第106章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empir",免费读到尾

  II。Thedifficultyofallowinganannualsumofaboutninepoundssterling,evenfortheaverageofthecapitationofGaul,mayberenderedmoreevidentbythecomparisonofthepresentstateofthesamecountry,asitisnowgovernedbytheabsolutemonarchofanindustrious,wealthy,andaffectionatepeople。ThetaxesofFrancecannotbemagnified,eitherbyfearorbyflattery,beyondtheannualamountofeighteenmillionssterling,whichoughtperhapstobesharedamongfourandtwentymillionsofinhabitants。^182Sevenmillionsofthese,inthecapacityoffathers,orbrothers,orhusbands,maydischargetheobligationsoftheremainingmultitudeofwomenandchildren;yettheequalproportionofeachtributarysubjectwillscarcelyriseabovefiftyshillingsofourmoney,insteadofaproportionalmostfourtimesasconsiderable,whichwasregularlyimposedontheirGallicancestors。Thereasonofthisdifferencemaybefound,notsomuchintherelativescarcityorplentyofgoldandsilver,asinthedifferentstateofsociety,inancientGaulandinmodernFrance。Inacountrywherepersonalfreedomistheprivilegeofeverysubject,thewholemassoftaxes,whethertheyareleviedonpropertyoronconsumption,maybefairlydividedamongthewholebodyofthenation。ButthefargreaterpartofthelandsofancientGaul,aswellasoftheotherprovincesoftheRomanworld,werecultivatedbyslaves,orbypeasants,whosedependentconditionwasalessrigidservitude。^183Insuchastatethepoorweremaintainedattheexpenseofthemasterswhoenjoyedthefruitsoftheirlabor;andastherollsoftributewerefilledonlywiththenamesofthosecitizenswhopossessedthemeansofanhonorable,oratleastofadecentsubsistence,thecomparativesmallnessoftheirnumbersexplainsandjustifiesthehighrateoftheircapitation。Thetruthofthisassertionmaybeillustratedbythefollowingexample:TheAedui,oneofthemostpowerfulandcivilizedtribesorcitiesofGaul,occupiedanextentofterritory,whichnowcontainsaboutfivehundredthousandinhabitants,inthetwoecclesiasticaldiocesesofAutunandNevers;^184andwiththeprobableaccessionofthoseofChalonsandMacon,^185thepopulationwouldamounttoeighthundredthousandsouls。InthetimeofConstantine,theterritoryoftheAeduiaffordednomorethantwenty—fivethousandheadsofcapitation,ofwhomseventhousandweredischargedbythatprincefromtheintolerableweightoftribute。^186Ajustanalogywouldseemtocountenancetheopinionofaningenioushistorian,^187thatthefreeandtributarycitizensdidnotsurpassthenumberofhalfamillion;andif,intheordinaryadministrationofgovernment,theirannualpaymentsmaybecomputedataboutfourmillionsandahalfofourmoney,itwouldappear,thatalthoughtheshareofeachindividualwasfourtimesasconsiderable,afourthpartonlyofthemoderntaxesofFrancewasleviedontheImperialprovinceofGaul。TheexactionsofConstantiusmaybecalculatedatsevenmillionssterling,whichwerereducedtotwomillionsbythehumanityorthewisdomofJulian。

  [Footnote*:TwomasterlydissertationsofM。Savigny,intheMem。oftheBerlinAcademy1822and1823havethrownnewlightonthetaxationsystemoftheEmpire。Gibbon,accordingtoM。

  Savigny,ismistakeninsupposingthattherewasbutonekindofcapitationtax;therewasalandtax,andacapitationtax,strictlysocalled。Thelandtaxwas,initsoperation,aproprietor\'sorlandlord\'stax。But,besidesthis,therewasadirectcapitationtaxonallwhowerenotpossessedoflandedproperty。ThistaxdatesfromthetimeoftheRomanconquests;

  itsamountisnotclearlyknown。Gradualexemptionsreleaseddifferentpersonsandclassesfromthistax。Oneedictexemptspainters。InSyria,allundertwelveorfourteen,orabovesixty—five,wereexempted;atalaterperiod,allundertwenty,andallunmarriedfemales;stilllater,allundertwenty—five,widowsandnuns,soldiers,veteraniandclerici—wholedioceses,thatofThraceandIllyricum。UnderGaleriusandLicinius,theplebsurbanabecameexempt;thoughthis,perhaps,wasonlyanordinancefortheEast。Bydegrees,however,theexemptionwasextendedtoalltheinhabitantsoftowns;andasitwasstrictlycapitatioplebeia,fromwhichallpossessorswereexempteditfellatlengthaltogetheronthecoloniandagriculturalslaves。

