15.1. 1. Of civil Slavery.
Slavery, properly so called, is the
establishment of a right which gives to one man such a power over
another as renders him absolute master of his life and fortune. The
state of slavery is in its own nature bad. It is neither useful to the
master nor to the slave; not to the slave, because he can do nothing
through a motive of virtue; nor to the master, because by having an
unlimited authority over his slaves he insensibly accustoms himself to
the want of all moral virtues, and thence becomes fierce, hasty, severe,
choleric, voluptuous, and cruel.
In despotic countries, where they are already in a state of
political servitude, civil slavery is more tolerable than in other
governments. Every one ought to be satisfied in those countries with
necessaries and life. Hence the condition of a slave is hardly more
burdensome than that of a subject.
But in a monarchical government, where it is of the utmost
importance that human nature should not be debased or dispirited, there
ought to be no slavery. In democracies, where they are all upon
equality; and in aristocracies, where the laws ought to use their utmost
endeavours to procure as great an equality as the nature of the
government will permit, slavery is contrary to the spirit of the
constitution: it only contributes to give a power and luxury to the
citizens which they ought not to have.
