ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an account, by the Japanese travellers, of the arrangements and customs of Europeans with regard to the administration of kingdoms and republics. Valignano gives an idealized account of the political, juridical and social structures of contemporary Europe. Nevertheless, the account reflects a number of common assumptions in Jesuit political thought. Firstly, ‘the people’ were the authors of the leges regiae or fundamental laws of a polity. Laws were not imposed by a ruler and the ruler was not above the laws. Nor were the laws derived from God directly. Secondly, while recognizing the diversity of political institutions in states, the Jesuits had a preference for monarchy, but not, of course, unfettered monarchy or tyranny. Monarchy was the most efficient agency through which to apply and enforce laws. Thirdly, the Jesuits believed in hierarchy, the preservation of which helped ensure stability and a well-functioning polity.
