第14章
加入书架 A- A+
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  32。Amongothers,DeLange’saccount。

  33。OftheFamilyofSourniama,EdifyingLetters,coll。xviii。

  34。SeeinFatherDuHaldehowthemissionariesavailedthemselvesoftheauthorityofCanhitosilencethemandarins,whoconstantlydeclaredthatbythelawsofthecountrynoforeignworshipcouldbeestablishedintheempire。

  35。SeeLettrespersanes,210。

  36。SeetheorderofTsongtoufortillingtheland,intheEdifyingLetters,coll。xxi。

  BookIX。OfLawsintheRelationTheyBeartoaDefensiveForce1。InwhatMannerRepublicsprovidefortheirSafety。Ifarepublicbesmall,itisdestroyedbyaforeignforce;ifitbelarge,itisruinedbyaninternalimperfection。

  Tothistwofoldinconveniencedemocraciesandaristocraciesareequallyliable,whethertheybegoodorbad。Theevilisintheverythingitself,andnoformcanredressit。

  Itis,therefore,veryprobablethatmankindwouldhavebeen,atlength,obligedtoliveconstantlyunderthegovernmentofasingleperson,hadtheynotcontrivedakindofconstitutionthathasalltheinternaladvantagesofarepublican,togetherwiththeexternalforceofamonarchical,government。Imeanaconfederaterepublic。

  Thisformofgovernmentisaconventionbywhichseveralpettystatesagreetobecomemembersofalargerone,whichtheyintendtoestablish。

  Itisakindofassemblageofsocieties,thatconstituteanewone,capableofincreasingbymeansoffurtherassociations,tilltheyarriveatsuchadegreeofpowerastobeabletoprovideforthesecurityofthewholebody。

  ItwastheseassociationsthatsolongcontributedtotheprosperityofGreece。BythesetheRomansattackedthewholeglobe,andbythesealonethewholeglobewithstoodthem;forwhenRomehadarrivedatherhighestpitchofgrandeur,itwastheassociationsbeyondtheDanubeandtheRhine——associationsformedbytheterrorofherarms——thatenabledthebarbarianstoresisther。

  HenceitproceedsthatHolland,[1]Germany,andtheSwisscantonsareconsideredinEuropeasperpetualrepublics。

  Theassociationsofcitieswereformerlymorenecessarythaninourtimes。Aweak,defencelesstownwasexposedtogreaterdanger。Byconquestitwasdeprivednotonlyoftheexecutiveandlegislativepower,asatpresent,butmoreoverofallhumanproperty。[2]

  Arepublicofthiskind,abletowithstandanexternalforce,maysupportitselfwithoutanyinternalcorruption;theformofthissocietypreventsallmannerofinconveniences。

  Ifasinglemembershouldattempttousurpthesupremepower,hecouldnotbesupposedtohaveanequalauthorityandcreditinalltheconfederatestates。Werehetohavetoogreataninfluenceoverone,thiswouldalarmtherest;werehetosubdueapart,thatwhichwouldstillremainfreemightopposehimwithforcesindependentofthosewhichhehadusurped,andoverpowerhimbeforehecouldbesettledinhisusurpation。

  Shouldapopularinsurrectionhappeninoneoftheconfederatestates,theothersareabletoquellit。Shouldabusescreepintoonepart,theyarereformedbythosethatremainsound。Thestatemaybedestroyedononeside,andnotontheother;theconfederacymaybedissolved,andtheconfederatespreservetheirsovereignty。

  Asthisgovernmentiscomposedofpettyrepublics,itenjoystheinternalhappinessofeach;andwithregardtoitsexternalsituation,bymeansoftheassociation,itpossessesalltheadvantagesoflargemonarchies。

  2。ThataconfederateGovernmentoughttobecomposedofStatesofthesameNature,especiallyoftherepublicanKind。TheCanaanitesweredestroyedbyreasonthattheywerepettymonarchies,thathadnounionorconfederacyfortheircommondefence;and,indeed,aconfederacyisnotagreeabletothenatureofpettymonarchies。

  AstheconfederaterepublicofGermanyconsistsoffreecities,andofpettystatessubjecttodifferentprinces,experienceshowsusthatitismuchmoreimperfectthanthatofHollandandSwitzerland。

  Thespiritofmonarchyiswarandenlargementofdominion:peaceandmoderationarethespiritofarepublic。Thesetwokindsofgovernmentcannotnaturallysubsistinaconfederaterepublic。