  Thesewereregisteredinthesamecatastercapitastrumwiththelandtax。Itwaspaidbytheproprietor,whoraiseditagainfromhiscoloniandlaborers。—M。]

  [Footnote181:Geryonesnosesseputa,monstrumquetributum,Hiccapitautvivam,tumihitolletria。

  Sidon。Apollinar。Carm。xiii。

  ThereputationofFatherSirmondledmetoexpectmoresatisfactionthanIhavefoundinhisnotep。144onthisremarkablepassage。Thewords,suovelsuorumnomine,betraytheperplexityofthecommentator。]

  [Footnote182:Thisassertion,howeverformidableitmayseem,isfoundedontheoriginalregistersofbirths,deaths,andmarriages,collectedbypublicauthority,andnowdepositedintheControleeGeneralatParis。Theannualaverageofbirthsthroughoutthewholekingdom,takeninfiveyears,from1770to1774,bothinclusive,is479,649boys,and449,269girls,inall928,918children。TheprovinceofFrenchHainaultalonefurnishes9906births;andweareassured,byanactualenumerationofthepeople,annuallyrepeatedfromtheyear1773

  totheyear1776,thatuponanaverage,Hainaultcontains257,097

  inhabitants。Bytherulesoffairanalogy,wemightinfer,thattheordinaryproportionofannualbirthstothewholepeople,isabout1to26;andthatthekingdomofFrancecontains24,151,868

  personsofbothsexesandofeveryage。Ifwecontentourselveswiththemoremoderateproportionof1to25,thewholepopulationwillamountto23,222,950。FromthediligentresearchesoftheFrenchGovernment,whicharenotunworthyofourownimitation,wemayhopetoobtainastillgreaterdegreeofcertaintyonthisimportantsubjectNote:OnnosubjecthassomuchvaluableinformationbeencollectedsincethetimeofGibbon,asthestatisticsofthedifferentcountriesofEuropebutmuchisstillwantingastoourown—M。]

  [Footnote183:Cod。Theod。l。v。tit。ix。x。xi。Cod。Justinian。

  l。xi。tit。lxiii。Coloniappellanturquiconditionemdebentgenitalisolo,propteragriculturumsubdominiopossessorum。

  Augustin。deCivitateDei,l。x。c。i。]

  [Footnote184:TheancientjurisdictionofAugustodunumAutuninBurgundy,thecapitaloftheAedui,comprehendedtheadjacentterritoryofNoviodunumNevers。SeeD\'Anville,Noticedel\'AncienneGaule,p。491。ThetwodiocesesofAutunandNeversarenowcomposed,theformerof610,andthelatterof160

  parishes。Theregistersofbirths,takenduringelevenyears,in476parishesofthesameprovinceofBurgundy,andmultipliedbythemoderateproportionof25,seeMessanceRecherchessurlaPopulation,p。142,mayauthorizesustoassignanaveragenumberof656personsforeachparish,whichbeingagainmultipliedbythe770parishesofthediocesesofNeversandAutun,willproducethesumof505,120personsfortheextentofcountrywhichwasoncepossessedbytheAedui。]

  [Footnote185:Wemightderiveanadditionalsupplyof301,750

  inhabitantsfromthediocesesofChalonsCabillonumandofMacon,Matisco,sincetheycontain,theone200,andtheother260parishes。Thisaccessionofterritorymightbejustifiedbyveryspeciousreasons。1。ChalonsandMaconwereundoubtedlywithintheoriginaljurisdictionoftheAedui。SeeD\'Anville,Notice,p。187,443。2。IntheNotitiaofGaul,theyareenumeratednotasCivitates,butmerelyasCastra。3。Theydonotappeartohavebeenepiscopalseatsbeforethefifthandsixthcenturies。YetthereisapassageinEumeniusPanegyr。

  Vet。viii。7whichveryforciblydetersmefromextendingtheterritoryoftheAedui,inthereignofConstantine,alongthebeautifulbanksofthenavigableSaone。

  Note:InthispassageofEumenius,Savignysupposestheoriginalnumbertohavebeen32,000:7000beingdischarged,thereremained25,000liabletothetribute。SeeMem。quotedabove。—

  M。]

  [Footnote186:EumeniusinPanegyrVet。viii。11。]

  [Footnote187:L\'AbbeduBos,Hist。CritiquedelaM。F。tom。i。

  p。121]

