the spirit of laws-第62部分

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nd　to　repudiate　in　the　three　cases　already　mentioned；　and　〃it　enjoined；〃　says　Plutarch；＇34＇　〃that　he　who　repudiated　in　any　other　case　should　be　obliged　to　give　the　half　of　his　substance　to　his　wife；　and　that　the　other　half　should　be　consecrated　to　Ceres。〃　They　might　then　repudiate　in　all　cases；　if　they　were　but　willing　to　submit　to　the　penalty。　Nobody　had　done　this　before　Carvilius　Ruga；＇35＇　who；　as　Plutarch　says　in　another　place；＇36＇　〃put　away　his　wife　for　her　sterility　two　hundred　and　thirty　years　after　Romulus。〃　That　is；　she　was　repudiated　seventy…one　years　before　the　law　of　the　Twelve　Tables；　which　extended　both　the　power　and　causes　of　repudiation。

The　authors　I　have　cited　say　that　Carvilius　Ruga　loved　his　wife；　but　that　the　censors　made　him　take　an　oath　to　put　her　away；　because　of　her　barrenness；　to　the　end　that　he　might　give　children　to　the　republic；　and　that　this　rendered　him　odious　to　the　people。　We　must　know　the　genius　and　temper　of　the　Romans　before　we　can　discover　the　true　cause　of　the　hatred　they　had　conceived　against　Carvilius。　He　did　not　fall　into　disgrace　with　the　people　for　repudiating　his　wife；　this　was　an　affair　that　did　not　at　all　concern　them。　But　Carvilius　had　taken　an　oath　to　the　censors；　that　by　reason　of　the　sterility　of　his　wife　he　would　repudiate　her　to　give　children　to　the　republic。　This　was　a　yoke　which　the　people　saw　the　censors　were　going　to　put　upon　them。　I　shall　discover；　in　the　prosecution　of　this　work；＇37＇　the　repugnance　which　they　always　felt　to　regulations　of　the　like　kind。　But　whence　can　such　a　contradiction　between　those　authors　arise？　It　is　because　Plutarch　examined　into　a　fact；　and　the　others　have　recounted　a　prodigy。

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1。　〃Mahomet　married　Cadhisja　at　five；　and　took　her　to　his　bed　at　eight　years　old。　In　the　hot　countries　of　Arabia　and　the　Indies；　girls　are　marriageable　at　eight　years　of　age；　and　are　brought　to　bed　the　year　after。〃　　Prideaux；　Life　of　Mahomet。　We　see　women　in　the　kingdom　of　Algiers　pregnant　at　nine；　ten；　and　eleven　years　of　age。　　Laugier　de　Tassis；　History　of　the　Kingdom　of　Algiers；　p。　61。

2。　See　Jornandes；　De　Regno　et　tempor。　success。；　and　the　ecclesiastic　historians。

3。　See　Leg。　7。　Cod。；　De　Jud？is　et　C？licolis；　and　Nov。　18；　cap。　v。

4。　In　Ceylon　a　man　may　live　on　ten　sols　a　month；　they　eat　nothing　there　but　rice　and　fish。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　ii；　part　1。

5。　Dr。　Arbuthnot　finds　that　in　England　the　number　of　boys　exceeds　that　of　girls；　but　people　have　been　to　blame　to　conclude　that　the　case　is　the　same　in　all　climates。

6。　See　Kempfer；　who　relates　that　upon　numbering　the　people　of　Meaco　there　were　found　182；072　males；　and　223；573　females。

7。　Father　Du　Halde；　History　of　China；　iv；　p。　4。

8。　Albuzeir…el…hassen；　one　of　the　Mahometan　Arabs　who；　in　the　ninth　century；　went　into　India　and　China；　thought　this　custom　a　prostitution。　And　indeed　nothing　could　be　more　contrary　to　the　ideas　of　a　Mahometan。

9。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　i。

10。　See　Francis　Pirard；　27。　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　iii；　x；　on　the　Malleami　on　the　coast　of　Malabar。　This　is　considered　as　an　abuse　of　the　military　profession；　as　a　woman；　says　Pirard；　of　the　tribe　of　the　Bramins　never　would　marry　many　husbands。