  Thusweobserve,intheRomanhistory,thatwhentheVeienteshadchosenaking,theywereimmediatelyabandonedbyalltheotherpettyrepublicsofTuscany。GreecewasundoneassoonasthekingsofMacedonobtainedaseatamongtheAmphyktyons。

  TheconfederaterepublicofGermany,composedofprincesandfreetowns,subsistsbymeansofachief,whois,insomerespects,themagistrateoftheunion,inothers,themonarch。

  3。OtherRequisitesinaconfederateRepublic。IntherepublicofHollandoneprovincecannotconcludeanalliancewithouttheconsentoftheothers。Thislaw,whichisanexcellentone,andevennecessaryinaconfederaterepublic,iswantingintheGermanicconstitution,whereitwouldpreventthemisfortunesthatmayhappentothewholeconfederacy,throughtheimprudence,ambition,oravariceofasinglemember。A

  republicunitedbyapoliticalconfederacyhasgivenitselfentirelyup,andhasnothingmoretoresign。

  Itisdifficultfortheunitedstatestobeallofequalpowerandextent。TheLycian[3]republicwasanassociationoftwenty—threetowns;

  thelargeoneshadthreevotesinthecommoncouncil,themiddlingonestwo,andthesmalltownsone。TheDutchrepublicconsistsofsevenprovincesofdifferentextentofterritory,whichhaveeachonevoice。

  ThecitiesofLycia[4]contributedtotheexpensesofthestate,accordingtotheproportionofsuffrages。TheprovincesoftheUnitedNetherlandscannotfollowthisproportion;theymustbedirectedbythatoftheirpower。

  InLycia[5]thejudgesandtownmagistrateswereelectedbythecommoncouncil,andaccordingtotheproportionalreadymentioned。IntherepublicofHollandtheyarenotchosenbythecommoncouncil,buteachtownnamesitsmagistrates。WereItogiveamodelofanexcellentconfederaterepublic,IshouldpitchuponthatofLycia。

  4。InwhatMannerdespoticGovernmentsprovidefortheirSecurity。Asrepublicsprovidefortheirsecuritybyuniting,despoticgovernmentsdoitbyseparating,andbykeepingthemselves,asitwere,single。Theysacrificeapartofthecountry;andbyravaginganddesolatingthefrontierstheyrendertheheartoftheempireinaccessible。

  Itisareceivedaxiomingeometrythatthegreatertheextentofbodies,themoretheircircumferenceisrelativelysmall。Thispractice,therefore,oflayingthefrontierswasteismoretolerableinlargethaninmiddlingstates。

  Adespoticgovernmentdoesallthemischieftoitselfthatcouldbecommittedbyacruelenemy,whosearmsitwereunabletoresist。

  Itpreservesitselflikewisebyanotherkindofseparation,whichisbyputtingthemostdistantprovincesintothehandsofagreatvassal。TheMogul,thekingofPersia,andtheemperorsofChinahavetheirfeudatories;andtheTurkshavefoundtheiraccountinputtingtheTartars,theMoldavians,theWallachians,andformerlytheTransylvanians,betweenthemselvesandtheirenemies。

  5。InwhatManneraMonarchicalGovernmentprovidesforitsSecurity。A

  monarchyneverdestroysitselflikeadespoticgovernment。Butakingdomofamoderateextentisliabletosuddeninvasions:itmustthereforehavefortressestodefenditsfrontiers;andtroopstogarrisonthosefortresses。Theleastspotofgroundisdisputedwithmilitaryskillandresolution。Despoticstatesmakeincursionsagainstoneanother;itismonarchiesonlythatwagewar。

  Fortressesareproperformonarchies;despoticgovernmentsareafraidofthem。Theydarenotentrusttheirofficerswithsuchacommand,asnoneofthemhaveanyaffectionfortheprinceorhisgovernment。

  6。OfthedefensiveForceofStatesingeneral。Topreserveastateinitsdueforce,itmusthavesuchanextentastoadmitofaproportionbetweentheceleritywithwhichitmaybeinvaded,andthatwithwhichitmaydefeattheinvasion。Asaninvadermayappearoneveryside,itisrequisitethatthestateshouldbeabletomakeoneverysideitsdefence;consequentlyitshouldbeofamoderateextent,proportionedtothedegreeofvelocitythatnaturehasgiventoman,toenablehimtomovefromoneplacetoanother。

  FranceandSpainareexactlyofaproperextent。Theyhavesoeasyacommunicationfortheirforcesastobeabletoconveythemimmediatelytowhatparttheyhaveamind;thearmiesuniteandpasswithrapidityfromonefrontiertoanother,withoutanyapprehensionofsuchdifficultiesasrequiretimetoremove。

