all the same variations, which are
natural to the passion. Here are two persons, who dispute for an estate;
of whom one is rich, a fool, and a batchelor; the other poor, a man of
sense, and has a numerous family: The first is my enemy; the second
my friend. Whether I be actuated in this affair by a view to public or
private interest, by friendship or enmity, I must be induced to do my
utmost to procure the estate to the latter. Nor would any consideration
of the right and property of the persons be able to restrain me, were I
actuated only by natural motives, without any combination or convention
with others. For as all property depends on morality; and as all
morality depends on the ordinary course of our passions and actions; and
as these again are only directed by particular motives; it is evident,
such a partial conduct must be suitable to the strictest morality, and
coued never be a violation of property. Were men, therefore, to take
the liberty of acting with regard to the laws of society, as they do in
every other affair, they would conduct themselves, on most occasions, by
particular judgments, and would take into consideration the characters
and circumstances of the persons, as well as the general nature of the
question. But it is easy to observe, that this would produce an infinite
confusion in human society, and that the avidity and partiality of men
would quickly bring disorder into the world, if not restrained by some
general and inflexible principles. Twas, therefore, with a view to this
inconvenience, that men have established those principles, and have
agreed to restrain themselves by general rules, which are unchangeable
by spite and favour, and by particular views of private or public
interest. These rules, then, are artificially invented for a certain
purpose, and are contrary to the common principles of human nature,
which accommodate themselves to circumstances, and have no stated
invariable method of operation.

Nor do I perceive how I can easily be mistaken in this matter. I see
evidently, that when any man imposes on himself general inflexible
rules in his conduct with others, he considers certain objects as
their property, which he supposes to be sacred and inviolable. But
no proposition can be more evident, than that property is perfectly
unintelligible without first supposing justice and injustice; and that
these virtues and vices are as unintelligible, unless we have motives,
independent of t