Construiu Calcedônia, tendo a costa de Bizâncio diante dos olhos

A Oceana, de Harrington à Montesquieu

Abstract

“Harrington, in his Oceana, has also examined the furthest point of liberty to which the constitution of a state can be carried. But of him it can be said that he sought this liberty only after misunderstanding it, and that he built Chalcedon with the coast of Byzantium before his eyes” (The spirit of the laws, XI, 6). This paper will highlight Montesquieu’s enigmatic sentence considering his theory of English republicanism and the role granted to the House of Lords. To him, Harrington neglects the true conditions of a free regime, including the Englis national spirit partly forged by their ancient Constitution and Feudal Law. Nonetheless, Montesquieu’ powerful critique didn’t outcast Harrington’s republicanismo nor his theory of freedom. His rehabilitation by certain members of the Club des Cordeliers during the French Revolution must be recalled in this respect.

Keywords: Harrington. Oceana. Montesquieu. Republicanism.