the spirit of laws-第162节

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be　proper　to　confound　those　two　titles；　a　confusion　which　would　leave　it　a　moot　point　whether　the　new　royalty　was　hereditary　or　not；　and　this　was　sufficient　for　him　who　to　the　regal　dignity　had　joined　a　great　power。　The　mayor's　authority　was　then　blended　with　that　of　the　king。　In　the　mixture　of　these　two　authorities　a　kind　of　reconciliation　was　made；　the　mayor　had　been　elective；　and　the　king　hereditary；　the　crown　at　the　beginning　of　the　second　race　was　elective；　because　the　people　chose；　it　was　hereditary；　because　they　always　chose　in　the　same　family。＇118＇

Father　le　Cointe；　in　spite　of　the　authority　of　all　ancient　records＇119＇　denies　that　the　Pope　authorised　this　great　change；　and　one　of　his　reasons　is　that　he　would　have　committed　an　injustice。＇120＇　A　fine　thing　to　see　a　historian　judge　of　that　which　men　have　done　by　that　which　they　ought　to　have　done；　by　this　mode　of　reasoning　we　should　have　no　more　history。

Be　that　as　it　may；　it　is　very　certain　that　immediately　after　Duke　Pepin's　victory；　the　Merovingians　ceased　to　be　the　reigning　family。　When　his　grandson；　Pepin；　was　crowned　king；　it　was　only　one　ceremony　more；　and　one　phantom　less；　he　acquired　nothing　thereby　but　the　royal　ornaments；　there　was　no　change　made　in　the　nation。

This　I　have　said　in　order　to　fix　the　moment　of　the　revolution；　that　we　may　not　be　mistaken　in　looking　upon　that　as　a　revolution　which　was　only　a　consequence　of　it。

When　Hugh　Capet　was　crowned　king　at　the　beginning　of　the　third　race；　there　was　a　much　greater　change；　because　the　kingdom　passed　from　a　state　of　anarchy　to　some　kind　of　government；　but　when　Pepin　took　the　crown；　there　was　only　a　transition　from　one　government　to　another；　which　was　identical。

When　Pepin　was　crowned　king　there　was　only　a　change　of　name；　but　when　Hugh　Capet　was　crowned　there　was　a　change　in　the　nature　of　the　thing；　because　by　uniting　a　great　fief　to　the　crown　the　anarchy　ceased。

When　Pepin　was　crowned　the　title　of　king　was　united　to　the　highest　office；　when　Hugh　Capet　was　crowned　it　was　annexed　to　the　greatest　fief。

17。　A　particular　Circumstance　in　the　Election　of　the　Kings　of　the　Second　Race。　We　find　by　the　formulary　of　Pepin's　coronation　that　Charles　and　Carloman　were　also　anointed；＇121＇　and　blessed；　and　that　the　French　nobility　bound　themselves；　on　pain　of　interdiction　and　excommunication；　never　to　choose　a　prince　of　another　family。＇122＇

It　appears　by　the　wills　of　Charlemagne　and　Louis　the　Debonnaire；　that　the　Franks　made　a　choice　among　the　king's　children；　which　agrees　with　the　above…mentioned　clause。　And　when　the　empire　was　transferred　from　Charlemagne's　family；　the　election；　which　before　had　been　restricted　and　conditional；　became　pure　and　simple；　so　that　the　ancient　constitution　was　departed　from。

Pepin；　perceiving　himself　near　his　end；　assembled　the　lords；　both　temporal　and　spiritual；　at　St。　Denis；　and　divided　his　kingdom　between　his　two　sons；　Charles　and　Carloman。＇123＇　We　have　not　the　acts　of　this　assembly；　but　we　find　what　was　there　transacted　in　the　author　of　the　ancient　historical　collection；　published　by　Canisius；　and　in　the　writer　of　the　annals　of　Metz；＇124＇　according　to　the　observation　of　Baluzius。＇125＇　Here　I　meet　with　two　things　in　some　measure　contradictory；　that　he　made　this　division　with　the　consent　of　the　nobility；　and　afterwards　that　he　made　it　by　his　paternal　authority。　This　proves　what　I　said；　that　the　people's　right　in　the　second　race　was　to　choose　in　the　same　family；　it　was；　properly　speaking；　rather　a　right　of　exclusion　than　that　of　election。

This　kind　of　elective　right　is　confirmed　by　the　records　of　the　second　race。　Such　is　this　capitulary　of　the　division　of　the　empire　made　by　Charlemagne　among　his　three　children；　in　which；　after　settling　their　shares；　he　says；＇126＇　〃That　if　one　of　the　three　brothers　happens　to　have　a　son；　such　as　the　people　shall　be　willing　to　choose　as　a　fit　person　to　succeed　to　his　father's　kingdom；　his　uncles　shall　consent　to　it。〃

This　same　regulation　is　to　be　met　with　in　the　partition　which　Louis　the　Debonnaire　made　among　his　three　children；　Pepin；　Louis；　and　Charles；　in　the　year　837；　at　the　assembly　of　Aix…la…Chapelle；＇127＇　and　likewise　in　another　partition；　made　twenty　years　before；　by　the　same　emperor；　in　favour　of　Lotharius；　Pepin；　and　Louis。＇128＇　We　may　likewise　see　the　oath　which　Louis　the　Stammerer　took　at　Compiègne　at　his　coronation。　〃I；　Louis；　by　the　divine　mercy；　and　the　people's　election；　appointed　king；　do　promise〃＇129＇　。。。　What　I　say　is　confirmed　by　the　acts　of　the　Council　of　Valence；　held　in　the　year　890；　for　the　election　of　Louis；　son　of　Bo…on；　to　the　kingdom　of　Arles。＇130＇　Louis　was　there　elected；　and　the　principal　reason　they　gave　for　choosing　him　is　that　he　was　of　the　imperial　family；＇131＇　that　Charles　the　Fat　had　conferred　upon　him　the　dignity　of　king；　and　that　the　Emperor　Arnold　had　invested　him　by　the　sceptre；　and　by　the　ministry　of　his　ambassadors。　The　kingdom　of　Arles；　like　the　other　dismembered　or　dependent　kingdoms　of　Charlemagne；　was　elective　and　hereditary。

