liberty-第1章

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De　Cive

Liberty

by　Thomas　Hobbes

1651





Philosophicall　Rudiments　Concerning　Government　and　Society。　Or；　A　Dissertation　Concerning　Man　in　his　severall　habitudes　and　respects；　as　the　Member　of　a　Society；　first　Secular；　and　then　Sacred。　Containing　The　Elements　of　Civill　Politie　in　the　Agreement　which　it　hath　both　with　Naturall　and　Divine　Lawes。　In　which　is　demonstrated；　Both　what　the　Origine　of　Justice　is；　and　wherein　the　Essence　of　Christian　Religion　doth　consist。　Together　with　The　Nature；　Limits　and　Qualifications　both　of　Regiment　and　Subjection。

By　Tho：　Hobbes。

London；　Printed　by　J。C。　for　R。　Royston；　at　the　Angel　in　Ivie…Lane。　1651。

To　the　Right　Honourable；　William；　Earle　of　Devonshire；　My　most　honoured　Lord

May　it　please　your　Lordship；

　　　　It　was　the　speech　of　the　Roman　people　（to　whom　the　name　of　King　had　been　render'd　odious；　as　well　by　the　tyrannie　of　the　Tarquins；　as　by　the　Genius　and　Decretals　of　that　City）　'Twas　the　speech　I　say　of　the　publick；　however　pronounced　from　a　private　mouth；　（if　yet　Cato　the　Censor　were　no　more　then　such）　That　all　Kings　are　to　be　reckon'd　amongst　ravenous　Beasts。　But　what　a　Beast　of　prey　was　the　Roman　people；　whilst　with　its　conquering　Eagles　it　erected　its　proud　Trophees　so　far　and　wide　over　the　world；　bringing　the　Africans；　the　Asiaticks；　the　Macedonians；　and　the　Achaeans；　with　many　other　despoyled　Nations；　into　a　specious　bondage；　with　the　pretence　of　preferring　them　to　be　Denizons　of　Rome？　So　that　if　Cato's　saying　were　a　wise　one；　'twas　every　whit　as　wise　that　of　pontius　Telesinus；　who　flying　about　with　open　mouth　through　all　the　Companies　of　his　Army；　（in　that　famous　encounter　which　he　had　with　Sylla）　cryed　out；　That　Rome　her　selfe；　as　well　as　Sylla；　was　to　be　raz'd；　for　that　there　would　alwayes　be　Wolves　and　Depraedatours　of　their　Liberty；　unlesse　the　Forrest　that　lodg'd　them　were　grubb'd　up　by　the　roots。　To　speak　impartially；　both　sayings　are　very　true；　That　Man　to　Man　is　a　kind　of　God；　and　that　Man　to　Man　is　an　arrant。　Wolfe。　The　first　is　true；　if　we　compare　Citizens　amongst　themselves；　and　the　second；　if　we　compare　Cities。　In　the　one；　there's　some　analogie　of　similitude　with　the　Deity；　to　wit；　Justice　and　Charity；　the　twin…sisters　of　peace：　But　in　the　other；　Good　men　must　defend　themselves　by　taking　to　them　for　a　Sanctuary　the　two　daughters　of　War；　Deceipt　and　Violence：　that　is　in　plaine　termes　a　meer　brutall　Rapacity：　which　although　men　object　to　one　another　as　a　reproach；　by　an　inbred　custome　which　they　have　of　beholding　their　own　actions　in　the　persons　of　other　men；　wherein；　as　in　a　Mirroir；　all　things　on　the　left　side　appeare　to　be　on　the　right；　&　all　things　on　the　right　side　to　be　as　plainly　on　the　left；　yet　the　naturall　right　of　preservation　which　we　all　receive　from　the　uncontroulable　Dictates　of　Necessity；　will　not　admit　it　to　be　a　Vice；　though　it　confesse　it　to　be　an　Unhappinesse。　Now　that　with　Cato　himselfe；　（a　person　of　so　great　a　renowne　for　wisdome）　Animosity　should　so　prevaile　instead　of　Judgement；　and　partiality　instead　of　Reason；　that　the　very　same　thing　which　he　thought　equall　in　his　popular　State；　he　should　censure　as　unjust　in　a　Monarchical；　other　men　perhaps　may　have　leisure　to　admire。　But　I　have　been　long　since　of　this　opinion；　That　there　was　never　yet　any　more…then…vulgar…prudence　that　had　the　luck　of　being　acceptable　to　the　Giddy　people；　but　either　it　hath　not　been　understood；　or　else　having　been　so；　hath　been　levell'd　and　cryed　downe。　The　more　eminent　Actions　and　Apothegms　both　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans　have　been　indebted　for　their　Eulogies　not　so　much　to　the　Reason；　as　to　the　Greatnesse　of　them；　and　very　many　times　to　that　prosperous　usurpation　（with　which　our　Histories　doe　so　mutually　upbraid　each　other）　which　as　a　conquering　Torrent　carryes　all　before　it；　as　well　publick　Agents　as　publick　Actions；　in　the　streame　of　Time。　Wisdome　properly　so　call'd　is　nothing　else　but　this；　The　perfect　knowledge　of　the　Truth　in　all　matters　whatsoever。　