the spirit of laws-第78部分

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　with　a　small　variation　from　the　point　opposite　to　the　wind。　Whence　it　follows　that　broad…bottomed　vessels　are　longer　in　performing　voyages。

1。　They　lose　much　time　in　waiting　for　the　wind；　especially　if　they　are　obliged　frequently　to　change　their　course；　2。　They　sail　much　slower；　because　not　having　a　proper　support　from　a　depth　of　water；　they　cannot　carry　so　much　sail。　If　this　be　the　case　at　a　time　when　the　arts　are　everywhere　known；　at　a　time　when　art　corrects　the　defects　of　nature；　and　even　of　art　itself；　if　at　this　time；　I　say；　we　find　this　difference；　how　great　must　that　have　been　in　the　navigation　of　the　ancients？

I　cannot　yet　leave　this　subject。　The　Indian　vessels　were　small；　and　those　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　if　we　except　those　machines　built　for　ostentation；　much　less　than　ours。　Now；　the　smaller　the　vessel　the　greater　danger　it　encounters　from　foul　weather。　A　tempest　that　would　swallow　up　a　small　vessel　would　only　make　a　large　one　roll。　The　more　one　body　surpasses　another　in　size；　the　more　its　surface　is　relatively　small。　Whence　it　follows　that　in　a　small　ship　there　is　a　less　proportion；　that　is；　a　greater　difference　in　respect　to　the　surface　of　the　vessel；　compared　with　the　weight　or　lading　she　can　carry；　than　in　a　large　one。　We　know　that　it　is　a　pretty　general　practice　to　make　the　weight　of　the　lading　equal　to　that　of　half　the　water　the　vessel　could　contain。　Suppose　a　vessel　will　contain　eight　hundred　tons；　her　lading　then　must　be　four　hundred；　and　that　of　a　vessel　which　would　hold　but　four　hundred　tons　of　water　would　be　two　hundred　tons。　Thus　the　largeness　of　the　first　ship　will　be　to　the　weight　she　carries　as　8　to　4；　and　that　of　the　second　as　4　to　2。　Let　us　suppose；　then；　that　the　surface　of　the　greater　is　to　the　surface　of　the　smaller　as　8　to　6；　the　surface　of　the　latter　will　be　to　her　weight　as　6　to　2；＇26＇　while　the　surface　of　the　former　will　be　to　her　weight　only　as　8　to　4。　Therefore　as　the　winds　and　waves　act　only　upon　the　surface；　the　large　vessel　will；　by　her　weight；　resist　their　impetuosity　much　more　than　the　small。

7。　Of　the　Commerce　of　the　Greeks。　The　first　Greeks　were　all　pirates。　Minos；　who　enjoyed　the　empire　of　the　sea；　was　only　more　successful；　perhaps；　than　others　in　piracy；　for　his　maritime　dominion　extended　no　farther　than　round　his　own　isle。　But　when　the　Greeks　became　a　great　people；　the　Athenians　obtained　the　real　dominion　of　the　sea；　because　this　trading　and　victorious　nation　gave　laws　to　the　most　potent　monarch　of　that　time；＇27＇　and　humbled　the　maritime　powers　of　Syria；　of　the　isle　of　Cyprus；　and　Phoenicia。

But　this　Athenian　lordship　of　the　sea　deserves　to　be　more　particularly　mentioned。　〃Athens；〃　says　Xenophon；＇28＇　〃rules　the　sea；　but　as　the　country　of　Attica　is　joined　to　the　continent；　it　is　ravaged　by　enemies　while　the　Athenians　are　engaged　in　distant　expeditions。　Their　leaders　suffer　their　lands　to　be　destroyed；　and　secure　their　wealth　by　sending　it　to　some　island。　The　populace；　who　are　not　possessed　of　lands；　have　no　uneasiness。　But　if　the　Athenians　inhabited　an　island；　and；　besides　this；　enjoyed　the　empire　of　the　sea；　they　would；　so　long　as　they　were　possessed　of　these　advantages；　be　able　to　annoy　others；　and　at　the　same　time　to　be　out　of　all　danger　of　being　annoyed。〃　One　would　imagine　that　Xenophon　was　speaking　of　England。

