The possession of arms is the distinction of a freeman from a slave. He who has nothing, and belongs to another, must be defended by him, and needs no arms: but he who thinks he is his own master, and has any thing he may call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself and what he possesses, or else he lives precariously and at discretion. p. 307 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Political_Works_of_Andrew_Fletcher_E/Z4g2AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA307

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The possession of arms is the distinction of a freeman from a slave. He who has nothing, and belongs to another, must be defended by him, and needs no arms: but he who thinks he is his own master, and has any thing he may call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself and what he possesses, or else he lives precariously and at discretion. p. 307 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Political_Works_of_Andrew_Fletcher_E/Z4g2AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA307" in the context of "" to mean that wisdom is timeless.