the spirit of laws-第121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！


f　Nations。　Liberty　consists　principally　in　not　being　forced　to　do　a　thing；　where　the　laws　do　not　oblige：　people　are　in　this　state　only　as　they　are　governed　by　civil　laws；　and　because　they　live　under　those　civil　laws；　they　are　free。

It　follows　hence；　that　princes　who　live　not　among　themselves　under　civil　laws　are　not　free；　they　are　governed　by　force；　they　may　continually　force；　or　be　forced。　Hence　it　follows　that　treaties　made　by　force　are　as　obligatory　as　those　made　by　free　consent。　When　we；　who　live　under　civil　laws；　are；　contrary　to　law；　constrained　to　enter　into　a　contract；　we　may；　by　the　assistance　of　the　law；　recover　from　the　effects　of　violence：　but　a　prince；　who　is　always　in　that　state　in　which　he　forces；　or　is　forced；　cannot　complain　of　a　treaty　which　he　has　been　compelled　to　sign。　This　would　be　to　complain　of　his　natural　state；　it　would　seem　as　if　he　would　be　a　prince　with　respect　to　other　princes；　and　as　if　other　princes　should　be　subjects　with　respect　to　him；　that　is；　it　would　be　contrary　to　the　nature　of　things。

21。　That　we　should　not　decide　by　political　Laws　Things　which　belong　to　the　Law　of　Nations。　Political　laws　demand　that　every　man　be　subject　to　the　natural　and　civil　courts　of　the　country　where　he　resides；　and　to　the　censure　of　the　sovereign。

The　law　of　nations　requires　that　princes　shall　send　ambassadors；　and　a　reason　drawn　from　the　nature　of　things　does　not　permit　these　ambassadors　to　depend　either　on　the　sovereign　to　whom　they　are　sent；　or　on　his　tribunals。　They　are　the　voice　of　the　prince　who　sends　them；　and　this　voice　ought　to　be　free；　no　obstacle　should　hinder　the　execution　of　their　office：　they　may　frequently　offend；　because　they　speak　for　a　man　entirely　independent；　they　might　be　wrongfully　accused；　if　they　were　liable　to　be　punished　for　crimes：　if　they　could　be　arrested　for　debts；　these　might　be　forged。　Thus　a　prince；　who　has　naturally　a　bold　and　enterprising　spirit；　would　speak　by　the　mouth　of　a　man　who　had　everything　to　fear。　We　must　then　be　guided；　with　respect　to　ambassadors；　by　reasons　drawn　from　the　law　of　nations；　and　not　by　those　derived　from　political　law。　But　if　they　make　an　ill　use　of　their　representative　character；　a　stop　may　be　put　to　it　by　sending　them　back。　They　may　even　be　accused　before　their　master；　who　becomes　either　their　judge　or　their　accomplice。

22。　The　unhappy　State　of　the　Inca　Athualpa。　The　principles　we　have　just　been　establishing　were　cruelly　violated　by　the　Spaniards。　The　Inca　Athualpa＇52＇　could　not　be　tried　by　the　law　of　nations：　they　tried　him　by　political　and　civil　laws；　they　accused　him　for　putting　to　death　some　of　his　own　subjects；　for　having　many　wives　&c。；　and　to　fill　up　the　measure　of　their　stupidity；　they　condemned　him；　not　by　the　political　and　civil　laws　of　his　own　country；　but　by　the　political　and　civil　laws　of　theirs。

23。　That　when；　by　some　Circumstance；　the　political　Law　becomes　destructive　to　the　State；　we　ought　to　decide　by　such　a　political　Law　as　will　preserve　it；　which　sometimes　becomes　a　Law　of　Nations。　When　that　political　law　which　has　established　in　the　kingdom　a　certain　order　of　succession　becomes　destructive　to　the　body　politic　for　whose　sake　it　was　established；　there　is　not　the　least　room　to　doubt　but　another　political　law　may　be　made　to　change　this　order；　and　so　far　would　this　law　be　from　opposing　the　first　that　it　would　in　the　main　be　entirely　conformable　to　it；　since　both　would　depend　on　this　principle；　that　THE　SAFETY　OF　THE　PEOPLE　IS　THE　SUPREME　LAW。

I　have　said＇53＇　that　a　great　state　becoming　accessory　to　another　is　itself　weakened；　and　even　weakens　the　principal。　We　know　that　it　is　for　the　interest　of　the　state　to　have　the　supreme　magistrate　within　itself；　that　the　public　revenues　be　well　administered；　and　that　its　specie　be　not　sent　abroad　to　enrich　another　country。　It　is　of　importance　that　he　who　is　to　govern　has　not　imbibed　foreign　maxims；　these　are　less　agreeable　than　those　already　established。　Besides；　men　have　an　extravagant　fondness　for　their　own　laws　and　customs：　these　constitute　the　happiness　of　every　community；　and；　as　we　learn　from　the　histories　of　all　nations；　are　rarely　changed　without　violent　commotions　and　a　great　effusion　of　blood。

It　follows　hence；　that　if　a　great　state　has　for　its　heir　the　possessor　of　a　great　state；　the　former　may　reasonably　exclude　him；　because　a　change　in　the　order　of　succession　must　be　of　service　to　both　countries。　Thus　a　law　of　Russia；　made　in　the　beginning　of　the　reign　of　Elizabeth；　most　wisely　excluded　from　the　possession　of　the　crown　every　heir　who　possessed　another　monarchy；　thus　the　law　of　Portugal　disqualifies　every　stranger　who　lays　claim　to　the　crown　by　right　of　blood。