  Butthistax,orcapitation,ontheproprietorsofland,wouldhavesufferedarichandnumerousclassoffreecitizenstoescape。Withtheviewofsharingthatspeciesofwealthwhichisderivedfromartorlabor,andwhichexistsinmoneyorinmerchandise,theemperorsimposedadistinctandpersonaltributeonthetradingpartoftheirsubjects。^188Someexemptions,verystrictlyconfinedbothintimeandplace,wereallowedtotheproprietorswhodisposedoftheproduceoftheirownestates。

  Someindulgencewasgrantedtotheprofessionoftheliberalarts:buteveryotherbranchofcommercialindustrywasaffectedbytheseverityofthelaw。ThehonorablemerchantofAlexandria,whoimportedthegemsandspicesofIndiafortheuseofthewesternworld;theusurer,whoderivedfromtheinterestofmoneyasilentandignominiousprofit;theingeniousmanufacturer,thediligentmechanic,andeventhemostobscureretailerofasequesteredvillage,wereobligedtoadmittheofficersoftherevenueintothepartnershipoftheirgain;andthesovereignoftheRomanempire,whotoleratedtheprofession,consentedtosharetheinfamoussalary,ofpublicprostitutes。^!

  Asthisgeneraltaxuponindustrywascollectedeveryfourthyear,itwasstyledtheLustralContribution:andthehistorianZosimus^189lamentsthattheapproachofthefatalperiodwasannouncedbythetearsandterrorsofthecitizens,whowereoftencompelledbytheimpendingscourgetoembracethemostabhorredandunnaturalmethodsofprocuringthesumatwhichtheirpropertyhadbeenassessed。ThetestimonyofZosimuscannotindeedbejustifiedfromthechargeofpassionandprejudice;but,fromthenatureofthistributeitseemsreasonabletoconclude,thatitwasarbitraryinthedistribution,andextremelyrigorousinthemodeofcollecting。

  Thesecretwealthofcommerce,andtheprecariousprofitsofartorlabor,aresusceptibleonlyofadiscretionaryvaluation,whichisseldomdisadvantageoustotheinterestofthetreasury;

  andasthepersonofthetradersuppliesthewantofavisibleandpermanentsecurity,thepaymentoftheimposition,which,inthecaseofalandtax,maybeobtainedbytheseizureofproperty,canrarelybeextortedbyanyothermeansthanthoseofcorporalpunishments。Thecrueltreatmentoftheinsolventdebtorsofthestate,isattested,andwasperhapsmitigatedbyaveryhumaneedictofConstantine,who,disclaimingtheuseofracksandofscourges,allotsaspaciousandairyprisonfortheplaceoftheirconfinement。^190

  [Footnote188:SeeCod。Theod。l。xiii。tit。i。andiv。]

  [Footnote!:TheemperorTheodosiusputanend,byalaw。tothisdisgracefulsourceofrevenue。Godef。adCod。Theod。xiii。tit。

  i。c。1。Butbeforehedeprivedhimselfofit,hemadesureofsomewayofreplacingthisdeficit。Arichpatrician,Florentius,indignantatthislegalizedlicentiousness,hadmaderepresentationsonthesubjecttotheemperor。Toinducehimtotolerateitnolonger,heofferedhisownpropertytosupplythediminutionoftherevenue。Theemperorhadthebasenesstoaccepthisoffer—G。]

  [Footnote189:Zosimus,l。ii。p。115。ThereisprobablyasmuchpassionandprejudiceintheattackofZosimus,asintheelaboratedefenceofthememoryofConstantinebythezealousDr。

  Howell。Hist。oftheWorld,vol。ii。p。20。]

  [Footnote190:Cod。Theod。l。xi。titvii。leg。3。]

  Thesegeneraltaxeswereimposedandleviedbytheabsoluteauthorityofthemonarch;buttheoccasionalofferingsofthecoronarygoldstillretainedthenameandsemblanceofpopularconsent。Itwasanancientcustomthatthealliesoftherepublic,whoascribedtheirsafetyordeliverancetothesuccessoftheRomanarms,andeventhecitiesofItaly,whoadmiredthevirtuesoftheirvictoriousgeneral,adornedthepompofhistriumphbytheirvoluntarygiftsofcrownsofgold,whichaftertheceremonywereconsecratedinthetempleofJupiter,toremainalastingmonumentofhisglorytofutureages。Theprogressofzealandflatterysoonmultipliedthenumber,andincreasedthesize,ofthesepopulardonations;andthetriumphofCaesarwasenrichedwithtwothousandeighthundredandtwenty—twomassycrowns,whoseweightamountedtotwentythousandfourhundredandfourteenpoundsofgold。Thistreasurewasimmediatelymelteddownbytheprudentdictator,whowassatisfiedthatitwouldbemoreserviceabletohissoldiersthantothegods:hisexamplewasimitatedbyhissuccessors;andthecustomwasintroducedofexchangingthesesplendidornamentsforthemoreacceptablepresentofthecurrentgoldcoinoftheempire。^191Thespontaneousofferingwasatlengthexactedasthedebtofduty;