The　Athenians；　a　people　whose　heads　were　filled　with　ambitious　projects；　the　Athenians；　who　augmented　their　jealousy　instead　of　increasing　their　influence；　who　were　more　attentive　to　extend　their　maritime　empire　than　to　enjoy　it；　whose　political　government　was　such　that　the　common　people　distributed　the　public　revenues　among　themselves；　while　the　rich　were　in　a　state　of　oppression；　the　Athenians；　I　say；　did　not　carry　on　so　extensive　a　commerce　as　might　be　expected　from　the　produce　of　their　mines；　from　the　multitude　of　their　slaves；　from　the　number　of　their　seamen；　from　their　influence　over　the　cities　of　Greece；　and；　above　all；　from　the　excellent　institutions　of　Solon。　Their　trade　was　almost　wholly　confined　to　Greece　and　to　the　Euxine　Sea；　whence　they　drew　their　subsistence。

Corinth　was　admirably　situated；　it　separated　two　seas；　and　opened　and　shut　the　Peloponnesus；　it　was　the　key　of　Greece；　and　a　city　of　the　greatest　importance；　at　a　time　when　the　people　of　Greece　were　a　world；　and　the　cities　of　Greece　nations。　Its　trade　was　more　extensive　than　that　of　Athens；　having　a　port　to　receive　the　merchandise　of　Asia；　and　another　those　of　Italy；　for　the　great　difficulties　which　attended　the　doubling　Cape　Malea；　where　the　meeting　of　opposite　winds　causes　shipwrecks；＇29＇　induced　every　one　to　go　to　Corinth；　and　they　could　even　convey　their　vessels　over　land　from　one　sea　to　the　other。　Never　was　there　a　city　in　which　the　works　of　art　were　carried　to　so　high　a　degree　of　perfection。　But　here　religion　finished　the　corruption　which　their　opulence　began。　They　erected　a　temple　to　Venus；　in　which　more　than　a　thousand　courtesans　were　consecrated　to　that　deity；　from　this　seminary　came　the　greatest　part　of　those　celebrated　beauties　whose　history　Athen？us　has　presumed　to　commit　to　writing。

It　seems　that　in　Homer's　time　the　opulence　of　Greece　centred　in　Rhodes；　Corinth；　and　Orchomenus；　〃Jupiter；〃　he　says；　〃loved　the　Rhodians；　and　made　them　a　very　wealthy　nation。〃＇30＇　On　Corinth　he　bestows　the　epithet　of　rich。＇31＇　In　like　manner；　when　he　speaks　of　cities　that　have　plenty　of　gold；　he　mentions　Orchomenus；　to　which　he　joins　Thebes　in　Egypt。　Rhodes　and　Corinth　preserved　their　power；　but　Orchomenus　lost　hers。　The　situation　of　Orchomenus　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　Hellespont；　the　Propontis；　and　the　Euxine　Sea　makes　us　naturally　imagine　that　she　was　indebted　for　her　opulence　to　a　trade　along　that　maritime　coast；　which　had　given　rise　to　the　fable　of　the　golden　fleece；　and；　indeed；　the　name　of　Minyeios　has　been　given　to　Orchomenus　as　well　as　to　the　Argonauts。＇32＇　But　these　seas　becoming　afterwards　more　frequented；　the　Greeks　planted　along　the　coasts　a　greater　number　of　colonies；　which　traded　with　the　barbarous　nations；　and　at　the　same　time　preserved　an　intercourse　with　their　mother　country。　In　consequence　of　this；　Orchomenus　began　to　decline；　till　at　length　it　was　lost　in　the　crowd　of　the　other　cities　of　Greece。

Before　Homer's　time　the　Greeks　had　scarcely　any　trade　but　among　themselves；　and　with　a　few　barbarous　nations；　in　proportion；　however；　as　they　formed　new　colonies；　they　extended　their　dominion。　Greece　was　a　large　peninsula；　the　capes　of　which　seemed　to　have　kept　off　the　seas；　while　its　gulfs　opened　on　all　sides　to　receive　them。　if　we　cast　an　eye　on　Greece；　we　shall　find；　in　a　pretty　compact　country；　a　considerable　extent　of　sea…coast。　Her　innumerable　colonies　formed　an　immense　circle　round　her；　and　there　she　beheld；　in　some　measure；　the　whole　civilised　world。　Did　she　penetrate　into　Sicily　and　Italy；　she　formed　new　nations。　Did　she　navigate　towards　the　sea　of　Pontus；　the　coast　of　Asia　Minor；　or　that　of　Africa；　she　acted　in　the　same　manner。　Her　cities　increased　in　prosperity　in　proportion　as　they　happened　to　have　new　people　in　their　neighbourhood。　And　what　was　extremely　beautiful；　she　was　surrounded　on　every　side　with　a　prodigious　number　of　islands；　drawn；　as　it　were；　in　a　line　of　circumvallation。

