the spirit of laws-第34节

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rity　diminishing；　up　to　the　very　despotic　prince　who　is　encircled　with　excess　of　power　and　danger。

The　great　number；　therefore；　of　nobles　in　an　hereditary　aristocracy　renders　the　government　less　violent：　but　as　there　is　less　virtue；　they　fall　into　a　spirit　of　supineness　and　negligence；　by　which　the　state　loses　all　its　strength　and　activity。＇7＇

An　aristocracy　may　maintain　the　full　vigour　of　its　constitution　if　the　laws　be　such　as　are　apt　to　render　the　nobles　more　sensible　of　the　perils　and　fatigues　than　of　the　pleasure　of　command：　and　if　the　government　be　in　such　a　situation　as　to　have　something　to　dread；　while　security　shelters　under　its　protection；　and　uncertainty　threatens　from　abroad。

As　a　certain　kind　of　confidence　forms　the　glory　and　stability　of　monarchies；　republics；　on　the　contrary；　must　have　something　to　apprehend。＇8＇　A　fear　of　the　Persians　supported　the　laws　of　Greece。　Carthage　and　Rome　were　alarmed；　and　strengthened　by　each　other。　Strange；　that　the　greater　security　those　states　enjoyed；　the　more；　like　stagnated　waters；　they　were　subject　to　corruption！

6。　Of　the　Corruption　of　the　Principle　of　Monarchy。　As　democracies　are　subverted　when　the　people　despoil　the　senate；　the　magistrates；　the　judges　of　their　functions；　so　monarchies　are　corrupted　when　the　prince　insensibly　deprives　societies　or　cities　of　their　privileges。　In　the　former　case　the　multitude　usurp　the　power；　in　the　latter　it　is　usurped　by　a　single　person。

〃The　destruction　of　the　dynasties　of　Tsin　and　Soui；〃　says　a　Chinese　author；　〃was　owing　to　this：　the　princes；　instead　of　confining　themselves；　like　their　ancestors；　to　a　general　inspection；　the　only　one　worthy　of　a　sovereign；　wanted　to　govern　everything　immediately　by　themselves。〃＇9＇　The　Chinese　author　gives　us　in　this　instance　the　cause　of　the　corruption　of　almost　all　monarchies。

Monarchy　is　destroyed　when　a　prince　thinks　he　shows　a　greater　exertion　of　power　in　changing　than　in　conforming　to　the　order　of　things；　when　he　deprives　some　of　his　subjects　of　their　hereditary　employments　to　bestow　them　arbitrarily　upon　others；　and　when　he　is　fonder　of　being　guided　by　fancy　than　judgment。

Again；　it　is　destroyed　when　the　prince；　directing　everything　entirely　to　himself；　calls　the　state　to　his　capital；　the　capital　to　his　court；　and　the　court　to　his　own　person。

It　is　destroyed；　in　fine；　when　the　prince　mistakes　his　authority；　his　situation　and　the　love　of　his　people；　and　when　he　is　not　fully　persuaded　that　a　monarch　ought　to　think　himself　secure；　as　a　despotic　prince　ought　to　think　himself　in　danger。

7。　The　same　Subject　continued。　The　principle　of　monarchy　is　corrupted　when　the　first　dignities　are　marks　of　the　first　servitude；　when　the　great　men　are　deprived　of　public　respect；　and　rendered　the　low　tools　of　arbitrary　power。

It　is　still　more　corrupted　when　honour　is　set　up　in　contradiction　to　honours；　and　when　men　are　capable　of　being　loaded　at　the　very　same　time　with　infamy＇10＇　and　with　dignities。

It　is　corrupted　when　the　prince　changes　his　justice　into　severity；　when　he　puts；　like　the　Roman　emperors；　a　Medusa's　head　on　his　breast；＇11＇　and　when　he　assumes　that　menacing　and　terrible　air　which　Commodus　ordered　to　be　given　to　his　statues。＇12＇

Again；　it　is　corrupted　when　mean　and　abject　souls　grow　vain　of　the　pomp　attending　their　servitude；　and　imagine　that　the　motive　which　induces　them　to　be　entirely　devoted　to　their　prince　exempts　them　from　all　duty　to　their　country。

But　if　it　be　true　（and　indeed　the　experience　of　all　ages　has　shown　it）　that　in　proportion　as　the　power　of　the　monarch　becomes　boundless　and　immense；　his　security　diminishes；　is　the　corrupting　of　this　power；　and　the　altering　of　its　very　nature；　a　less　crime　than　that　of　high　treason　against　the　prince？

8。　Danger　of　the　Corruption　of　the　Principle　of　monarchical　Government。　The　danger　is　not　when　the　state　passes　from　one　moderate　to　another　moderate　government；　as　from　a　republic　to　a　monarchy；　or　from　a　monarchy　to　a　republic；　but　when　it　is　precipitated　from　a　moderate　to　a　despotic　government。

Most　of　the　European　nations　are　still　governed　by　the　principles　of　morality。　But　if　from　a　long　abuse　of　power　or　the　fury　of　conquest；　despotic　sway　should　prevail　to　a　certain　degree；　neither　morals　nor　climate　would　be　able　to　withstand　its　baleful　influence：　and　then　human　nature　would　be　exposed；　for　some　time　at　least；　even　in　this　beautiful　part　of　the　world；　to　the　insults　with　which　she　has　been　abused　in　the　other　three。

