the spirit of laws-第95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！



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　into；　the　privileges　they　bestowed；　and　of　that　immense　nursery　of　citizens；　their　slaves。　I　shall　mention　what　they　did　to　recruit　the　number；　not　of　their　citizens；　but　of　their　men；　and　as　these　were　the　people　in　the　world　who　knew　best　how　to　adapt　their　laws　to　their　projects；　an　examination　of　their　conduct　in　this　respect　cannot　be　a　matter　of　indifference。

21。　Of　the　Laws　of　the　Romans　relating　to　the　Propagation　of　the　Species。　The　ancient　laws　of　Rome　endeavoured　greatly　to　incite　the　citizens　to　marriage。　The　senate　and　the　people　made　frequent　regulations　on　this　subject；　as　Augustus　says　in　his　speech　related　by　Dio。＇33＇

Dionysius　Halicarnassus＇34＇　cannot　believe　that　after　the　death　of　three　hundred　and　five　of　the　Fabii；　exterminated　by　the　Veientes；　there　remained　no　more　of　this　family　than　one　single　child；　because　the　ancient　law；　which　obliged　every　citizen　to　marry　and　to　educate　all　his　children；　was　still　in　force。＇35＇

Independently　of　the　laws；　the　censors　had　a　particular　eye　upon　marriages；　and　according　to　the　exigencies　of　the　republic　engaged　them　to　it　by　shame　and　by　punishments。＇36＇

The　corruption　of　manners　that　began　to　take　place　contributed　vastly　to　disgust　the　citizens　with　marriage；　which　was　painful　to　those　who　had　no　taste　for　the　pleasures　of　innocence。　This　is　the　purport　of　that　speech　which　Metellus　Numidicus；　when　he　was　censor；　made　to　the　people：＇37＇　〃If　it　were　possible　for　us　to　do　without　wives；　we　should　deliver　ourselves　from　this　evil：　but　as　nature　has　ordained　that　we　cannot　live　very　happily　with　them；　nor　subsist　without　them；　we　ought　to　have　more　regard　to　our　own　preservation　than　to　transient　gratifications。〃

The　corruption　of　manners　destroyed　the　censorship；　which　was　itself　established　to　destroy　the　corruption　of　manners：　for　when　this　depravation　became　general；　the　censor　lost　his　power。＇38＇

Civil　discords；　triumvirates；　and　proscriptions　weakened　Rome　more　than　any　war　she　had　hitherto　engaged　in。　They　left　but　few　citizens；＇39＇　and　the　greatest　part　of　them　unmarried。　To　remedy　this　last　evil；　C？sar　and　Augustus　re…established　the　censorship；　and　would　even　be　censors　themselves。＇40＇　C？sar　gave　rewards　to　those　who　had　many　children。＇41＇　All　women　under　forty…five　years　of　age　who　had　neither　husband　nor　children　were　forbidden　to　wear　jewels　or　to　ride　in　litters；＇42＇　an　excellent　method　thus　to　attack　celibacy　by　the　power　of　vanity。　The　laws　of　Augustus　were　more　pressing；＇43＇　he　imposed　new　penalties　on　such　as　were　not　married；＇44＇　and　increased　the　rewards　both　of　those　who　were　married　and　of　those　who　had　children。　Tacitus　calls　these　Julian　laws；＇45＇　to　all　appearance　they　were　founded　on　the　ancient　regulations　made　by　the　senate；　the　people；　and　the　censors。

The　law　of　Augustus　met　with　innumerable　obstacles；　and　thirty…four　years　after　it　had　been　made　the　Roman　knights　insisted　on　its　being　abolished。＇46＇　He　placed　on　one　side　such　as　were　married；　and　on　the　other　side　those　who　were　not：　these　last　appeared　by　far　the　greatest　number；　upon　which　the　citizens　were　astonished　and　confounded。　Augustus；　with　the　gravity　of　the　ancient　censors；　addressed　them　in　this　manner：＇47＇