What　a　source　of　prosperity　must　Greece　have　found　in　those　games　with　which　she　entertained；　in　some　measure；　the　whole　globe；　in　those　temples；　to　which　all　the　kings　of　the　earth　sent　their　offerings；　in　those　festivals；　at　which　such　a　concourse　of　people　used　to　assemble　from　all　parts；　in　those　oracles；　to　which　the　attention　of　all　mankind　was　directed；　and；　in　short；　in　that　exquisite　taste　for　the　polite　arts；　which　she　carried　to　such　a　height　that　to　expect　ever　to　surpass　her　would　be　only　betraying　our　ignorance！

8。　Of　Alexander：　his　Conquests。　Four　great　events　happened　in　the　reign　of　Alexander　which　entirely　changed　the　face　of　commerce：　the　taking　of　Tyre；　the　conquest　of　Egypt；　that　likewise　of　the　Indies；　and　the　discovery　of　the　sea　which　lies　south　of　that　country。

The　empire　of　Persia　extended　to　the　Indus。＇33＇　Darius；　long　before　Alexander；　had　sent　some　vessels；　which　sailed　down　this　river；　and　passed　even　into　the　Red　Sea。＇34＇　How　then　were　the　Greeks　the　first　who　traded　with　the　Indies　by　the　south？　Had　not　the　Persians　done　this　before？　Did　they　make　no　advantage　of　seas　which　were　so　near　them；　of　the　very　seas　that　washed　their　coasts？　Alexander；　it　is　true；　conquered　the　Indies；　but　was　it　necessary　for　him　to　conquer　a　country　in　order　to　trade　with　it？　This　is　what　I　shall　now　examine。

Ariana；＇35＇　which　extended　from　the　Persian　Gulf　as　far　as　the　Indus；　and　from　the　South　Sea　to　the　mountains　of　Paropamisus；　depended　indeed；　in　some　measure；　on　the　empire　of　Persia；　but　in　the　southern　part　it　was　barren；　scorched；　rude；　and　uncultivated。　Tradition　relates＇36＇　that　the　armies　of　Semiramis　and　Cyrus　perished　in　these　deserts；　and　Alexander；　who　caused　his　fleet　to　follow　him；　could　not　avoid　losing　in　this　place　a　great　part　of　his　army。　The　Persians　left　the　whole　coast　to　the　Ichthyophagi；＇37＇　the　Orit？；　and　other　barbarous　nations。　Besides；　the　Persians　were　no　great　sailors；＇38＇　and　their　very　religion　debarred　them　from　entertaining　any　such　notion　as　that　of　a　maritime　commerce。　The　voyage　undertaken　by　Darius's　direction　upon　the　Indus　and　the　Indian　Sea　proceeded　rather　from　the　capriciousness　of　a　prince　vainly　ambitious　of　showing　his　power　than　from　any　settled　regular　project。　It　was　attended　with　no　consequence　either　to　the　advantage　of　commerce　or　of　navigation。　They　emerged　from　their　ignorance　only　to　plunge　into　it　again。

Besides；　it　was　a　received　opinion＇39＇　before　the　expedition　of　Alexander　that　the　southern　parts　of　India　were　uninhabitable。＇40＇　This　proceeded　from　a　tradition　that　Semiramis＇41＇　had　brought　back　thence　only　twenty　men；　and　Cyrus　but　seven。

Alexander　entered　by　the　north。　His　design　was　to　march　towards　the　east；　but　having　found　a　part　of　the　south　full　of　great　nations；　cities；　and　rivers；　he　attempted　to　conquer　it；　and　succeeded。

He　then　formed　a　design　of　uniting　the　Indies　to　the　western　nations　by　a　maritime　commerce；　as　he　had　already　united　them　by　the　colonies　he　had　established　by　land。

He　o