equently 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
destroy one another: and he may therefore, not trusting to this
inference, {22} 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
used to degenerate into in a civil war.

{23} 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 sover