• According to Locke, what rules govern the legislature?

There are certain rules that govern any legislature, no matter how many members it contains or how often it is in session. The first is that the legislature’s power cannot be arbitrary. When men give up their power from the state of nature to a person or assembly, they do so with the understanding that their lives and property will be protected. A man cannot give another man more power than he has in himself, and the legislature must understand that the power given to it is only for the preservation of mankind and the public good. This power does not extend to enslavement, destruction, or impoverishment of the citizens of a commonwealth. The law of nature still exists in a commonwealth and the legislature cannot violate it.