PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

Property in Land. 95
these accounts suppose; and that a regular regard
had~ been paid to justice in every Succ€:isive transmission
of them since: for jf one link in the ct,ain fail,
every title posterior to it falls to the ground.
The !,eal.faunda.tio~ ofy..Yr _!ight ~~,-.!~~ ~ W Oil
THE L ... ~ND.
It is th~ in.!~!l_tion ~LQod, th~~Jh~_produce ~(!b~,
earth.he_appliOO--to--tb(L u.s~j)I_~j t1!is int~tioJ!
cannot be fuJfiH~d_ wi~.h\)ut e~tablisbin~r9~_;-. it
is consistent therefore- .. widi . his _.w.ill,.. th~t P!QPertybe
established. The land caIlDot be divided into
separate~_~roperty,without-leavi~g iil~_ijlilC!~ of
theCO~!ltry -to_regu1at~ .th~t ~ 4!.\~sio~ J-).t_ ~~ .~~sis~~I1t
therefor~ ~~th-tbe same. wil4.th~t th~ I_a\!. sJ!guld re.g~
ulate the divi~Lon.; and consequently, "consisJent .
wiill tfleW!U of God," or, "righ~," _ ~li[t_ ~ should_
possess IDaishare which ffiese-regulations assign me.
By whatever drcuitous train of reasoning you attempt
to derive this right, it must terminate at last
in the will of God; the straitest, therefore, and
shortest way of arriving at this will, is the best.
Hence it appears, that my right to an estate do~ _
not at all de12enE upon __ ~~_emall!.l~ror}uSi:i~_otI.ne_
original C!cquj~.Q!!;
nor -llion the justice of each
subsequent change of possession. It is not, for instance,
the less, nor ought it to be impeached, because
the Estate was taken. possession of at first by a
family of aboriginal Britons, who happened to be
stronger than their neighbours; nor because the
British possessor was turned out by a Roman, or the
Roman by a Saxon invader; nor because it was seized,
without colour of right or reason, by a follower
of the Norman adventurer; from whom, after ma-
. ny interruptions of fra'ud and violence, it has at
length devolved to me.
~~~_c!Q~s_~he_QW!l~r'~....!~~t~.;pend ~~ t~ exp..~t!le1Zcy
of the la,!-wll1c~ gives It torum. -On one
side of'a broo'k;an estate·· escends t"('-tlie eTaest son;
on the other side, to all the children alike. The
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