the spirit of laws-第160节

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　stripped　of　their　dignity　likewise。

I　know；　likewise；　that　Charlemagne　laments　in　a　certain　capitulary；　that　in　some　places　there　were　people　who　gave　away　their　fiefs　in　property；　and　redeemed　them　afterwards　in　the　same　manner。＇78＇　But　I　do　not　say　that　they　were　not　fonder　of　the　property　than　of　the　usufruct；　I　mean　only；　that　when　they　could　convert　an　allodium　into　a　fief；　which　was　to　descend　to　their　heirs；　as　is　the　case　of　the　formulary　above…mentioned；　they　had　very　great　advantages　in　doing　it。

9。　How　the　Church　Lands　were　converted　into　Fiefs。　The　use　of　the　fiscal　lands　should　have　been　only　to　serve　as　a　donation　by　which　the　kings　were　to　encourage　the　Franks　to　undertake　new　expeditions；　and　by　which；　on　the　other　hand；　these　fiscal　lands　were　increased。　This；　as　I　have　already　observed；　was　the　spirit　of　the　nation；　but　these　donations　took　another　turn。　There　is　still　extant　a　speech　of　Chilperic；＇79＇　grandson　of　Clovis；　in　which　he　complains　that　almost　all　these　lands　had　been　already　given　away　to　the　church。　〃Our　exchequer；〃　says　he；　〃is　impoverished；　and　our　riches　are　transferred　to　the　clergy；＇80＇　none　reign　now　but　the　bishops；　who　live　in　grandeur　while　we　are　quite　eclipsed。〃

This　was　the　reason　that　the　mayors；　who　durst　not　attack　the　lords；　stripped　the　churches；　and　one　of　the　motives　alleged　by　Pepin　for　entering　Neustria＇81＇　was　his　having　been　invited　thither　by　the　clergy　to　put　a　stop　to　the　encroachments　of　the　kings；　that　is；　of　the　mayors；　who　deprived　the　church　of　all　her　possessions。

The　Mayors　of　Austrasia；　that　is　the　family　of　the　Pepins；　had　behaved　towards　the　clergy　with　more　moderation　than　those　of　Neustria　and　Burgundy。　This　is　evident　from　our　chronicles；＇82＇　in　which　we　see　the　monks　perpetually　extolling　the　devotion　and　liberality　of　the　Pepins。　They　themselves　had　been　possessed　of　the　first　places　in　the　church。　〃One　crow　does　not　pull　out　the　eyes　of　another〃；　as　Chilperic　said　to　the　bishops。＇83＇

Pepin　subdued　Neustria　and　Burgundy；　but　as　his　pretence　for　destroying　the　mayors　and　kings　was　the　grievances　of　the　clergy；　he　could　not　strip　the　latter　without　acting　inconsistently　with　his　cause；　and　showing　that　he　made　a　jest　of　the　nation。　However；　the　conquest　of　two　great　kingdoms　and　the　destruction　of　the　opposite　party　afforded　him　sufficient　means　of　satisfying　his　generals。

Pepin　made　himself　master　of　the　monarchy　by　protecting　the　clergy；　his　son；　Charles　Martel；　could　not　maintain　his　power　but　by　oppressing　them。　This　prince；　finding　that　part　of　the　regal　and　fiscal　lands　had　been　given　either　for　life；　or　in　perpetuity；　to　the　nobility；　and　that　the　church　by　receiving　both　from　rich　and　poor　had　acquired　a　great　part　even　of　the　allodial　estates；　he　resolved　to　strip　the　clergy；　and　as　the　fiefs　of　the　first　division　were　no　longer　in　being；　he　formed　a　second。＇84＇　He　took　for　himself　and　for　his　officers　the　church…lands　and　the　churches　themselves；　thus　he　remedied　an　evil　which　differed　from　ordinary　diseases；　as　its　extremity　rendered　it　the　more　easy　to　cure。

10。　Riches　of　the　Clergy。　So　great　were　the　donations　made　to　the　clergy　that　under　the　three　races　of　our　princes　they　must　have　several　times　received　the　full　property　of　all　the　lands　of　the　kingdom。　But　if　our　kings；　the　nobility；　and　the　people　found　the　way　of　giving　them　all　their　estates；　they　found　also　the　method　of　getting　them　back　again。　The　spirit　of　devotion　established　a　great　number　of　churches　under　the　first　race；　but　the　military　spirit　was　the　cause　of　their　being　given　away　afterwards　to　the　soldiery；　who　divided　them　among　their　children。　What　a　number　of　lands　must　have　then　been　taken　from　the　clergy's　mensalia/　The　kings　of　the　second　race　opened　their　hands；　and　made　new　donations　to　them；　but　the　Normans；　who　came　afterwards；　plundered　and　ravaged　all　before　them；　wreaking　their　vengeance　chiefly　on　the　priests　and　monks；　and　devoting　every　religious　house　to　destruction。　For　they　charged　those　ecclesiastics　with　the　destruction　of　their　idols；　and　with　all　the　oppressive　measures　of　Charlemagne　by　which　they　had　been　successively　obliged　to　take　shelter　in　the　north。　These　were　animosities　which　the　space　of　forty　or　fifty　years　had　not　been　able　to　obliterate。　In　this　situation；　what　losses　must　the　clergy　have　sustained！　There　were　hardly　ecclesiastics　left　to　demand　the　estates　of　which　they　had　been　deprived。　There　remained；　therefore；　for　the　religious　piety　of　the　third　race；　foundations　enough　to　make；　and　lands　to　bestow。　The　opinions　which　were　spread　abroad　and　believed　in　those　days　would　have　deprived　the　laity　of　all　their　estates；　if　they　had　been　but　virtuous　enough。　But　if　the　clergy　were　actuated　by　ambition；　the　laity　were　not　without　theirs；　if　dying　persons　gave　their　estates　to　the　church；　their　heirs　would　fain　resume　them。　We　meet　with　continual　quarrels　between　the　lords　and　the　bishops；　the　gentlemen　and　the　abbots；　and　the　clergy　must　have　been　very　hard　pressed；　since　they　were　obliged　to　put　themselves　under　the　protection　of　certain　lords；　who　granted　them　a　momentary　defence；　and　afterwards　joined　their　oppressors。

