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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 section14. Sumptuary Laws among the Romans. The Spirit of the Laws
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We have spoken of public incontinence because it is the inseparable companion of luxury. If we leave the motions of the heart at liberty, how shall we be able to restrain the weaknesses of the mind?

At Rome, besides the general institutions, the censors prevailed on the magistrates to enact several particular laws for maintaining the frugality of women. This was the design of the Fannian, Licinian, and Oppian laws. We may see in Livy [36] the great ferment the senate was in when the women insisted upon the revocation of the Oppian law. The abrogation of this law is fixed upon by Valerius Maximus as the period whence we may date the luxury of the Romans.

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