  andinsteadofbeingconfinedtotheoccasionofatriumph,itwassupposedtobegrantedbytheseveralcitiesandprovincesofthemonarchy,asoftenastheemperorcondescendedtoannouncehisaccession,hisconsulship,thebirthofason,thecreationofaCaesar,avictoryovertheBarbarians,oranyotherrealorimaginaryeventwhichgracedtheannalsofhisreign。ThepeculiarfreegiftofthesenateofRomewasfixedbycustomatsixteenhundredpoundsofgold,oraboutsixty—fourthousandpoundssterling。Theoppressedsubjectscelebratedtheirownfelicity,thattheirsovereignshouldgraciouslyconsenttoacceptthisfeeblebutvoluntarytestimonyoftheirloyaltyandgratitude。^192

  [Footnote191:SeeLipsiusdeMagnitud。Romana,l。ii。c。9。TheTarragoneseSpainpresentedtheemperorClaudiuswithacrownofgoldofseven,andGaulwithanotherofnine,hundredpoundsweight。IhavefollowedtherationalemendationofLipsius。

  Note:Thiscustomisofstillearlierdate,theRomanshadborroweditfromGreece。WhoisnotacquaintedwiththefamousorationofDemosthenesforthegoldencrown,whichhiscitizenswishedtobestow,andAeschinestodeprivehimof?—G。]

  [Footnote192:Cod。Theod。l。xii。tit。xiii。ThesenatorsweresupposedtobeexemptfromtheAurumCoronarium;buttheAuriOblatio,whichwasrequiredattheirhands,waspreciselyofthesamenature。]

  Apeopleelatedbypride,orsouredbydiscontent,areseldomqualifiedtoformajustestimateoftheiractualsituation。ThesubjectsofConstantinewereincapableofdiscerningthedeclineofgeniusandmanlyvirtue,whichsofardegradedthembelowthedignityoftheirancestors;buttheycouldfeelandlamenttherageoftyranny,therelaxationofdiscipline,andtheincreaseoftaxes。Theimpartialhistorian,whoacknowledgesthejusticeoftheircomplaints,willobservesomefavorablecircumstanceswhichtendedtoalleviatethemiseryoftheircondition。ThethreateningtempestofBarbarians,whichsosoonsubvertedthefoundationsofRomangreatness,wasstillrepelled,orsuspended,onthefrontiers。Theartsofluxuryandliteraturewerecultivated,andtheelegantpleasuresofsocietywereenjoyed,bytheinhabitantsofaconsiderableportionoftheglobe。Theforms,thepomp,andtheexpenseoftheciviladministrationcontributedtorestraintheirregularlicenseofthesoldiers;andalthoughthelawswereviolatedbypower,orpervertedbysubtlety,thesageprinciplesoftheRomanjurisprudencepreservedasenseoforderandequity,unknowntothedespoticgovernmentsoftheEast。Therightsofmankindmightderivesomeprotectionfromreligionandphilosophy;andthenameoffreedom,whichcouldnolongeralarm,mightsometimesadmonish,thesuccessorsofAugustus,thattheydidnotreignoveranationofSlavesorBarbarians。^193

  [Footnote193:ThegreatTheodosius,inhisjudiciousadvicetohisson,Claudianiniv。Consulat。Honorii,214,&c。,

  distinguishesthestationofaRomanprincefromthatofaParthianmonarch。Virtuewasnecessaryfortheone;birthmightsufficefortheother。]

  ChapterXVIII:CharacterOfConstantineAndHisSons。

  PartI。

  CharacterOfConstantine。—GothicWar。—DeathOfConstantine。—DivisionOfTheEmpireAmongHisThreeSons。—

  PersianWar。—TragicDeathsOfConstantineTheYoungerAndConstans。—UsurpationOfMagnentius。—CivilWar。—VictoryOfConstantius。

