University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
The Spirit of the Laws

  
[title page]
expand section 
The Translator to the Reader
  
CONTENTS
expand section 
PREFACE
  
ADVERTISEMENT

expand section1. 
Book I. Of Laws in General.
expand section2. 
Book II. Of Laws Directly Derived from the Nature of Government.
expand section3. 
Book III. Of the Principles of the Three Kinds of Government.
expand section4. 
Book IV. That the Laws of Education Ought to Be in Relation to the Principles of Government.
expand section5. 
Book V. That the Laws Given by the Legislator Ought to Be in Relation to the Principle of Government.
expand section6. 
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.
expand section7. 
Book VII. Consequences of the Different Principles of the Three Governments with Respect to Sumptuary Laws, Luxury, and the Condition of Women.
expand section8. 
Book VIII. Of the Corruption of the Principles of the Three Governments.
expand section9. 
Book IX., Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to a Defensive Force.
expand section10. 
Book X. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to Offensive Force.
expand section11. 
Book XI. Of the Laws Which Establish Political Liberty, with Regard to the Consti- tution.
expand section12. 
Book XII. Of the Laws That Form Political Liberty, in Relation to the Subject.
expand section13. 
Book XIII. Of the Relation Which the Levying of Taxes and the Greatness of the Public Revenues Bear to Liberty.
expand section14. 
Book XIV. Of Laws in Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
expand section15. 
Book XV. In What Manner the Laws of Civil Slavery Relate to the Nature of the Climate.
expand section16. 
Book XVI. How the Laws of Domestic Slavery Bear a Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
expand section17. 
Book XVII., How the Laws of Political Servitude Bear a Relation to the Nature of the Climate.
expand section18. 
Book XVIII. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to the Nature of the Soil.
expand section19. 
Book XIX. Of Laws in Relation to the Principles Which Form the General Spirit, Morals, and Customs of a Nation.
expand section20. 
Book XX. Of Laws in Relation to Commerce, Considered in its Nature and Distinctions.
expand section21. 
Book XXI. Of Laws in relation to Commerce, considered in the Revolutions it has met with in the World.
collapse section22. 
Book XXII. Of Laws in Relation to the Use of Money.
 22.1. 
1. The Reason of the Use of Money.
expand section22.2. 
2. Of the Nature of Money.
 22.3. 
3. Of ideal Money.
 22.4. 
4. Of the Quantity of Gold and Silver.
collapse section22.5. 
5. The same Subject continued.
  
[section]
  
Footnotes
expand section22.6. 
6. The Reason why Interest was lowered one-half after the Conquest of the Indies.
expand section22.7. 
7. How the Price of Things is fixed in the Variation of the Sign of Riches.
 22.8. 
8. The same Subject continued.
 22.9. 
9. Of the relative Scarcity of Gold and Silver.
expand section22.10. 
10. Of Exchange.
expand section22.11. 
11. Of the Proceedings of the Romans with respect to Money.
expand section22.12. 
12. The Circumstances in which the Romans changed the Value of the Specie.
expand section22.13. 
13. Proceedings with respect to Money in the Time of the Emperors.
 22.14. 
14. How the Exchange is a Constraint on despotic Power.
 22.15. 
15. The Practice of some Countries in Italy.
 22.16. 
16. The Assistance a State may derive from Bankers.
 22.17. 
17. Of Public Debts.
expand section22.18. 
18. Of the Payment of Public Debts.
expand section22.19. 
19. Of lending upon Interest.
 22.20. 
20. Of Maritime Usury.
expand section22.21. 
21. Of Lending by Contract, and the State of Usury among the Romans.
expand section22.22. 
22. The same Subject continued.
expand section23. 
Book XXIII. Of Laws in the Relation They Bear to the Number of Inhabitants.
expand section24. 
Book XXIV. Of Laws in relation to Religion Considered in Itself, and in its Doctrines.
expand section25. 
Book XXV. Of Laws in Relation to the Establishment of Religion and its External Polity.
expand section26. 
Book XXVI. Of Laws in Relation to the Order of Things Which They Determine.
expand section27. 
Book XXVII. Of the Origin and Revolutions of the Roman Laws on Successions.
expand section28. 
Book XXVIII. Of the Origin and Revolutions of the Civil Laws among the French.
expand section29. 
Book XXIX. Of the Manner of Composing Laws.
expand section30. 
Book XXX. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks in the Relation They Bear to the Establishment of the Monarchy.
expand section31. 
Book XXXI. Theory of the Feudal Laws among the Franks, in the Relation They Bear to the Revolutions of their Monarchy.

collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
previous section5. The same Subject continued. The Spirit of the Laws
next section

22.5. 5. The same Subject continued.

The bullion drawn from the American mines, imported into Europe, and thence sent to the East, has greatly promoted the navigation of the European nations; for it is merchandise which Europe receives in exchange from America, and which she sends in exchange to the Indies. A prodigious quantity of gold and silver is therefore an advantage, when we consider these metals as merchandise; but it is otherwise when we consider them as a sign, because their abundance gives an alloy to their quality as a sign, which is chiefly founded on their scarcity.

Before the first Punic war, [7] copper was to silver as 960 to 1; [8] it is at present nearly as 731/2 to 1. When the proportion shall be as it was formerly, silver will better perform its office as a sign.

Footnotes

[7]

See chapter 12 of this book.

[8]

Supposing a mark of eight ounces of silver to be worth forty-nine livres, and copper twenty sols per pound.

previous section5. The same Subject continued. The Spirit of the Laws
next section