a theologico-political treatise [part iv]-第16部分

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harmful。　（41）　How　many　evils　spring　from　luxury；　envy；　avarice；　drunkenness；



and　the　like；　yet　these　are　tolerated　…　vices　as　they　are　…　because　they



cannot　be　prevented　by　legal　enactments。　（42）　How　much　more　then　should　free



thought　be　granted；　seeing　that　it　is　in　itself　a　virtue　and　that　it　cannot



be　crushed！　（43）　Besides；　the　evil　results　can　easily　be　checked；　as　I　will



show；　by　the　secular　authorities；　not　to　mention　that　such　freedom



is　absolutely　necessary　for　progress　in　science　and　the　liberal　arts：　for　no



man　follows　such　pursuits　to　advantage　unless　his　judgment　be　entirely　free



and　unhampered。







（20：44）　But　let　it　be　granted　that　freedom　may　be　crushed；　and　men　be　so



bound　down；　that　they　do　not　dare　to　utter　a　whisper；　save　at　the　bidding　of



their　rulers；　nevertheless　this　can　never　be　carried　to　the　pitch　of　making



them　think　according　to　authority；　so　that　the　necessary　consequences　would



be　that　men　would　daily　be　thinking　one　thing　and　saying　another；　to　the



corruption　of　good　faith；　that　mainstay　of　government；　and　to　the　fostering



of　hateful　flattery　and　perfidy；　whence　spring　stratagems；　and　the



corruption　of　every　good　art。







（20：45）　It　is　far　from　possible　to　impose　uniformity　of　speech；　for　the　more



rulers　strive　to　curtail　freedom　of　speech；　the　more　obstinately　are



they　resisted；　not　indeed　by　the　avaricious；　the　flatterers；　and　other



numskulls；　who　think　supreme　salvation　consists　in　filling　their　stomachs



and　gloating　over　their　money…bags；　but　by　those　whom　good　education；　sound



morality；　and　virtue　have　rendered　more　free。　（46）　Men；　as　generally



constituted；　are　most　prone　to　resent　the　branding　as　criminal　of　opinions



which　they　believe　to　be　true；　and　the　proscription　as　wicked　of　that　which



inspires　them　with　piety　towards　God　and　man；　hence　they　are　ready　to



forswear　the　laws　and　conspire　against　the　authorities；　thinking　it　not



shameful　but　honourable　to　stir　up　seditions　and　perpetuate　any　sort　of



crime　with　this　end　in　view。　（47）　Such　being　the　constitution　of　human



nature；　we　see　that　laws　directed　against　opinions　affect　the　generous



minded　rather　than　the　wicked；　and　are　adapted　less　for　coercing　criminals



than　for　irritating　the　upright；　so　that　they　cannot　be　maintained　without



great　peril　to　the　state。







（20：48）　Moreover；　such　laws　are　almost　always　useless；　for　those　who　hold



that　the　opinions　proscribed　are　sound；　cannot　possibly　obey　the　law；



whereas　those　who　already　reject　them　as　false；　accept　the　law　as　a　kind　of



privilege；　and　make　such　boast　of　it；　that　authority　is　powerless　to　repeal



it；　even　if　such　a　course　be　subsequently　desired。







（20：49）　To　these　considerations　may　be　added　what　we　said　in　Chapter　XVIII。



in　treating　of　the　history　of　the　Hebrews。　（50）　And；　lastly；　how　many



schisms　have　arisen　in　the　Church　from　the　attempt　of　the　authorities　to



decide　by　law　the　intricacies　of　theological　controversy！　（51）　If　men　were



not　allured　by　the　hope　of　getting　the　law　and　the　authorities　on　their



side；　of　triumphing　over　their　adversaries　in　the　sight　of　an　applauding



multitude；　and　of　acquiring　honourable　distinctions；　they　would　not　strive



