A wide rectangular woodcut headpiece consisting of a symmetrical, ornate pattern of interlacing scrolling vines, stylized foliage, and floral elements.

THE

PREFACE.

Laws and government are to the political bodies of civil societies what the vital spirits original: "Vital Spirits"; in early medicine, these were thought to be substances that moved through the body to sustain life and function. and life itself are to the natural bodies of living creatures. Those who study the anatomy of dead carcasses may see that the chief organs and the most delicate springs required to keep our "machine" The author refers to the human body as a mechanical system, a common view in 17th and 18th-century philosophy. in motion are not the hard bones, strong muscles, and nerves, nor the smooth white skin that so beautifully covers them. Instead, they are small, seemingly trivial membranes and little pipes that are either overlooked or seem insignificant to common eyes.

In the same way, those who examine the nature of man—separating what is natural from what is learned through art and education—may observe that what truly makes him a sociable animal does not consist of his desire for company, his good nature, pity, politeness, or other graces of a pleasant exterior. Rather, his most "vile" and hateful qualities are actually the most necessary accomplishments to fit him for the largest and—according to the world—the happiest and most flourishing societies.