  ItisextremelyhappyforFrancethatthecapitalstandsneartothedifferentfrontiersinproportiontotheirweakness;andtheprincehasabetterviewofeachpartofhiscountryaccordingasitismoreexposed。

  Butwhenavastempire,likePersia,isattacked,itisseveralmonthsbeforethetroopsareassembledinabody;andthentheyarenotabletomakesuchforcedmarches,forthatspaceoftime,astheycouldforfifteendays。Shouldthearmyonthefrontiersbedefeated,itissoondispersed,becausethereisnoneighbouringplaceofretreat。Thevictor,meetingwithnoresistance,advanceswithallexpedition,sitsdownbeforethecapital,andlayssiegetoit,whenthereisscarcelytimesufficienttosummonthegovernorsoftheprovincestoitsrelief。

  Thosewhoforeseeanapproachingrevolutionhastenitbytheirdisobedience。Formenwhosefidelityisentirelyowingtothedangerofpunishmentareeasilycorruptedassoonasitbecomesdistant;theiraimistheirownprivateinterest。Theempireissubverted,thecapitaltaken,andtheconquerordisputestheseveralprovinceswiththegovernors。

  Therealpowerofaprincedoesnotconsistsomuchinthefacilityhemeetswithinmakingconquestsasinthedifficultyanenemyfindsinattackinghim,and,ifImaysospeak,intheimmutabilityofhiscondition。Buttheincreaseofterritoryobligesagovernmenttolayitselfmoreopentoanenemy。

  Asmonarchsthereforeoughttobeenduedwithwisdominordertoincreasetheirpower,theyoughtlikewisetohaveanequalshareofprudencetoconfineitwithinbounds。Uponremovingtheinconveniencesoftoosmallaterritory,theyshouldhavetheireyeconstantlyontheinconvenienceswhichattenditsextent。

  7。AReflection。Theenemiesofagreatprince,whosereignwasprotractedtoanunusuallength,haveveryoftenaccusedhim,rather,I

  believe,fromtheirownfearsthanuponanysolidfoundation,ofhavingformedandcarriedonaprojectofuniversalmonarchy。Hadheattainedhisaim,nothingwouldhavebeenmorefataltohissubjects,tohimself,tohisfamily,andtoallEurope。Heaven,thatknowsourtrueinterests,favouredhimmorebypreventingthesuccessofhisarmsthanitcouldhavedonebycrowninghimwithvictories。InsteadofraisinghimtobetheonlysovereigninEurope,itmadehimhappierbyrenderinghimthemostpowerful。

  Thesubjectsofthisprince,whointravellingabroadareneveraffectedbutwithwhattheyhaveleftathome;whoonquittingtheirownhabitationslookupongloryastheirchiefobject,andindistantcountriesasanobstacletotheirreturn;whodisgustyouevenbytheirgoodqualities,becausetheyaretaintedwithsomuchvanity;whoarecapableofsupportingwounds,perils,andfatigues,butnotofforegoingtheirpleasures;whoaresupremelyfondofgaiety,andcomfortthemselvesforthelossofabattlebyasonguponthegeneral:thosesubjects,Isay,wouldneverhavethesolidityrequisiteforanenterpriseofthiskind,whichifdefeatedinonecountrywouldbeunsuccessfuleverywhereelse;andifonceunsuccessful,wouldbesoforever。

  8。AparticularCaseinwhichthedefensiveForceofaStateisinferiortotheoffensive。ItwasasayingoftheLordofCoucytoKingCharlesV

  thattheEnglishareneverweaker,normoreeasilyovercome,thanintheirowncountry。ThesamewasobservedoftheRomans;thesameoftheCarthaginians;andthesamewillhappentoeverypowerthatsendsarmiestodistantcountries,inordertoreunitebydisciplineandmilitaryforcethosewhoaredividedamongthemselvesbypoliticalorcivilinterests。Thestatefindsitselfweakenedbythedisorderthatstillcontinues,andmoresobytheremedy。

  TheLordofCoucy’smaximisanexceptiontothegeneralrule,whichdisapprovesofwarsagainstdistantcountries。Andthisexceptionconfirmslikewisetherulebecauseittakesplaceonlywithregardtothosebywhomsuchwarsareundertaken。

  9。OftherelativeForceofStates。Allgrandeur,force,andpowerarerelative。Carethereforemustbetakenthatinendeavouringtoincreasetherealgrandeur,therelativebenotdiminished。

