Monarchia (I, v, 1-10)

(1) Resumens igitur quod a principio dicebatur, tria maxime dubitantur et dubitata queruntur circa Monarchiam temporalem, que comuniori vocabulo nuncupatur 'Imperium' ; et de hiis, ut predictum est, propositum est sub assignato principio inquisitionem facere secundum iam tactum ordinem. (1) Returning then to the point made at the beginning, there are three main points of inquiry concerning temporal monarchy (or empire as it is more commonly called) which have given rise to and continue to give rise to perplexity; and as we have already said, it is our intention to investigate these questions in the order in which we set them out and taking the principle we have just established as our starting-point.
(2) Itaque prima questio sit: utrum ad bene esse mundi Monarchia temporalis necessaria sit. Hoc equidem, nulla vi rationis vel auctoritatis obstante, potissimis et patentissimis argumentis ostendi potest, quorum primum ab autoritate Phylosophi assummatur de suis Politicis. (2) So the first question is this: is temporal monarchy necessary for the well-being of the world? That it is necessary can be shown with powerful and persuasive arguments, and neither reason nor authority provides any strong counter-argument. The first of these arguments may be taken from the authority of Aristotle in his Politics.
(3) Asserit enim ibi venerabilis eius autoritas quod, quando aliqua plura ordinantur ad unum, oportet unum eorum regulare seu regere, alia vero regulari seu regi; quod quidem non solum gloriosum nomen autoris facit esse credendum, sed ratio inductiva. (3) Now this revered authority states in that work that when a number of things are ordered to a single end, one of them must guide or direct, and the others be guided or directed; and it is not only the authors illustrious name which requires us to believe this, but inductive reasoning as well.
(4) Si enim consideremus unum hominem, hoc in eo contingere videbimus, quia, cum omnes vires eius ordinentur ad felicitatem, vis ipsa intellectualis est regulatrix et rectrix omnium aliarum: aliter ad felicitatem pervenire non potest. (4) For if we consider a single person, we shall see that what happens in the individual is this: while all the faculties are directed towards happiness, it is the intellectual faculty which guides and directs all the others; otherwise happiness is unattainable.
(5) Si consideremus unam domum, cuius finis est domesticos ad bene vivere preparare, unum oportet esse qui regulet et regat, quem dicunt patremfamilias, vel eius locum tenentem, iuxta dicentem Phylosophum: «Omnis domus regitur a senissimo»; et huius, ut ait Homerus, est regulare omnes et leges imponere aliis. Propter quod proverbialiter dicitur illa maledictio: «Parem habeas in domo». (5) If we consider a household, whose purpose is to prepare its members to live the good life, there must be one person who guides and directs, who is called the "pater familias" or his representative, in line with Aristotle's observation that "Every household is governed by the eldest"; and his role, as Homer says, is to guide everyone and impose rules on the others. Hence the proverbial curse: "May you have an equal in your house".
(6) Si consideremus vicum unum, cuius finis est commoda tam personarum quam rerum auxiliatio, unum oportet esse aliorum regulatorem, vel datum ab alio vel ex ipsis preheminentem consentientibus aliis; aliter ad illam mutuam sufficientiam non solum non pertingitur, sed aliquando, pluribus preheminere volentibus, vicinia tota destruitur. (6) If we consider a small community, whose purpose is neighbourly support in relation both to people and to goods, there must be one person who guides the others, either appointed by someone from outside or emerging as leader from among their number with the agreement of the others; otherwise not only will they fail to achieve that neighbourly collaboration, but sometimes, if a number of people contest the leadership, the whole community is destroyed.
(7) Si vero unam civitatem, cuius finis est bene sufficienterque vivere, unum oportet esse regimen, et hoc non solum in recta politia, sed etiam in obliqua; quod si aliter fiat, non solum finis vite civilis amictitur, sed etiam civitas desinit esse quod erat. (7) If we consider a city, whose purpose is to be self-sufficient in living the good life, there must be one ruling body, and this is so not only in just government, but in perverted forms of government as well; if this should not be the case, not only is the purpose of social life thwarted, but the city itself ceases to be what it was.
(8) Si denique unum regnum particulare, cuius finis est is qui civitatis cum maiori fiducia sue tranquillitatis, oportet esse regem unum qui regat atque gubernet; aliter non modo existentes in regno finem non assecuntur, sed etiam regnum in interitum labitur, iuxta illud infallibilis Veritatis: «Omne regnum in se divisum desolabitur». (8) Lastly, if we consider an individual kingdom - and the purpose of a kingdom is the same as that of a city, but with greater confidence that peace can be maintained - there must be one king who rules and governs; otherwise not only do those who live in the kingdom not achieve that purpose, but the kingdom itself falls to ruin, in accordance with those words of the infallible Truth: "Every kingdom divided against itself shall be laid waste".
(9) Si ergo sic se habet in hiis et in singulis que ad unum aliquod ordinantur, verum est quod assummitur supra; nunc constat quod totum humanum genus ordinatur ad unum, ut iam preostensum fuit; ergo unum oportet esse regulans sive regens, et hoc 'Monarcha' sive 'Imperator' dici debet. (9) If this holds true in these cases and in individuals who are ordered to one particular goal, then the proposition advanced above is true; now it is agreed that the whole of mankind is ordered to one goal, as has already been demonstrated: there must therefore be one person who directs and rules mankind, and he is properly called "Monarch" or "Emperor".
(10) Et sic patet quod ad bene esse mundi necesse est Monarchiam esse sive Imperium. (10) And thus it is apparent that the well-being of the world requires that there be a monarchy or empire.