XV.14 Continuation of the same subject
When the entire nation is warlike, armed slaves are even less to be feared.
By the law of the Germans, a slave who stole something which had been set down was subjected to the penalty that would have been applied to a free man [1] ; but if he took it by violence, he was obliged only to restore the item he had taken. [2] Among the Germans, acts based on courage and strength were not repugnant. They made use of their slaves in their wars. Most republics have always tried to hold down the courage of slaves ; the German people, sure of themselves, had the idea of increasing the daring of their slaves ; always armed, they feared nothing from them ; they were instruments of their banditry or their glory.