EXCURSION TO THE REALMS BELOW. 1 5^ 



the contrary, right is that which determines the might, 

 and gives it its due direction. There may be cafes, 

 where a man, for his own fecurity, is compelled to 

 make another man his Have, if he can ; and this cafe 

 may happen, under particular circumftances and limi- 

 tations, between two nations or tribes : but, except in 

 thefe particular cafes, no man can be juflified, no 

 nation can be juflified in reducing another to flavery. 

 Suppofe therefore a tyrant, under whatever venerable 

 and awful name he may be fo, abufe his authority to 

 the oppreffion of his fubjects, inflead of applying it to 

 the promotion of their welfare ; then is this application 

 of his authority, in the nature of the cafe, unlawful, 

 and the oppreffed are juflified in relieving themfelves 

 as foon as they can ; that is, as foon as they are the 

 firronger. 



Menipp. I do not very clearly fee, how this right, 

 which thou allowefl the people againfl the plenipoten- 

 tiary, can be compatible with the notions of infancy 

 and incapacity for f elf-direction, on which, but a little 

 while ago, thou groundedfx the neceffity of the fove- 

 reign fuperiority of power ? 



Xenoph. Let us endeavour then to get a plainer per- 

 ception of it. We have adopted it as a cafe demonftra- 

 ble from human nature, and univerfal experience : 

 that mankind, for being happier than in a flate of natu- 

 ral ferocity, mufl live under a civil conflitution, and 

 therefore under a fovereign authority, i.' e. in one 

 word, that they mull: be governed. As herein they are 

 in the fame cafe with infants, accordingly we have fo 

 far attributed to every nation a kind of infancy. In 

 fact, the true reafon wherefore it is fo abfolutely ne- 