But　a　better　administration　having　been　established　under　the　third　race　gave　the　clergy　leave　to　augment　their　possessions；　when　the　Calvinists　started　up；　and　having　plundered　the　churches；　they　turned　all　the　sacred　plate　into　specie。　How　could　the　clergy　be　sure　of　their　estates；　when　they　were　not　even　safe　in　their　persons？　They　were　debating　on　controversial　subjects　while　their　archives　were　in　flames。　What　did　it　avail　them　to　demand　back　of　an　impoverished　nobility　those　estates　which　were　no　longer　in　possession　of　the　latter；　but　had　been　conveyed　into　other　hands　by　different　mortgages？　The　clergy　have　been　long　acquiring；　and　have　often　refunded；　and　still　there　is　no　end　of　their　acquisitions。

11。　State　of　Europe　at　the　Time　of　Charles　Martel。　Charles　Martel；　who　undertook　to　strip　the　clergy；　found　himself　in　a　most　happy　situation。　He　was　both　feared　and　beloved　by　the　soldiery；　he　worked　for　them；　having　the　pretext　of　his　wars　against　the　Saracens。　He　was　hated；　indeed；　by　the　clergy；　but　he　had　no　need　of　their　assistance。＇85＇　The　Pope；　to　whom　he　was　necessary；　stretched　out　his　arms　to　him。　Every　one　knows　the　famous　embassy　he　received　from　Gregory　III。＇86＇　These　two　powers　were　strictly　united；　because　they　could　not　do　without　each　other：　the　Pope　stood　in　need　of　the　Franks　to　assist　him　against　the　Lombards　and　the　Greeks；　Charles　Martel　had　occasion　for　the　Pope；　to　humble　the　Greeks；　to　embarrass　the　Lombards；　to　make　himself　more　respectable　at　home；　and　to　guarantee　the　titles　which　he　had；　and　those　which　he　or　his　children　might　take。　It　was　impossible；　therefore；　for　his　enterprise　to　miscarry。

St。　Eucherius；　Bishop　of　Orleans；　had　a　vision　which　frightened　all　the　princes　of　that　time。　I　shall　produce　on　this　occasion　the　letter　written　by　the　bishops　assembled　at　Rheims　to　Louis；　King　of　Germany；　who　had　invaded　the　territories　of　Charles　the　Bald；＇87＇　because　it　will　give　us　an　insight　into　the　situation　of　things　in　those　times；　and　the　temper　of　the　people。　They　say＇88＇　that　〃St。　Eucherius；　having　been　snatched　up　into　heaven；　saw　Charles　Martel　tormented　in　the　bottom　of　hell　by　order　of　the　saints；　who　are　to　sit　with　Christ　at　the　last　judgment；　that　he　had　been　condemned　to　this　punishment　before　his　time；　for　having　stripped　the　church　of　her　possessions　and　thereby　charged　himself　with　the　sins　of　all　those　who　founded　these　livings；　that　King　Pepin　held　a　council　upon　this　occasion；　and　had　ordered　all　the　church…lands　he　could　recover　to　be　restored；　that　as　he　could　get　back　only　a　part　of　them；　because　of　his　disputes　with　Vaifre；　Duke　of　Acquitaine；　he　issued　letters　called　precaria＇89＇　for　the　remainder；　and　made　a　law　that　the　laity　should　pay　a　tenth　part　of　the　church…lands　they　possessed；　and　twelve　deniers　for　each　house；　that　Charlemagne　did　not　give　the　church…lands　away；　on　the　contrary；　that　he　published　a　capitulary；　by　which　he　engaged　both　for　himself　and　for　his　successors　never　to　make　any　such　grant；　that　all　they　say　is　committed　to　writing；　and　that　a　great　many　of　them　heard　the　whole　related　by　Louis　the　Debonnaire；　the　father　of　those　two　kings。〃

King　Pepin's　regulation；　mentioned　by　the　bishops；　was　made　in　the　council　held　at　Leptines。＇90＇　The　church　found　this　advantage　in　it；　that　such　as　had　received　those　lands　held　them　no　longer　but　in　a　precarious　manner；　and　moreover　that　she　received　the　tithe　or　tenth　part；　and　twelve　deniers　for　every　house　that　had　belonged　to　her。　But　this　was　only　a　palliative；　and　did　not　remove　the　disorder。

Nay；　it　met　with　opposition；　and　Pepin　was　obliged　to　make　another　capitulary；＇91＇　in　which　he　enjoins　those　who　held　any　of　those　benefices　to　pay　this　tithe　and　duty；　and　even　to　keep　up　the　houses　belonging　to　the　bishopric　or　monastery；　under　the　penalty　of　forfeiting　those　possessions。　Charlemagne　renewed　the　regulations　of　Pepin。＇92＇

That　part　of　the　same　letter　which　says　that　Charlemagne　promised　both　for　himself　and　for　his　successors　never　to　divide　again　the　church…lands　amon