PART XIII

630
* Porph.\
* Porph.
teafoa Peculiar to each Country •, to the confti- tutious whereof there is no neceflity for us to adhere, who live not in thofe places. •
Hence we come to underftand, that from the very beginning a difference was put betwixt the killing of Men, and the killing of all other Ani¬ mals * ^ tor as to other Animals it is manifeji^that thofe primitive wife per fans who prefer ibed what we jhould and what not., did not forbid to kill any of them., becaufe the profit that arifeth from them vs perfeded by the contrary aOion., that is^ by killing them. For it could not be., that men living pro- mifcuoufly amongfl beafis^could preferve themfelves in fafety othctwife., than by expelling or dejlroying them.
But as concerning Mankind,* Some., who at that time were more gracious than the reft., ( thefe perhaps were they that perfwaded men fir fl to enter into the Covenant we fpokeof) remembred., that in thofe places where men lived promifcuou/ly.,tbey had fomtimes abftained from /laughter., out oparefped to that utility which conduced to their fafety , as al- fa reprefented to others in their meetings what had hapned^that refraining from /laughter of an Ani¬ mal -of the fame kind., they might defend the focie- ty of life, which is generally the caufe of every man’i particular fafety. And it was profitable at fir /I to quit the fociety of either other Animals, or Menmeet- ing together, at lea ft not to hurt any, to avoid the tneen/in'j of, not only other Animals of fever al kinds, but alfo Men, who are all of the fame, and apt enough of themfelves to do harm. Whence, upon this account. Men refraineSc toying hands upon an Animal of their own Species,' ihat offered itfelfto the communication of things neceffary, and contribu¬ ted fome benefit to fociety.
But in procefs of time, there being a great en- creafe on both /ides, and Animals of different Spe¬ cies being forced away. Men began to make ufe of their reafon, ( whereas before that time they had trufied altogether to memory, )and to enter into con- : fulvation what was to be done in order to their fafe¬ ty, when they fhould come together, and conjoin their habitations. For they endeavor'd /Irongly to re- Jlrain thofe who rafhly and imprudenly would mur¬ der one another, and thereby made the mutual af- fsfience, that Men were able to afford each other, daily the weaker • and this chiefly, becaufe thofe great in¬ conveniences which had frequently fallen out in for¬ mer times upon the like cafes, were utterly forgot¬ ten. Now whil/l they endeavoured to bring this to pafs, they at length introduced the Laws and Con- fiitutions which continue in all Cities and Nations ■even to this day, the Common people of their own accord confenting to them, as J faid being fenftble how much greater utility would from thence accrue to them,living in mutual fociety. In like manner it conduceth alfo to fecurtty, both to de/lroy without any pity what is pernicious, and to prefer ve what¬ ever is ufefuUo exterminate it.
Thus it is probable, that upon thefe Con/sdara^ tions, the /laughter of all other Animals came to be permitted, and that of Men prohibited. But I in- lifl: too long hereupon.
CHAP. XXVill.
With what Eight Jufiice is to be exercifed.
Jllffice being eftablifhed by a mutual agree* menc,it remains, that every MaiijW hether a Native or Alien, ought, from the time he hath given up his Name to a Society, to account him* lelf a Member of that Society, upon this condi* non either exprefly or tacitly, that he hurt non of his Fellow-members, nor be hurt by any other. Wherefore he mufl: either Rand to the Covenant, or depart out of the Society • for he ' is not to be fuffer d to live in the Society upoijr any other terms. Whence it follows, fince by nature no Man is willing to receive ha’rm from another, that he do not that to another which he would not fhould be done to him- felf.
Hereupon it may be imagined, that the Laws in all Societies were made in favour of the wife not to prevent wife Men from doing unjuflly but that others fhould not injure them ; For as for them, they are fo well difpofed, as that if there were no Laws, yet would they not do harm to any. They have preferibed bounds to their deflreSjand accommodate them to Nature which requires nothing that mufl be obtained by ways of Injuflice 5 nor indeed is there any of Nature’s pleafures which induceth a Man to do injury to another, but fome exorbitant defire arifingfrom vain opinion.
For Nature having (for Example,) provided Herbs, Corn, Fruits, for Food, competent and ufeful, and Water for Drink, things eafie to be had, it cannot be the pleafure of fatisfying Hun¬ ger and Thirfl", that fhould caufe a Man to rob his Neighbour, or comtiiit any of thofe Injuries which they ufually do : But the vain defire of living at a higher rate, more fplendidly and wantonly,thac fb he may acquire wealth enough to difeharge the expences of his Luxury. The fame may be faid alfo of thofe, who not content with plain Apppel , a plain Houfe , a plain M^ch, and the like, through Ambition, Pride, Luft, and other Paffions, defire more than Na¬ ture needs,
Moreover, feeing that a wife Man, as I hinted formerly, doth all things for his own fake, no-' thing certainly can more conduce to his advan¬ tage, than to obferve Juftice exaftly. For in giving to every one his due, and harming no Man>he, to his utmofl:, prefer ves and keeps fafe that Society, which, unlefs it be fafe, he con- not be fafe himfelf • nor doth he provoke any Man to revenge an injury fuffered at his hand or fear any muia or punifhment to be inflifted up¬ on him by publick Decree. Thus being conf- cious to himfelf of no ill done, he remains free from all perturbation,which is the greateflbe- nent and fruit of Jufiice •, and while he reaps that.vyhat can be more to his own advantage ?
Neither ought you to think, that he who. though fecretly, and without the knowledge of
or the Covenants ra- tiud by general conlent, to prevent the com-
mit-