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CHAPITRE IV.

De l'Esclavage. On Slavery.

Since no man has a natural authority over his fellow man, and since force produces no right, conventions remain the basis of all legitimate authority among men.

If an individual, says Grotius Hugo Grotius, Dutch jurist, can alienate his liberty and make himself the slave of a master, why could a whole people not alienate theirs, and make themselves subjects of a King? There are many ambiguous words here that would need explanation, but let us stick to the word "alienate." To alienate is to give or sell. Now, a man who makes himself a slave to an-