father. But apart from all these considerations, it would not occur to any modern man outside
Japan to suppose that political power should be in any way assimilated to that of parents over
children. In Japan, it is true, a theory closely similar to Filmer's is still held, and must be taught by
all professors and school-teachers. The Mikado can trace his descent from the Sun Goddess,
whose heir he is; other Japanese are also descended from her, but belong to cadet branches of her
family. Therefore the Mikado is divine, and all resistance to him is impious. This theory was, in
the main, invented in 1868, but is now alleged in Japan to have been handed down by tradition
ever since the creation of the world.
The attempt to impose a similar theory upon Europe--of which attempt Filmer Patriarcha is part--
was a failure. Why? The acceptance of such a theory is in no way repugnant to human nature; for
example, it was held, apart from Japan, by the ancient Egyptians, and by the Mexicans and
Peruvians before the Spanish conquest. At a certain stage of human development it is natural.
Stuart England had passed this stage, but modern Japan has not.
The defeat of theories of divine right, in England, was due to two main causes. One was the
multiplicity of religions; the other was the conflict for power between the monarchy, the
aristocracy, and the higher bourgeoisie. As for religion: the king, since the reign of Henry VIII,
was the head of the Church of England, which was opposed both to Rome and to most of the
Protestant sects. The Church of England boasted of being a compromise: the Preface to the
Authorized Version begins "it hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, ever since the first
compiling of her public liturgy, to keep the mean between two extremes." On the whole this
compromise suited most people. Queen Mary and King James II tried to drag the country over to
Rome, and the victors in the Civil War tried to drag it over to Geneva, but these attempts failed,
and after 1688 the power of the Church of England was unchallenged. Nevertheless, its opponents
survived. The Nonconformists, especially, were vigorous men, and were numerous among the rich
merchants and bankers whose power was continually increasing.
The theological position of the king was somewhat peculiar, for he was not only head of the
Church of England, but also of the Church of Scotland. In England, he had to believe in bishops
and reject Cal.