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The Spirit of the Laws

  
[title page]
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The Translator to the Reader
  
CONTENTS
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PREFACE
  
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Book I. Of Laws in General.
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Book II. Of Laws Directly Derived from the Nature of Government.
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Book III. Of the Principles of the Three Kinds of Government.
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Book IV. That the Laws of Education Ought to Be in Relation to the Principles of Government.
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Book V. That the Laws Given by the Legislator Ought to Be in Relation to the Principle of Government.
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Book VI. Consequences of the Principles of Different Governments with Respect to the Simplicity of Civil and Criminal Laws, the Form of Judgments, and the Inflicting of Punishments.
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Book VII. Consequences of the Different Principles of the Three Governments with Respect to Sumptuary Laws, Luxury, and the Condition of Women.
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Book VIII. Of the Corruption of the Principles of the Three Governments.
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Book IX., Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to a Defensive Force.
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Book X. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to Offensive Force.
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Book XI. Of the Laws Which Establish Political Liberty, with Regard to the Consti- tution.
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Book XII. Of the Laws That Form Political Liberty, in Relation to the Subject.
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Book XIII. Of the Relation Which the Levying of Taxes and the Greatness of the Public Revenues Bear to Liberty.
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Book XIV. Of Laws in Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
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Book XV. In What Manner the Laws of Civil Slavery Relate to the Nature of the Climate.
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Book XVI. How the Laws of Domestic Slavery Bear a Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
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Book XVII., How the Laws of Political Servitude Bear a Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
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Book XVIII. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to the Nature of the Soil.
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1. How the Nature of the Soil has an Influence on the Laws.
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2. The same Subject continued.
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3. What Countries are best cultivated.
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4. New Effects of the Fertility and Barrenness of Countries.
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5. Of the Inhabitants of Islands.
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6. Of Countries raised by the Industry of Man.
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7. Of human Industry.
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8. The general Relation of Laws.
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9. Of the Soil of America.
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10. Of Population in the Relation it bears to the Manner of procuring Subsistence.
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11. Of savage and barbarous Nations.
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12. Of the Law of Nations among People who do not cultivate the Earth.
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13. Of the Civil Laws of those Nations who do not cultivate the Earth.
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14. Of the political State of the People who do not cultivate the Land.
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15. Of People who know the Use of Money.
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16. Of Civil Laws among People who know not the Use of Money.
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17. Of political Laws among Nations who have not the Use of Money.
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18. Of the Power of Superstition.
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19. Of the Liberty of the Arabs and the Servitude of the Tartars.
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20. Of the Law of Nations as practised by the Tartars.
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21. The Civil Law of the Tartars.
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22. Of a Civil Law of the German Nations.
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23. Of the regal Ornaments among the Franks.
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24. Of the Marriages of the Kings of the Franks.
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25. Childeric.
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26. Of the Time when the Kings of the Franks became of age.
  
[section]
  
Footnotes
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27. The same Subject continued.
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28. Of Adoption among the Germans.
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29. Of the sanguinary Temper of the Kings of the Franks.
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30. Of the national Assemblies of the Franks.
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31. Of the Authority of the Clergy under the first Race.
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Book XIX. Of Laws in Relation to the Principles Which Form the General Spirit, Morals, and Customs of a Nation.
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Book XX. Of Laws in Relation to Commerce, Considered in its Nature and Distinctions.
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Book XXI. Of Laws in relation to Commerce, considered in the Revolutions it has met with in the World.
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Book XXII. Of Laws in Relation to the Use of Money.
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Book XXIII. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to the Number of Inhabitants.
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Book XXIV. Of Laws in relation to Religion Considered in Itself, and in its Doctrines.
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Book XXV. Of Laws in Relation to the Establishment of Religion and its External Polity.
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Book XXVI. Of Laws in Relation to the Order of Things Which They Determine.
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Book XXVII. Of the Origin and Revolutions of the Roman Laws on Successions.
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Book XXVIII. Of the Origin and Revolutions of the Civil Laws among the French.
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Book XXIX. Of the Manner of Composing Laws.
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Book XXX. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks in the Relation They Bear to the Establishment of the Monarchy.
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Book XXXI. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks, in the Relation They Bear to the Revolutions of their Monarchy.

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previous section9. Of the ancient French Laws. The Spirit of the Laws
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In the ancient French laws we find the true spirit of monarchy. In cases relating to pecuniary mulcts, the common people are less severely punished than the nobility. [25] But in criminal [26] cases it is quite the reverse; the nobleman loses his honour and his voice in court, while the peasant, who has no honour to lose, undergoes a corporal punishment.

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