104 



naturally due to our divine sovereign". For Hobbes, the laws 

 of nature are illustrated on every hand, as being of such a 

 nature that their violation is followed necessarily by natural 

 punishments. "There is no action of man in this life, that is 

 not the beginning of so long a chain of consequences, as no 

 human providence is high enough to give a man a prospect 

 to the end. And in this chain there are linked together both 

 pleasing and unpleasing events; in such manner as he that 

 will do anything for his pleasure, must engage himself to 

 suffer all the pains annexed to it; and these pains are the 

 natural punishments of those actions, which are the beginning 

 of more harm than good. And hereby it comes to pass, that 

 intemperance is naturally punished with diseases; rashness 

 with mischances; injustice with the violence of enemies; 

 pride, with ruin; cowardice, with oppression; negligent 

 government of princes, with rebellion; and rebellion with 

 slaughter. For, seeing punishments are consequent to the 

 breach of laws, natural punishments must be naturally con- 

 sequent to the breach of the laws of nature; and therefore 

 follow them as their natural, not arbitrary effects." 1 



The laws of the commonwealth are thus seen to be neces- 

 sarily supreme in all that concerns men's relations to one 

 another. But this position is not accepted without objection. 

 It is urged that "every private man is judge of good and evil 

 actions". This is only true, however, in a state of nature, 

 is Hobbes' reply. On such a basis no commonwealth could 

 exist. 2 It is objected further, that "whatsoever a man does 

 against his conscience is sin", but this objection is based upon 

 the first. A man's conscience is the same thing as his judg- 

 ment, and may be erroneous. In a commonwealth the law 

 is the public conscience, and the individual has already under- 

 taken to be guided by this law. 3 Otherwise "the common- 

 wealth must needs be distracted", because no one would 

 obey the sovereign power "further than it shall seem good in 

 his own eyes". 4 



"Concerning the offices of one sovereign to another, which 

 are comprehended in that law, which is commonly called the 

 law of nature, " Hobbes says, " I need not say anything in this 

 place; because the law of nations and the law of nature is 

 the same thing. And every sovereign hath the same right, in 

 procuring the safety of his people, that any particular man can 

 have in procuring the safety of his own body. And the same 



KXC. pp. 356-7. 

 2 O.C. p. 310. 

 3 O.C. p. 311. 

 4 Ibid. 



