In doubtful cases, and when the body of the nation has not pronounced, or HAS NOT PRONOUNCED FREELY, a sovereign may naturally support and defend an ally; and it is then that the voluntary law of nations subsists between different states.
Edmund Burke: “In doubtful cases, and when the body of the nation has not pronounced, or HAS NOT PRONOUNCED FREELY, a sovereign may…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke discusses the conditions under which a sovereign may support an ally when the nation has not freely expressed its will.
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