the spirit of laws-第59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！


other　was　punished　severely；　and　sometimes　even　with　death。　The　law　of　Athens　was　very　reasonable　in　not　adding　the　loss　of　security　to　that　of　liberty。

17。　Of　Enfranchisements。　It　is　easy　to　perceive　that　many　slaves　in　a　republican　government　create　a　necessity　of　making　many　free。　The　evil　is；　if　they　have　too　great　a　number　of　slaves　they　cannot　keep　them　in　due　bounds；　if　they　have　too　many　freedmen；　they　cannot　live；　and　must　become　a　burden　to　the　republic：　besides；　it　may　be　as　much　in　danger　from　the　multitude　of　freedmen　as　from　that　of　slaves。　It　is　necessary；　therefore；　that　the　law　should　have　an　eye　to　these　two　inconveniences。

The　several　laws　and　decrees　of　the　senate　made　at　Rome；　both　for　and　against　slaves；　sometimes　to　limit；　and　at　other　times　to　facilitate；　their　enfranchisement；　plainly　show　the　embarrassment　in　which　they　found　themselves　in　this　respect。　There　were　even　times　in　which　they　durst　not　make　laws。　When；　under　Nero；＇36＇　they　demanded　of　the　senate　permission　for　the　masters　to　reduce　again　to　slavery　the　ungrateful　freedmen；　the　emperor　declared　that　it　was　their　duty　to　decide　the　affairs　of　individuals；　and　to　make　no　general　decree。

Much　less　can　I　determine　what　ought　to　be　the　regulations　of　a　good　republic　in　such　an　affair；　this　depends　on　too　many　circumstances。　Let　us；　however；　make　some　reflections。

A　considerable　number　of　freedmen　ought　not　suddenly　to　be　made　by　a　general　law。　We　known　that　among　the　Volsinienses＇37＇　the　freedmen；　becoming　masters　of　the　suffrages；　enacted　an　abominable　law；　which　gave　them　the　right　of　lying　the　first　night　with　the　young　women　married　to　the　free…born。

There　are　several　ways　of　insensibly　introducing　new　citizens　into　a　republic。　The　laws　may　favour　the　acquiring　a　peculium；　and　put　slaves　into　a　condition　of　buying　their　liberty：　they　may　prescribe　a　term　to　servitude；　like　those　of　Moses；　which　limited　that　of　the　Hebrew　slaves　to　six　years。＇38＇　It　is　easy　to　enfranchise　every　year　a　certain　number　of　those　slaves　who；　by　their　age；　health；　or　industry；　are　capable　of　getting　a　subsistence。　The　evil　may　be　even　cured　in　its　root；　as　a　great　number　of　slaves　are　connected　with　the　several　employments　which　are　given　them；　to　divide　among　the　free…born　a　part　of　these　employments；　for　example；　commerce　or　navigation；　is　diminishing　the　number　of　slaves。

When　there　are　many　freedmen；　it　is　necessary　that　the　civil　laws　should　determine　what　they　owe　to　their　patron；　or　that　these　duties　should　be　fixed　by　the　contract　of　enfranchisement。

It　is　certain　that　their　condition　should　be　more　favoured　in　the　civil　than　in　the　political　state；　because；　even　in　a　popular　government；　the　power　ought　not　to　fall　into　the　hands　of　the　vulgar。

At　Rome；　where　they　had　so　many　freedmen；　the　political　laws　with　regard　to　them　were　admirable。　They　gave　them　very　little；　and　excluded　them　almost　from　nothing：　they　had　even　a　share　in　the　legislature；　but　the　resolutions　they　were　capable　of　taking　were　almost　of　no　weight。　They　might　bear　a　part　in　the　public　offices；　and　even　in　the　dignity　of　the　priesthood；＇39＇　but　this　privilege　was　in　some　sort　rendered　useless　by　the　disadvantages　they　had　to　encounter　in　the　elections。　They　had　a　right　to　enter　into　the　army；　but　they　were　to　be　registered　in　a　certain　class　of　the　census　before　they　could　be　soldiers。　Nothing　hindered　the＇40＇　freedmen　from　being　united　by　marriage　with　the　families　of　the　free…born；　but　they　were　not　permitted　to　mix　with　those　of　the　senator。　In　short；　their　children　were　free…born；　though　they　were　not　so　themselves。

