the spirit of laws-第42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！


end　that　their　design　in　expelling　them　was　to　render　themselves　slaves　to　a　few　families　is　quite　absurd。　The　situation　therefore　of　things　required　that　Rome　should　have　formed　a　democracy；　and　yet　this　did　not　happen。　There　was　a　necessity　that　the　power　of　the　principal　families　should　be　tempered；　and　that　the　laws　should　have　a　bias　to　democracy。

The　prosperity　of　states　is　frequently　greater　in　the　insensible　transition　from　one　constitution　to　another　than　in　either　of　those　constitutions。　Then　it　is　that　all　the　springs　of　government　are　upon　the　stretch；　that　the　citizens　assert　their　claims；　that　friendships　or　enmities　are　formed　amongst　the　jarring　parties；　and　that　there　is　a　noble　emulation　between　those　who　defend　the　ancient　and　those　who　are　strenuous　in　promoting　the　new　constitution。

14。　In　what　Manner　the　Distribution　of　the　three　Powers　began　to　change　after　the　Expulsion　of　the　Kings。　There　were　four　things　that　greatly　prejudiced　the　liberty　of　Rome。　The　patricians　had　engrossed　to　themselves　all　public　employments　whatever；　an　exorbitant　power　was　annexed　to　the　consulate；　the　people　were　often　insulted；　and；　in　fine；　they　had　scarcely　any　influence　at　all　left　in　the　public　suffrages。　These　four　abuses　were　redressed　by　the　people。

1st。　It　was　regulated　that　the　plebeians　might　aspire　to　some　magistracies；　and　by　degrees　they　were　rendered　capable　of　them　all；　except　that　of　Inter…rex。

2nd。　The　consulate　was　dissolved　into　several　other　magistracies；＇32＇　pr？tors　were　created；　on　whom　the　power　was　conferred　of　trying　private　causes；　qu？stors＇33＇　were　nominated　for　determining　those　of　a　criminal　nature；　？diles　were　established　for　the　civil　administration；　treasurers＇34＇　were　made　for　the　management　of　the　public　money；　and；　in　fine；　by　the　creation　of　censors　the　consuls　were　divested　of　that　part　of　the　legislative　power　which　regulates　the　morals　of　the　citizens　and　the　transient　polity　of　the　different　bodies　of　the　state。　The　chief　privileges　left　them　were　to　preside　in　the　great　meetings＇35＇　of　the　people；　to　assemble　the　senate；　and　to　command　the　armies。

3rd。　The　sacred　laws　appointed　tribunes；　who　had　a　power　of　checking　the　encroachments　of　the　patricians；　and　prevented　not　only　private　but　likewise　public　injuries。

In　fine；　the　plebeians　increased　their　influence　in　the　general　assemblies。　The　people　of　Rome　were　divided　in　three　different　manners　　by　centuries；　by　curi？；　and　by　tribes；　and　whenever　they　gave　their　votes；　they　were　convened　in　one　of　those　three　ways。

In　the　first　the　patricians；　the　leading　men；　the　rich　and　the　senate；　which　was　very　nearly　the　same　thing；　had　almost　the　whole　authority；　in　the　second　they　had　less；　and　less　still　in　the　third。

The　division　into　centuries　was　a　division　rather　of　estates　and　fortunes　than　of　persons　The　whole　people　were　distributed　into　a　hundred　and　ninety…three　centuries；＇36＇　which　had　each　a　single　vote。　The　patricians　and　leading　men　composed　the　first　ninety…eight　centuries；　and　the　other　ninety…five　consisted　of　the　remainder　of　the　citizens。　In　this　division　therefore　the　patricians　were　masters　of　the　suffrages。

In　the　division　into　curi？；＇37＇　the　patricians　had　not　the　same　advantages；　some；　however；　they　had；　for　it　was　necessary　to　consult　the　augurs；　who　were　under　the　direction　of　the　patricians；　and　no　proposal　could　be　made　there　to　the　people　unless　it　had　been　previously　laid　before　the　senate；　and　approved　of　by　a　senatus…consultum。　But；　in　the　division　into　tribes　they　had　nothing　to　do　either　with　the　augurs　or　with　the　decrees　of　the　senate；　and　the　patricians　were　excluded。