But　if　a　nation　may　exclude；　it　may　with　greater　reason　be　allowed　a　right　to　oblige　a　prince　to　renounce。　If　the　people　fear　that　a　certain　marriage　will　be　attended　with　such　consequences　as　shall　rob　the　nation　of　its　independence；　or　dismember　some　of　its　provinces；　it　may　very　justly　oblige　the　contractors　and　their　descendants　to　renounce　all　right　over　them；　while　he　who　renounces；　and　those　to　whose　prejudice　he　renounces；　have　the　less　reason　to　complain；　as　the　state　might　originally　have　made　a　law　to　exclude　them。

24。　That　the　Regulations　of　the　Police　are　of　a　different　Class　from　other　civil　Laws。　There　are　criminals　whom　the　magistrate　punishes；　there　are　others　whom　he　reproves。　The　former　are　subject　to　the　power　of　the　law；　the　latter　to　his　authority：　those　are　cut　off　from　society；　these　they　oblige　to　live　according　to　the　rules　of　society。

In　the　exercise　of　the　Police；　it　is　rather　the　magistrate　who　punishes；　than　the　law；　in　the　sentence　passed　on　crimes；　it　is　rather　the　law　which　punishes；　than　the　magistrate。　The　business　of　the　Police　consists　in　affairs　which　arise　every　instant；　and　are　commonly　of　a　trifling　nature：　there　is　then　but　little　need　of　formalities。　The　actions　of　the　Police　are　quick；　they　are　exercised　over　things　which　return　every　day：　it　would　be　therefore　improper　for　it　to　inflict　severe　punishments。　It　is　continually　employed　about　minute　particulars；　great　examples　are　therefore　not　designed　for　its　purpose。　It　is　governed　rather　by　regulations　than　laws；　those　who　are　subject　to　its　jurisdiction　are　incessantly　under　the　eye　of　the　magistrate：　it　is　therefore　his　fault　if　they　fall　into　excess。　Thus　we　ought　not　to　confound　a　flagrant　violation　of　the　laws；　with　a　simple　breach　of　the　Police；　these　things　are　of　a　different　order。

Hence　it　follows；　that　the　laws　of　an　Italian　republic；＇54＇　where　bearing　fire…arms　is　punished　as　a　capital　crime　and　where　it　is　not　more　fatal　to　make　an　ill　use　of　them　than　to　carry　them；　is　not　agreeable　to　the　nature　of　things。

It　follows；　moreover；　that　the　applauded　action　of　that　emperor　who　caused　a　baker　to　be　impaled　whom　he　found　guilty　of　a　fraud；　was　the　action　of　a　sultan　who　knew　not　how　to　be　just　without　committing　an　outrage　on　justice。

25。　That　we　should　not　follow　the　general　Disposition　of　the　civil　Law；　in　things　which　ought　to　be　subject　to　particular　Rules　drawn　from　their　own　Nature。　Is　it　a　good　law　that　all　civil　obligations　passed　between　sailors　in　a　ship　in　the　course　of　a　voyage　should　be　null？　Francis　Pirard　tells　us＇55＇　that；　in　his　time；　it　was　not　observed　by　the　Portuguese；　though　it　was　by　the　French。　Men　who　are　together　only　for　a　short　time；　who　have　no　wants；　since　they　are　provided　for　by　the　prince；　who　have　only　one　object　in　view；　that　of　their　voyage；　who　are　no　longer　in　society；　but　are　only　the　inhabitants　of　a　ship；　ought　not　to　contract　obligations　that　were　never　introduced　but　to　support　the　burden　of　civil　society。

In　the　same　spirit　was　the　law　of　the　Rhodians；　made　at　a　time　when　they　always　followed　the　coasts；　it　ordained　that　those　who　during　a　tempest　stayed　in　a　vessel　should　have　ship　and　cargo；　and　those　who　quitted　it　should　have　nothing。

______

1。　Laws；　ix。

2。　M。　Bayle；　in　his　Criticism　on　the　History　of　Calvinism；　speaks　of　this　law；　p。　263。

3。　See　Leg。　5。　Cod。　de　repudiis　et　judicio　de　moribus　sublato。

4。　Law　of　the　Burgundians；　tit。　47。

5。　In　the　Code　of　the　Visigoths；　iii；　tit。　4；　§　13。

6。　Under　pain　of　infamy；　another　under　pain　of　imprisonment。

7。　Plutarch。　Solon。

8。　Ibid。；　and　Gallien；　in　Exhort。　ad　Art。；　8。

9。　City　of　God；　iii。　21。

10。　Book　ii。　12。

11。　Nov。　21。

12。　Book　ii；　tit。　14；　§　6；　7；　and　8。

13。　Father　Du　Halde　on　the　Second　Dynasty。

14。　Livy；　xxix。　29。

15。　Shaw；　Travels；　i；　p。　402。

16。　See　the　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　iv；　part　I；　p。　114。　And　Mr。　Smith；　Voyage　to　Guinea；　part　II；　p。　150；　concerning　the　kingdom　of　Juida。

17。　See　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xiv；　and　the　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　iii；　part　II；　p。　644。

18。　Collection　of　Voyages　that　Contributed　to　the　Establishment　of　the　East　India　Company；　iv；　part　I；　pp。　35；　103。

19。　As　they　did　when　Pompey　besieged　the　Temple。　Dio；　xxxvii；　16。

20。　Leg。；　5；　ff。　ad。　leg。　Juliam　peculatus。

21。　Cap。　quisquis　17；　qu？stione　4。　Cujas；　Observat。；　xiii。　19；　tom。　iii。

22。　Beaumanoir；　Ancient　Customs　of　Beauvoisis；　18；　§　6。

23