18。　Of　Freedmen　and　Eunuchs。　Thus　in　a　republican　government　it　is　frequently　of　advantage　that　the　situation　of　the　freedmen　be　but　little　below　that　of　the　free…born；　and　that　the　laws　be　calculated　to　remove　a　dislike　of　their　condition。　But　in　a　despotic　government；　where　luxury　and　arbitrary　power　prevail；　they　have　nothing　to　do　in　this　respect；　the　freedmen　generally　finding　themselves　above　the　free…born。　They　rule　in　the　court　of　the　prince；　and　in　the　palaces　of　the　great；　and　as　they　study　the　foibles　and　not　the　virtues　of　their　master；　they　lead　him　entirely　by　the　former；　not　by　the　latter。　Such　were　the　freedmen　of　Rome　in　the　times　of　the　emperors。

When　the　principal　slaves　are　eunuchs；　let　never　so　many　privileges　be　granted　them；　they　can　hardly　be　regarded　as　freedmen。　For　as　they　are　incapable　of　having　a　family　of　their　own；　they　are　naturally　attached　to　that　of　another：　and　it　is　only　by　a　kind　of　fiction　that　they　are　considered　as　citizens。

And　yet　there　are　countries　where　the　magistracy　is　entirely　in　their　hands。　〃In　Tonquin；〃＇41＇　says　Dampier；＇42＇　〃all　the　mandarins；　civil　and　military；　are　eunuchs。〃　They　have　no　families；　and　though　they　are　naturally　avaricious；　the　master　or　the　prince　benefits　in　the　end　by　this　very　passion。

Dampier　tells　us；　too；＇43＇　that　in　this　country　the　eunuchs　cannot　live　without　women；　and　therefore　marry。　The　law　which　permits　their　marriage　may　be　founded　partly　on　their　respect　for　these　eunuchs；　and　partly　on　their　contempt　of　the　fair　sex。

Thus　they　are　trusted　with　the　magistracy；　because　they　have　no　family；　and　permitted　to　marry；　because　they　are　magistrates。

Then　it　is　that　the　sense　which　remains　would　fain　supply　that　which　they　have　lost；　and　the　enterprises　of　despair　become　a　kind　of　enjoyment。　So；　in　Milton；　that　spirit　who　has　nothing　left　but　desires；　enraged　at　his　degradation；　would　make　use　of　his　impotency　itself。

We　see　in　the　history　of　China　a　great　number　of　laws　to　deprive　eunuchs　of　all　civil　and　military　employments；　but　they　always　returned　to　them　again。　It　seems　as　if　the　eunuchs　of　the　east　were　a　necessary　evil。

______

1。　Justinian；　Institutes；　i。

2。　Excepting　a　few　cannibals。

3。　I　mean　slavery　in　a　strict　sense；　as　formerly　among　the　Romans；　and　at　present　in　our　colonies。

4。　Biblioth。　Ang。；　xiii；　part　II；　art。　3。

5。　See　Solis；　History　of　the　Conquest　of　Mexico；　and　Garcilasso　de　la　Vega；　History　of　the　Conquest　of　Peru。

6。　Labat；　New　Voyage　to　the　Isles　of　America；　iv；　p。　114；　1728；　12mo。

7。　Present　State　of　Russia。

8。　Dampier；　Voyages；　iii。

9。　Politics；　i。　5。

10。　As　may　be　seen　in　the　mines　of　Hartz；　in　Lower　Saxony；　and　in　those　of　Hungary。

11。　De　Moribus　Germanorum；　25。

12。　Tacitus；　De　Moribus　Germanorum；　20；　says　the　master　is　not　to　be　distinguished　from　the　slave　by　any　delicacy　of　living。

13。　Sir　John　Chardin；　Travels　to　Persia。

14。　Sir　John　Chardin；　ii；　in　his　description　of　the　market　of　Izagour。

15。　Book　i；　tit。　32；　§　5。

16。　The　revolt　of　the　Mamelukes　was　a　different　case；　this　was　a　body　of　the　militia　who　usurped　the　empire。

17。　Law　of　the　Visigoths；　iii；　tit。　1；　§　1。

18。　Ibid。；　v；　tit。　7；　§　20。

19。　Ibid。；　v；　tit。　2；　§　9。

20。　Law　of　the　Alemans；　5；　§　3。

21。　Ibid。；　§　5；　per　virtutem。

22。　〃Sicily；〃　says　Florus；　〃suffered　more　in　the　Servile　than　in　the　Punic　war。〃　　iii。　19。

