s o c 



s o c 



SOCERGA, in Geography, a town of Iftria ; 7 miles 

 S.E. of Capo d'lftria. 



SOCHAN. See Zachan. 



SOCHATSCHOW, a town of the duchy of Warfaw ; 

 30 miles N. of Rava. 



SOCHIAVO, a town of Italy, in the Bellunefe ; 5 

 miles W. of Belluno. 



SOCHOS, in ylnclent Geography, a town of Afia, in 

 Syria, fituated on the bank of the river Singas, in the 

 fouthern part of the town of Samofata. 



SOCIAL Wak. in Roman Hijiory, commenced A.U.C. 

 663, on the following occafion. M. Livius Drufus, tribune 

 of the people, influenced by a view to the public welfare, 

 formed a fcheme to reconcile all orders of men, and put an 

 end to all difcontents, which he forefaw would in procefs of 

 time, if not removed, produce a general infurreftion. With 

 this view he propofed a law for invefting the Italian allies 

 with all the privileges of Roman citizens. They remon- 

 ftrated that they paid confiderable taxes ; that, in time of 

 war, their countries raifed double the number of forces that 

 were raifed in Rome ; that the commonwealth owed greatly 

 t' ) their valour that prodigious power which flie had acquired ; 

 and that it was but jull they (hould (hare the honour of a 

 ftate, which they had , helped to aggrandize both with 

 their arms and treafures. But this law of Drufus in their 

 favour was oppofed with great violence, not only by the 

 fenators and knights, but even by the people, who could not 

 b^-ar the thoughts of making thofe their fellow-citizens, 

 whom they looked upon as their fubjefta. In the mean time 

 the Italian allies flocked to Rome from all parts to fupport 

 their protedlor, and determined to efi^ect by force what they 

 could not gain by favour. The death of Drufus, who was 

 balely aflailinated for attempting to procure for them the 

 right of citizenftiip, provoked the allies to fuch a degree, 

 that they recurred to arms, in order to do themlelvcs juf- 

 tice. The Marfi, Peligni, Samnites, Campanians, and Luca- 

 nians, and in Ihort all the provinces from the Liris to the 

 Adriatic, revolted at once. Rome had never engaged more 

 formidable enemies. As they had all ferved in the fame 

 armies of the republic, they were as well difciplined as 

 her legions, and their leaders had learned the art of war 

 under her molt famous commanders. It is faid of the Marfi 

 in particular, that Rome had never gained a viftory in which 

 they had not a great fliare. The firil llep they took in 

 their revolt, was to ereft themfelves into a republic in oppo- 

 fition to that of Rome. After many alternate fuccelfes and 

 defeats, the conful, Julius Caefar, defirous to put an end to 

 the war, drew up a law, which was confirmed by the fenate, 

 and enafted, that all the nations in Italy, whofe alliance with 

 Rome was indifputable, fliould enjoy the rights of Roman 

 citizens. This law, called the Julian law, much abated the 

 ardour of the enemy, and drew off fcveral nations from the 

 confederacy. The tribune, M. I'lautius Sylvanus, in con- 

 junftion with Caius Papirius Carbo, one of his colleagues, 

 put the laft hand to the Julian law in favour of the allies, 

 and got it confirmed by the people, and publiflied in the fol- 

 lowing words : all the citizens of the allied cities, who fiiall 

 be in Italy at the time of the promulgation of this law, Ihall 

 be deemed citizens of Rome, provjded they regifter their 

 names with one of the three prsetors within fixty days. This 

 brought the Italians to Rome in fuch numbers, that the new 

 citizens became more numerous than the old ; but, left this 

 fhould make itrangers matters of the elections, and confc- 

 quently of the republic, the cenlors did not incorporate them 

 in the thirty-five Roman tribes, but formed them into new 

 tribes, who were to vote lall. By this means all matters 

 were determined by a majority of voices, before the new 



8 



tribes gave their fuffrages. The allies were fenfible of this 

 artifice, but difl'embled their diffatisfaftien, being refolved, 

 when an opportunity offered, to put themfelves upon a 

 level with the old inhabitants of Rome. The tribune, Sul- 

 picius, propofed a law, that all the inhabitants of Italy, who 

 had lately obtained the right of citizenlhip, (hould be in- 

 corporated into thirty-five tribes, and confequently have 

 the fame right of voting, each in his tribe, as others had, 

 without any dillinftion, and got it pafled. But when 

 Sylla prevailed, all the laws of Sulpicius were declared void 

 and null. 



SOCIETY, SociETAS, an aflTemblage or union of feveral 

 perfons in the fame place, for their mutual alfiftance, fecurity, 

 intcreit, or entertainment. 



Societies of men united together to procure their mutual 

 lafety and advantage, by means of their union compofe na- 

 tions or dates. Men are led to aflociate for this purpofe by 

 the afFedlions and inltinfts implanted in their nature, and by 

 the wants and weaknefTes infeparable from the conltitution 

 of both their bodies and minds, and from the condition they 

 are appointed to occupy. They alfo poflefs the faculties 

 of reafon and of fpeech, which render them capable of 

 mutual intercourfe for their mutual advantage. Hence we 

 may deduce that natural fociety which is eftabliflied among 

 mankind ; and the general law of this fociety is, that each 

 (hould do for others whatever their neceflities require, and 

 they are capable of doing, without neglefting what they owe 

 to themfelves. This law ought to be obferved by all the indi- 

 viduals of the human race, in order to live agreeably to their 

 nature, and in conformity to the defign of their common 

 Creator : nor can it be neglefted or violated, confiftently 

 with a due regard to our own fafety and happinefs. 



Thus we fee that the univerfal fociety of the human race 

 is an inititutian of nature, and that it necell'arily refults from 

 the nature of man : and, therefore, all men, whatfoever be 

 their (lation, are obliged to cultivate and difcharge its du- 

 ties. They cannot difpenfe with it by any convention or 

 private afTociation. When they unite in civil fociety, in order 

 to form a feparate ftate, or nation, they may juftly enter into 

 particular engagements, towards thofe with whom they 

 aftociate ; but they are ftill under the obligation of perform- 

 ing their duty to the reft of the human fpecies. 



As the end of the natural fociety ettabliflicd between 

 all mankind is that of their affording afTiftance towards 

 their own perfeftion, as well as that of the ftate ; and as the 

 nations, confidered as fo many free perfons who live together 

 in a ftate of nature, are obhged to cultivate between each 

 other this intercourfe of humanity ; the end of the great 

 fociety citabliflied by nature between all nations is alio a 

 mutual cifhftance for the improvement of thcmlelves and their 

 ftate. Accordingly, the firft general law which the very 

 end of the fociety of nations dilcovers, is, that eacii nation 

 ought to contribute all in its power to the happinefs and 

 pertedtion of others : but the duties which we owe to our- 

 felves having a claim in our preference to thofe which arc 

 incumbent upon us with refpcft to others, a nation ought, 

 in the firft place, to do whatever it can to promote its own 

 happinefs and perfedtion. Moreover, as nations are free and 

 independent of each other, in the fame manner as men arc 

 naturally free and independent, the fecond gencr.l law of 

 their iociety is, that fncli nation ought to be left in the 

 peaceable enjoyment of that liberty which it has derived 

 from nature. From this liberty and independence it fol- 

 I0W.1, that every nation is to judge of what its confcience 

 demands, of what it can or cannot do, of what is proper or 

 improper to be done ; and, confequently, to examine and 

 determine whether it can perform any office for another, 



without 