9。　How　ready　the　Nobility　are　to　defend　the　Throne。　The　English　nobility　buried　themselves　with　Charles　the　First　under　the　ruins　of　the　throne；　and　before　that　time；　when　Philip　the　Second　endeavoured　to　tempt　the　French　with　the　allurement　of　liberty；　the　crown　was　constantly　supported　by　a　nobility　who　think　it　an　honour　to　obey　a　king；　but　consider　it　as　the　lowest　disgrace　to　share　the　power　with　the　people。

The　house　of　Austria　has　ever　used　her　endeavours　to　oppress　the　Hungarian　nobility；　little　thinking　how　serviceable　that　very　nobility　would　be　one　day　to　her。　She　would　fain　have　drained　their　country　of　money；　of　which　they　had　no　plenty；　but　took　no　notice　of　the　men；　with　whom　it　abounded。　When　princes　combined　to　dismember　her　dominions；　the　several　parts　of　that　monarchy　fell　motionless；　as　it　were　one　upon　another。　No　life　was　then　to　be　seen　but　in　those　very　nobles；　who；　resenting　the　affronts　offered　to　the　sovereign；　and　forgetting　the　injuries　done　to　themselves；　took　up　arms　to　avenge　her　cause；　and　considered　it　the　highest　glory　bravely　to　die　and　to　forgive。

10。　Of　the　Corruption　of　the　Principle　of　despotic　Government。　The　principle　of　despotic　government　is　subject　to　a　continual　corruption；　because　it　is　even　in　its　nature　corrupt。　Other　governments　are　destroyed　by　particular　accidents；　which　do　violence　to　the　principles　of　each　constitution；　this　is　ruined　by　its　own　intrinsic　imperfections；　when　some　accidental　causes　do　not　prevent　the　corrupting　of　its　principles。　It　maintains　itself　therefore　only　when　circumstances；　drawn　from　the　climate；　religion；　situation；　or　genius　of　the　people；　oblige　it　to　conform　to　order；　and　to　admit　of　some　rule。　By　these　things　its　nature　is　forced　without　being　changed；　its　ferocity　remains；　and　it　is　made　tame　and　tractable　only　for　a　time。

11。　Natural　Effects　of　the　Goodness　and　Corruption　of　the　Principles　of　Government。　When　once　the　principles　of　government　are　corrupted；　the　very　best　laws　become　bad；　and　turn　against　the　state：　but　when　the　principles　are　sound；　even　bad　laws　have　the　same　effect　as　good；　the　force　of　the　principle　draws　everything　to　it。

The　inhabitants　of　Crete　used　a　very　singular　method　to　keep　the　principal　magistrates　dependent　on　the　laws；　which　was　that　of　Insurrection。　Part　of　the　citizens　rose　up　in　arms；＇13＇　put　the　magistrates　to　flight；　and　obliged　them　to　return　to　a　private　life。　This　was　supposed　to　be　done　in　consequence　of　the　law。　One　would　have　imagined　that　an　institution　of　this　nature；　which　established　sedition　to　hinder　the　abuse　of　power；　would　have　subverted　any　republic　whatsoever；　and　yet　it　did　not　subvert　that　of　Crete。　The　reason　is　this。＇14＇

When　the　ancients　would　cite　a　people　that　had　the　strongest　affection　for　their　country；　they　were　sure　to　mention　the　inhabitants　of　Crete：　〃Our　Country；〃　said　Plato；＇15＇　〃a　name　so　dear　to　the　Cretans。〃　They　called　it　by　a　name　which　signifies　the　love　of　a　mother　for　her　children。＇16＇　Now　the　love　of　our　country　sets　everything　right。

The　laws　of　Poland　have　likewise　their　Insurrection：　but　the　inconveniences　thence　arising　plainly　show　that　the　people　of　Crete　alone　were　capable　of　using　such　a　remedy　with　success。

The　gymnic　exercises　established　among　the　Greeks　had　the　same　dependence　on　the　goodness　of　the　principle　of　government。　〃It　was　the　Laced？monians　and　Cretans；〃　said　Plato；＇17＇　〃that　opened　those　celebrated　academies　which　gave　them　so　eminent　a　rank　in　the　world。　Modesty　at　first　was　alarmed；　but　it　yielded　to　the　public　utility。〃　In　Plato's　time　these　institutions　were　admirable：＇18＇　as　they　bore　a　relation　to　a　very　important　object；　which　was　the　military　art。　But　when　virtue　fled　from　Greece；　the　military　art　was　destroyed　by　these　institutions；　people　appeared　then　on　the　arena；　not　for　improvement；　but　for　debauch。＇19＇　Plutarch　informs　us＇20＇　that　the　Romans　in　his　time　were　of　opinion　that　those　games　had　been　the　principal　cause　of　the　slavery　into　which　the　Greeks　had　fallen。　On　the　contrary；　it　was　the　slavery　of　the　Greeks　that　corrupted　those　exercises。　In　Plutarch's　time；＇21＇　their　fighting　naked　in　the　parks；　and　their　wrestling；　infected　the　young　people　with　a　spirit　of　cowardice；　inclined　them　to　infamous　passions；　and　made　them　mere　dancers。　But　under　Epaminondas　the　exercise　of　wrestling　made　the　Thebans　win　the　famous　battle　of　Leuctra。＇22＇

There　are　very　few　laws　which　are　not　good；　while　the　state　retains　its　principles：　here　I　may　apply　what　Epicurus　said　of　riches。　〃It　is　not　the　liquor；　but　the　vessel　that　is　corrupted。〃

12。　The　same　Subject　continued。　In　Rome　the　judges　were　chosen　at　first　from　the　order　of　senators。　This　privilege　the　Gracchi　transferred　to　the　knights；　Dru