the spirit of laws-第107部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



11。　That　human　Courts　of　Justice　should　not　be　regulated　by　the　Maxims　of　those　Tribunals　which　relate　to　the　Other　Life。　The　tribunal　of　the　inquisition；　formed　by　the　Christian　monks　on　the　idea　of　the　tribunal　of　penitence；　is　contrary　to　all　good　policy。　It　has　everywhere　met　with　a　general　dislike；　and　must　have　sunk　under　the　oppositions　it　met　with；　if　those　who　were　resolved　to　establish　it　had　not　drawn　advantages　even　from　these　oppositions。

This　tribunal　is　insupportable　in　all　governments。　In　monarchies；　it　only　makes　informers　and　traitors；　in　republics；　it　only　forms　dishonest　men；　in　a　despotic　state；　it　is　as　destructive　as　the　government　itself。

12。　The　same　Subject　continued。　It　is　one　abuse　of　this　tribunal　that；　of　two　persons　accused　of　the　same　crime；　he　who　denies　is　condemned　to　die；　and　he　who　confesses　avoids　the　punishment。　This　has　its　source　in　monastic　ideas；　where　he　who　denies　seems　in　a　state　of　impenitence　and　damnation；　and　he　who　confesses；　in　a　state　of　repentance　and　salvation。　But　a　distinction　of　this　kind　can　have　no　relation　to　human　tribunals。　Human　justice；　which　sees　only　the　actions；　has　but　one　compact　with　men；　namely；　that　of　innocence；　divine　justice；　which　sees　the　thoughts；　has　two；　that　of　innocence　and　repentance。

13。　In　what　Cases；　with　regard　to　Marriage；　we　ought　to　follow　the　Laws　of　Religion；　and　in　what　Cases　we　should　follow　the　civil　Laws。　It　has　happened　in　all　ages　and　countries；　that　religion　has　been　blended　with　marriages。　When　certain　things　have　been　considered　as　impure　or　unlawful；　and　had　nevertheless　become　necessary；　they　were　obliged　to　call　in　religion　to　legitimate　in　the　one　case；　and　to　reprove　in　others。

On　the　other　hand；　as　marriage　is　of　all　human　actions　that　in　which　society　is　most　interested；　it　became　proper　that　this　should　be　regulated　by　the　civil　laws。

Everything　which　relates　to　the　nature　of　marriage；　its　form；　the　manner　of　contracting　it；　the　fruitfulness　it　occasions；　which　has　made　all　nations　consider　it　as　the　object　of　a　particular　benediction；　a　benediction　which；　not　being　always　annexed　to　it；　is　supposed　to　depend　on　certain　superior　graces；　all　this　is　within　the　resort　of　religion。

The　consequences　of　this　union　with　regard　to　property；　the　reciprocal　advantages；　everything　which　has　a　relation　to　the　new　family；　to　that　from　which　it　sprang；　and　to　that　which　is　expected　to　arise；　all　this　relates　to　the　civil　laws。

As　one　of　the　great　objects　of　marriage　is　to　take　away　that　uncertainty　which　attends　unlawful　conjunctions；　religion　here　stamps　its　seal；　and　the　civil　laws　join　theirs　to　it；　to　the　end　that　it　may　be　as　authentic　as　possible。　Thus；　besides　the　conditions　required　by　religion　to　make　a　marriage　valid；　the　civil　laws　may　still　exact　others。

The　civil　laws　receive　this　power　from　their　being　additional　obligations；　and　not　contradictory　ones。　The　law　of　religion　insists　upon　certain　ceremonies；　the　civil　laws　on　the　consent　of　fathers；　in　this　case；　they　demand　something　more　than　that　of　religion；　but　they　demand　nothing　contrary　to　it。

It　follows　hence；　that　the　religious　law　must　decide　whether　the　bond　be　indissoluble　or　not；　for　if　the　laws　of　religion　had　made　the　bond　indissoluble；　and　the　civil　laws　had　declared　it　might　be　broken；　they　would　be　contradictory　to　each　other。

