the spirit of laws-第94部分

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13＇　all　things　compared；　there　must　be　more　fruitful　women　in　Japan　than　in　Europe；　and　consequently　it　must　be　more　populous。

We　are　informed　that　at　Bantam　there　are　ten　girls　to　one　boy。＇14＇　A　disproportion　like　this　must　cause　the　number　of　families　there　to　be　to　the　number　of　those　of　other　climates　as　1　to　5　1/2　which　is　a　prodigious　difference。　Their　families　may　be　much　larger　indeed；　but　there　must　be　few　men　in　circumstances　sufficient　to　provide　for　so　large　a　family。

13。　Of　Seaport　Towns。　In　seaport　towns；　where　men　expose　themselves　to　a　thousand　dangers；　and　go　abroad　to　live　or　die　in　distant　climates；　there　are　fewer　men　than　women：　and　yet　we　see　more　children　there　than　in　other　places。　This　proceeds　from　the　greater　ease　with　which　they　procure　the　means　of　subsistence。　Perhaps　even　the　oily　parts　of　fish　are　more　proper　to　furnish　that　matter　which　contributes　to　generation。　This　may　be　one　of　the　causes　of　the　infinite　number　of　people　in　Japan＇15＇　and　China；＇16＇　where　they　live　almost　wholly　on　fish。＇17＇　If　this　be　the　case；　certain　monastic　rules；　which　oblige　the　monks　to　live　on　fish；　must　be　contrary　to　the　spirit　of　the　legislator　himself。

14。　Of　the　Productions　of　the　Earth　which　require　a　greater　or　less　Number　of　Men。　Pasture…lands　are　but　little　peopled；　because　they　find　employment　only　for　a　few。　Corn…lands　employ　a　great　many　men；　and　vineyards　infinitely　more。

It　has　been　a　frequent　complaint　in　England＇18＇　that　the　increase　of　pasture…land　diminished　the　inhabitants；　and　it　has　been　observed　in　France　that　the　prodigious　number　of　vineyards　is　one　of　the　great　causes　of　the　multitude　of　people。

Those　countries　where　coal…pits　furnish　a　proper　substance　for　fuel　have　this　advantage　over　others；　that　not　having　the　same　occasion　for　forests；　the　lands　may　be　cultivated。

In　countries　productive　of　rice；　they　are　at　vast　pains　in　watering　the　land：　a　great　number　of　men　must　therefore　be　employed。　Besides；　there　is　less　land　required　to　furnish　subsistence　for　a　family　than　in　those　which　produce　other　kinds　of　grain。　In　fine；　the　land　which　is　elsewhere　employed　in　raising　cattle　serves　immediately　for　the　subsistence　of　man；　and　the　labour　which　in　other　places　is　performed　by　cattle　is　there　performed　by　men；　so　that　the　culture　of　the　soil　becomes　to　man　an　immense　manufacture。

15。　Of　the　Number　of　Inhabitants　with　relation　to　the　Arts。　When　there　is　an　agrarian　law；　and　the　lands　are　equally　divided；　the　country　may　be　extremely　well　peopled；　though　there　are　but　few　arts；　because　every　citizen　receives　from　the　cultivation　of　his　land　whatever　is　necessary　for　his　subsistence；　and　all　the　citizens　together　consume　all　the　fruits　of　the　earth。　Thus　it　was　in　some　republics。

In　our　present　situation；　in　which　lands　are　unequally　distributed；　they　produce　much　more　than　those　who　cultivate　them　are　able　to　consume；　if　the　arts；　therefore；　should　be　neglected；　and　nothing　minded　but　agriculture；　the　country　could　not　be　peopled。　Those　who　cultivate；　or　employ　others　to　cultivate；　having　corn　to　spare；　nothing　would　engage　them　to　work　the　following　year；　the　fruits　of　the　earth　would　not　be　consumed　by　the　indolent；　for　these　would　have　nothing　with　which　they　could　purchase　them。　It　is　necessary；　then；　that　the　arts　should　be　established；　in　order　that　the　produce　of　the　land　may　be　consumed　by　the　labourer　and　the　artificer。　In　a　word；　it　is　now　proper　that　many　should　cultivate　much　more　than　is　necessary　for　their　own　use。　For　this　purpose　they　must　have　a　desire　of　enjoying　superfluities；　and　these　they　can　receive　only　from　the　artificer。

