Reprint of the sole edition of this translation. In this momentous work

Grotius describes the situations in which war is a valid tool of law

enforcement and outlines the principles of armed combat. Though based

on Christian natural law, Grotius advanced the novel argument that his

system would still be valid if it lacked a divine basis. In this regard he

pointed to the future by moving international law in a secular direction.

This edition was abridged by removing most of the quotations from

"ancient historians, orators, philosophers, and poets," which are identified

in footnotes. As Whewell states in the preface, they tended to "confuse the

subject, obscure the reasoning, and weary the reader." By removing them

he enhanced clarity and reduced the bulk of the work by "more than a

half" (vi).



Hugo Grotius [1583-1645], generally acknowledged as the founder

of international law, was an influential Dutch jurist, philosopher and

theologian. Originally published in 1625, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (On

the Law of War and Peace, translated by Whewell as On the Rights of

War and Peace) is widely considered to be the first modern treatise on

international law.



William Whewell [1794-1866] wrote on numerous subjects and is known

for the breadth of his endeavors, and his influence on the philosophy of

science. He was one of the founding members and an early president of

the British Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of the

Royal Society, president of the Geological Society, and longtime Master of

Trinity College, Cambridge.