  DuringthereignofLouisXIVFrancewasatitshighestpitchofrelativegrandeur。Germanyhadnotyetproducedsuchpowerfulprincesashavesinceappearedinthatcountry。Italywasinthesamecase。EnglandandScotlandwerenotyetformedintooneunitedkingdom。AragonwasnotjoinedtoCastile:thedistantbranchesoftheSpanishmonarchywereweakenedbyit,andweakeneditintheirturn;andMuscovywasaslittleknowninEuropeasCrimTartary。

  10。OftheWeaknessofneighbouringStates。Whensoeverastateliescontiguoustoanotherthathappenstobeinitsdecline,theformeroughttotakeparticularcarenottoprecipitatetheruinofthelatter,becausethisisthehappiestsituationimaginable;nothingbeingsoconvenientasforoneprincetobenearanother,whoreceivesforhimalltherebuffsandinsultsoffortune。Anditseldomhappensthatbysubduingsuchastatetherealpoweroftheconquerorisasmuchincreasedastherelativeisdiminished。

  ______

  1。Itiscomposedofaboutfiftydifferentrepublics,alldifferentfromoneanother。——M。Janisson,StateoftheUnitedProvinces。

  2。Civilliberty,goods,wives,children,temples,andevenburying—places。

  3。Strabo,xiv。

  4。Ibid。

  5。Ibid。

  BookX。OfLawsintheRelationTheyBeartoOffensiveForce1。OfoffensiveForce。Offensiveforceisregulatedbythelawofnations,whichisthepoliticallawofeachcountryconsideredinitsrelationtoeveryother。

  2。OfWar。Thelifeofgovernmentsislikethatofman。Thelatterhasarighttokillincaseofnaturaldefence:theformerhavearighttowagewarfortheirownpreservation。

  InthecaseofnaturaldefenceIhavearighttokill,becausemylifeisinrespecttomewhatthelifeofmyantagonististohim:inthesamemannerastatewageswarbecauseitspreservationislikethatofanyotherbeing。

  Withindividualstherightofnaturaldefencedoesnotimplyanecessityofattacking。Insteadofattackingtheyneedonlyhaverecoursetopropertribunals。Theycannotthereforeexercisethisrightofdefencebutinsuddencases,whenimmediatedeathwouldbetheconsequenceofwaitingfortheassistanceofthelaw。Butwithstatestherightofnaturaldefencecarriesalongwithitsometimesthenecessityofattacking;asforinstance,whenonenationseesthatacontinuanceofpeacewillenableanothertodestroyher,andthattoattackthatnationinstantlyistheonlywaytopreventherowndestruction。

  Thenceitfollowsthatpettystateshaveoftenerarighttodeclarewarthangreatones,becausetheyareoftenerinthecaseofbeingafraidofdestruction。

  Therightofwar,therefore,isderivedfromnecessityandstrictjustice。Ifthosewhodirecttheconscienceorcouncilsofprincesdonotabidebythismaxim,theconsequenceisdreadful:whentheyproceedonarbitraryprinciplesofglory,convenience,andutility,torrentsofbloodmustoverspreadtheearth。

  But,aboveall,letthemnotpleadsuchanidlepretextasthegloryoftheprince:hisgloryisnothingbutpride;itisapassion,andnotalegitimateright。

  Itistruethefameofhispowermightincreasethestrengthofhisgovernment;butitmightbeequallyincreasedbythereputationofhisjustice。

  3。OftheRightofConquest。Fromtherightofwarcomesthatofconquest;whichistheconsequenceofthatright,andoughtthereforetofollowitsspirit。

  Therighttheconquerorhasoveraconqueredpeopleisdirectedbyfoursortsoflaws:thelawofnature,whichmakeseverythingtendtothepreservationofthespecies;thelawofnaturalreason,whichteachesustodotootherswhatwewouldhavedonetoourselves;thelawthatformspoliticalsocieties,whosedurationnaturehasnotlimited;and,infine,thelawderivedfromthenatureofthethingitself。Conquestisanacquisition,andcarrieswithitthespiritofpreservationanduse,notofdestruction。

  Theinhabitantsofaconqueredcountryaretreatedbytheconquerorinoneofthefourfollowingways:Eitherhecontinuestorulethemaccordingtotheirownlaws,andassumestohimselfonlytheexerciseofthepoliticalandcivilgovernment;orhegivesthemnewpoliticalandcivilgovernment;orhedestroysanddispersesthesociety;or,infine,heexterminatesthepeople。