Now　the　people　endeavoured　constantly　to　have　those　meetings　by　curi？　which　had　been　customary　by　centuries；　and　by　tribes；　those　they　used　to　have　before　by　curi？；　by　which　means　the　direction　of　public　affairs　soon　devolved　from　the　patricians　to　the　plebeians。

Thus　when　the　plebeians　obtained　the　power　of　trying　the　patricians　　a　power　which　commenced　in　the　affair　of　Coriolanus；＇38＇　they　insisted　upon　assembling　by　tribes；＇39＇　and　not　by　centuries；　and　when　the　new　magistracies＇40＇　of　tribunes　and　？diles　were　established　in　favour　of　the　people；　the　latter　obtained　that　they　should　meet　by　curi？　in　order　to　nominate　them；　and　after　their　power　was　quite　settled；　they　gained＇41＇　so　far　their　point　as　to　assemble　by　tribes　to　proceed　to　this　nomination。

15。　In　what　Manner　Rome；　in　the　flourishing　State　of　that　Republic；　suddenly　lost　its　Liberty。　In　the　heat　of　the　contests　between　the　patricians　and　the　plebeians；　the　latter　insisted　upon　having　fixed　laws；　to　the　end　that　the　public　judgments　should　no　longer　be　the　effect　of　capricious　will　or　arbitrary　power。　The　senate；　after　a　great　deal　of　resistance；　acquiesced；　and　decemvirs　were　nominated　to　compose　those　laws。　It　was　thought　proper　to　grant　them　an　extraordinary　power；　because　they　were　to　give　laws　to　parties　whose　views　and　interest　it　was　almost　impossible　to　unite。　The　nomination　of　all　magistrates　was　suspended；　and　the　decemvirs　were　chosen　in　the　comitia　sole　administrators　of　the　republic。　Thus　they　found　themselves　invested　with　the　consular　and　the　tribunition　power。　By　one　they　had　the　privilege　of　assembling　the　senate；　by　the　other　that　of　convening　the　people；　but　they　assembled　neither　senate　nor　people。　Ten　men　only　of　the　republic　had　the　whole　legislative；　the　whole　executive；　and　the　whole　judiciary　power。　Rome　saw　herself　enslaved　by　as　cruel　a　tyranny　as　that　of　Tarquin。　When　Tarquin　trampled　on　the　liberty　of　that　city；　she　was　seized　with　indignation　at　the　power　he　had　usurped；　when　the　decemvirs　exercised　every　act　of　oppression；　she　was　astonished　at　the　extraordinary　power　she　had　granted。

What　a　strange　system　of　tyranny　　a　tyranny　carried　on　by　men　who　had　obtained　the　political　and　military　power；　merely　from　their　knowledge　in　civil　affairs；　and　who　at　that　very　juncture　stood　in　need　of　the　courage　of　those　citizens　to　protect　them　abroad　who　so　tamely　submitted　to　domestic　oppression！

The　spectacle　of　Virginia's　death；　whom　her　father　immolated　to　chastity　and　liberty；　put　an　end　to　the　power　of　the　decemvirs。　Every　man　became　free；　because　every　man　had　been　injured；　each　showed　himself　a　citizen　because　each　had　a　tie　of　the　parent。　The　senate　and　the　people　resumed　a　liberty　which　had　been　committed　to　ridiculous　tyrants。

No　people　were　so　easily　moved　by　public　spectacles　as　the　Romans。　That　of　the　empurpled　body　of　Lucretia　put　an　end　to　the　regal　government。　The　debtor　who　appeared　in　the　forum　covered　with　wounds　caused　an　alteration　in　the　republic。　The　decemvirs　owed　their　expulsion　to　the　tragedy　of　Virginia。　To　condemn　Manlius；　it　was　necessary　to　keep　the　people　from　seeing　the　Capitol。　C？sar's　bloody　garment　flung　Rome　again　into　slavery。