〃While　sickness　and　war　snatch　away　so　many　citizens；　what　must　become　of　this　state　if　marriages　are　no　longer　contracted？　The　city　does　not　consist　of　houses；　of　porticos；　of　public　places；　but　of　inhabitants。　You　do　not　see　men　like　those　mentioned　in　Fable　starting　out　of　the　earth　to　take　care　of　your　affairs。　Your　celibacy　is　not　owing　to　the　desire　of　living　alone；　for　none　of　you　eats　or　sleeps　by　himself。　You　only　seek　to　enjoy　your　irregularities　undisturbed。　Do　you　cite　the　example　of　the　Vestal　Virgins？　If　you　preserve　not　the　laws　of　chastity；　you　ought　to　be　punished　like　them。　You　are　equally　bad　citizens；　whether　your　example　has　an　influence　on　the　rest　of　the　world；　or　whether　it　be　disregarded。　My　only　view　is　the　perpetuity　of　the　republic。　I　have　increased　the　penalties　of　those　who　have　disobeyed；　and　with　respect　to　rewards；　they　are　such　as　I　do　not　know　whether　virtue　has　ever　received　greater。　For　less　will　a　thousand　men　expose　life　itself；　and　yet　will　not　these　engage　you　to　take　a　wife　and　provide　for　children？〃

He　made　a　law；　which　was　called　after　his　name；　Julia　and　Papia　Popp？a；　from　the　names　of　the　consuls　for　part　of　that　year。＇48＇　The　greatness　of　the　evil　appeared　even　in　their　being　elected：　Dio　tells　us　that　they　were　not　married；　and　that　they　had　no　children。＇49＇

This　decree　of　Augustus　was　properly　a　code　of　laws；　and　a　systematic　body　of　all　the　regulations　that　could　be　made　on　this　subject。　The　Julian　laws　were　incorporated　in　it；　and　received　greater　strength。＇50＇　It　was　so　extensive　in　its　use；　and　had　an　influence　on　so　many　things；　that　it　formed　the　finest　part　of　the　civil　law　of　the　Romans。

We　find　parts　of　it　dispersed　in　the　precious　fragments　of　Ulpian；＇51＇　in　the　Laws　of　the　Digest；　collected　from　authors　who　wrote　on　the　Papian　laws；　in　the　historians　and　others　who　have　cited　them；　in　the　Theodosian　code　which　abolished　them；　and　in　the　works　of　the　fathers；　who　have　censured　them；　without　doubt　from　a　laudable　zeal　for　the　things　of　the　other　life；　but　with　very　little　knowledge　of　the　affairs　of　this。

These　laws　had　many　heads；＇52＇　of　which　we　know　thirty…five。　But　to　return　to　my　subject　as　speedily　as　possible；　I　shall　begin　with　that　head　which　Aulus　Gellius　informs　us　was　the　seventh；　and　relates　to　the　honours　and　rewards　granted　by　that　law。＇53＇

The　Romans；　who　for　the　most　part　sprang　from　the　cities　of　the　Latins；　which　were　Laced？monian　colonies；＇54＇　and　had　received　a　part　of　their　laws　even　from　those　cities；＇55＇　had；　like　the　Laced？monians；　such　veneration　for　old　age　as　to　give　it　all　honour　and　precedence。　When　the　republic　wanted　citizens；　she　granted　to　marriage　and　to　the　number　of　children　the　privileges　which　had　been　given　to　age。＇56＇　She　granted　some　to　marriage　alone；　independent　of　the　children　which　might　spring　from　it：　this　was　called　the　right　of　husbands。　She　gave　others　to　those　who　had　any　children；　and　larger　still　to　those　who　had　three　children。　These　three　things　must　not　be　confounded。　These　last　had　those　privileges　which　married　men　constantly　enjoyed；　as；　for　example；　a　particular　place　in　the　theatre；＇57＇　they　had　those　which　could　only　be　enjoyed　by　men　who　had　children；　and　which　none　could　deprive　them　of　but　such　as　had　a　greater　number。

