§. 45. Thus labour, in the beginning, gave a right of property, wherever any
one was pleased to employ it, upon what was common, which remained a long
while, the far greater part, and is yet more than mankind makes use of Men at
first, for the most part, contented themselves with what unassisted Nature
offered to their necessities; and though afterwards, in some parts of the
world, where the increase of people and stock, with the use of money, had made
land scarce, and so of some value, the several communities settled the bounds
of their distinct territories, and, by laws, within themselves, regulated the
properties of the private men of their society, and so, by compact and
agreement, settled the property which labour and industry began. And the
leagues that have been made between several states and kingdoms, either
expressly or tacitly disowning all claim and right to the land in the other's
possession, have, by common consent, given up their pretences to their natural
common right, which originally they had to those countries; and so have, by
positive agreement, settled a property amongst themselves, in distinct parts of
the world; yet there are still great tracts of ground to be found, which the
inhabitants thereof, not having joined with the rest of mankind in the consent
of the use of their common money, lie waste, and are more than the people who
dwell on it, do, or can make use of, and so still lie in common; though this
can scarce happen amongst that part of mankind that have consented to the use
of money.
