the spirit of laws-第105节

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inder　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　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　the