These　privileges　were　very　extensive。　The　married　men　who　had　the　most　children　were　always　preferred；　whether　in　the　pursuit　or　in　the　exercise　of　honours；＇58＇　The　consul　who　had　the　most　numerous　offspring　was　the　first　who　received　the　fasces；＇59＇　he　had　his　choice　of　the　provinces：＇60＇　the　senator　who　had　most　children　had　his　name　written　first　in　the　catalogue　of　senators；　and　was　the　first　in　giving　his　opinion　in　the　senate。＇61＇　They　might　even　stand　sooner　than　ordinary　for　an　office；　because　every　child　gave　a　dispensation　of　a　year。＇62＇　If　an　inhabitant　of　Rome　had　three　children；　he　was　exempted　from　all　troublesome　offices。＇63＇　The　freeborn　women　who　had　three　children；　and　the　freedwomen　who　had　four；　passed　out　of　that　perpetual　tutelage＇64＇　in　which　they　had　been　held　by　the　ancient　laws　of　Rome。＇65＇

As　they　had　rewards；　they　had　also　penalties。＇66＇　Those　who　were　not　married　could　receive　no　advantage　from　the　will　of　any　person　that　was　not　a　relative；＇67＇　and　those　who；　being　married；　had　no　children；　could　receive　only　half。＇68＇　The　Romans；　says　Plutarch；　marry　only　to　be　heirs；　and　not　to　have　them。＇69＇

The　advantages　which　a　man　and　his　wife　might　receive　from　each　other　by　will　were　limited　by　law。＇70＇　If　they　had　children　of　each　other；　they　might　receive　the　whole；　if　not；　they　could　receive　only　a　tenth　part　of　the　succession　on　the　account　of　marriage；　and　if　they　had　any　children　by　a　former　venter；　as　many　tenths　as　they　had　children。

If　a　husband　absented　himself　from　his　wife　on　any　other　cause　than　the　affairs　of　the　republic；　he　could　not　inherit　from　her。＇71＇

The　law　gave　to　a　surviving　husband　or　wife　two　years　to　marry　again；＇72＇　and　a　year　and　a　half　in　case　of　a　divorce。　The　fathers　who　would　not　suffer　their　children　to　marry；　or　refused　to　give　their　daughters　a　portion；　were　obliged　to　do　it　by　the　magistrates。＇73＇

They　were　not　allowed　to　betroth　when　the　marriage　was　to　be　deferred　for　more　than　two　years：＇74＇　and　as　they　could　not　marry　a　girl　till　she　was　twelve　years　old；　they　could　not　be　betrothed　to　her　till　she　was　ten。　The　law　would　not　suffer　them　to　trifle　to　no　purpose；＇75＇　and　under　a　pretence　of　being　betrothed；　to　enjoy　the　privileges　of　married　men。

It　was　contrary　to　law　for　a　man　of　sixty　to　marry　a　woman　of　fifty。＇76＇　As　they　had　given　great　privileges　to　married　men；　the　law　would　not　suffer　them　to　enter　into　useless　marriages。　For　the　same　reason；　the　Calvisian　Senatus　Consultum　declared　the　marriage　of　a　woman　above　fifty　with　a　man　less　than　sixty　to　be　unequal：＇77＇　so　that　a　woman　of　fifty　years　of　age　could　not　marry　without　incurring　the　penalties　of　these　laws。　Tiberius　added　to　the　rigour　of　the　Papian　law；＇78＇　and　prohibited　men　of　sixty　from　marrying　women　under　fifty；　so　that　a　man　of　sixty　could　not　marry　in　any　case　whatsoever；　without　incurring　the　penalty。　But　Claudius　abrogated　this　law　made　under　Tiberius。＇79＇

All　these　regulations　were　more　conformable　to　the　climate　of　Italy　than　to　that　of　the　North；　where　a　man　of　sixty　years　of　age　has　still　a　considerable　degree　of　strength；　and　where　women　of　fifty　are　not　always　past　child…bearing。

That　they　might　not　be　unnecessarily　limited　in　the　choice　they　were　to　make；　Augustus　permitted　all　the　freeborn　citizens　who　were　not　senators＇80＇　to　marry　freedwomen。＇81＇　The　Papian　law　forbade　the　senators　marrying　freedwomen；＇82＇　or　those　who　had　been　brought　up　to　the　stage；　and　from　the　time　of　Ulpian；＇83＇　free…born　persons　were　forbidden　to　marry　women　who　had　led　a　disorderly　life；　who　had　played　in　t