"God leaves to Man the choice of Forms in Government; and those who constitute one Form, may abrogate it"

Algernon Sydney’s assertion reflects the foundational idea that political authority and governmental structure are not divinely mandated in their specifics but are instead products of human deliberation and choice. According to Sydney, God does not prescribe a singular, immutable form of government to mankind; rather, the responsibility and liberty to design, adopt, and even alter systems of governance rest squarely on the shoulders of the people. This view stands in sharp contrast to divine right theories, which claimed that monarchs and their particular governmental institutions had a sacred, unchangeable foundation.

The reference to “Man” emphasizes collective human agency, the idea that the legitimacy of any government is derived from the governed, not imposed from an unquestionable, sacred authority. Government forms are understood as constructs, responsive to the needs, values, and contexts of the societies that create them. Therefore, no form, monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy, is permanent or above critique or change. The phrase “those who constitute one Form, may abrogate it” underlines the inherent right of people to dissolve or reform political arrangements that no longer serve their purposes, highlighting both the principle of popular sovereignty and the mutability of human institutions.

Sydney’s perspective is notably forward-thinking for its time, providing a philosophical groundwork for subsequent democratic revolutions. It instills the notion that governmental legitimacy is conditional and revocable, and that it is not only the right but also the duty of citizens to reevaluate political structures as circumstances evolve. This perspective directly opposed absolutist and hereditary rule, contributing intellectual ammunition for later advocates of freedom, equality, and the right to revolution.

Thus, governance is depicted as an adaptable construct, subject to human wisdom and will, and fundamentally accountable to the people whose lives are shaped by its existence and operation.