the spirit of laws-第113节

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　extremity　of　the　empire。　The　ancient　law　of　the　Gaurs　which　prohibited　sailing　on　rivers　was　not　therefore　attended　with　any　inconvenience　in　this　country；　though　it　would　have　ruined　the　trade　of　another。

Frequent　bathings　are　extremely　useful　in　hot　climates。　On　this　account　they　are　ordained　in　the　Mahometan　law　and　in　the　Indian　religion。　In　the　Indies　it　is　a　most　meritorious　act　to　pray　to　God　in　the　running　stream；＇43＇　but　how　could　these　things　be　performed　in　other　climates？

When　a　religion　adapted　to　the　climate　of　one　country　clashes　too　much　with　the　climate　of　another　it　cannot　be　there　established；　and　whenever　it　has　been　introduced　it　has　been　afterwards　discarded；　it　seems　to　all　human　appearance　as　if　the　climate　had　prescribed　the　bounds　of　the　Christian　and　the　Mahometan　religions。

It　follows　hence；　that　it　is　almost　always　proper　for　a　religion　to　have　particular　doctrines；　and　a　general　worship。　In　laws　concerning　the　practice　of　religious　worship　there　ought　to　be　but　few　particulars；　for　instance；　they　should　command　mortification　in　general　and　not　a　certain　kind　of　mortification。　Christianity　is　full　of　good　sense；　abstinence　is　of　divine　institution；　but　a　particular　kind　of　abstinence　is　ordained　by　human　authority　and　therefore　may　be　changed。

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1。　Thoughts　on　the　Comet；　Continuation　of　Thoughts　on　the　Comet；　ii。

2。　Description　of　Ethiopia；　by　M。　Ponce；　Physician。　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　iv；　p。　290。

3。　See　Diodorus；　i。　18。

4。　Dupin；　Ecclesiastical　Library　of　the　Sixth　Century；　v。

5。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　iii；　part　I；　p。　63。

6。　Prideaux；　History　of　the　Jews。

7。　This　is　the　inconvenience　of　the　doctrine　of　Foe　and　Laockium。

8。　De　Leg。；　ii。　22。

9。　Sacrum　commissum；　quod　neque　expiari　potent；　impie　commissum　est；　quod　expiari　potent　publici　sacerdotes　expianto。

10。　See　the　account　of　John　Duplan　Carpin；　sent　to　Tartary　by　Pope　Innocent　IV　in　the　year　1246。

11。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　v；　part　I；　p。　192。

12。　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xv。

13。　Politics；　vii。　17。

14。　Suetonius；　Life　of　Augustus；　31。

15。　Ibid。

16。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　iv；　part　I　p。　127。

17。　See　Prideaux；　life　of　Mahomet；　p。　64。

18。　Koran；　i；　chapter　〃Of　the　Cow。〃

19。　On　renouncing　the　law　of　retaliation。

20。　De　Moribus　Germanorum；　21。

21。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　vii；　p。　303。　See　also　Memoirs　of　the　Count　de　Forbin；　and　what　he　says　of　the　people　of　Macassar。

22。　Plato；　Laws；　ix。

23。　Tragedy　of　Oedipus　at　Colonus。

24。　Plato；　Laws；　ix。

25。　A　Chinese　philosopher　reasons　thus　against　the　doctrine　of　Foe：　〃It　is　said　in　a　book　of　that　sect；　that　the　body　is　our　dwelling…place　and　the　soul　the　immortal　guest　which　lodges　there；　but　if　the　bodies　of　our　relatives　are　only　a　lodging；　it　is　natural　to　regard　them　with　the　same　contempt　we　should　feel　for　a　structure　of　earth　and　dirt。　Is　not　this　endeavouring　to　tear　from　the　heart　the　virtue　of　love　to　one's　own　parents？　This　leads　us　even　to　neglect　the　care　of　the　body；　and　to　refuse　it　the　compassion　and　affection　so　necessary　for　its　preservation；　hence　the　disciples　of　Foe　kill　themselves　by　thousands。〃　　Work　of　an　ancient　Chinese　philosopher；　in　the　Collection　of　Father　Du　Halde；　iii；　p。　52。

26。　See　Tho。　Bartholin；　Antiquities　of　the　Danes。

27。　An　Account　of　Japan；　in　the　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　company。

28。　Forbin；　Memoirs。

29。　Hyde；　Religion　of　the　Persians。

30。　Xenophon；　On　the　Republic　of　Athens；　3；　§　8。

31。　Leg。　3。　Cod。　de　feriis。　This　law　was　doubtless　made　only　for　the　Pagans。

32。　The　Catholics　lie　more　toward　the　south；　and　the　Protestants　towards　the　north。

33。　Dampier；　Voyages；　ii。

34。　See　Bernier；　Travels；　ii；　p。　137。

35。　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xii；　p。　95。

36。　Bernier；　Travels；　ii；　p。　137。

37。　Euripides；　in　Athen？us；　ii；　p。　40。

38。　Life　of　Mahomet。

39。　As　in　China。

40。　Medicina　Statica；　§　3；　aphor。　22。

41。　Ibid。；　aphor。　23。

42。　Travels　into　Persia；　ii。

43。　Bernier；　Travels；　ii。




Book　XXV。　Of　Laws　in　Relation　to　the　Establishment　of　Religion　and　its　External　Polity

1。　Of　Religious　Sentiments。　The　pious　man　and　the　atheist　always　talk　of　religion；　the　one　speaks　of　what　he　loves；　and　the　other　of　what　he　fears。

