1663 and 1789

 

 

Letter from George Washington to Eléonor François Élie, Comte de Moustier (May 25, 1789), in 30 The Writings of George Washington 333, 334 (John C. Fitzpatrick ed., 1939):

 

The impossibility that one man should be able to perform all the great business of the State, I take to have been the reason for instituting the great Departments, and appointing officers therein, to assist the supreme Magistrate in discharging the duties of his trust.

 

Huang Zongxi, Waiting for the Dawn: A Plan for the Prince (1663):

 

The rationale for public officials lies in the fact that the empire is too big for one man [that is, the emperor] to govern and that it is necessary [for him] to share the work with others. Therefore, when I come to serve, it is for the sake of the whole empire and not just the ruler. (reported in: Michael Wood, Story of China 303 (2020))

Seth Barrett Tillman, 1663 and 1789, New Reform Club (Mar. 10, 2023, 7:34 AM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2023/03/1663-and-1789.html>;