16。　Of　the　legislative　Power　in　the　Roman　Republic。　There　were　no　rights　to　contest　under　the　decemvirs：　but　upon　the　restoration　of　liberty；　jealousies　revived；　and　so　long　as　the　patricians　had　any　privileges　left；　they　were　sure　to　be　stripped　of　them　by　the　plebeians。

The　mischief　would　not　have　been　so　great　had　the　plebeians　been　satisfied　with　this　success；　but　they　also　injured　the　patricians　as　citizens。　When　the　people　assembled　by　curi？　or　centuries；　they　were　composed　of　senators；　patricians；　and　plebeians；　in　their　disputes　the　plebeians　gained　this　point；＇42＇　that　they　alone　without　patricians　or　senate　should　enact　the　laws　called　Plebiscita；　and　the　assemblies　in　which　they　were　made　had　the　name　of　comitia　by　tribes。　Thus　there　were　cases　in　which　the　patricians＇43＇　had　no　share　in　the　legislative　power；　but＇44＇　were　subject　to　the　legislation　of　another　body　of　the　state。　This　was　the　extravagance　of　liberty。　The　people；　to　establish　a　democracy；　acted　against　the　very　principles　of　that　government。　One　would　have　imagined　that　so　exorbitant　a　power　must　have　destroyed　the　authority　of　the　senate。　But　Rome　had　admirable　institutions。　Two　of　these　were　especially　remarkable：　one　by　which　the　legislative　power　of　the　people　was　established；　and　the　other　by　which　it　was　limited。

The　censors；　and　before　them　the　consuls；　modelled＇45＇　and　created；　as　it　were；　every　five　years　the　body　of　the　people；　they　exercised　the　legislation　on　the　very　part　that　was　possessed　of　the　legislative　power。　〃Tiberius　Gracchus；〃　says　Cicero；　〃caused　the　freedmen　to　be　admitted　into　the　tribes；　not　by　the　force　of　his　eloquence；　but　by　a　word；　by　a　gesture；　which　had　he　not　effected；　the　republic；　whose　drooping　head　we　are　at　present　scarcely　able　to　uphold；　would　not　even　exist。〃

On　the　other　hand；　the　senate　had　the　power　of　rescuing；　as　it　were；　the　republic　out　of　the　hands　of　the　people；　by　creating　a　dictator；　before　whom　the　sovereign　bowed　his　head；　and　the　most　popular　laws　were　silent。＇46＇

17。　Of　the　executive　Power　in　the　same　Republic。　Jealous　as　the　people　were　of　their　legislative　power；　they　had　no　great　uneasiness　about　the　executive。　This　they　left　almost　entirely　to　the　senate　and　to　the　consuls；　reserving　scarcely　anything　more　to　themselves　than　the　right　of　choosing　the　magistrates；　and　of　confirming　the　acts　of　the　senate　and　of　the　generals。

Rome；　whose　passion　was　to　command；　whose　ambition　was　to　conquer；　whose　commencement　and　progress　were　one　continued　usurpation；　had　constantly　affairs　of　the　greatest　weight　upon　her　hands；　her　enemies　were　ever　conspiring　against　her；　or　she　against　her　enemies。

As　she　was　obliged　to　behave　on　the　one　hand　with　heroic　courage；　and　on　the　other　with　consummate　prudence；　it　was　requisite；　of　course；　that　the　management　of　affairs　should　be　committed　to　the　senate。　Thus　the　people　disputed　every　branch　of　the　legislative　power　with　the　senate；　because　they　were　jealous　of　their　liberty；　but　they　had　no　disputes　about　the　executive；　because　they　were　animated　with　the　love　of　glory。

So　great　was　the　share　the　senate　took　in　the　executive　power；　that；　as　Polybius＇47＇　informs　us；　foreign　nations　imagined　that　Rome　was　an　aristocracy。　The　senate　disposed　of　the　public　money；　and　farmed　out　the　revenue；　they　were　arbiters　of　the　affairs　of　their　allies；　they　determined　war　or　peace；　and　directed　in　t