[Sidenote: That single subjects have any propriety or absolute dominion over their own goods, is a seditious opinion.] 7. The seventh doctrine opposite to government, is this; _that each subject hath an absolute dominion over the goods he is in possession of_: that is to say, such a _propriety_ as excludes not only the right of all the rest of his fellow-subjects to the same goods, but also of the magistrate himself. Which is not true; for they who have a _lord_ over them, have themselves no _lordship_, as hath been proved chap. viii. art. 5. Now the magistrate is lord of all his subjects, by the constitution of government. Before the yoke of civil society was undertaken, no man had any _proper right_; all things were _common_ to all men. Tell me therefore, how gottest thou this _propriety_ but from the magistrate? How got the magistrate it, but that every man transferred his right on him? And thou therefore hast also given up thy right to him. Thy _dominion_ therefore, and _propriety_, is just so much as he will, and shall last so long as he pleases; even as in a family, each son hath such _proper_ goods, and so long lasting, as seems good to the father. But the greatest part of men who profess civil prudence, reason otherwise. We are equal, say they, by nature; there is no reason why any man should by better right take my goods from me, than I his from him. We know that money sometimes is needful for the defence and maintenance of the public; but let them who require it, show us the present necessity, and they shall receive it. They who talk thus know not, that what they would have, is already done from the beginning, in the very constitution of government; and therefore speaking as in a dissolute multitude and yet not fashioned government, they destroy the frame. [Sidenote: Not to know the difference between a people and a multitude, prepares to sedition.]