so　maliciously；　nor　would　such　fury　sway　their　minds。　（52）　This　is　taught



not　only　by　reason　but　by　daily　examples；　for　laws　of　this　kind　prescribing



what　every　man　shall　believe　and　forbidding　anyone　to　speak　or　write　to　the



contrary；　have　often　been　passed；　as　sops　or　concessions　to　the　anger　of



those　who　cannot　tolerate　men　of　enlightenment；　and　who；　by　such　harsh　and



crooked　enactments；　can　easily　turn　the　devotion　of　the　masses　into　fury　and



direct　it　against　whom　they　will。　（53）　How　much　better　would　it　be



to　restrain　popular　anger　and　fury；　instead　of　passing　useless　laws；



which　can　only　be　broken　by　those　who　love　virtue　and　the　liberal　arts；　thus



paring　down　the　state　till　it　is　too　small　to　harbour　men　of　talent。　（54）



What　greater　misfortune　for　a　state　can　be　conceived　then　that　honourable



men　should　be　sent　like　criminals　into　exile；　because　they　hold　diverse



opinions　which　they　cannot　disguise？　（55）　What；　I　say；　can　be　more　hurtful



than　that　men　who　have　committed　no　crime　or　wickedness　should；　simply



because　they　are　enlightened；　be　treated　as　enemies　and　put　to　death；　and



that　the　scaffold；　the　terror　of　evil…doers；　should　become　the　arena　where



the　highest　examples　of　tolerance　and　virtue　are　displayed　to　the



people　with　all　the　marks　of　ignominy　that　authority　can　devise？







（20：56）　He　that　knows　himself　to　be　upright　does　not　fear　the　death　of　a



criminal；　and　shrinks　from　no　punishment；　his　mind　is　not　wrung　with



remorse　for　any　disgraceful　deed：　he　holds　that　death　in　a　good　cause



is　no　punishment；　but　an　honour；　and　that　death　for　freedom　is　glory。







（20：57）　What　purpose　then　is　served　by　the　death　of　such　men；　what　example



in　proclaimed？　the　cause　for　which　they　die　is　unknown　to　the　idle　and　the



foolish；　hateful　to　the　turbulent；　loved　by　the　upright。　（58）　The　only



lesson　we　can　draw　from　such　scenes　is　to　flatter　the　persecutor；　or　else　to



imitate　the　victim。







（20：58）　If　formal　assent　is　not　to　be　esteemed　above　conviction；　and　if



governments　are　to　retain　a　firm　hold　of　authority　and　not　be　compelled　to



yield　to　agitators；　it　is　imperative　that　freedom　of　judgment　should　be



granted；　so　that　men　may　live　together　in　harmony；　however　diverse；　or



even　openly　contradictory　their　opinions　may　be。　（59）　We　cannot　doubt　that



such　is　the　best　system　of　government　and　open　to　the　fewest　objections；



since　it　is　the　one　most　in　harmony　with　human　nature。　（60）　In　a　democracy



（the　most　natural　form　of　government；　as　we　have　shown　in　Chapter　XVI。）



everyone　submits　to　the　control　of　authority　over　his　actions；　but　not　over



his　judgment　and　reason；　that　is；　seeing　that　all　cannot　think　alike；　the



voice　of　the　majority　has　the　force　of　law；　subject　to　repeal　if



circumstances　bring　about　a　change　of　opinion。　（61）　In　proportion　as　the



power　of　free　judgment　is　withheld　we　depart　from　the　natural



condition　of　mankind；　and　consequently　the　government　becomes　more



tyrannical。







＇20：4＇　（62）　In　order　to　prove　that　from　such　freedom　no　inconvenience



arises；　which　cannot　easily　be　checked　by　the　exercise　of　the　sovereign



power；　and　that　men's　actions　can　easily　be　kept　in　bounds；　though　their



opinions　be　at　open　variance；　it　will　be　well　to　cite　an　example。　（63）　Such



