TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT by Locke, John - 1728: In the Former, The false Principles and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer, And his Followers, are detected and Overthrown. The Latter, is an Essay concerning the True Original, Extent, and End of Civil Government.

London: Printed for A. Bettesworth, J. Pemberton, and E. Symon, 1728. 5th edition (1728). Leather. Very Good. 5th edition, 1728. A Very Good copy. 8vo., (vi), 308, (IV) pp. Bound in period, early 18th century full leather, with title on red morocco label on the spine. Spine simply decorated with double lined compartments. Light edge wear, strong joints/hinges. The rear board has a small area that may have been a removed ownership name. Very early owner's name in a sophisticated hand on the front end paper. Occasional light browning, mostly restricted to the preliminary pages. A few pages dog-eared. Still, a very handsome copy. *** **** Originally published in 1689 as a refutation of Filmer's Patriarcha, which defended the 'divine right of Kings', Locke's work did not attract a lot of attention until the middle of the 18th century. It was during the Stamp Act debates of the 1760's that the colonial defenders referred to Locke, and his premises of 'State of Nature', 'Slavery', 'Property', 'Representative Government', and 'Right of Revolution' were invoked and gained a wider, friendlier reception. ***. Two Treatises was first published, anonymously, in December 1689 (following printing conventions of the time, its title page was marked 1690). Locke was unhappy with this edition, complaining to the publisher about its many errors. For the rest of his life, he was intent on republishing the Two Treatises in a form that better reflected his meaning. The 4th edition was the last edition corrected by Locke, and published shortly after his death.