Part III:
Justice and Laws
Document 6
| Written circa 1569 on the administering of justice by the lords of Venice: ". . . the Councils are the best of all the tribunals [courts of justice], because so many people take part in them and the cases are minutely discussed, and so they arrive at good and praiseworthy judgements" (Relatione di Venetia divisa in tre parti, qtd. in Chambers and Pullan 102). |
Document 7
| Luigi Da Porto, in a letter dated 1 October 1509: "It was said that in past days there had been some murmuring by the popolani (literally, 'men of the people') against the nobles, the former complaining that very soon, for reason of war, it would be needful for them to pay many taxes, tenths and other imposts, without participating to any degree in the governing of the state; and so they were saying that these nobles, receiving from the war all the honour and the benefit, should sustain all its expenses" (qtd in Chambers and Pullan 269). |
Document 8
| From Utopia: ". . . it [is] right to keep one's promises in private life, and also to obey public laws for regulating the distribution of 'good'-by which I mean the raw materials of pleasure-provided such laws have been properly made by a wise ruler, or passed by common consent of a whole population, which has not been subjected to any form of violence or deception" (More 92). |
Questions to discuss:
- In document 6, why are more people to judge the case better?
- What is the modern equivalent of many people doing the judging?
- Do you think defendants today receive the same benefits as they did in the Councils? Why or why not?
- Document 7 is an early complaint about taxation without representation. Are the popolani justified in their complaint? Why or why not?
- Is there any aspect of war that the popolani have failed to consider? What is it?
- What do you think the people should do when they think they will not benefit from a war?
- In document 8, what are some forms of "violence or deception" that could influence a populace to consent to an unjust public law?
- What do you think Thomas More means by "the raw materials of pleasure"? (Hint: this term relates to basic human needs, rather than satisfying passions.)
- What are some "good" things that are distributed by law in America?
Please re-evaluate your questions and answers about the good citizen. Add your new thoughts and cross off any ideas that no longer seem correct.
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