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.

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

chap. I.: difference between the nature and principle of government.

chap. II.: of the principle of different governments.

chap. III.: of the principle of democracy.

chap. IV.: of the principle of aristocracy.

chap. V.: that virtue is not the principle of a monarchical government.

chap. VI.: in what manner virtue is supplied in a monarchical government.

chap. VII.: of the principle of monarchy.

chap. VIII.: that honour is not the principle of despotic government.

chap. IX.: of the principle of despotic government.

chap. X.: difference of obedience in moderate and despotic governments.

chap. XI.: reflections on the preceding chapters.

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.

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 XVIII.: OF LAWS IN THE RELATION THEY BEAR TO THE NATURE OF THE SOIL.

CHAP. XXV.: Childeric.

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CHAP. XXV.: Childeric.

“THE laws of matrimony, amongst the Germans, says Tacitus, are strictly observed.^†645 Vice is not there a subject of ridicule. To corrupt or be corrupted is not called fashion, or the custom of the age. There are few ^†646 examples, in this populous nation, of the violation of conjugal faith.”

This was the reason of the expulsion of Childeric: he shocked their rigid virtue, which conquest had not had time to corrupt.

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CHAP. XXV.: Childeric.