11 - JAMES OF VITERBO: Is It Better to Be Ruled by the Best Man than by the Best Laws?

Summary

Introduction

(For information on James of Viterbo's life and writings, see the introduction to Translation 7.)

Giles of Rome, Peter of Auvergne, Henry of Ghent, and Godfrey of Fontaines all used Book III of the Politics to highlight the importance of Aristotle's discussion of the relative merits of rule by a good man and rule by good laws. For Giles and Peter, the goal seems to have been to accommodate the Philosopher's views on the collective wisdom of the multitude, on the merits of election and consent, and on the nature of law as pure reason unaffected by passion, but without allowing these views to impugn the status of kingship as the best form of government. In the case of Giles of Rome, writing a treatise for the future king of France, the motivation is clear enough; in the case of Peter of Auvergne, it is more problematic, especially given his own contribution to the debate over taxation in 1298. For Henry of Ghent, however, and for Godfrey of Fontaines, the agenda was more radical. Spurred on by their discontent with the papal bull Ad fructus uberes as well as by repeated papal and royal demands for taxation, Henry and, above all, Godfrey used Book III of the Politics to emphasize the critical importance of the consent and counsel of wise and prudent members of the community. This was the means of securing the common good of the political community in a world where rulers could not always be given the benefit of the doubt.