Pursuing the logical implications of the right of private property led William of Ockham and other theologians to conclude that since it is a right that precedes the laws imposed by any sovereign, rulers cannot usurp or arbitrarily seize the property of those over whom they rule. A sovereign can infringe on private property only when “he shall see that the common welfare takes preference over private interest.” But “he cannot do this at his own arbitrary discretion.”
