The illustrious Hugo Grotius Of the law of warre and peace with annotations, III parts, and memorials of the author's life and death.

IV. Of the loss of a member, and the defense of chastity.

WHat shall we say of the danger of mutilation, and loss of some part of the body? Certainly, the loss of a mem∣ber, especially one very needfull, being very grievous, and as it were equipara∣ble to life; besides, it being hard to know, whether it draw not after it perill of death; if there be no other way to come off, I may suppose the author of such a perill forefeits his own life, and may be justly slain by the defendant. In defense of Chastity, it can scarce be doub∣ted but the same is lawfull: when both common estimation, and the divine law too, equals chastity to life † 1.1 Therefore Paulus the Lawyer said such a defense is right. We have an example in Cicero * 1.2 and Quintilian, of a Tribune of Marius slaine by a Soldier. Yea, and women have often slain the in vaders of their mo∣desty, as histories relate. Chariclea in He∣liodorus calls such an act, a just revenge on behalf of injur'd chastity.

Notes

• † 1.1

  Seneca de benef. 1. c. 11. Proxima ab his sunt sine quibus possumus quidem vivere, sed ut mors po•…•…ior sit, tanquam liber∣tas & pudicitia & mens bona. Paulus senten∣tiarum 5. t. 23. Qui latronem caedem sibi inse∣rentem, vel a∣lium quemlibet stuprum inferen∣tem occiderit, puniri non pla∣cuit. Alius enim vitam, alius pudorem publi∣co facinore de∣fendit. Augu∣stin. l. 1. de lib. arbit. Lex dat potestatem vel viatori ut latronem, ne ab eo ipse occidatur, occidat; vel cui•…•…iam viro aut faeminae, ut violenter sibi stupratorem irruentem, aut post illatum stuprum, si possit, inte•…•…i∣met.
• * 1.2

  Vide & Plutarchum Mario. Mars quo{que} deorum judicio absolutus dicitur interfecto eo qui filiae ipsius stuprum infere∣bat. Testis Apollodorus biblioth. 3. Adde insignem historiam a∣pud Greg. Turonensem lib. 9.