Ius naturale est quod natura omnia animalia docuit. nam ius istud non humani generis proprium est, sed omnium animalium, quae in caelo, quae in terra, quae in mari nascuntur. hinc descendit maris atque feminae coniugatio, quam nos matrimonium appellamus, hinc liberorum procreatio et educatio: videmus etenim cetera quoque animalia istius iuris peritia censeri.
§ 1. Ius autem civile vel gentium ita dividitur: omnes populi qui legibus et moribus reguntur partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utuntur: nam quod quisque populus ipse sibi ius constituit, id ipsius proprium civitatis est vocaturque ius civile, quasi ius proprium ipsius civitatis: quod vero naturalis ratio inter omnes homines constituit, id apud omnes populos peraeque custoditur vocaturque ius gentium, quasi quo iure omnes gentes utuntur. et populus itaque Romanus partim suo proprio, partim communi omnium hominum iure utitur. quae singula qualia sunt, suis locis proponemos.
Sed ius quidem civile ex unaquaque civitate appellatur, veluti Atheniensium: nam si quis velit Solonis vel Draconis leges appellare ius civile Atheniensium, non erraverit. sic enim et ius quo populus Romanus utitur ius civile Romanorum appellamus, vel ius Quiritium, quo Quirites utuntur; Romani enim a Quirino Quirites appellantur. sed quotiens non addimus, cuius sit civitatis, nostrum ius significamus: sicuti cum poetam dicimus nec addimus nomen, subauditur apud Graecos egregius Homerus, apud nos Vergilius.
§ 2. Ius autem gentium omni humano generi commune est. nam usu exigente et humanis necessitatibus gentes humanae quaedam sibi constituerunt: bella etenim orta sunt et captivitates secutae et servitutes, quae sunt iuri naturali contrariae (iure enim naturali ab initio omnes homines liberi nascebantur); ex hoc iure gentium et omnes paene contractus introducti sunt, ut emptio venditio, locatio conductio, societas, depositum, mutuum, et alii innumerabiles.
Natural law is that which nature teaches to all animals, for it is not peculiar to the human race, but is common to all animals which are produced in the air, on the earth, or in the sea. Hence comes the union of male and female, which we call marriage; hence the procreation and education of their young, for we see, in fact, that the other animals besides man act in conformity with this law as if they were acquainted with it.
§ 1. Civil law may be distinguished from the law of nations thus: all communities of men governed by laws and customs partly use their own particular law and partly that common to all men, for that law which each particular community establishes for itself, is peculiar to that community and is called the civil law, as being the peculiar law of that community; but that which natural reason establishes between all men, is equally maintained by all communities, and is called the law of nations, as being that law which is used by all nations. In this way the Romans use partly their own peculiar law, partly that common to all men. How these distinctions affect the subject we will discuss as occasion arises.
§ 2. The civil law derives its name from each particular community, as, for instance, from the Athenians,. for it would not be an erroneous expression to call the laws of Solon or Draco the civil law of the Athenians. So we call the law which is used by the Roman people the civil law of the Romans, or that of the Quirites, as being used by the Quirites; for the Romans were called Quirites from Quirinus. But whenever we do not add the name of the community to which the law belongs, we intend to be understood as referring to our own law; just as when we speak of the poet without any addition, the name under.stood amongst the Greeks would be that of the famous Homer, with us Virgil. On the other hand, the law of nations is common to the whole human race, for mankind, from the necessities of human life and the demands of the occasion, have established certain laws for themselves, for wars have arisen, followed by captivity and slavery, which are contrary to natural law, as at the outset, and by natural law all men were born free. And it is through this law of nations that almost all our contracts have been introduced, as the contract of sale, hire, partnership, deposit, loan, and innumerable others.
