558 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



Caciques refuse to have any vassals ; as they cost them dear, 

 and yield but little profit.&quot; 



Generally, however, and always where war increases his 

 predominance, the leading warrior begins to be distinguished, 

 by wealth accruing to him in sundry ways. The superiority 

 which gains him supremacy, implying as it mostly does 

 greater skill and energy, conduces to accumulation : not 

 uncommonly, as we have seen, ( 472) the primitive chief is 

 also the rich man. And this possession of much private 

 property grows into a conspicuous attribute when, in the 

 settled state, land held by the community begins to be appro 

 priated by its more powerful members. Eulers habitually 

 become large landowners. In ancient Egypt there were royal 

 lands. Of the primitive Greek king we read that &quot; an ample 

 domain is assigned to him [? taken by him] as an appur 

 tenance of his lofty position.&quot; And among other peoples in 

 later times, we find the monarch owning great estates. The 

 income hence derived, continues to the last to represent that 

 revenue which the political head originally had, when he 

 began to be marked off from the rest only by some personal 

 merit. 



Such larger amount of private means as thus usually dis 

 tinguishes the head man at the outset, augments as successful 

 war, increasing his predominance, brings him an increasing 

 portion of the spoils of conquered peoples. In early stages it 

 is the oustom for each warrior to keep whatever he personally 

 takes in battle ; while that which is taken jointly is in some 

 cases equally divided. But of course the chief is apt to get 

 an extra share ; either by actual capture, or by the willing 

 award of his comrades, or, it may be, by forcible appropriation. 

 And as his power grows, this forcible appropriation is yielded 

 to, sometimes tacitly, sometimes under protest; as we are 

 shown by the central incident in the Iliad. Through later 

 stages his portion of plunder, reserved before division of the 

 remainder among followers, continues to be a source of 

 revenue. And where he becomes absolute, the property taken 