Sometimes　the　regulations　made　by　the　civil　laws　with　respect　to　marriage　are　not　absolutely　necessary；　such　are　those　established　by　the　laws；　which；　instead　of　annulling　the　marriage；　only　punish　those　who　contract　it。

Among　the　Romans；　the　Papian　law　declared　those　marriages　illegal　which　had　been　prohibited；　and　yet　only　subjected　them　to　a　penalty；＇30＇　but　a　Senatus　Consultum；　made　at　the　instance　of　the　Emperor　Marcus　Antoninus；　declared　them　void；　there　then　no　longer　subsisted　any　such　thing　as　a　marriage；　wife；　dowry；　or　husband。＇31＇　The　civil　laws　determine　according　to　circumstances：　sometimes　they　are　most　attentive　to　repair　the　evil；　at　others；　to　prevent　it。

14。　In　what　instances　Marriages　between　Relatives　shall　be　regulated　by　the　Laws　of　Nature：　and　in　what　instances　by　the　civil　Laws。　With　regard　to　the　prohibition　of　marriage　between　relatives；　it　is　a　thing　extremely　delicate　to　fix　exactly　the　point　at　which　the　laws　of　nature　stop　and　where　the　civil　laws　begin。　For　this　purpose　we　must　establish　some　principles。

The　marriage　of　the　son　with　the　mother　confounds　the　state　of　things：　the　son　ought　to　have　an　unlimited　respect　for　his　mother；　the　wife　an　unlimited　respect　for　her　husband；　therefore　the　marriage　of　the　mother　to　her　son　would　subvert　the　natural　state　of　both。

Besides；　nature　has　forwarded　in　women　the　time　in　which　they　are　able　to　have　children；　but　has　retarded　it　in　men；　and；　for　the　same　reason；　women　sooner　lose　this　ability　and　men　later。　If　the　marriage　between　the　mother　and　the　son　were　permitted；　it　would　almost　always　be　the　case　that　when　the　husband　was　capable　of　entering　into　the　views　of　nature；　the　wife　would　be　incapable。

The　marriage　between　the　father　and　the　daughter　is　contrary　to　nature；　as　well　as　the　other；　but　it　is　not　less　contrary；　because　it　has　not　these　two　obstacles。　Thus　the　Tartars；　who　may　marry　their　daughters；＇32＇　never　marry　their　mothers；　as　we　see　in　the　accounts　we　have　of　that　nation。＇33＇

It　has　ever　been　the　natural　duty　of　fathers　to　watch　over　the　chastity　of　their　children。　Entrusted　with　the　care　of　their　education；　they　are　obliged　to　preserve　the　body　in　the　greatest　perfection；　and　the　mind　from　the　least　corruption；　to　encourage　whatever　has　a　tendency　to　inspire　them　with　virtuous　desires；　and　to　nourish　a　becoming　tenderness。　Fathers；　always　employed　in　preserving　the　morals　of　their　children；　must　have　a　natural　aversion　to　everything　that　can　render　them　corrupt。　Marriage；　you　will　say；　is　not　a　corruption；　but　before　marriage　they　must　speak；　they　must　make　their　persons　beloved；　they　must　seduce；　it　is　this　seduction　which　ought　to　inspire　us　with　horror。

There　should　be　therefore　an　insurmountable　barrier　between　those　who　ought　to　give　the　education；　and　those　who　are　to　receive　it；　in　order　to　prevent　every　kind　of　corruption；　even　though　the　motive　be　lawful。　Why　do　fathers　so　carefully　deprive　those　who　are　to　marry　their　daughters　of　their　company　and　familiarity？

The　horror　that　arises　against　the　incest　of　the　brother　with　the　sister　should　proceed　from　the　same　source。　The　desire　of　fathers　and　mothers　to　preserve　the　morals　of　their　children　and　families　untainted　is　sufficient　to　inspire　their　offspring　with　a　detestation　of　everything　that　can　lead　to　the　union　of　the　two　sexes。