18。　Charlemagne。　Charlemagne's　intention　was　to　restrain　the　power　of　the　nobility　within　proper　bounds；　and　to　hinder　them　from　oppressing　the　freemen　and　the　clergy。　He　balanced　the　several　orders　of　the　state；　and　remained　perfect　master　of　them　all。　The　whole　was　united　by　the　strength　of　his　genius。　He　led　the　nobility　continually　from　one　expedition　to　another；　giving　them　no　time　to　form　conspiracies；　but　employing　them　entirely　in　the　execution　of　his　designs。　The　empire　was　supported　by　the　greatness　of　its　chief；　the　prince　was　great；　but　the　man　was　greater。　The　kings；　his　children；　were　his　first　subjects；　the　instruments　of　his　power　and　patterns　of　obedience。　He　made　admirable　laws；　and；　what　is　more；　he　took　care　to　see　them　executed。　His　genius　diffused　itself　through　every　part　of　the　empire。　We　find　in　this　prince's　laws　a　comprehensive　spirit　of　foresight；　and　a　certain　force　which　carries　all　before　it。　All　pretexts　for　evading　the　duties　are　removed；　neglects　are　corrected；　abuses　reformed　or　prevented。＇132＇　He　knew　how　to　punish；　but　he　understood　much　better　how　to　pardon。　He　was　great　in　his　designs；　and　simple　in　the　execution　of　them。　No　prince　ever　possessed　in　a　higher　degree　the　art　of　performing　the　greatest　things　with　ease；　and　the　most　difficult　with　expedition。　He　was　continually　visiting　the　several　parts　of　his　vast　empire；　and　made　them　feel　the　weight　of　his　hand　wherever　it　fell。　New　difficulties　sprang　up　on　every　side；　and　on　every　side　he　removed　them。　Never　prince　had　more　resolution　in　facing　dangers；　never　prince　knew　better　how　to　avoid　them。　He　mocked　all　manner　of　perils；　and　particularly　those　to　which　great　conquerors　are　generally　subject；　namely；　conspiracies。　This　wonderful　prince　was　extremely　moderate；　of　a　very　mild　character；　plain　and　simple　in　his　behaviour。　He　loved　to　converse　freely　with　the　lords　of　his　court。　He　indulged；　perhaps；　too　much　his　passion　for　the　fair　sex；　a　failing；　however；　which　in　a　prince　who　always　governed　by　himself；　and　who　spent　his　life　in　a　continual　series　of　toils；　may　merit　some　allowance。　He　was　wonderfully　exact　in　his　expenses；　administering　his　demesnes　with　prudence；　attention；　and　economy。　A　father　might　learn　from　his　laws　how　to　govern　his　family；　and　we　find　in　his　capitularies　the　pure　and　sacred　source　whence　he　derived　his　riches。＇133＇　I　shall　add　only　one　word　more：　he　gave　orders　that　the　eggs　in　the　bartons　on　his　demesnes；　and　the　superfluous　garden…stuff；　should　be　sold；＇134＇　he　distributed　among　his　people　all　the　riches　of　the　Lombards；　and　the　immense　treasures　of　those　Huns　that　had　plundered　the　whole　world。

19。　The　same　Subject　continued。　Charlemagne　and　his　immediate　successors　were　afraid　lest　those　whom　they　placed　in　distant　parts　should　be　inclined　to　revolt；　and　thought　they　should　find　more　docility　among　the　clergy。　For　this　reason　they　erected　a　great　number　of　bishoprics　in　Germany　and　endowed　them　with　very　large　fiefs。＇135＇　It　appears　by　some　charters　that　the　clauses　containing　the　prerogatives　of　those　fiefs　were　not　different　from　such　as　were　commonly　inserted　in　those　grants；＇136＇　though　at　present　we　find　the　principal　ecclesiastics　of　Germany　invested　with　a　sovereign　power。　Be　that　as　it　may；　these　were　some　of　the　contrivances　they　used　against　the　Saxons。　That　which　they　could　not　expect　from　the　indolence　or　supineness　of　vassals　they　thought　they　ought　to　expect　from　the　sedulous　attention　of　a　bishop。　Besides；　a　vassal　of　that　kind；　far　from　making　use　of　the　conquered　people　against　them；　would　rather　stand　in　need　of　their　assistance　to　support　themselves　against　their　own　people。

20。　Louis　the　Debonnaire。　When　Augustus　C？sar　was　in　Egypt　he　ordered　Alexander's　tomb　to　be　opened；　and　upon　their　asking　him　whether　he　was　willing　they　should　open　the　tombs　of　the　Ptolemies；　he　made　answer　that　he　wanted　to　see　the　king；　and　not　the　dead。　Thus；　in　the　history　of　the　second　race；　we　are　continually　looking　for　Pepin　and　Charlemagne；　we　want　to　see　the　kings；　and　not　the　dead。

A　prince　who　was　the　sport　of　his　passions；　and　a　dupe　even　to　his　virtues；　a　prince　who　never　understood　rightly　either　his　own　strength　or　weakness；　a　prince