the spirit of laws-第104节

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！


tate　to　choose　but　that　of　marriage；　and　this　they　cannot　refuse。　In　France；　on　the　contrary；　young　women　have　always　the　resource　of　celibacy；　and　therefore　the　law　which　ordains　that　they　shall　wait　for　the　consent　of　their　fathers　may　be　more　agreeable。　In　this　light　the　custom　of　Italy　and　Spain　must　be　less　rational；　convents　are　there　established；　and　yet　they　may　marry　without　the　consent　of　their　fathers。

9。　Of　young　Women。　Young　women　who　are　conducted　by　marriage　alone　to　liberty　and　pleasure；　who　have　a　mind　which　dares　not　think；　a　heart　which　dares　not　feel；　eyes　which　dare　not　see；　ears　which　dare　not　hear；　who　appear　only　to　show　themselves　silly；　condemned　without　intermission　to　trifles　and　precepts；　have　sufficient　inducements　to　lead　them　on　to　marriage：　it　is　the　young　men　that　want　to　be　encouraged。

10。　What　it　is　that　determines　Marriage。　Wherever　a　place　is　found　in　which　two　persons　can　live　commodiously；　there　they　enter　into　marriage。　Nature　has　a　sufficient　propensity　to　it；　when　unrestrained　by　the　difficulty　of　subsistence。

A　rising　people　increase　and　multiply　extremely。　This　is；　because　with　them　it　would　be　a　great　inconvenience　to　live　in　celibacy；　and　none　to　have　many　children。　The　contrary　of　which　is　the　case　when　a　nation　is　formed。

11。　Of　the　Severity　of　Government。　Men　who　have　absolutely　nothing；　such　as　beggars；　have　many　children。　This　proceeds　from　their　being　in　the　case　of　a　rising　people：　it　costs　the　father　nothing　to　give　his　heart　to　his　offspring；　who　even　in　their　infancy　are　the　instruments　of　this　art。　These　people　multiply　in　a　rich　or　superstitious　country；　because　they　do　not　support　the　burden　of　society；　but　are　themselves　the　burden。　But　men　who　are　poor；　only　because　they　live　under　a　severe　government；　who　regard　their　fields　less　as　the　source　of　their　subsistence　than　as　a　cause　of　vexation；　these　men；　I　say；　have　few　children：　they　have　not　even　subsistence　for　themselves。　How　then　can　they　think　of　dividing　it？　They　are　unable　to　take　care　of　their　own　persons　when　they　are　sick。　How　then　can　they　attend　to　the　wants　of　creatures　whose　infancy　is　a　continual　sickness？

It　is　pretended　by　some　who　are　apt　to　talk　of　things　which　they　have　never　examined　that　the　greater　the　poverty　of　the　subjects；　the　more　numerous　their　families：　that　the　more　they　are　loaded　with　taxes；　the　more　industriously　they　endeavour　to　put　themselves　in　a　station　in　which　they　will　be　able　to　pay　them：　two　sophisms；　which　have　always　destroyed　and　will　for　ever　be　the　destruction　of　monarchies。

The　severity　of　government　may　be　carried　to　such　an　extreme　as　to　make　the　natural　sentiments　destructive　of　the　natural　sentiments　themselves。　Would　the　women　of　America　have　refused　to　bear　children　had　their　masters　been　less　cruel？＇11＇

12。　Of　the　Number　of　Males　and　Females　in　different　Countries。　I　have　already　observed　that　there　are　born　in　Europe　rather　more　boys　than　girls。＇12＇　It　has　been　remarked　that　in　Japan　there　are　born　rather　more　girls　than　boys：＇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