the spirit of laws-第106节

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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　the　theatre；　or　who　had　been　condemned　by　a　public　sentence。　This　must　have　been　established　by　a　decree　of　the　senate。　During　the　time　of　the　republic　they　had　never　made　laws　like　these；　because　the　censors　corrected　this　kind　of　disorder　as　soon　as　it　arose；　or　else　prevented　its　rising。

Constantine　made　a　law＇84＇　in　which　he　comprehended；　in　the　prohibition　of　the　Papian　law；　not　only　the　senators；　but　even　such　as　had　a　considerable　rank　in　the　state；　without　mentioning　persons　in　an　inferior　station：　this　constituted　the　law　of　those　times。　These　marriages　were　therefore　no　longer　forbidden；　except　to　the　free…born　comprehended　in　the　law　of　Constantine。　Justinian；　however；　abrogated　the　law　of　Constantine；＇85＇　and　permitted　all　sorts　of　persons　to　contract　these　marriages；　and　thus　we　have　acquired　so　fatal　a　liberty。

It　is　evident　that　the　penalties　inflicted　on　such　as　married　contrary　to　the　prohibition　of　the　law　were　the　same　as　those　inflicted　on　persons　who　did　not　marry。　These　marriages　did　not　give　them　any　civil　advantage；＇86＇　for　the　dowry＇87＇　was　confiscated　after　the　death　of　the　wife。＇88＇

Augustus　having　adjudged　the　succession　and　legacies　of　those　whom　these　laws　had　declared　incapable；　to　the　public　treasury；＇89＇　they　had　the　appearance　rather　of　fiscal　than　of　political　and　civil　laws。　The　disgust　they　had　already　conceived　at　a　burden　which　appeared　too　heavy　was　increased　by　their　seeing　themselves　a　continual　prey　to　the　avidity　of　the　treasury。　On　this　account；　it　became　necessary；　under　Tiberius；　that　these　laws　should　be　softened；＇90＇　that　Nero　should　lessen　the　rewards　given　out　of　the　treasury　to　the　informers；＇91＇　that　Trajan　should　put　a　stop　to　their　plundering；＇92＇　that　Severus　should　also　moderate　these　laws；＇93＇　and　that　the　civilians　should　consider　them　as　odious；　and　in　all　their　decisions　deviate　from　the　literal　rigour。

Besides；　the　emperors　enervated　these　laws＇94＇　by　the　privileges　they　granted　of　the　rights　of　husbands；　of　children；　and　of　three　children。　More　than　this；　they　gave　particular　persons　a　dispensation　from　the　penalties　of　these　laws。＇95＇　But　the　regulations　established　for　the　public　utility　seemed　incapable　of　admitting　an　alleviation。

It　was　highly　reasonable　that　they　should　grant　the　rights　of　children　to　the　vestals；＇96＇　whom　religion　retained　in　a　necessary　virginity：　they　gave；　in　the　same　manner；　the　privilege　of　married　men　to　soldiers；＇97＇　because　they　could　not　marry。　It　was　customary　to　exempt　the　emperors　from　the　constraint　of　certain　civil　laws。　Thus　Augustus　was　freed　from　the　constraint　of　the　law　which　limited　the　power　of　enfranchising；＇98＇　and　of　that　which　set　bounds　to　the　right　of　bequeathing　by　testament。＇99＇　These　were　only　particular　cases；　but；　at　last；　dispensations　were　given　without　discretion；　and　the　rule　itself　became　no　more　than　an　exception。

The　sects　of　philosophers　had　already　introduced　in　the　empire　a　disposition　that　estranged　them　from　business　　a　disposition　which　could　not　gain　ground　in　the　time　of　the　republic；＇100＇　when　everybody　was　employed　in　the　arts　of　war　and　peace。　Hence　arose　an　idea　of　perfection；　as　connected　with　a　life　of　speculation；　hence　an　estrangement　from　the　cares　and　embarrassments　of　a　family。　The　Christian　religion　coming　after　this　philosophy　fixed；　if　I　may　make　use　of　the　expression；　the　ideas　which　that　had　only　prepared。

Christianity　stamped　its　character　on　jurisprudence；　for　empire　has　ever　a　connection　with　the　priesthood。　This　is　visible　from　the　Theodosian　code；　which　is　only　a　collection　of　the　decrees　of　the　Christian　emperors。

A　panegyrist　of　Constantine＇101＇　said　to　that　emperor；　〃Your　laws　were　made　only　to　correct　vice　and　to　regulate　manners：　you　have　stripped　the　ancient　laws　of　that　artifice　which　seemed　to　have　no　other　aim　than　to　lay　snares　for　simplicity。〃

It　is　certain　that　the　alterations　made　by　Constantine　took　their　rise　either　from　sentiments　relating　to　the　establishment　of　Christianity；　or　from　ideas　concei