the spirit of laws-第161节

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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　among　the　soldiery　is　agreeable　to　the　capitulary　of　this　prince；　given　at　Aix…la…Chapelle　in　the　year　803；　with　a　view　of　removing　the　apprehensions　of　the　clergy　upon　this　subject。　But　the　donations　already　made　were　still　in　force。＇93＇　The　bishops　very　justly　add　that　Louis　the　Debonnaire　followed　the　example　of　Charlemagne；　and　did　not　give　away　the　church…lands　to　the　soldiery。

And　yet　the　old　abuses　were　carried　to　such　a　pitch；　that　the　laity　under　the　children　of　Louis　the　Debonnaire　preferred　ecclesiastics　to　benefices；　or　turned　them　out　of　their　livings＇94＇　without　the　consent　of　the　bishops。　The　benefices　were　divided　among　the　next　heirs；＇95＇　and　when　they　were　held　in　an　indecent　manner　the　bishops　had　no　other　remedy　left　than　to　remove　the　relics。＇96＇

By　the　Capitulary　of　Compiègne＇97＇　it　is　enacted　that　the　king's　commissary　shall　have　a　right　to　visit　every　monastery；　together　with　the　bishop；　by　the　consent　and　in　presence　of　the　person　who　holds　it；　and　this　shows　that　the　abuse　was　general。

Not　that　there　were　laws　wanting　for　the　restitution　of　the　church…lands。　The　Pope　having　reprimanded　the　bishops　for　their　neglect　in　regard　to　the　re…establishment　of　the　monasteries；　they　wrote　to　Charles　the　Bald　that　they　were　not　affected　by　this　reproach；　because　they　were　not　culpable；＇98＇　and　they　reminded　him　of　what　had　been　promised；　resolved　and　decreed　in　so　many　national　assemblies。　In　point　of　fact；　they　quoted　nine。

Still　they　went　on　disputing；　till　the　Normans　came　and　made　them　all　agree。

12。　Establishment　of　the　Tithes。　The　regulations　made　under　King　Pepin　had　given　the　church　rather　hopes　of　relief　than　effectually　relieved　her；　and　as　Charles　Martel　found　all　the　landed　estates　of　the　kingdom　in　the　hands　of　the　clergy；　Charlemagne　found　all　the　church…lands　in　the　hands　of　the　soldiery。　The　latter　could　not　be　compelled　to　restore　a　voluntary　donation；　and　the　circumstances　of　that　time　rendered　the　thing　still　more　impracticable　than　it　seemed　to　be　of　its　own　nature。　On　the　other　hand；　Christianity　ought　not　to　have　been　lost　for　want　of　ministers；　churches；　and　instruction。＇99＇

This　was　the　reason　of　Charlemagne's　establishing　the　tithes；＇100＇　a　new　kind　of　property　which　had　this　advantage　in　favour　of　the　clergy；　that　as　they　were　given　particularly　to　the　church；　it　was　easier　in　process　of　time　to　know　when　they　were　usurped。

Some　have　attempted　to　make　this　institution　of　a　still　remoter　date；　but　the　authorities　they　produce　seem　rather；　I　think；　to　prove　the　contrary。　The　constitution　of　Clotharius　says＇101＇　only　that　they　shall　not　raise　certain　tithes　on　church…lands；＇102＇　so　far　then　was　the　church　from　exacting　tithes　at　that　time；　that　its　whole　pretension　was　to　be　exempted　from　paying　them。　The　second　council　of　Macon；＇103＇　which　was　held　in　585；　and　ordains　the　payment　of　tithes；　says；　indeed；　that　they　were　paid　in　ancient　times；　but　it　says　also　that　the　custom　of　paying　them　was　then　abolished。

No　one　questions　but　that　the　clergy　opened　the　Bible　before　Charlemagne's　time；　and　preached　the　gifts　and　offerings　in　Leviticus。　But　I　say　that　before　that　prince's　reign；　though　the　tithes　might　have　been　preached；　they　were　never　established。

I　noticed　that　the　regulations　made　under　King　Pepin　had　subjected　those　who　were　seized　of　church　lands　in　fief　to　the　payment　of　tithes；　and　to　the　repairing　of　the　churches。　It　was　a　great　deal　to　induce　by　a　law；　whose　equity　could　not　be　disputed；　the　principal　men　of　the　nation　to　set　the　example。

Charlemagne　did　more；　and　we　find　by　the　capitulary　de　Villis＇104＇　that　he　obliged　his　own　demesnes　to　the　payment　of　the　tithes；　this　was　a　still　more　striking　example。

But　the　commonalty　are　rarely　influenced　by　example　to　sacrifice　their　interests。　The　synod　of　Frankfort　furnished　them　with　a　more　cogent　motive　to　pay　the　tithes。＇105＇　A　capitulary　was　made　in　that　synod；　wherein　it　is　said　that　in　the　last　famine　the　spikes　of　corn　were　found　to　contain　no　seed；＇106＇　the　infernal　spirits　having　devoured　it　all；　and　that　those　spirits　had　been　heard　to　reproach　them　with　not　having　paid　the　tithes；　in　consequence　of　which　it　was　ordained　that　all　those　who　were　seized　of　church　lands　should　pay　the　tithes；　and　the　next　consequence　was　that　the　obligation　extended　to　all。

