A Treatise of the Laws of Nature

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a treatise of the laws of nature natural law and enlightenment classics Knud Haakonssen General Editor uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu natural law and enlightenment classics A Treatise of the Laws of Nature Richard Cumberland Translated, with Introduction and Appendix, by John Maxwell (1727) Edited and with a Foreword by Jon Parkin liberty fund Indianapolis This book is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a foundation established to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. The cuneiform inscription that serves as our logo and as the design motif for our endpapers is the earliest-known written appearance of the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 b.c. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. 䉷 2005 Liberty Fund, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 09 08 c 5 4 3 2 09 08 07 06 05 p 5 4 3 2 1 Frontispiece: Portrait of Richard Cumberland used by permission of the Master and Fellows of Magdalene College, Cambridge. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cumberland, Richard, 1631–1718. [De legibus naturae. English] A treatise of the laws of nature / Richard Cumberland; translated, with introduction and appendix by John Maxwell (1727); edited and with a foreword by Jon Parkin. p. cm.—(Natural law and enlightenment classics) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0-86597-472-1 (alk. paper) isbn 0-86597-473-x (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Ethics. 2. Christian ethics. I. Parkin, Jon (Jonathan Bruce), 1969– . II. Title. III. Series. b1201.c83d423 2005 171⬘.2—dc22 2004048750 liberty fund, inc. 8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46250-1684 ...