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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.
 8.1. 
1. General Idea of this Book.
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2. Of the Corruption of the Principles of Democracy.
 8.3. 
3. Of the Spirit of extreme Equality.
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4. Particular Cause of the Corruption of the People.
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5. Of the Corruption of the Principle of Aristocracy.
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6. Of the Corruption of the Principle of Monarchy.
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7. The same Subject continued.
 8.8. 
8. Danger of the Corruption of the Principle of monarchical Government.
 8.9. 
9. How ready the Nobility are to defend the Throne.
 8.10. 
10. Of the Corruption of the Principle of despotic Government.
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11. Natural Effects of the Goodness and Corruption of the Principles of Government.
 7.12. 
12. The same Subject continued.
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13. The Effect of an Oath among virtuous People.
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14. How the smallest Change of the Constitution is attended with the Ruin of its Principles.
 8.15. 
15. Sure Methods of preserving the three Principles.
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16. Distinctive Properties of a Republic.
 8.17. 
17. Distinctive Properties of a Monarchy.
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18. Particular Case of the Spanish Monarchy.
 8.19. 
19. Distinctive Properties of a despotic Government.
 8.20. 
20. Consequence of the preceding Chapters.
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21. Of the Empire of China.
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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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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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23.12. 12. Of the Number of Males and Females in different Countries.

I have already observed that there are born in Europe rather more boys than girls. [12] It has been remarked that in Japan there are born rather more girls than boys: [13] all things compared, there must be more fruitful women in Japan than in Europe, and consequently it must be more populous.

We are informed that at Bantam there are ten girls to one boy. [14] A disproportion like this must cause the number of families there to be to the number of those of other climates as 1 to 5 1/2 which is a prodigious difference. Their families may be much larger indeed; but there must be few men in circumstances sufficient to provide for so large a family.

Footnotes

[12]

Book xvi, chap. 4.

[13]

See Kempfer, who gives a computation of the people of Meaco.

[14]

"Collection of Voyages that Contributed to the Establishment of the East India Company," vol. i, p. 347.

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