great and apparent conjectures, says he, that these men, speaking of
those of Peru, for a long time had neither kings nor commonwealths, but
lived in troops, as they do this day in Florida, the Cheriquanas, those
of Brazil, and many other nations, which have no certain kings, but as
occasion is offered, in peace or war, they choose their captains as they
please, 1. i. c. 25. If it be said, that every man there was born
subject to his father, or the head of his family; that the subjection due
from a child to a father took not away his freedom of uniting into what
political society he thought fit, has been already proved. But be that
as it will, these men, it is evident, were actually free; and whatever
superiority some politicians now would place in any of them, they
themselves claimed it not, but by consent were all equal, till by the
same consent they set rulers over themselves. So that their politic
societies all began from a voluntary union, and the mutual agreement of
men freely acting in the choice of their governors, and forms of
government.
Sec. 103. And I hope those who went away from Sparta with Palantus,
mentioned by Justin, 1. iii. c. 4. will be allowed to have been freemen
independent one of another, and to have set up a government over
themselves, by their own consent. Thus I have given several examples,
out of history, of people free and in the state of nature, that being met
together incorporated and began a commonwealth. And if the want of such
instances be an argument to prove that government were not, nor could not
be so begun, I suppose the contenders for paternal empire were better let
it alone, than urge it against natural liberty: for if they can give so
many instances, out of history, of governments begun upon paternal right,
I think (though at best an argument from what has been, to what should of
right be, has no great force) one might, without any great danger, yield
them the cause. But if I might advise them in the case, they would do
well not to search too much into the original of governments, as they