11。　This　is　the　reason　why　women　in　the　East　are　so　carefully　concealed。

12。　Life　and　Actions　of　Justinian；　p。　403。

13。　Laugier　de　Tassis；　History　of　the　Kingdom　of　Algiers。

14。　See　Pirard；　Voyages；　12。

15。　Exod。；　21。　10；　11。

16。　〃It　is　an　admirable　touch…stone；　to　find　by　oneself　a　treasure；　and　to　know　the　right　owner；　or　to　see　a　beautiful　woman　in　a　lonely　apartment；　or　to　hear　the　cries　of　an　enemy；　who　must　perish　without　our　assistance。〃　　Translation　of　a　Chinese　piece　of　morality；　which　may　be　seen　in　Du　Halde；　iii；　p。　151。

17。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　ii；　part　II；　p。　196。

18。　In　the　Maldivian　isles　the　fathers　marry　their　daughters　at　ten　and　eleven　years　of　age；　because　it　is　a　great　sin；　say　they；　to　suffer　them　to　endure　the　want　of　a　husband。　See　Pirard；　12。　At　Bantam；　as　soon　as　a　girl　is　twelve　or　thirteen　years　old；　she　must　be　married；　if　they　would　not　have　her　lead　a　debauched　life。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　p。　348。

19。　Voyage　to　Guinea；　part　II；　p。　192。　〃When　the　women　happen　to　meet　with　a　man；　they　lay　hold　of　him；　and　threaten　to　make　a　complaint　to　their　husbands　if　he　slight　their　addresses。　They　steal　into　a　man's　bed；　and　wake　him；　and　if　he　refuses　to　comply　with　their　desires；　they　threaten　to　suffer　themselves　to　be　caught　in　flagranti。〃

20。　Mahomet　desired　his　followers　to　watch　their　wives；　a　certain　Iman；　when　he　was　dying；　said　the　same　thing；　and　Confucius　preached　the　same　doctrine。

21。　It　does　not　follow　hence　that　repudiation　on　account　of　sterility　should　be　permitted　amongst　Christians。

22。　They　took　them　again　preferably　to　any　other；　because　in　this　case　there　was　less　expense。　　Pirard；　Travels。

23。　Solis；　History　of　the　Conquest　of　Mexico；　p。　499。

24。　Romulus。

25。　This　was　a　law　of　Solon。

26。　Mimam　res　suas　sibi　habere　jussit；　ex　duodecim　tabulis　causam　addidit。　　Philipp；　ii。　69。

27。　Justinian　altered　this；　Nov。　117；　cap。　x。

28。　Book　ii。

29。　Book　ii。　4。

30。　Book　iv。　3。

31。　According　to　Dionysius　Halicarnassus　and　Valerius　Maximus；　and　five　hundred　and　twenty…three；　according　to　Aulus　Gellius。　Neither　did　they　agree　in　placing　this　under　the　same　consuls。

32。　See　the　Speech　of　Veturia　in　Dionysius　Halicarnassus；　viii。

33。　Plutarch；　Romulus。

34。　Ibid。

35。　Indeed　sterility　is　not　a　cause　mentioned　by　the　law　of　Romulus：　but　to　all　appearance　he　was　not　subject　to　a　confiscation　of　his　effects；　since　he　followed　the　orders　of　the　censors。

36。　In　his　comparison　between　Theseus　and　Romulus。

37。　Book　xxiii；　21。




Book　XVII。　How　the　Laws　of　Political　Servitude　Bear　a　Relation　to　the　Nature　of　the　Climate

1。　Of　political　Servitude。　Political　servitude　does　not　less　depend　on　the　nature　of　the　climate　than　that　which　is　civil　and　domestic；　and　this　we　shall　now　demonstrate。

2。　The　Difference　between　Nations　in　point　of　Courage。　We　have　already　observed　that　great　heat　enervates　the　strength　and　courage　of　men；　and　that　in　cold　climates　they　have　a　certain　vigour　of　body　and　mind；　which　renders　them　patient　and　intrepid；　and　qualifies　them　for　arduous　enterprises。　This　remark　holds　good；　not　only　between　different　nations；　but　even　in　the　different　parts　of　the　same　country。　In　the　north　of　China＇1＇　people　are　more　courageous　than　those　in　the　south；　and　those　in　the　south　of　Korea＇2＇　have　less　bravery　than　those　in　the　north。

