the spirit of laws-第117节

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y。

3。　The　influence　of　religion　proceeds　from　its　being　believed；　that　of　human　laws　from　their　being　feared。　Antiquity　accords　with　religion；　because　we　have　frequently　a　firmer　belief　in　things　in　proportion　to　their　distance；　for　we　have　no　ideas　annexed　to　them　drawn　from　those　times　which　can　contradict　them。　Human　laws；　on　the　contrary；　receive　advantage　from　their　novelty；　which　implies　the　actual　and　particular　attention　of　the　legislator　to　put　them　in　execution。

3。　Of　civil　Laws　contrary　to　the　Law　of　Nature。　If　a　slave；　says　Plato；　defends　himself；　and　kills　a　freeman；　he　ought　to　be　treated　as　a　parricide。＇1＇　This　is　a　civil　law　which　punishes　self…defence；　though　dictated　by　nature。

The　law　of　Henry　VIII　which　condemned　a　man　without　being　confronted　by　witnesses　was　contrary　to　self…defence。　In　order　to　pass　sentence　of　condemnation；　it　is　necessary　that　the　witnesses　should　know　whether　the　man　against　whom　they　make　their　deposition　is　he　whom　they　accuse；　and　that　this　man　be　at　liberty　to　say；　〃I　am　not　the　person　you　mean。〃

The　law　passed　during　the　same　reign；　which　condemned　every　woman；　who；　having　carried　on　a　criminal　commerce　did　not　declare　it　to　the　king　before　she　married　him；　violated　the　regard　due　to　natural　modesty。　It　is　as　unreasonable　to　oblige　a　woman　to　make　this　declaration；　as　to　oblige　a　man　not　to　attempt　the　defence　of　his　own　life。

The　law　of　Henry　II　which　condemned　the　woman　to　death　who　lost　her　child；　in　case　she　did　not　make　known　her　pregnancy　to　the　magistrate；　was　not　less　contrary　to　self…defence。　It　would　have　been　sufficient　to　oblige　her　to　inform　one　of　her　nearest　relatives；　who　might　watch　over　the　preservation　of　the　infant。

What　other　information　could　she　give　in　this　situation；　so　torturing　to　natural　modesty？　Education　has　heightened　the　notion　of　preserving　that　modesty；　and　in　those　critical　moments　scarcely　has　she　any　idea　remaining　of　the　loss　of　life。

There　has　been　much　talk　of　a　law　in　England　which　permitted　girls　seven　years　old　to　choose　a　husband。＇2＇　This　law　was　shocking　in　two　ways；　it　had　no　regard　to　the　time　when　nature　gives　maturity　to　the　understanding；　nor　to　that　in　which　she　gives　maturity　to　the　body。

Among　the　Romans；　a　father　might　oblige　his　daughter　to　repudiate　her　husband；　though　he　himself　had　consented　to　the　marriage。＇3＇　But　it　is　contrary　to　nature　for　a　divorce　to　be　in　the　power　of　a　third　person。

A　divorce　can　be　agreeable　to　nature　only　when　it　is　by　consent　of　the　two　parties；　or　at　least　of　one　of　them；　but　when　neither　consents　it　is　a　monstrous　separation。　In　short；　the　power　of　divorce　can　be　given　only　to　those　who　feel　the　inconveniences　of　marriage；　and　who　are　sensible　of　the　moment　when　it　is　for　their　interest　to　make　them　cease。

4。　The　same　Subject　continued。　Gundebald；　King　of　Burgundy；　decreed　that　if　the　wife　or　son　of　a　person　guilty　of　robbery　did　not　reveal　the　crime；　they　were　to　become　slaves。＇4＇　This　was　contrary　to　nature：　a　wife　to　inform　against　her　husband！　a　son　to　accuse　his　father！　To　avenge　one　criminal　action；　they　ordained　another　still　more　criminal。

The　law　of　Recessuinthus　permits　the　children　of　the　adulteress；　or　those　of　her　husband；　to　accuse　her；　and　to　put　the　slaves　of　the　house　to　the　torture。＇5＇　How　iniquitous　the　law　which；　to　preserve　a　purity　of　morals　overturns　nature；　the　origin；　the　source　of　all　morality！

With　pleasure　we　behold　in　our　theatres　a　young　hero　express　as　much　horror　against　the　discovery　of　his　mother…in…law's　guilt；　as　against　the　guilt　itself。　In　his　surprise；　though　accused；　judged；　condemned；　proscribed；　and　covered　with　infamy；　he　scarcely　dares　to　reflect　on　the　abominable　blood　whence　Ph？dra　sprang；　he　abandons　the　most　tender　object；　all　that　is　most　dear；　all　that　lies　nearest　his　heart；　all　that　can　fill　him　with　rage；　to　deliver　himself　up　to　the　unmerited　vengeance　of　the　gods。　It　is　nature's　voice；　the　sweetest　of　all　sounds；　that　inspires　us　with　this　pleasure。

5。　Cases　in　which　we　may　judge　by　the　Principles　of　the　civil　Law　in　limiting　the　Principles　of　the　Law　of　Nature。　An　Athenian　law　obliged　children　to　provide　for　their　fathers　when　fallen　into　poverty；＇6＇　it　excepted　those　who　were　born　of　a　courtesan；＇7＇　those　whose　chastity　had　been　infamously　prostituted　by　their　father；　and　those　to　whom　he　had　not　given　any　means　of　gaining　a　livelihood。＇8＇