Which　being　derived　from　the　Registers　and　Records　of　Things；　and　that　as　'twere　through　the　Conduit　of　certain　definite　Appellations；　cannot　possibly　be　the　work　of　a　suddaine　Acutenesse；　but　of　a　well…ballanc'd　Reason；　which　by　the　Compendium　of　a　word；　we　call　philosophy。　For　by　this　it　is；　that　a　way　is　open'd　to　us；　in　which　we　travell　from　the　contemplation　of　particular　things　to　the　Inference　or　result　of　universall　Actions。　Now　look　how　many　sorts　of　things　there　are　which　properly　fall　within　the　cognizance　of　humane　reason；　into　so　many　branches　does　the　tree　of　philosophy　divide　it　selfe。　And　from　the　diversity　of　the　matter　about　which　they　are　conversant；　there　hath　been　given　to　those　branches　a　diversity　of　Names　too：　For　treating　of　Figures；　tis　call'd　Geometry。　of　motion；　physick；　of　naturall　right；　Moralls；　put　all　together；　and　they　make　up　philosophy。　Just　as　the　British；　the　Atlantick；　and　the　Indian　Seas；　being　diversly　christen'd　from　the　diversity　of　their　shoares；　doe　notwithstanding　all　together　make　up　The　Ocean。　And　truly　the　Geometricians　have　very　admirably　perform'd　their　part。　For　whatsoever　assistance　doth　accrew　to　the　life　of　man；　whether　from　the　observation　of　the　Heavens；　or　from　the　description　of　the　Earth；　from　the　notation　of　Times；　or　from　the　remotest　Experiments　of　Navigation；　Finally；　whatsoever　things　they　are　in　which　this　present　Age　doth　differ　from　the　rude　simplenesse　of　Antiquity；　we　must　acknowledge　to　be　a　debt　which　we　owe　meerly　to　Geometry。　If　the　Morall　philosophers　had　as　happily　discharg'd　their　duty；　I　know　not　what　could　have　been　added　by　humane　Industry　to　the　completion　of　that　happinesse；　which　is　consistent　with　humane　life。　For　were　the　nature　of　humane　Actions　as　distinctly　knowne；　as　the　nature　of　Quantity　in　Geometricall　Figures；　the　strength　of　Avarice　and　Ambition；　which　is　sustained　by　the　erroneous　opinions　of　the　Vulgar；　as　touching　the　nature　of　Right　and　Wrong；　would　presently　faint　and　languish；　And　Mankinde　should　enjoy　such　an　Immortall　peace；　that　（unlesse　it　were　for　habitation；　on　supposition　that　the　Earth　should　grow　too　narrow　for　her　Inhabitants）　there　would　hardly　be　left　any　pretence　for　war。　But　now　on　the　contrary；　that　neither　the　Sword　nor　the　pen　should　be　allowed　any　Cessation；　That　the　knowledge　of　the　Law　of　Nature　should　lose　its　growth；　not　advancing　a　whit　beyond　its　antient　stature；　that　there　should　still　be　such　siding　with　the　severall　factions　of　philosophers；　that　the　very　same　Action　should　bee　decryed　by　some；　and　as　much　elevated　by　others；　that　the　very　same　man　should　at　severall　times　embrace　his　severall　opinions；　and　esteem　his　own　Actions　farre　otherwise　in　himselfe　then　he　does　in　others；　These　I　say　are　so　many　signes；　so　many　manifest　Arguments；　that　what　hath　hitherto　been　written　by　Morall　philosophers；　hath　not　made　any　progress　in　the　knowledge　of　the　Truth；　but　yet　have　took　with　the　world；　not　so　much　by　giving　any　light　to　the　understanding；　as　entertainment　to　the　Affections；　whilest　by　the　successefull　Rhetorications　of　their　speech　they　have　confirmed　them　in　their　rashly　received　opinions。　So　that　this　part　of　philosophy　hath　suffered　the　same　destiny　with　the　publick　Wayes；　which　lye　open　to　all　passengers　to　traverse　up　and　down　or　the　same　lot　with　high　wayes　and　open　streets；　Some　for　divertisement；　and　some　for　businesse；　so　that　what　with　the　Impertinencies　of　some；　and　the　Altercations　of　others；　those　wayes　have　never　a　seeds　time；　and　therefore　yield　never　a　harvest。　The　onely　reason　of　which　unluckines　should　seem　to　be　this；　That　amongst　all　the　writers　of　that　part　of　philosophy；　there　is　not　one　that　hath　used　an　idoneous　principle　of　Tractation：　For　we　may　not；　as　in　a　Circle；　begin　the　handling　of　a　Science　from　what　point　we　please。　There　is　a　certain　Clue　of　Reason；　whose　beginning　is　in　the　dark；　but　by　the　benefit　of　whose　Conduct；　wee　are　led　as　'twere　by　the　hand　into　the　clearest　light；　so　that　the　principle　of　Tractation　is　to　be　taken　from　that　Darknesse；　and　then　the　light　to　be　carried　thither　for　the　irradiating　its　doubts。　As　often　therefore　as　any　writer；　doth　either　weakly　forsake　that　Clue；　or　wilfully　cut　it　asunder；　he　describes　the　Footst