论共和国的改进

简介

The first edition, printed in Kraków in 1551, contained only the books on morals, laws and war; the books on the Church and the school were held back by church censorship, and the complete work in five books appeared in Basel in 1554. The book on morals asks for virtuous rulers and officials, the book on laws for one law and equal penalties for all estates, the book on war for peace and arbitration among states. The book on the Church proposes reform through councils with lay participation and a national synod; the book on the school calls for public education of future citizens. Cyprian Bazylik’s Polish translation (1577) spread the work beyond readers of Latin. It is now read as a central document of Polish Renaissance political thought and of early European debates on equality before the law.