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 destroy one another:and he may therefore,not trusting to this inference,made from the passions,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.
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 so now.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 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 particular men.
To this war of every man against every man,this also is consequent;that nothing can be unjust.The notions of right and wrong,justice and injustice,have there no place.Where there is no common power,there is no law;where no law,no injustice.Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.Justice and injustice are none of the faculties 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 condition 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 condition which man by mere nature is actually placed in;though with a possibility to come out of it,consisting partly in the passions,partly in his 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 Ishall speak more particularly in the two following chapters.