23。　See　the　whole　title　of　the　senat。　cons。　Sillan。；　ff。

24。　Leg。　Si　quis；　§　12；　ff。　de　senat。　cons。　Sillan。

25。　When　Antony　commanded　Eros　to　kill　him；　it　was　the　same　as　commanding　him　to　kill　himself；　because；　if　he　had　obeyed；　he　would　have　been　punished　as　the　murderer　of　his　master。

26。　Leg。　i；　§　22；　ff。　de　senat。　cons。　Sillan。

27。　Leg。　i；　§　31；　ff。　ibid。；　xxix；　tit。　5。

28。　Xiphilin；　In　Claudio。

29。　See　Leg。　3；　in　Cod。；　De　Patria　potestate；　by　the　Emperor　Alexander。

30。　Exod。；　21。　20；　21。

31。　Plutarch；　On　Superstition。

32。　See　the　constitution　of　Antoninus　Pius；　Institutes；　i；　tit。　7。

33。　Laws；　Book　ix。

34。　This　was　frequently　the　spirit　of　the　laws　of　those　nations　who　came　out　of　Germany；　as　may　be　seen　by　their　codes。

35。　Demosthenes；　Orat。　contra　Midian；　p。　610；　Frankfort；　1604。

36。　Tacitus；　Annals；　xiii。　27。

37。　Freinshemius；　Supplement；　dec。　2；　v。

38。　Exod。；　21。

39。　Tacitus；　Annals；　xiii。　27。

40。　Augustus's　speech　in　Dio；　lvi。

41。　It　was　formerly　the　same　in　China。　The　two　Mahometan　Arabs　who　travelled　thither　in　the　ninth　century　use　the　word　eunuch　whenever　they　speak　of　a　governor　of　the　city。

42。　Volume　iii；　p。　91。

43。　Ibid。；　p。　94。




Book　XVI。　How　the　Laws　of　Domestic　Slavery　Bear　a　Relation　to　the　Nature　of　the　Climate

1。　Of　domestic　Servitude。　Slaves　are　established　for　the　family；　but　they　are　not　a　part　of　it。　Thus　I　distinguish　their　servitude　from　that　which　the　women　in　some　countries　suffer；　and　which　I　shall　properly　call　domestic　servitude。

2。　That　in　the　Countries　of　the　South　there　is　a　natural　Inequality　between　the　two　Sexes。　Women；　in　hot　climates；　are　marriageable　at　eight；　nine；　or　ten　years　of　age；＇1＇　thus；　in　those　countries；　infancy　and　marriage　generally　go　together。　They　are　old　at　twenty：　their　reason　therefore　never　accompanies　their　beauty。　When　beauty　demands　the　empire；　the　want　of　reason　forbids　the　claim；　when　reason　is　obtained；　beauty　is　no　more。　These　women　ought　then　to　be　in　a　state　of　dependence；　for　reason　cannot　procure　in　old　age　that　empire　which　even　youth　and　beauty　could　not　give。　It　is　therefore　extremely　natural　that　in　these　places　a　man；　when　no　law　opposes　it；　should　leave　one　wife　to　take　another；　and　that　polygamy　should　be　introduced。

In　temperate　climates；　where　the　charms　of　women　are　best　preserved；　where　they　arrive　later　at　maturity；　and　have　children　at　a　more　advanced　season　of　life；　the　old　age　of　their　husbands　in　some　degree　follows　theirs；　and　as　they　have　more　reason　and　knowledge　at　the　time　of　marriage；　if　it　be　only　on　account　of　their　having　continued　longer　in　life；　it　must　naturally　introduce　a　kind　of　equality　between　the　two　sexes；　and；　in　consequence　of　this；　the　law　of　having　only　one　wife。

In　cold　countries　the　almost　necessary　custom　of　drinking　strong　liquors　establishes　intemperance　amongst　men。　Women；　who　in　this　respect　have　a　natural　restraint；　because　they　are　always　on　the　defensive；　have　therefore　the　advantage　of　reason　over　them。

Nature；　which　has　distinguished　men　by　their　reason　and　bodily　strength；　has　set　no　other　bounds　to　their　power　than　those　of　this　strength　and　reason。　It　has　given　charms　to　women；　a