an　one　is　not　very；　far　to　seek。　（64）　The　city　of　Amsterdam　reaps　the　fruit



of　this　freedom　in　its　own　great　prosperity　and　in　the　admiration　of　all



other　people。　（65）　For　in　this　most　flourishing　state；　and　most　splendid



city；　men　of　every；　nation　and　religion　live　together　in　the　greatest



harmony；　and　ask　no　questions　before　trusting　their　goods　to　a　fellow…



citizen；　save　whether　he　be　rich　or　poor；　and　whether　he　generally　acts



honestly；　or　the　reverse。　（66）　His　religion　and　sect　is　considered　of　no



importance：　for　it　has　no　effect　before　the　judges　in　gaining　or　losing　a



cause；　and　there　is　no　sect　so　despised　that　its　followers；　provided　that



they　harm　no　one；　pay　every　man　his　due；　and　live　uprightly；　are　deprived　of



the　protection　of　the　magisterial　authority。







（20：67）　On　the　other　hand；　when　the　religious　controversy　between



Remonstrants　and　Counter…Remonstrants　began　to　be　taken　up　by　politicians



and　the　States；　it　grew　into　a　schism；　and　abundantly　showed　that　laws



dealing　with　religion　and　seeking　to　settle　its　controversies　are　much　more



calculated　to　irritate　than　to　reform；　and　that　they　give　rise　to　extreme



licence：　further；　it　was　seen　that　schisms　do　not　originate　in　a　love　of



truth；　which　is　a　source　of　courtesy　and　gentleness；　but　rather　in　an



inordinate　desire　for　supremacy；　（68）　From　all　these　considerations　it　is



clearer　than　the　sun　at　noonday；　that　the　true　schismatics　are　those　who



condemn　other　men's　writings；　and　seditiously　stir　up　the　quarrelsome　masses



against　their　authors；　rather　than　those　authors　themselves；　who　generally



write　only　for　the　learned；　and　appeal　solely　to　reason。　（69）　In　fact；　the



real　disturbers　of　the　peace　are　those　who；　in　a　free　state；　seek　to　curtail



the　liberty　of　judgment　which　they　are　unable　to　tyrannize　over。







（20：70）　I　have　thus　shown：…







（71）　I。　That　it　is　impossible　to　deprive　men　of　the　liberty　of　saying　what



they　think。







（72）　II。　That　such　liberty　can　be　conceded　to　every　man　without　injury



to　the　rights　and　authority　of　the　sovereign　power；　and　that　every　man



may　retain　it　without　injury　to　such　rights；　provided　that　he　does　not



presume　upon　it　to　the　extent　of　introducing　any　new　rights　into　the



state；　or　acting　in　any　way　contrary；　to　the　existing　laws。







（20：73）　III。　That　every　man　may　enjoy　this　liberty　without　detriment　to　the



public　peace；　and　that　no　inconveniences　arise　therefrom　which　cannot　easily



be　checked。







（74）　IV。　That　every　man　may　enjoy　it　without　injury　to　his　allegiance。







（75）　V。　That　laws　dealing　with　speculative　problems　are　entirely　useless。







（76）　VI。　Lastly；　that　not　only　may　such　liberty　be　granted　without　prejudice



to　the　public　peace；　to　loyalty；　and　to　the　rights　of　rulers；　but　that　it　is



even　necessary；　for　their　preservation。　（77）　For　when　people　try　to　take　it



away；　and　bring　to　trial；　not　only　the　acts　which　alone　are　capable　of



offending；　but　also　the　opinions　of　mankind；　they　only　succeed　in



surrounding　their　victims　with　an　appearance　of　martyrdom；　and　raise



feelings　of　pity　and　revenge　rather　than　of　terror。　（78）　Uprightness　and



good　faith　are　thus　corrupted；　flatterers　and　traitors　are　encouraged；　and



sectarians　triumph；　inasmuch　as　concessions　have