The　prohibition　of　marriage　between　cousins…german　has　the　same　origin。　In　the　early　ages；　that　is；　in　the　times　of　innocence；　in　the　ages　when　luxury　was　unknown；　it　was　customary　for　children＇34＇　upon　their　marriage　not　to　remove　from　their　parents；　but　settle　in　the　same　house；　as　a　small　habitation　was　at　that　time　sufficient　for　a　large　family；　the　children　of　two　brothers；　or　cousins…german；＇35＇　were　considered　both　by　others　and　themselves　as　brothers。　The　estrangement　then　between　the　brothers　and　sisters　as　to　marriage　subsisted　also　between　the　cousins…german。＇36＇　These　principles　are　so　strong　and　no　natural　that　they　have　had　their　influence　almost　over　all　the　earth；　independently　of　any　communication。　It　was　not　the　Romans　who　taught　the　inhabitants　of　Formosa＇37＇　that　the　marriage　of　relatives　of　the　fourth　degree　was　incestuous；　it　was　not　the　Romans　that　communicated　this　sentiment　to　the　Arabs；＇38＇　it　was　not　they　who　taught　it　to　the　inhabitants　of　the　Maldivian　islands。＇39＇

But　if　some　nations　have　not　rejected　marriages　between　fathers　and　children；　sisters　and　brothers；　we　have　seen　in　the　first　book；　that　intelligent　beings　do　not　always　follow　the　law　of　nature。　Who　could　have　imagined　it！　Religious　ideas　have　frequently　made　men　fall　into　these　mistakes。　If　the　Assyrians　and　the　Persians　married　their　mothers；　the　first　were　influenced　by　a　religious　respect　for　Semiramis；　and　the　second　did　it　because　the　religion　of　Zoroaster　gave　a　preference　to　these　marriages。＇40＇　If　the　Egyptians　married　their　sisters；　it　proceeded　from　the　wildness　of　the　Egyptian　religion；　which　consecrated　these　marriages　in　honour　of　Isis。　As　the　spirit　of　religion　leads　us　to　attempt　whatever　is　great　and　difficult；　we　cannot　infer　that　a　thing　is　natural　from　its　being　consecrated　by　a　false　religion。

The　principle　which　informs　us　that　marriages　between　fathers　and　children；　between　brothers　and　sisters；　are　prohibited　in　order　to　preserve　natural　modesty　in　families　will　help　us　to　the　discovery　of　those　marriages　that　are　forbidden　by　the　law　of　nature；　and　of　those　which　can　be　so　only　by　the　civil　law。

As　children　dwell；　or　are　supposed　to　dwell　in　their　father's　house；　and　consequently　the　son…in…law　with　the　mother…in…law；　the　father…in…law　with　the　daughter…in…law；　or　wife's　daughter；　the　marriage　between　them　is　forbidden　by　the　law　of　nature；　in　this　case　the　resemblance　has　the　same　effect　as　the　reality；　because　it　springs　from　the　same　cause；　the　civil　law　neither　can；　nor　ought　to　permit　these　marriages。

There　are　nations；　as　we　have　already　observed；　among　whom　cousins…german　are　considered　as　brothers；　because　they　commonly　dwell　in　the　same　house；　there　are　others　where　this　custom　is　not　known。　Among　the　first　the　marriage　of　cousins…german　ought　to　be　regarded　as　contrary　to　nature；　not　so　among　the　others。

But　the　laws　of　nature　cannot　be　local。　Therefore；　when　these　marriages　are　forbidden　or　permitted；　they　are；　according　to　the　circumstances；　permitted　or　forbidden　by　a　civil　law。

It　is　not　a　necessary　custom　for　the　brother…in…law　and　the　sister…in…law　to　dwell　in　the　same　house。　The　marriage　between　them　is　not　then　prohibited　to　preserve　chastity　in　the　family；　and　the　law　which　forbids　or　permits　it　is　not　a　law　of　nature；　but　a　civil　law；　regulated　by　circumstances　and　dependent　on　the　customs　of　each　country：　these　are　cases　in　which　the　laws　depend　on　the　morals；　or　customs　of　the　inhabitants。

The　civil　laws　forbid　marriages　when　by　the　customs　received