The　machines　designed　to　abridge　art　are　not　always　useful。　If　a　piece　of　workmanship　is　of　a　moderate　price；　such　as　is　equally　agreeable　to　the　maker　and　the　buyer；　those　machines　which　would　render　the　manufacture　more　simple；　or；　in　other　words；　diminish　the　number　of　workmen；　would　be　pernicious。　And　if　water…mills　were　not　everywhere　established；　I　should　not　have　believed　them　so　useful　as　is　pretended；　because　they　have　deprived　an　infinite　multitude　of　their　employment；　a　vast　number　of　persons　of　the　use　of　water；　and　great　part　of　the　land　of　its　fertility。

16。　The　Concern　of　the　Legislator　in　the　Propagation　of　the　Species。　Regulations　on　the　number　of　citizens　depend　greatly　on　circumstances。　There　are　countries　in　which　nature　does　all；　the　legislator　then　has　nothing　to　do。　What　need　is　there　of　inducing　men　by　laws　to　propagation　when　a　fruitful　climate　yields　a　sufficient　number　of　inhabitants？　Sometimes　the　climate　is　more　favourable　than　the　soil；　the　people　multiply；　and　are　destroyed　by　famine：　this　is　the　case　of　China。　Hence　a　father　sells　his　daughters　and　exposes　his　children。　In　Tonquin；＇19＇　the　same　causes　produce　the　same　effects；　so　we　need　not；　like　the　Arabian　travellers　mentioned　by　Renaudot；　search　for　the　origin　of　this　in　their　sentiments　on　the　metempsychosis。＇20＇

For　the　same　reason；　the　religion　of　the　Isle　of　Formosa　does　not　suffer　the　women　to　bring　their　children　into　the　world　till　they　are　thirty…five　years　of　age：＇21＇　the　priestess；　before　this　age；　by　bruising　the　belly　procures　abortion。

17。　Of　Greece　and　the　Number　of　its　Inhabitants。　That　effect　which　in　certain　countries　of　the　East　springs　from　physical　causes　was　produced　in　Greece　by　the　nature　of　the　government。　The　Greeks　were　a　great　nation；　composed　of　cities；　each　of　which　had　a　distinct　government　and　separate　laws。　They　had　no　more　the　spirit　of　conquest　and　ambition　than　those　of　Switzerland；　Holland；　and　Germany　have　at　this　day。　In　every　republic　the　legislator　had　in　view　the　happiness　of　the　citizens　at　home；　and　their　power　abroad；　lest　it　should　prove　inferior　to　that　of　the　neighbouring　cities。＇22＇　Thus；　with　the　enjoyment　of　a　small　territory　and　great　happiness；　it　was　easy　for　the　number　of　the　citizens　to　increase　to　such　a　degree　as　to　become　burdensome。　This　obliged　them　incessantly　to　send　out　colonies；＇23＇　and；　as　the　Swiss　do　now；　to　let　their　men　out　to　war。　Nothing　was　neglected　that　could　hinder　the　too　great　multiplication　of　children。

They　had　among　them　republics；　whose　constitution　was　very　remarkable。　The　nations　they　had　subdued　were　obliged　to　provide　subsistence　for　the　citizens。　The　Laced？monians　were　fed　by　the　Helotes；　the　Cretans　by　the　Periecians；　and　the　Thessalians　by　the　Penestes。　They　were　obliged　to　have　only　a　certain　number　of　freemen；　that　their　slaves　might　be　able　to　furnish　them　with　subsistence。　It　is　a　received　maxim　in　our　days；　that　it　is　necessary　to　limit　the　number　of　regular　troops：　now　the　Laced？monians　were　an　army　maintained　by　the　peasants：　it　was　proper；　therefore；　that　this　army　should　be　limited；　without　this　the　freemen；　who　had　all　the　advantages　of　society；　would　increase　beyond　number；　and　the　labourers　be　overloaded。

