The freedom of the seas : $b or, The right which belongs to the Dutch to take part in the East Indian tradeGrotius, Hugo
Philosophy
The freedom of the seas : $b or, The right which belongs to the Dutch to take part in the East Indian trade
Grotius, Hugo
Freedom of the seas; Law of the sea
Ex his quae hactenus dicta sunt duo intelligi possunt. Prius est,
eas res quae occupari non possunt, aut occupatae numquam sunt,
nullius proprias esse posse; quia omnis proprietas ab occupatione
coeperit. Alterum vero, eas res omnes, quae ita a natura comparatae
sunt, ut aliquo utente nihilominus aliis quibusvis ad usum promiscue
sufficiant, eius hodieque condicionis esse, et perpetuo esse
debere cuius fuerant cum primum a natura proditae sunt. Hoc Cicero
voluit:[64a] ‘Ac latissime quidem patens hominibus inter ipsos,
omnibus inter omnes societas haec est; in qua omnium rerum, quas ad
communem hominum usum natura genuit, est servanda communitas’. Sunt
autem omnes res huius generis, in quibus sine detrimento alterius
alteri commodari potest. Hinc illud esse dicit Cicero:[65a] ‘Non
prohibere aqua profluente’. Nam aqua profluens qua talis non qua
flumen
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‘For each nation’, Seneca says in another place, ‘made its
territories into separate kingdoms and built new cities’.[60]
Thus Cicero says: “On this principle the lands of Arpinum are said
to belong to the Arpinates, the Tusculan lands to the Tusculans; and
similar is the assignment of private property. Therefore, inasmuch
as in each case some of those things which by nature had been common
property became the property of individuals, each one should retain
possession of that which has fallen to his lot.”[61] On the other
hand Thucydides[62] calls the land which in the division falls
to no nation, ἀόριστος, that is, undefined, and undetermined by
boundaries.[63]
Two conclusions may be drawn from what has thus far been said. The
first is, that that which cannot be occupied, or which never has been
occupied, cannot be the property of any one, because all property
has arisen from occupation. The second is, that all that which has
been so constituted by nature that although serving some one person
it still suffices for the common use of all other persons, is today
and ought in perpetuity to remain in the same condition as when
it was first created by nature. This is what Cicero meant when he
wrote: “This then is the most comprehensive bond that unites together
men as men and all to all; and under it the common right to all
things that nature has produced for the common use of man is to be
maintained.”[64] All things which can be used without loss to any one
else come under this category. Hence, says Cicero, comes the well
known prohibition:[65] ‘Deny no one the water that flows by’. For
running water considered as such and not as a
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est, inter communia omnium a Iurisconsultis refertur: et a Poeta:[66a]
_Quid prohibetis AQVAS? VSVS COMMVNIS aquarum est.
Nec solem PROPRIVM NATVRA nec AERA fecit.
Nec tenues VNDAS: in PVBLICA munera veni._
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