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
Why then, when it can be done without any prejudice to his own
interests, will not one person share with another things which are
useful to the recipient, and no loss to the giver?[100] These are
services which the ancient philosophers[101] thought ought to be
rendered not only to foreigners but even to the ungrateful. But the
same act which when private possessions are in question is jealousy
can be nothing but cruelty when a common possession is in question.
For it is most outrageous for you to appropriate a thing, which both
by ordinance of nature and by common consent is as much mine as
yours, so exclusively that you will not grant me a right of use in it
which leaves it no less yours than it was before.
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Tum vero etiam qui alienis incumbunt, aut communia intercipiunt,
certa quadam possessione se tuentur. Quia enim prima, ut diximus,
occupatio res proprias fecit, idcirco imaginem quandam dominii
praefert quamvis iniusta detentio. At Lusitani num sicuti terras
solemus, sic mare illud impositis praediis ita undique cinxerunt,
ut in ipsorum manu esset quos vellent excludere? An vero tantum hoc
abest, ut ipsi etiam, cum adversus alios populos mundum dividunt, non
ullis limitibus aut natura, aut manu positis, sed imaginaria quadam
linea se tueantur? quod si recipitur et dimensio talis ad possidendum
valet, iamdudum nobis Geometrae terras, Astronomi etiam caelum
eriperent.
Vbi hic igitur est ista, sine qua nulla dominia coeperunt,
corporis ad corpus adiunctio? Nimirum apparet in nulla re verius
dici posse, quod Doctores nostri prodiderunt,[102a] Mare cum sit
incomprehensibile, non minus quam aër, nullius populi bonis potuisse
applicari.
Si vero ante alios navigasse, et viam quodammodo aperuisse, hoc
vocant occupare, quid esse potest magis ridiculum? Nam cum nulla
pars sit maris, in quam non aliquis primus ingressus sit, sequetur
omnem navigationem ab aliquo esse occupatam. Ita undique excludimur.
Quin et illi qui terrarum orbem circumvecti sunt, totum sibi Oceanum
acquisivisse dicendi erunt. Sed nemo nescit
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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