§. 184. But supposing the charge and damages of the war are to be made up to
the conqueror to the utmost farthing, and that the children of the vanquished,
spoiled of all their father's goods, are to be left to starve and perish, yet
the satisfying of what shall, on this score, be due to the conqueror will
scarce give him a title to any country he shall conquer. For the damages of war
can scarce amount to the value of any considerable tract of land in any part of
the world, where all the land is possessed, and none lies waste. And if I have
not taken away the conqueror's land which, being vanquished, it is impossible I
should, scarce any other spoil I have done him can amount to the value of mine,
supposing it of an extent any way coming near what I had overrun of his, and
equally cultivated too. The destruction of a year's product or two (for it
seldom reaches four or five) is the utmost spoil that usually can be done. For
as to money, and such riches and treasure taken away, these are none of
Nature's goods, they have but a phantastical imaginary value; Nature has put no
such upon them. They are of no more account by her standard than the Wampompeke
of the Americans to an European prince, or the silver money of Europe would
have been formerly to an American. And five years' product is not worth the
perpetual inheritance of land, where all is possessed and none remains waste,
to be taken up by him that is disseised, which will be easily granted, if one
do but take away the imaginary value of money, the disproportion being more
than between five and five thousand; though, at the same time, half a year's
product is more worth than the inheritance where, there being more land than
the inhabitants possess and make use of, any one has liberty to make use of the
waste. But their conquerors take little care to possess themselves of the lands
of the vanquished. No damage therefore that men in the state of Nature (as all
princes and governments are in reference to one another) suffer from one
another can give a conqueror power to dispossess the posterity of the
vanquished, and turn them out of that inheritance which ought to be the
possession of them and their descendants to all generations. The conqueror
indeed will be apt to think himself master; and it is the very condition of the
subdued not to be able to dispute their right. But, if that be all, it gives no
other title than what bare force gives to the stronger over the weaker; and, by
this reason, he that is strongest will have a right to whatever he pleases to
seize on.
