the spirit of laws-第41节

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ecessity　of　abandoning　their　marine；　in　which　they　had　a　manifest　superiority。　Tyre　being　from　principle　attached　to　the　Persians；　who　could　not　subsist　without　the　commerce　and　navigation　of　that　city；　Alexander　destroyed　it。　He　subdued　Egypt；　which　Darius　had　left　bare　of　troops　while　he　was　assembling　immense　armies　in　another　world。

To　the　passage　of　the　Granicus；　Alexander　owed　the　conquest　of　the　Greek　colonies；　to　the　battle　of　Issus；　the　reduction　of　Tyre　and　Egypt；　to　the　battle　of　Arbela；　the　empire　of　the　world。

After　the　battle　of　Issus；　he　suffered　Darius　to　escape；　and　employed　his　time　in　securing　and　regulating　his　conquests：　after　the　battle　of　Arbela；　he　pursued　him　so　close＇13＇　as　to　leave　him　no　place　of　refuge　in　his　empire。　Darius　enters　his　towns；　his　provinces；　to　quit　them　the　next　moment；　and　Alexander　marches　with　such　rapidity　that　the　empire　of　the　world　seems　to　be　rather　the　prize　of　an　Olympian　race　than　the　fruit　of　a　great　victory。　In　this　manner　he　carried　on　his　conquests：　let　us　now　see　how　he　preserved　them。

He　opposed　those　who　would　have　had　him　treat　the　Greeks　as　masters＇14＇　and　the　Persians　as　slaves。　He　thought　only　of　uniting　the　two　nations；　and　of　abolishing　the　distinctions　of　a　conquering　and　a　conquered　people。　After　he　had　completed　his　victories；　he　relinquished　all　those　prejudices　that　had　helped　him　to　obtain　them。　He　assumed　the　manners　of　the　Persians；　that　he　might　not　chagrin　them　too　much　by　obliging　them　to　conform　to　those　of　the　Greeks。　It　was　this　humanity　which　made　him　show　so　great　a　respect　for　the　wife　and　mother　of　Darius；　and　this　that　made　him　so　continent。　What　a　conqueror！　He　is　lamented　by　all　the　nations　he　has　subdued！　What　a　usurper！　At　his　death　the　very　family　he　has　cast　from　the　throne　is　all　in　tears。　These　were　the　most　glorious　passages　in　his　life；　and　such　as　history　cannot　produce　an　instance　of　in　any　other　conqueror。

Nothing　consolidates　a　conquest　more　than　the　union　formed　between　the　two　nations　by　marriages。＇15＇　Alexander　chose　his　wives　from　the　nation　he　had　subdued；　he　insisted　on　his　courtiers　doing　the　same；　and　the　rest　of　the　Macedonians　followed　the　example。　The　Franks　and　Burgundians　permitted　those　marriages；＇16＇　the　Visigoths　forbade　them　in　Spain；　and　afterwards　allowed　them。＇17＇　By　the　Lombards　they　were　not　only　allowed　but　encouraged。＇18＇　When　the　Romans　wanted　to　weaken　Macedonia；　they　ordered　that　there　should　be　no　intermarriages　between　the　people　of　different　provinces。

Alexander；　whose　aim　was　to　unite　the　two　nations；　thought　fit　to　establish　in　Persia　a　great　number　of　Greek　colonies。　He　built；　therefore；　a　multitude　of　towns；　and　so　strongly　were　all　the　parts　of　this　new　empire　cemented；　that　after　his　decease；　amidst　the　disturbances　and　confusion　of　the　most　frightful　civil　wars；　when　the　Greeks　had　reduced　themselves；　as　it　were；　to　a　state　of　annihilation；　not　a　single　province　of　Persia　revolted。

To　prevent　Greece　and　Macedon　from　being　too　much　exhausted；　he　sent　a　colony　of　Jews＇19＇　to　Alexandria；　the　manners　of　those　people　signified　nothing　to　him；　provided　he　could　be　sure　of　their　fidelity。

He　not　only　suffered　the　conquered　nations　to　retain　their　own　customs　and　manners；　but　likewise　their　civil　laws；　and　frequently　the　very　kings　and　governors　to　whom　they　had　been　subject：　the　Macedonians＇20＇　he　placed　at　the　head　of　the　troops；　and　the　natives　of　the　country　at　the　head　of　the　government；　rather　choosing　to　run　the　hazard　of　a　particular　disloyalty　（which　sometimes　happened）　than　of　a　general　revolt。

He　paid　great　respect　to　the　ancient　traditions；　and　to　all　the　public　monuments　of　the　glory　or　vanity　of　nations。　The　Persian　monarchs　having　destroyed　the　temples　of　the　Greeks；　Babylonians；　and　Egyptians；　Alexander　rebuilt　them：＇21＇　few　nations　submitted　to　his　yoke　to　whose　religion　he　did　not　conform；　and　his　conquests　seem　to　have　been　intended　only　to　make　him　the　particular　monarch　of　each　nation；　and　the　first　inhabitant　of　each　city。　The　aim　of　the　Romans　in　conquest　was　to　destroy；　his　to　preserve；　and　wherever　he　directed　his　victorious　arms；　his　chief　view　was　to　achieve　something　whence　that　country　might　derive　an　increase　of　prosperity　and　power。　To　attain　this　end；　he　was　enabled　first　of　all　by　the　greatness　of　his　genius；　secondly；　by　his　frugality　and　private　economy；＇22＇　thirdly；　by　his　profusion　in　matters　of　importance。　He　was　close　and　reserved　in　his　private　expenses；　but　generous　to　the　highest　degree　in　those　of　a　public　nature。　In　regulating　his　household；　he　was　the　private　Macedonian；　but　in　paying　the　troops；　in　sharing　his　conquests　with　the　Greeks；　and　in　his　largesses　to　every　soldier　in　his　army；　he　was　Alexander。