The　law　considered　that；　in　the　first　case；　the　father　being　uncertain；　he　had　rendered　the　natural　obligation　precarious；　that　in　the　second；　he　had　sullied　the　life　he　had　given；　and　done　the　greatest　injury　he　could　do　to　his　children　in　depriving　them　of　their　reputation；　that　in　the　third；　he　had　rendered　insupportable　a　life　which　had　no　means　of　subsistence。　The　law　suspended　the　natural　obligation　of　children　because　the　father　had　violated　his；　it　looked　upon　the　father　and　the　son　as　no　more　than　two　citizens；　and　determined　in　respect　to　them　only　from　civil　and　political　views；　ever　considering　that　a　good　republic　ought　to　have　a　particular　regard　to　manners。　I　am　apt　to　think　that　Solon's　law　was　a　wise　regulation　in　the　first　two　cases；　whether　that　in　which　nature　has　left　the　son　in　ignorance　with　regard　to　his　father；　or　that　in　which　she　even　seems　to　ordain　he　should　not　own　him；　but　it　cannot　be　approved　with　respect　to　the　third；　where　the　father　had　only　violated　a　civil　institution。

6。　That　the　Order　of　succession　or　Inheritance　depends　on　the　Principles　of　political　or　civil　Law；　and　not　on　those　of　the　Law　of　Nature。　The　Voconian　law　ordained　that　no　woman　should　be　left　heiress　to　an　estate；　not　even　if　she　had　an　only　child。　Never　was　there　a　law；　says　St。　Augustine；　more　unjust。＇9＇　A　formula　of　Marculfus　treats　that　custom　as　impious　which　deprives　daughters　of　the　right　of　succeeding　to　the　estate　of　their　fathers。＇10＇　Justinian　gives　the　appellation　of　barbarous　to　the　right　which　the　males　had　formerly　of　succeeding　in　prejudice　to　the　daughters。＇11＇　These　notions　proceeded　from　their　having　considered　the　right　of　children　to　succeed　to　their　father's　possessions　as　a　consequence　of　the　law　of　nature；　which　it　is　not。

The　law　of　nature　ordains　that　fathers　shall　provide　for　their　children；　but　it　does　not　oblige　them　to　make　them　their　heirs。　The　division　of　property；　the　laws　of　this　division；　and　the　succession　after　the　death　of　the　person　who　has　had　this　division　can　be　regulated　only　by　the　community；　and　consequently　by　political　or　civil　laws。

True　it　is　that　a　political　or　civil　order　frequently　demands　that　children　should　succeed　to　their　father's　estate；　but　it　does　not　always　make　this　necessary。

There　may　be　some　reasons　given　why　the　laws　of　our　fiefs　appoint　that　the　eldest　of　the　males；　or　the　nearest　relatives　of　the　male　side；　should　have　all；　and　the　females　nothing；　and　why；　by　the　laws　of　the　Lombards；＇12＇　the　sisters；　the　natural　children；　the　other　relatives；　and；　in　their　default；　the　treasury　might　share　the　inheritance　with　the　daughters。

It　was　regulated　in　some　of　the　dynasties　of　China　that　the　brothers　of　the　emperor　should　succeed　to　the　throne；　and　that　the　children　should　not。　If　they　were　willing　that　the　prince　should　have　a　certain　degree　of　experience；　if　they　feared　his　being　too　young；　and　if　it　had　become　necessary　to　prevent　eunuchs　from　placing　children　successively　on　the　throne；　they　might　very　justly　establish　a　like　order　of　succession；　and　when　some　writers　have　treated　these　brothers　as　usurpers；　they　have　judged　only　by　ideas　received　from　the　laws　of　their　own　countries。＇13＇

According　to　the　custom　of　Numidia；＇14＇　Desalces；　brother　of　Gala；　succeeded　to　the　kingdom；　not　Massinissa；　his　son。　And　even　to　this　day；　among　the　Arabs　in　Barbary；　where　each　village　has　its　chief；　they　adhere　to　this　ancient　custom；　by　choosing　the　uncle；　or　some　other　relative　to　succeed。＇15＇

There　are　monarchies　merely　elective；　and　since　it　is　evident　that　the　order　of　succession　ought　to　be　derived　from　the　political　or　civil　laws；　it　is　for　these　to　decide　in　what　cases　it　is　agreeable　to　reason　that　the　succession　be　granted　to　children；　and　in　what　cases　it　ought　to　be　given　to　others。

In　countries　where　polygamy　is　established；　the　prince　has　many　children；　and　the　number　of　them　is　much　greater　in　some　of　these　countries　than　in　others。　There　are　states＇16＇　where　it　is　impossible　for　the　people　to　maintain　the　children　of　the　king；　they　might　therefore　make　it　a　law　that　the　crown　shall　devolve；　not　on　the　king's　children；　but　on　those　of　his　sister。

A　prodigious　number　of　children　would　expose　the　state　to　the　most　dreadful　civil　wars。　The　order　of　succession　which　gives　the　crown　to　the　children　of　the　sister；　the　number　of　whom　is　not　larger　than　those　of　a　prince　who　has　only　one　wife；　must　prevent　these　inconveniences。

There　are　people　among　whom　reasons　of　state；　or　some　maxims　of　religion；　have　made　it　necessary　that　the　crown　should　be　always　fixed　in　a　certain　family：　hence；　in　India；　proceeds　the　jealousy　of　their　tribes；＇17＇　and　the　fear　of　losing　the　descent；　they　have　there　conceived　that　never　to　want　princes　of　the　blood　royal；　they　ought　to　take　the　children　of