The　politics　of　the　Greeks　were　particularly　employed　in　regulating　the　number　of　citizens。　Plato　fixes　them　at　five　thousand　and　forty；＇24＇　and　he　would　have　them　stop　or　encourage　propagation；　as　was　most　convenient；　by　honours；　shame；　and　the　advice　of　the　old　men；　he　would　even　regulate　the　number　of　marriages　in　such　a　manner　that　the　republic　might　be　recruited　without　being　overcharged。＇25＇

If　the　laws　of　a　country；　says　Aristotle；　forbid　the　exposing　of　children；　the　number　of　those　brought　forth　ought　to　be　limited。＇26＇　If　they　have　more　than　the　number　prescribed　by　law；　he　advises　to　make　the　women　miscarry　before　the　foetus　be　formed。＇27＇

The　same　author　mentions　the　infamous　means　made　use　of　by　the　Cretans　to　prevent　their　having　too　great　a　number　of　children　　a　proceeding　too　indecent　to　repeat。

There　are　places；　says　Aristotle　again＇28＇　where　the　laws　give　the　privilege　of　being　citizens　to　strangers；　or　to　bastards；　or　to　those　whose　mothers　only　are　citizens；　but　as　soon　as　they　have　a　sufficient　number　of　people　this　privilege　ceases。　The　savages　of　Canada　burn　their　prisoners；　but　when　they　have　empty　cottages　to　give　them；　they　receive　them　into　their　nation。

Sir　William　Petty；　in　his　calculations；　supposes　that　a　man　in　England　is　worth　what　he　would　sell　for　at　Algiers。＇29＇　This　can　be　true　only　with　respect　to　England。　There　are　countries　where　a　man　is　worth　nothing；　there　are　others　where　he　is　worth　less　than　nothing。

18。　Of　the　State　and　Number　of　People　before　the　Romans。　Italy；　Sicily；　Asia　Minor；　Gaul；　and　Germany　were　nearly　in　the　same　state　as　Greece；　full　of　small　nations　that　abounded　with　inhabitants；　they　had　no　need　of　laws　to　increase　their　number。

19。　Of　the　Depopulation　of　the　Globe。　All　these　little　republics　were　swallowed　up　in　a　large　one；　and　the　globe　insensibly　became　depopulated：　in　order　to　be　convinced　of　this；　we　need　only　consider　the　state　of　Italy　and　Greece　before　and　after　the　victories　of　the　Romans。

〃You　will　ask　me；〃　says　Livy；＇30＇　〃where　the　Volsci　could　find　soldiers　to　support　the　war；　after　having　been　so　often　defeated。　There　must　have　been　formerly　an　infinite　number　of　people　in　those　countries；　which　at　present　would　be　little　better　than　a　desert；　were　it　not　for　a　few　soldiers　and　Roman　slaves。〃

〃The　Oracles　have　ceased；〃　says　Plutarch；　〃because　the　places　where　they　spoke　are　destroyed。　At　present　we　can　scarcely　find　in　Greece　three　thousand　men　fit　to　bear　arms。〃

〃I　shall　not　describe；〃　says　Strabo；＇31＇　〃Epirus　and　the　adjacent　places；　because　these　countries　are　entirely　deserted。　This　depopulation；　which　began　long　ago；　still　continues；　so　that　the　Roman　soldiers　encamp　in　the　houses　they　have　abandoned。〃　We　find　the　cause　of　this　in　Polybius；　who　says　that　Paulus　？milius；　after　his　victory；　destroyed　seventy　cities　of　Epirus；　and　carried　away　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　slaves。

20。　That　the　Romans　were　under　the　Necessity　of　making　Laws　to　encourage　the　Propagation　of　the　Species。　The　Romans；　by　destroying　others；　were　themselves　destroyed：　incessantly　in　action；　in　the　heat　of　battle；　and　in　the　most　violent　attempts；　they　wore　out　like　a　weapon　kept　constantly　in　use。

I　shall　not　here　speak　of　the　attention　with　which　they　applied　themselves　to　procure　citizens　in　the　room　of　those　they　lost；＇32＇　of　the　associations　they　entered　i