He　committed　two　very　bad　actions　in　setting　Persepolis　on　fire　and　slaying　Clitus；　but　he　rendered　them　famous　by　his　repentance。　Hence　it　is　that　his　crimes　are　forgotten；　while　his　regard　for　virtue　was　recorded：　they　were　considered　rather　as　unlucky　accidents　than　as　his　own　deliberate　acts。　Posterity；　struck　with　the　beauty　of　his　mind；　even　in　the　midst　of　his　irregular　passion；　can　view　him　only　with　pity；　but　never　with　an　eye　of　hatred。

Let　us　draw　a　comparison　between　him　and　C？sar。　The　Roman　general；　by　attempting　to　imitate　the　Asiatic　monarch；　flung　his　fellow…citizens　into　a　state　of　despair　for　a　matter　of　mere　ostentation；　the　Macedonian　prince；　by　the　same　imitation；　did　a　thing　which　was　quite　agreeable　to　his　original　scheme　of　conquest。

15。　New　Methods　of　preserving　a　Conquest。　When　a　monarch　has　subdued　a　large　country；　he　may　make　use　of　an　admirable　method；　equally　proper　for　moderating　despotic　power；　and　for　preserving　the　conquest；　it　is　a　method　practised　by　the　conquerors　of　China。

In　order　to　prevent　the　vanquished　nation　from　falling　into　despair；　the　victors　from　growing　insolent　and　proud；　the　government　from　becoming　military；　and　to　contain　the　two　nations　within　their　duty；　the　Tartar　family　now　on　the　throne　of　China　has　ordained　that　every　military　corps　in　the　provinces　should　be　composed　half　of　Chinese　and　half　Tartars；　to　the　end　that　the　jealousy　between　the　two　nations　may　keep　them　within　bounds。　The　courts　of　judicature　are　likewise　half　Chinese　and　half　Tartars。　This　is　productive　of　several　good　effects；　1。　The　two　nations　are　a　check　to　one　another。　2。　They　both　preserve　the　civil　and　military　power；　and　one　is　not　destroyed　by　the　other；　3。　The　conquering　nation　may　spread　itself　without　being　weakened　and　lost。　It　is　likewise　enabled　to　withstand　civil　and　foreign　wars。　The　want　of　so　wise　an　institution　as　this　has　been　the　ruin　of　almost　all　the　conquerors　that　ever　existed。

16。　Of　Conquests　made　by　a　despotic　Prince。　When　a　conquest　happens　to　be　vastly　large；　it　supposes　a　despotic　power；　and　then　the　army　dispersed　in　the　provinces　is　not　sufficient。　There　should　be　always　a　body　of　faithful　troops　near　the　prince；　ready　to　fall　instantly　upon　any　part　of　the　empire　that　may　chance　to　waver。　This　military　corps　ought　to　awe　the　rest；　and　to　strike　terror　into　those　who　through　necessity　have　been　entrusted　with　any　authority　in　the　empire。　The　emperor　of　China　has　always　a　large　body　of　Tartars　near　his　person；　ready　upon　all　occasions。　In　India；　in　Turkey；　in　Japan；　the　prince　has　always　a　body…guard　independent　of　the　other　regular　forces。　This　particular　corps　keeps　the　dispersed　troops　in　awe。

17。　The　same　Subject　continued。　We　have　observed　that　the　countries　subdued　by　a　despotic　monarch　ought　to　be　held　by　a　vassal。　Historians　are　very　lavish　of　their　praises　of　the　generosity　of　those　conquerors　who　restored　the　princes　to　the　throne　whom　they　had　vanquished。　Extremely　generous　then　were　the　Romans；　who　made　such　a　number　of　kings；　in　order　to　have　instruments　of　slavery。＇23＇　A　proceeding　of　that　kind　is　absolutely　necessary。　If　the　conqueror　intends　to　preserve　the　country　which　he　has　subdued；　neither　the　governors　he　sends　will　be　able　to　contain　the　subjects　within　duty；　nor　he　himself　the　governors。　He　will　be　obliged　to　strip　his　ancient　patrimony　of　troops；　in　order　to　secure　his　new　dominions。　The　miseries　of　each　nation　will　be　common　to　both；　civil　broils　will　spread　themselves　from　one　to　the　other。　On　the　contrary；　if　the　conqueror　restores　the　legitimate　prince　to　the　throne；　he　will　of　course　have　an　ally；　by　the　junction　of　whose　forces　his　own　power　will　be　augmented。　We　have　a　recent　instance　of　this　in　Shah　Nadir；　who　conquered　the　Mogul；　seized　his　treasures；　and　left　him　in　possession　of　Hindostan。

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1。　See　the　Code　of　Barbarian　Laws；　and　Book　xxviii　below。

2。　See　the　anonymous　author　of　the　Life　of　Louis　le　Debonnaire；　in　Duchesne's　collection；　ii；　p。　296。

3。　See　M。　Barbeyrac's　collection；　art。　112。

4。　With　regard　to　Tockenburg。

5。　He　was　at　the　head　of　a　faction。

6。　Hanno　wanted　to　deliver　Hannibal　up　to　the　Romans；　as　Cato　would　fain　have　delivered　up　C？sar　to　the　Gauls。

7。　Of　the　18th　of　October；　1738；　printed　at　Genoa　by　Franchelli。　See　also　the　Amsterdam　Gazette；　Dec。　23；　1738。

8。　See　Pufendorff's　Universal　History。

9。　Dionysius　Halicarnassus；　vii。

10。　See　Arrian；　De　Expedit。　Alex。；　i。

11。　Ibid。