THE PEOPLE is a beast of muddy brain
That knows not its own
Loaded with wood and stone; the powerless hands
Of a mere child guide it with bit and rein;
One kick would be enough to break the chain,
But the beast fears, and what the child demands
It
Confused and stupefied by bugbears vain.
Most wonderful! With its own
And gags itself—gives itself death and war
For pence doled out by kings from its own store.
Its own are all things between earth and heaven;
But this it knows not
To tell this truth, it kills him unforgiven.
~ Tomasso Campanella (1568-1639)