  Thecharacteroftheprincewhoremovedtheseatofempire,andintroducedsuchimportantchangesintothecivilandreligiousconstitutionofhiscountry,hasfixedtheattention,anddividedtheopinions,ofmankind。BythegratefulzealoftheChristians,thedelivererofthechurchhasbeendecoratedwitheveryattributeofahero,andevenofasaint;whilethediscontentofthevanquishedpartyhascomparedConstantinetothemostabhorredofthosetyrants,who,bytheirviceandweakness,dishonoredtheImperialpurple。Thesamepassionshaveinsomedegreebeenperpetuatedtosucceedinggenerations,andthecharacterofConstantineisconsidered,eveninthepresentage,asanobjecteitherofsatireorofpanegyric。Bytheimpartialunionofthosedefectswhichareconfessedbyhiswarmestadmirers,andofthosevirtueswhichareacknowledgedbyhismost—implacableenemies,wemighthopetodelineateajustportraitofthatextraordinaryman,whichthetruthandcandorofhistoryshouldadoptwithoutablush。^1Butitwouldsoonappear,thatthevainattempttoblendsuchdiscordantcolors,andtoreconcilesuchinconsistentqualities,mustproduceafiguremonstrousratherthanhuman,unlessitisviewedinitsproperanddistinctlights,byacarefulseparationofthedifferentperiodsofthereignofConstantine。

  [Footnote1:OnnesetromperapointsurConstantin,encroyanttoutlemalru\'enditEusebe,ettoutlebienqu\'enditZosime。

  Fleury,Hist。Ecclesiastique,tom。iii。p。233。EusebiusandZosimusformindeedthetwoextremesofflatteryandinvective。

  Theintermediateshadesareexpressedbythosewriters,whosecharacterorsituationvariouslytemperedtheinfluenceoftheirreligiouszeal。]

  Theperson,aswellasthemind,ofConstantine,hadbeenenrichedbynaturewithherchoicesendowments。Hisstaturewaslofty,hiscountenancemajestic,hisdeportmentgraceful;hisstrengthandactivityweredisplayedineverymanlyexercise,andfromhisearliestyouth,toaveryadvancedseasonoflife,hepreservedthevigorofhisconstitutionbyastrictadherencetothedomesticvirtuesofchastityandtemperance。Hedelightedinthesocialintercourseoffamiliarconversation;andthoughhemightsometimesindulgehisdispositiontoraillerywithlessreservethanwasrequiredbytheseveredignityofhisstation,thecourtesyandliberalityofhismannersgainedtheheartsofallwhoapproachedhim。Thesincerityofhisfriendshiphasbeensuspected;yetheshowed,onsomeoccasions,thathewasnotincapableofawarmandlastingattachment。Thedisadvantageofanilliterateeducationhadnotpreventedhimfromformingajustestimateofthevalueoflearning;andtheartsandsciencesderivedsomeencouragementfromthemunificentprotectionofConstantine。Inthedespatchofbusiness,hisdiligencewasindefatigable;andtheactivepowersofhismindwerealmostcontinuallyexercisedinreading,writing,ormeditating,ingivingaudiencestoambassadors,andinexaminingthecomplaintsofhissubjects。Eventhosewhocensuredtheproprietyofhismeasureswerecompelledtoacknowledge,thathepossessedmagnanimitytoconceive,andpatiencetoexecute,themostarduousdesigns,withoutbeingcheckedeitherbytheprejudicesofeducation,orbytheclamorsofthemultitude。Inthefield,heinfusedhisownintrepidspiritintothetroops,whomheconductedwiththetalentsofaconsummategeneral;andtohisabilities,ratherthantohisfortune,wemayascribethesignalvictorieswhichheobtainedovertheforeignanddomesticfoesoftherepublic。Helovedgloryasthereward,perhapsasthemotive,ofhislabors。Theboundlessambition,which,fromthemomentofhisacceptingthepurpleatYork,appearsastherulingpassionofhissoul,maybejustifiedbythedangersofhisownsituation,bythecharacterofhisrivals,bytheconsciousnessofsuperiormerit,andbytheprospectthathissuccesswouldenablehimtorestorepeaceandordertototthedistractedempire。InhiscivilwarsagainstMaxentiusandLicinius,hehadengagedonhissidetheinclinationsofthepeople,whocomparedtheundissembledvicesofthosetyrantswiththespiritofwisdomandjusticewhichseemedtodirectthegeneraltenoroftheadministrationofConstantine。^2

点击下载App,搜索"History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empir",免费读到尾