Charlemagne's　project　did　not　succeed　at　first；　for　it　seemed　too　heavy　a　burden。107　The　payment　of　the　tithes　among　the　Jews　was　connected　with　the　plan　of　the　foundation　of　their　republic；　but　here　it　was　a　burden　quite　independent　of　the　other　charges　of　the　establishment　of　the　monarchy。　We　find　by　the　regulations　added　to　the　law　of　the　Lombards＇108＇　the　difficulty　there　was　in　causing　the　tithes　to　be　accepted　by　the　civil　laws；　and　as　for　the　opposition　they　met　with　before　they　were　admitted　by　the　ecclesiastic　laws；　we　may　easily　judge　of　it　from　the　different　canons　of　the　councils。

The　people　consented　at　length　to　pay　the　tithes；　upon　condition　that　they　might　have　the　power　of　redeeming　them。　This　the　constitution　of　Louis　the　Debonnaire＇109＇　and　that　of　the　Emperor　Lotharius；　his　son；　would　not　allow。＇110＇

The　laws　of　Charlemagne；　in　regard　to　the　establishment　of　tithes；　were　a　work　of　necessity；　not　of　superstition　　a　work；　in　short；　in　which　religion　only　was　concerned。　His　famous　division　of　the　tithes　into　four　parts；　for　the　repairing　of　the　churches；　for　the　poor；　for　the　bishop；　and　for　the　clergy；　manifestly　proves　that　he　wished　to　give　the　church　that　fixed　and　permanent　status　which　she　had　lost。

His　will　shows　that　he　was　desirous　of　repairing　the　mischief　done　by　his　grandfather；　Charles　Martel。＇111＇　He　made　three　equal　shares　of　his　movable　goods；　two　of　these　he　would　have　divided　each　into　one…and…twenty　parts；　for　the　one…and…twenty　metropolitan　sees　of　his　empire；　each　part　was　to　be　sub…divided　between　the　metropolitan　and　the　dependent　bishoprics。　The　remaining　third　he　distributed　into　four　parts；　one　he　gave　to　his　children　and　grandchildren；　another　was　added　to　the　two…thirds　already　bequeathed；　and　the　other　two　were　assigned　to　charitable　uses。　It　seems　as　if　he　looked　upon　the　immense　donation　he　was　making　to　the　church　less　as　a　religious　act　than　as　a　political　distribution。

13。　Of　the　Election　of　Bishops　and　Abbots。　As　the　church　had　grown　poor；　the　kings　resigned　the　right　of　nominating　to　bishoprics　and　other　ecclesiastic　benefices。＇112＇　The　princes　gave　themselves　less　trouble　about　the　ecclesiastic　ministers；　and　the　candidates　were　less　solicitous　in　applying　to　their　authorities。　Thus　the　church　received　a　kind　of　compensation　for　the　possessions　she　had　lost。

Hence；　if　Louis　the　Debonnaire　left　the　people　of　Rome　in　possession　of　the　right　of　choosing　their　popes；　it　was　owing　to　the　general　spirit　that　prevailed　in　his　time；＇113＇　he　behaved　in　the　same　manner　to　the　see　of　Rome　as　to　other　bishoprics。

14。　Of　the　Fiefs　of　Charles　Martel。　I　shall　not　pretend　to　determine　whether　Charles　Martel；　in　giving　the　church…lands　in　fief；　made　a　grant　of　them　for　life　or　in　perpetuity。　All　I　know　is　that　under　Charlemagne＇114＇　and　Lotharius　I＇115＇　there　were　possessions　of　that　kind　which　descended　to　the　next　heirs；　and　were　divided　among　them。

I　find；　moreover；　that　one　part　of　them　was　given　as　allodia；　and　the　other　as　fiefs。＇116＇

I　noticed　that　the　proprietors　of　the　allodia　were　subject　to　service　all　the　same　as　the　possessors　of　the　fiefs。　This；　without　doubt；　was　partly　the　reason　that　Charles　Martel　made　grants　of　allodial　lands　as　well　as　of　fiefs。

15。　The　same　Subject　continued。　We　must　observe　that　the　fiefs　having　been　changed　into　church…lands；　and　these　again　into　fiefs；　they　borrowed　something　of　each　other。　Thus　the　church…lands　had　the　privileges　of　fiefs；　and　these　had　the　privileges　of　church…lands。　Such　were　the　honorary　rights　of　churches；　which　began　at　that　time。＇117＇　And　as　those　rights　have　ever　been　annexed　to　the　judiciary　power；　in　preference　to　what　is　still　called　the　fief；　it　follows　that　the　patrimonial　jurisdictions　were　established　at　the　same　time　as　those　very　rights。

16。　Confusion　of　the　Royalty　and　Mayoralty。　The　Second　Race。　The　connection　of　my　subject　has　made　me　invert　the　order　of　time；　so　as　to　speak　of　Charlemagne　before　I　had　mentioned　the　famous　epoch　of　the　translation　of　the　crown　to　the　Carlovingians　under　King　Pepin；　a　revolution；　which；　contrary　to　the　nature　of　ordinary　events；　is　more　remarked　perhaps　in　our　days　than　when　it　happened。

The　kings　had　no　authority；　they　had　only　an　empty　name。　The　regal　title　was　hereditary；　and　that　of　mayor　elective。　Though　it　was　latterly　in　the　power　of　the　mayors　to　place　any　of　the　Merovingians　on　the　throne；　they　had　not　yet　taken　a　king　of　another　family；　and　the　ancient　law　which　fixed　the　crown　in　a　particular　family　was　not　yet　erased　from　the　hearts　of　the　Franks。　The　king's　person　was　almost　unknown　in　the　monarchy；　but　royalty　was　not。　Pepin；　son　of　Charles　Martel；　thought　it　would　be　proper　to　confound　those　two　titles；　a　confusi