第34章

BYcivillaws，Iunderstandthelawsthatmenarethereforeboundtoobserve，becausetheyaremembers，notofthisorthatCommonwealthinparticular，butofaCommonwealth。Fortheknowledgeofparticularlawsbelongethtothemthatprofessthestudyofthelawsoftheirseveralcountries；buttheknowledgeofcivillawingeneral，toanyman。TheancientlawofRomewascalledtheircivillaw，fromthewordcivitas，whichsignifiesaCommonwealth：andthosecountrieswhich，havingbeenundertheRomanEmpireandgovernedbythatlaw，retainstillsuchpartthereofastheythinkfit，callthatpartthecivillawtodistinguishitfromtherestoftheirowncivillaws。ButthatisnotitIintendtospeakofhere；mydesignbeingnottoshowwhatislawhereandthere，butwhatislaw；asPlato，Aristotle，Cicero，anddiverseothershavedone，withouttakinguponthemtheprofessionofthestudyofthelaw。

Andfirstitismanifestthatlawingeneralisnotcounsel，butcommand；noracommandofanymantoanyman，butonlyofhimwhosecommandisaddressedtooneformerlyobligedtoobeyhim。Andasforcivillaw，itaddethonlythenameofthepersoncommanding，whichispersonacivitatis，thepersonoftheCommonwealth。

Whichconsidered，Idefinecivillawinthismanner。CivillawistoeverysubjectthoseruleswhichtheCommonwealthhathcommandedhim，byword，writing，orothersufficientsignofthewill，tomakeuseofforthedistinctionofrightandwrong；thatistosay，ofthatiscontraryandwhatisnotcontrarytotherule。

Inwhichdefinitionthereisnothingthatisthatisnotatfirstsightevident。Foreverymanseeththatsomelawsareaddressedtoallthesubjectsingeneral；sometoparticularprovinces；sometoparticularvocations；andsometoparticularmen；andarethereforelawstoeveryofthosetowhomthecommandisdirected，andtononeelse。Asalso，thatlawsaretherulesofjustandunjust，nothingbeingreputedunjustthatisnotcontrarytosomelaw。Likewise，thatnonecanmakelawsbuttheCommonwealth，becauseoursubjectionistotheCommonwealthonly；andthatcommandsaretobesignifiedbysufficientsigns，becauseamanknowsnototherwisehowtoobeythem。Andtherefore，whatsoevercanfromthisdefinitionbynecessaryconsequencebededuced，oughttobeacknowledgedfortruth。NowIdeducefromitthisthatfolloweth。

1。ThelegislatorinallCommonwealthsisonlythesovereign，beheoneman，asinamonarchy，oroneassemblyofmen，asinademocracyoraristocracy。Forthelegislatorishethatmakeththelaw。AndtheCommonwealthonlyprescribesandcommandeththeobservationofthoseruleswhichwecalllaw：thereforetheCommonwealthisthelegislator。ButtheCommonwealthisnoperson，norhascapacitytodoanythingbutbytherepresentative，thatis，thesovereign；andthereforethesovereignisthesolelegislator。Forthesamereason，nonecanabrogatealawmade，butthesovereign，becausealawisnotabrogatedbutbyanotherlawthatforbiddethittobeputinexecution。

2。ThesovereignofaCommonwealth，beitanassemblyoroneman，isnotsubjecttothecivillaws。Forhavingpowertomakeandrepeallaws，hemay，whenhepleaseth，freehimselffromthatsubjectionbyrepealingthoselawsthattroublehim，andmakingofnew；andconsequentlyhewasfreebefore。Forheisfreethatcanbefreewhenhewill：norisitpossibleforanypersontobeboundtohimself，becausehethatcanbindcanrelease；andthereforehethatisboundtohimselfonlyisnotbound。

3。Whenlonguseobtaineththeauthorityofalaw，itisnotthelengthoftimethatmakeththeauthority，butthewillofthesovereignsignifiedbyhissilence(forsilenceissometimesansignifiedbyhissilence(forsilenceissometimesanargumentofconsent)；anditisnolongerlaw，thanthesovereignshallbesilenttherein。Andthereforeifthesovereignshallhaveaquestionofrightgrounded，notuponhispresentwill，butuponthelawsformerlymade，thelengthoftimeshallbringnoprejudicetohisright：butthequestionshallbejudgedbyequity。Formanyunjustactionsandunjustsentencesgouncontrolledalongertimethananymancanremember。Andourlawyersaccountnocustomslawbutsuchasreasonable，andthatevilcustomsaretobeabolished：butthejudgementofwhatisreasonable，andofwhatistobeabolished，belongedtohimthatmakeththelaw，whichisthesovereignassemblyormonarch。

4。Thelawofnatureandthecivillawcontaineachotherandareofequalextent。Forthelawsofnature，