And, if the agent be Cunning, as in the case of Priestcraft and Monopoly, it is natural that the majority should become enlightened, otherwise intelligence would cease to be intelligence. Another natural law deposits a second germ of death in the heart of spoliation, which is this: Spoliation not only _displaces_ wealth, but always partially _destroys_ it. War annihilates many values. Slavery paralyzes, to a great extent, men's faculties. Priestcraft diverts men's efforts towards objects which are puerile or hurtful. Monopoly transfers wealth from one pocket to another, but much is lost in the transference. This is an admirable law. Without it, provided there existed an equilibrium between the forces of the oppressors and oppressed, spoliation would have no limits. In consequence of the operation of this law, the equilibrium tends always to be upset; either because the spoliators have the fear of such a loss of wealth, or because, in the absence of such fear, the evil constantly increases, and it is in the nature of anything which constantly gets worse and worse, ultimately to perish and be annihilated. There comes at last a time when, in its progressive acceleration, this loss of wealth is such that the spoliator finds himself poorer than he would have been had there been no spoliation. Take, for example, a people to whom the expense of war costs more than the value of the booty. A master who pays dearer for slave labour than for free labour. A system of priestcraft, which, renders people so dull and stupid, and destroys their energy to such an extent, that there is no longer anything to be got from them. A monopoly which increases its efforts at absorption in proportion as there is less to absorb, just as one should endeavour to milk a cow more vigorously in proportion as there is less milk to be got. Monopoly, it will be seen, is a species of the genus spoliation. There are many varieties; among others, Sinecures, Privileges, Restrictions. Among the forms which it assumes, there are some which are very simple and primitive. Of this kind are feudal rights. Under this _régime_ the masses are despoiled, and they know it. It implies an abuse of force, and goes down when force is wanting. Others are very complicated. The masses are frequently despoiled without knowing it. They may even imagine that they owe all to spoliation--not only what is left to them, but what is taken from them, and what is lost in the process. Nay more, I affirm that, in course of time, and owing to the ingenious mechanism to which they become accustomed, many men become spoliators without knowing that they are so, or desiring to be so. Monopolies of this kind are engendered by artifice and nourished by error. They disappear only with advancing enlightenment.