On the Foundation of Civil Government. 505 



flate or that, is not under the controul of the 

 ■wative at the time, nor is ability or willingnefs 

 then predicable concerning him ; nor can any 

 right be Ihewn in a parent to make an indefea- 

 fible contrad on the part of his child, to be 

 performed when the latter is no longer under 

 the controul of the former : tyrannical this 

 maxim is, becaufe whatever may be the go- 

 vernment, however defpotic in principles or 

 praftice, it arrogates perpetual indefeafible do- 

 minion, underived from the confent, exprefs or 

 implied, of the perfon governed. This particu- 

 lar queftion however I ftiall treat exprefsly much 

 more at large, at fome future opportunity. 



XXVIII. The preceding propofitions have 

 been deduced abftraftedly from the confideration 

 of any particular fociety, and appear to hold 

 univerfally true concerning fociety itfelfj and 

 therefore where a. civil fociety is already formed, 

 thefe propofitions ought to be confidered as the 

 terms and foundations- of the implied compadt 

 among the members ; the oppofite propofitions 

 being inequitable. Hence whether a man is 

 about to enter for the firft time as a member of 

 any political community ; or whether (fortui- 

 toufly with refpeft to himfelf ) he finds himfelf 

 already a member of fuch a community, his 

 rights are ftill the fame, and all dominion over 

 him muft ultimately be derived from his own 

 confent exprefsly given or equitably implied. 



XXIX. Where- 



