The Complete Works of Montesquieu. Electronic Edition. :: Volume I. ::

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Volume I.

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book I.: of laws in general.

book II.: of laws directly derived from the nature of government.

book III.: of the principles of the three kinds of government.

book IV.: that the laws of education ought to be relative to the principles of government.

book V.: that the laws, given by the legislator, ought to be relative to the principle of government.

book VI.: consequences of the principles of different governments with respect to the simplicity of civil and criminal laws, the form of judgements, and the inflicting of punishments.

book VII.: consequences of the different principles of the three governments, with respect to sumptuary laws, luxury, and the condition of women.

book VIII.: of the corruption of the principles of the three governments.

book IX.: of laws, in the relation they bear to a defensive force.

book X.: of laws, in the relation they bear to offensive force.

book XI.: of the laws which establish political liberty, with regard to the constitution.

book XII.: of the laws that form political liberty, as relative to the subject.

book XIII.: of the relation which the levying of taxes and the greatness of the public revenues have to liberty.

book XIV.: of laws as relative to the nature of the climate.

book XV.: in what manner the laws of civil slavery are relative to the nature of the climate.

book XVI.: how the laws of domestic slavery have a relation to the nature of the climate.

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book XVII.: how the laws of political servitude have a relation to the nature of the climate.

chap. I.: of political servitude.

chap. II.: the difference between nations in point of courage.

chap. III.: of the climate of asia.

chap. IV.: the consequences resulting from this.

chap. V.: that, when the people in the north of asia and those of the north of europe made conquests, the effects of the conquest were not the same.

chap. VI.: a new physical cause of the slavery of asia and of the liberty of europe.

chap. VII.: of africa and america.

chap. VIII.: of the capital of the empire.

book XVIII.: of laws in the relation they bear to the nature of the soil.

book XIX.: of laws, in relation to the principles which form the general spirit, the morals, and customs, of a nation.

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The Complete Works of Montesquieu. Electronic Edition.

Volume I.

Body

BOOK XVII.: HOW THE LAWS OF POLITICAL SERVITUDE HAVE A RELATION TO THE NATURE OF THE CLIMATE.

CHAP. VIII.: Of the Capital of the Empire.

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CHAP. VIII.: Of the Capital of the Empire.

ONE of the consequences of what we have been mentioning is, that it is of the utmost importance to a great prince to make a proper choice of the seat of his empire. He who places it to the southward will be in danger of losing the North; but he who fixes it on the North may easily preserve the South. I do not speak of particular cases. In mechanics, there are frictions by which the effects of the theory are frequently changed or retarded; and policy hath also its frictions.

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CHAP. VIII.: Of the Capital of the Empire.