87. It is singular enough that the President de Montesquieu
(The Spirit of Laws, l. xxx. c. 7) and the Abbe de Mably
(Observations, tom. i. p. 21, 22) agree in this strange
supposition of arbitrary and private rapine. The Count de
Boulainvilliers (Etat de la France, tom. i. p. 22, 23) shows
a strong understanding through a cloud of ignorance and
prejudice.