  Thefirstwayisconformabletothelawofnationsnowfollowed;thefourthismoreagreeabletothelawofnationsfollowedbytheRomans:

  inrespecttowhichIleavethereadertojudgehowfarwehaveimprovedupontheancients。Wemustgiveduecommendationstoourmodernrefinementsinreason,religion,philosophy,andmanners。

  Theauthorsofourpubliclaw,guidedbyancienthistories,withoutconfiningthemselvestocasesofstrictnecessity,havefallenintoverygreaterrors。Theyhaveadoptedtyrannicalandarbitraryprinciples,bysupposingtheconquerorstobeinvestedwithIknownotwhatrighttokill:thencetheyhavedrawnconsequencesasterribleastheveryprinciple,andestablishedmaximswhichtheconquerorsthemselves,whenpossessedoftheleastgrainofsense,neverpresumedtofollow。Itisaplaincasethatwhentheconquestiscompleted,theconquerorhasnolongerarighttokill,becausehehasnolongerthepleaofnaturaldefenceandself—preservation。

  Whathasledthemintothismistakeis,thattheyimaginedaconquerorhadarighttodestroythestate;whencetheyinferredthathehadarighttodestroythementhatcomposeit:awrongconsequencefromafalseprinciple。Forfromthedestructionofthestateitdoesnotatallfollowthatthepeoplewhocomposeitoughttobealsodestroyed。

  Thestateistheassociationofmen,andnotthementhemselves;thecitizenmayperish,andthemanremain。

  Fromtherightofkillinginthecaseofconquest,politicianshavedrawnthatofreducingtoslavery——aconsequenceasill—groundedastheprinciple。

  Thereisnosuchthingasarightofreducingpeopletoslavery,savewhenitbecomesnecessaryforthepreservationoftheconquest。

  Preservation,andnotservitude,istheendofconquest;thoughservitudemayhappensometimestobeanecessarymeansofpreservation。

  Eveninthatcaseitiscontrarytothenatureofthingsthattheslaveryshouldbeperpetual。Thepeopleenslavedoughttoberenderedcapableofbecomingsubjects。Slaveryinconquestsisanaccidentalthing。Whenaftertheexpirationofacertainspaceoftimeallthepartsoftheconqueringstateareconnectedwiththeconquerednation,bycustom,marriages,laws,associations,andbyacertainconformityofdisposition,thereoughttobeanendoftheslavery。Fortherightsoftheconquerorarefoundedentirelyontheoppositionbetweenthetwonationsinthoseveryarticles,whenceprejudicesarise,andthewantofmutualconfidence。

  Aconqueror,therefore,whoreducestheconqueredpeopletoslavery,oughtalwaystoreservetohimselfthemeans(formeanstherearewithoutnumber)ofrestoringthemtotheirliberty。

  Thesearefarfrombeingvagueanduncertainnotions。Thusourancestorsacted,thoseancestorswhoconqueredtheRomanempire。Thelawstheymadeintheheatandtransportofpassionandintheinsolenceofvictoryweregraduallysoftened;thoselawswereatfirstsevere,butwereafterwardsrenderedimpartial。TheBurgundians,Goths,andLombardswouldhavetheRomanscontinueaconqueredpeople;butthelawsofEuric,Gundebald,andRotharismadetheRomansandbarbariansfellow—citizens。[1]

  Charlemagne,totametheSaxons,deprivedthemoftheirlibertyandproperty。LouistheDebonnairemadethemafreepeople,[2]andthiswasoneofthemostprudentregulationsduringhiswholereign。Timeandservitudehadsoftenedtheirmanners,andtheyeverafteradheredtohimwiththegreatestfidelity。

  4。SomeAdvantagesofaconqueredPeople。Insteadofinferringsuchdestructiveconsequencesfromtherightofconquest,muchbetterwouldithavebeenforpoliticianstomentiontheadvantageswhichthisveryrightmaysometimesgivetoaconqueredpeople——advantageswhichwouldbemoresensiblyandmoreuniversallyexperiencedwereourlawofnationsexactlyfollowed,andestablishedineverypartoftheglobe。

  Conqueredcountriesare,generallyspeaking,degeneratedfromtheiroriginalinstitution。Corruptionhascreptin,theexecutionofthelawshasbeenneglected,andthegovernmenthasgrownoppressive。Whocanquestionbutsuchastatewouldbeagainer,andderivesomeadvantagesfromtheveryconquestitself,ifitdidnotprovedestructive?Whenagovernmenthasarrivedatthatdegreeofcorruptionastobeincapableofreformingitself,itwouldnotlosemuchbybeingnewlymoulded。A

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