man.

13.

states, there is

against every

live without a common power to keep them all in PART t. awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war, as is of every man, against every Out of civil For WAR, consisteth not in battle only, or always war of the act of fighting; but in a tract of time, wherein every one the will to contend by battle is sufficiently known : one. and therefore the notion of time, is to be considered in the nature of war; as it is in the nature of weather. For as the nature of foul weather, lieth not in a shower or two of rain; but in an inclination thereto of many days together: so the nature of war, consisteth not in actual fighting; but in the known disposition thereto, during all the time there is no assurance to the contrary. All other time is

PEACE.

dities of such

Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of The incommo war, where every man is enemy to every man; the a war. same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

It may seem strange to some man, that has not well weighed these things; that nature should thus dissociate, and render men apt to invade, and de

VOL. III.

I

13.

dities of such a

war.

PART I. stroy one another: and he may therefore, not trusting to this inference, made from the passions, The incommo- desire perhaps to have the same confirmed by experience. Let him therefore consider with himself, when taking a journey, he arms himself, and seeks to go well accompanied; when going to sleep, he locks his doors; when even in his house he locks his chests; and this when he knows there be laws, and public officers, armed, to revenge all injuries shall be done him; what opinion he has of his fellow-subjects, when he rides armed; of his fellow citizens, when he locks his doors; and of his children, and servants, when he locks his chests. Does he not there as much accuse mankind by his actions, as I do by my words? But neither of us accuse man's nature in it. The desires, and other passions of man, are in themselves no sin. No more are the actions, that proceed from those passions, till they know a law that forbids them: which till laws be made they cannot know: nor can any law be made, till they have agreed upon the person that shall make it.

so now.

It may peradventure be thought, there was never such a time, nor condition of war as this; and I believe it was never generally so, over all the world but there are many places, where they live For the savage people in many places of America, except the government of small families, the concord whereof dependeth on natural lust, have no government at all; and live at this day in that brutish manner, as I said before. Howsoever, it may be perceived what manner of life there would be, where there were no common power to fear, by the manner of life, which men that have

formerly lived under a peaceful government, use to degenerate into, in a civil war.

But though there had never been any time, wherein particular men were in a condition of war one against another; yet in all times, kings, and persons of sovereign authority, because of their independency, are in continual jealousies, and in the state and posture of gladiators; having their weapons pointing, and their eyes fixed on one another; that is, their forts, garrisons, and guns upon the frontiers of their kingdoms; and continual spies upon their neighbours; which is a posture of war. But because they uphold thereby, the industry of their subjects; there does not follow from it, that misery, which accompanies the liberty of par ticular men.

PART I.

13.

war nothing

To this war of every man, against every man, In such a this also is consequent; that nothing can be unjust. is unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice

have there no place.
power, there is no law:
Force, and fraud, are in
tues. Justice, and injustice are none of the facul-
ties neither of the body, nor mind. If they were,
they might be in a man that were alone in the
world, as well as his senses, and passions. They
are qualities, that relate to men in society, not in
solitude. It is consequent also to the same condi-
tion, that there be no propriety, no dominion, no
mine and thine distinct; but only that to be every
man's, that he can get; and for so long, as he
can keep it. And thus much for the ill condi-
tion, which man by mere nature is actually placed
in; though with a possibility to come out of it,

Where there is no common
where no law, no injustice.
war the two cardinal vir-

PART I. consisting partly in the passions, partly in his

13.

The passions that incline

men to peace.

reason.

The passions that incline men to peace, are fear of death; desire of such things as are necessary to commodious living; and a hope by their industry to obtain them. And reason suggesteth convenient articles of peace, upon which men may be drawn to agreement. These articles, are they, which otherwise are called the Laws of Nature: whereof I shall speak more particularly, in the two following chapters.

what.

CHAPTER XIV.

OF THE FIRST AND SECOND NATURAL LAWS, AND
OF CONTRACTS.

Right of nature THE right of natuRE, which writers commonly call jus naturale, is the liberty each man hath, to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life; and consequently, of doing any thing, which in his own judgment, and reason, he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto.

Liberty what.

By LIBERTY, is understood, according to the proper signification of the word, the absence of external impediments: which impediments, may oft take away part of a man's power to do what he would; but cannot hinder him from using the power left him, according as his judgment, and reason shall dictate to him.

A LAW OF NATURE, lex naturalis, is a precept or general rule, found out by reason, by which a

14.

man is forbidden to do that, which is destructive PART I. of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same; and to omit that, by which he thinketh it may be best preserved. For though they that speak of this subject, use to confound jus, and lex, right and law: yet they ought to be distinguished; because RIGHT, consisteth in liberty to do, or to Difference of right and law. forbear; whereas LAW, determineth, and bindeth to one of them so that law, and right, differ as much, as obligation, and liberty; which in one and the same matter are inconsistent.

every man

And because the condition of man, as hath been Naturally declared in the precedent chapter, is a condition of has right to war of every one against every one; in which case every thing. every one is governed by his own reason; and there is nothing he can make use of, that may not be a help unto him, in preserving his life against his enemies; it followeth, that in such a condition, every man has a right to every thing; even to one another's body. And therefore, as long as this natural right of every man to every thing endureth, there can be no security to any man, how strong or wise soever he be, of living out the time, which nature ordinarily alloweth men to live. And consequently it is a precept, or general rule of reason, that every man, ought to endeavour peace, as far The fundamen as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he can- ture. not obtain it, that he may seek, and use, all helps, and advantages of war. The first branch of which rule, containeth the first, and fundamental law of nature; which is, to seek peace, and follow it. The second, the sum of the right of nature; which is, by all means we can, to defend ourselves.

From this fundamental law of nature, by which

tal law of na