How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph.)
Quote #10
At last he had sought to make a map of force, as it were, to bind it down by laws. He had tried to codify the evil uses of might by individuals, so that he might set bounds to them by the impersonal justice of the state. [...] And then, even as the might of the individual seemed to have been curbed, the Principle of Might had sprung up behind him in another shape—in the shape of collective might, of banded ferocity, of numerous armies insusceptible to individual laws. (C.14.3)
On the eve of Arthur's final battle with Mordred, he considers all the theorizing and philosophizing he's done regarding Might and Right, and the steps he's taken to try to curb the illicit use of force. Even making a system of laws (which Arthur thought would be the best way to take care of this problem) didn't work. In the end, force wins out.