr. Gillies in his introductions. The truly zealous and inquiring student would not desire such previous tastes, in order to stimulate or provoke his appetite to a more ample repast: but as every one is not possessed with an ardent thirst after knowledge, provocatives are often necessary. Under the influence of this sentiment is it that we extend this note, and shall in many instances dwell on the nature, contents, and merits of works, longer than may appear requisite. Vide Taylor's Civil Law, 342. In the First Book of the ''Politicks," the student will meet with a succinct and rational account of the origin of society and government, and of the distinction of ranks; and an inquiry into the most approved syste...« less