We　ought　not；　then；　to　be　astonished　that　the　effeminacy　of　the　people　in　hot　climates　has　almost　always　rendered　them　slaves；　and　that　the　bravery　of　those　in　cold　climates　has　enabled　them　to　maintain　their　liberties。　This　is　an　effect　which　springs　from　a　natural　cause。

This　has　also　been　found　true　in　America；　the　despotic　empires　of　Mexico　and　Peru　were　near　the　Line；　and　almost　all　the　little　free　nations　were；　and　are　still；　near　the　Poles。

3。　Of　the　Climate　of　Asia。　The　relations　of　travellers＇3＇　inform　us　〃that　the　vast　continent　of　the　north　of　Asia；　which　extends　from　forty　degrees　or　thereabouts　to　the　Pole；　and　from　the　frontiers　of　Muscovy　even　to　the　eastern　ocean；　is　in　an　extremely　cold　climate；　that　this　immense　tract　of　land　is　divided　by　a　chain　of　mountains　which　run　from　west　to　east；　leaving　Siberia　on　the　north；　and　Great　Tartary　on　the　south；　that　the　climate　of　Siberia　is　so　cold　that；　excepting　a　few　places；　it　is　unsusceptible　of　cultivation；　and　that；　though　the　Russians　have　settlements　all　along　the　Irtis；　they　cultivate　nothing；　that　this　country　produces　only　some　little　firs　and　shrubs；　that　the　natives　of　the　country　are　divided　into　wretched　hordes　or　tribes；　like　those　of　Canada；　that　the　reason　of　this　cold　proceeds；　on　the　one　hand；　from　the　height　of　the　land；　and　on　the　other　from　the　mountains；　which；　in　proportion　as　they　run　from　south　to　north；　are　levelled　in　such　a　manner　that　the　north　wind　everywhere　blows　without　opposition；　that　this　wind；　which　renders　Nova　Zembia　uninhabitable；　blowing　in　Siberia　makes　it　a　barren　waste；　that　in　Europe；　on　the　contrary；　the　mountains　of　Norway　and　Lapland　are　admirable　bulwarks；　which　cover　the　northern　countries　from　the　wind；　so　that　at　Stockholm；　which　is　about　fifty…nine　degrees　latitude；　the　earth　produces　plants；　fruits；　and　corn；　and　that　about　Abo；　which　is　sixty…one　degrees；　and　even　to　sixty…three　and　sixty…four；　there　are　mines　of　silver；　and　the　land　is　fruitful　enough。〃

We　see　also　in　these　relations　〃that　Great　Tartary；　situated　to　the　south　of　Siberia；　is　also　exceedingly　cold；　that　the　country　will　not　admit　of　cultivation；　that　nothing　can　be　found　but　pasturage　for　flocks　and　herds；　that　trees　will　not　grow　there；　but　only　brambles；　as　in　Iceland；　that　there　are；　near　China　and　India；　some　countries　where　there　grows　a　kind　of　millet；　but　that　neither　corn　nor　rice　will　ripen；　that　there　is　scarcely　a　place　in　Chinese　Tartary　at　forty…three；　forty…four；　and　forty…five　degrees　where　it　does　not　freeze　seven　or　eight　months　in　the　year；　so　that　it　is　as　cold　as　Iceland；　though　it　might　be　imagined；　from　its　situation；　to　be　as　hot　as　the　south　of　France；　that　there　are　no　cities；　except　four　or　five　towards　the　eastern　ocean；　and　some　which　the　Chinese；　for　political　reasons；　have　built　near　China；　that　in　the　rest　of　Great　Tartary　there　are　only　a　few　situated　in　Buchar；　Turkestan；　and　Cathay；　that　the　reason　of　this　extreme　cold　proceeds　from　the　nature　of　the　nitrous　earth；　full　of　saltpetre　and　sand；　and　more　particularly　from　the　height　of　the　land。　Father　Verbiest　found　that　a　certain　place；　eighty　leagues　north　of　the　great　wall；　towards　the　source　of　Kavamhuran；　exceeded　the　height　of　the　sea　near　Pekin　three　thousand　geometrical　paces；　that　this　height＇4＇　is　the　cause　that　though　almost　all　the　great　rivers　of　Asia　have　their　source　in　this　country；　there　is；　however；　so　great