over his: and every prince, that has parents, owes them as much filial
duty and obedience, as the meanest of his subjects do to their's; and can
therefore contain not any part or degree of that kind of dominion, which
a prince or magistrate has over his subject.
Sec. 72. Though the obligation on the parents to bring up their
children, and the obligation on children to honour their parents, contain
all the power on the one hand, and submission on the other, which are
proper to this relation, yet there is another power ordinarily in the
father, whereby he has a tie on the obedience of his children; which tho'
it be common to him with other men, yet the occasions of shewing it,
almost consich tho' it be common to him with other men, yet the occasions
of shewing it, almost constantly happening to fathers in their private
families, and the instances of it elsewhere being rare, and less taken
notice of, it passes in the world for a part of paternal jurisdiction.
And this is the power men generally have to bestow their estates on those
who please them best; the possession of the father being the expectation
and inheritance of the children, ordinarily in certain proportions,
according to the law and custom of each country; yet it is commonly in
the father's power to bestow it with a more sparing or liberal hand,
according as the behaviour of this or that child hath comported with his
will and humour.
Sec. 73. This is no small tie on the obedience of children: and there
being always annexed to the enjoyment of land, a submission to the
government of the country, of which that land is a part; it has been
commonly supposed, that a father could oblige his posterity to that
government, of which he himself was a subject, and that his compact held
them; whereas, it being only a necessary condition annexed to the land,
and the inheritance of an estate which is under that government, reaches
only those who will take it on that condition, and so is no natural tie
or engagement, but a voluntary submission: for every man's children being