This book contains the treatise, The Patriot King a short essay written in 1738 by the prominent Tory politician and orator Henry St John, Viscount Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke’s treatise describes an ideal type of kingship, whereby the king would do away with party-politics, placing himself above politicking and squabbles and only selecting those who were best-suited for the job to govern. The king would rule the nation as a father, serving the best interests of his people.

The essay came to influence the philosophy of young George III in the early years of his reign. The French philosopher Voltaire also adopted some of the themes into his own works, which, in turn, inspired the Founding Fathers of the United States in their attempts to form a representative government after the American War of Independence.