2。　Of　the　Motives　of　Attachment　to　different　Religions。　The　different　religions　of　the　world　do　not　give　to　those　who　profess　them　equal　motives　of　attachment；　this　depends　greatly　on　the　manner　in　which　they　agree　with　the　turn　of　thought　and　perceptions　of　mankind。

We　are　extremely　addicted　to　idolatry；　and　yet　have　no　great　inclination　for　the　religion　of　idolaters；　we　are　not　very　fond　of　spiritual　ideas；　and　yet　are　most　attached　to　those　religions　which　teach　us　to　adore　a　spiritual　being。　This　proceeds　from　the　satisfaction　we　find　in　ourselves　at　having　been　so　intelligent　as　to　choose　a　religion　which　raises　the　deity　from　that　baseness　in　which　he　had　been　placed　by　others。　We　look　upon　idolatry　as　the　religion　of　an　ignorant　people；　and　the　religion　which　has　a　spiritual　being　for　its　object　as　that　of　the　most　enlightened　nations。

When　with　a　doctrine　that　gives　us　the　idea　of　a　spiritual　supreme　being　we　can　still　join　those　of　a　sensible　nature　and　admit　them　into　our　worship；　we　contract　a　greater　attachment　to　religion；　because　those　motives　which　we　have　just　mentioned　are　added　to　our　natural　inclinations　for　the　objects　of　sense。　Thus　the　Catholics；　who　have　more　of　this　kind　of　worship　than　the　Protestants；　are　more　attached　to　their　religion　than　the　Protestants　are　to　theirs；　and　more　zealous　for　its　propagation。

When　the　people　of　Ephesus　were　informed　that　the　fathers　of　the　council　had　declared　they　might　call　the　Virgin　Mary　the　Mother　of　God；　they　were　transported　with　joy；　they　kissed　the　hands　of　the　bishops；　they　embraced　their　knees；　and　the　whole　city　resounded　with　acclamations。＇1＇

When　an　intellectual　religion　superadds　a　choice　made　by　the　deity；　and　a　preference　for　those　who　profess　it　over　those　who　do　not；　this　greatly　attaches　us　to　religion。　The　Mahometans　would　not　be　such　good　Mussulmans　if；　on　the　one　hand；　there　were　not　idolatrous　nations　who　make　them　imagine　themselves　the　champions　of　the　unity　of　God；　and　on　the　other　Christians；　to　make　them　believe　that　they　are　the　objects　of　his　preference。

A　religion　burdened　with　many　ceremonies＇2＇　attaches　us　to　it　more　strongly　than　that　which　has　a　fewer　number。　We　have　an　extreme　propensity　to　things　in　which　we　are　continually　employed：　witness　the　obstinate　prejudices　of　the　Mahometans　and　the　Jews；＇3＇　and　the　readiness　with　which　barbarous　and　savage　nations　change　their　religion；　who；　as　they　are　employed　entirely　in　hunting　or　war；　have　but　few　religious　ceremonies。

Men　are　extremely　inclined　to　the　passions　of　hope　and　fear；　a　religion；　therefore；　that　had　neither　a　heaven　nor　a　hell　could　hardly　please　them。　This　is　proved　by　the　ease　with　which　foreign　religions　have　been　established　in　Japan；　and　the　zeal　and　fondness　with　which　they　were　received。＇4＇

In　order　to　raise　an　attachment　to　religion　it　is　necessary　that　it　should　inculcate　pure　morals。　Men　who　are　knaves　by　retail　are　extremely　honest　in　the　gross；　they　love　morality。　And　were　I　not　treating　of　so　grave　a　subject　I　should　say　that　this　appears　remarkably　evident　in　our　theatres：　we　are　sure　of　pleasing　the　people　by　sentiments　avowed　by　morality；　we　are　sure　of　shocking　them　by　those　it　disapproves。

When　external　worship　is　attended　with　great　magnificence；　it　flatters　our　minds　and　strongly　attaches　us　to　religion。　The　riches　of　temples　and　those　of　the　clergy　greatly　affect　us。　Thus　even　the　misery　of　the　people　is　a　motive　that　renders　them　fond　of　a　religion　which　has　served　as　a　pretext　to　those　who　were　the　cause　of　their　misery。

3。　Of　Temples。　Almost　all　civilised　nations　dwell　in　houses；　hence　naturally　arose　the　idea　of　building　a　house　for　God　in　which　they　might　adore　and　seek　him；　amidst　all　their　hopes　and　fears。

And；　indeed；　nothing　is　more　comfortable　to　mankind　than　a　place　in　which　they　may　find　the　deity　peculiarly　present；　and　where　they　may　assemble　together　to　confess　their　weakness　and　tell　their　griefs。

But　this　natural　idea　never　occurred　to　any　but　such　as　cultivated　the　land；　those　who　have　no　houses　for　themselves　were　never　known　to　build　temples。

This　was　the　cause　that　made　Jenghiz　Khan　discover　such　a　prodigious　contempt　for　mosques。＇5＇　This　prince　examined　the　Mahometans；＇6＇　he　approved　of　all　their　doctrines；　except　that　of　the　necessity　of　going　to　Mecca；　he　could　not　comprehend　why　God　might　not　be　everywhere　adored。　As　the　Tartars　did　not　dwell　in　houses；　they　could　have　no　idea　of　temples。

Those　people　who　have　no　temples　have　but　a　small　attachment　to　their　own　religion。　This　is　the　reason　why　the　Tartars　have　in　all　times　given　so　great　a　toleration；＇7＇　why　the　barbarous　nations；　who　co