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.

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

chap. I.: idea of this book.

chap. II.: of the liberty of the subject.

chap. III.: the same subject continued.

chap. IV.: that liberty is favoured by the nature and proportion of punishments.

chap. V.: of certain accusations that require particular moderation and prudence.

chap. VI.: of the crime against nature.

chap. VII.: of the crime of high-treason.

chap. VIII.: of the bad application of the name of sacrilege and high-treason.

chap. IX.: the same subject continued.

chap. X.: the same subject continued.

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chap. XI.: of thoughts.

chap. XII.: of indiscreet speeches.

chap. XIII.: of writings.

chap. XIV.: breach of modesty in punishing crimes.

chap. XV.: of the infranchisement of slaves, in order to accuse their master.

chap. XVI.: of calumny, with regard to the crime of high-treason.

chap. XVII.: of the revealing of conspiracies.

chap. XVIII.: how dangerous it is, in republics, to be too severe in punishing the crime of high-treason.

chap. XIX.: in what manner the use of liberty is suspended in a republic.

chap. XX.: of laws favourable to the liberty of the subject in a republic.

chap. XXI.: of the cruelty of laws, in respect to debtors, in a republic.

chap. XXII.: of things that strike at liberty in monarchies.

chap. XXIII.: of spies in monarchies.

chap. XXIV.: of anonymous letters.

chap. XXV.: of the manner of governing in monarchies.

chap. XXVI.: that, in a monarchy, the prince ought to be of easy access.

chap. XXVII.: of the manners of a monarch.

chap. XXVIII.: of the regard which monarchs owe to their subjects.

chap. XXIX.: of the civil laws proper for mixing some portion of liberty in a despotic government.

chap. XXX.: the same subject continued.

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.

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

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 XII.: OF THE LAWS THAT FORM POLITICAL LIBERTY, AS RELATIVE TO THE SUBJECT.

CHAP. XI.: Of Thoughts.

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CHAP. XI.: Of Thoughts.

MARSYAS dreamt that he had cut Dionysius’s throat Plutarch’s Life of Dionysius. ^†419. Dionysius put him to death, pretending that he would never have dreamt of such a thing by night if he had not thought of it by day. This was

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a most tyrannical action; for, though it had been the subject of his thoughts, yet he had made no attempt ^†420 towards it. The laws do not take upon them to punish any other than overt acts.

CHAP. XI.: Of Thoughts.