the spirit of laws-第46节

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In　order　to　give　an　adequate　idea　of　this　government；　I　shall　distinguish　that　of　the　first　five　kings；　that　of　Servius　Tullius；　and　that　of　Tarquin。

The　crown　was　elective；　and　under　the　first　five　kings　the　senate　had　the　greatest　share　in　the　election。

Upon　the　king's　decease　the　senate　examined　whether　they　should　continue　the　established　form　of　government。　If　they　thought　proper　to　continue　it；　they　named　a　magistrate＇21＇　taken　from　their　own　body；　who　chose　a　king；　the　senate　were　to　approve　of　the　election；　the　people　to　confirm　it；　and　the　augurs　to　declare　the　approbation　of　the　gods。　If　any　of　these　three　conditions　was　wanting；　they　were　obliged　to　proceed　to　another　election。

The　constitution　was　a　mixture　of　monarchy；　aristocracy；　and　democracy；　and　such　was　the　harmony　of　power　that　there　was　no　instance　of　jealousy　or　dispute　in　the　first　reigns。　The　king　commanded　the　armies；　and　had　the　direction　of　the　sacrifices：　he　had　the　power　of　determining＇22＇　civil　and　criminal＇23＇　causes；　he　called　the　senate　together；　convened　the　people；　laid　some　affairs　before　the　latter；　and　regulated　the　rest　with　the　senate。＇24＇

The　authority　of　the　senate　was　very　great。　The　kings　oftentimes　pitched　upon　senators　with　whom　they　sat　in　judgment；　and　they　never　laid　any　affair　before　the　people　till　it　had　been　previously　debated＇25＇　in　that　august　assembly。

The　people　had　the　right　of　choosing＇26＇　magistrates；　of　consenting　to　the　new　laws；　and；　with　the　king's　permission；　of　making　war　and　peace；　but　they　had　not　the　judicial　power。　When　Tullius　Hostilius　referred　the　trial　of　Horatius　to　the　people；　he　had　his　particular　reasons；　which　may　be　seen　in　Dionysius　Halicarnassus。＇27＇

The　constitution　altered　under＇28＇　Servius　Tullius。　The　senate　had　no　share　in　his　election；　he　caused　himself　to　be　proclaimed　by　the　people；　he　resigned　the　power　of　hearing　civil　causes；＇29＇　reserving　none　to　himself　but　those　of　a　criminal　nature；　he　laid　all　affairs　directly　before　the　people；　eased　them　of　the　taxes；　and　imposed　the　whole　burden　on　the　patricians。　Hence　in　proportion　as　he　weakened　the　regal　together　with　the　senatorial　power；　he　augmented　that　of　the　plebeians。＇30＇

Tarquin　would　neither　be　chosen　by　the　senate　nor　by　the　people；　he　considered　Servius　Tullius　as　a　usurper；　and　seized　the　crown　as　his　hereditary　right。　He　destroyed　most　of　the　senators；　those　who　remained　he　never　consulted；　nor　did　he　even　so　much　as　summon　them　to　assist　at　his　decisions。＇31＇　Thus　his　power　increased：　but　the　odium　of　that　power　received　a　new　addition；　by　usurping　also　the　authority　of　the　people；　against　whose　consent　he　enacted　several　laws。　The　three　powers　were　by　these　means　re…united　in　his　person；　but　the　people　at　a　critical　minute　recollected　that　they　were　legislators；　and　there　was　an　end　of　Tarquin。

13。　General　Reflections　on　the　State　of　Rome　after　the　Expulsion　of　its　Kings。　It　is　impossible　to　be　tired　of　so　agreeable　a　subject　as　ancient　Rome：　thus　strangers　at　present　leave　the　modern　palaces　of　that　celebrated　capital　to　visit　the　ruins；　and　thus　the　eye；　after　recreating　itself　with　the　view　of　flowery　meads；　is　pleased　with　the　wild　prospect　of　rocks　and　mountains。

The　patrician　families　were　at　all　times　possessed　of　great　privileges。　These　distinctions；　which　were　considerable　under　the　kings；　became　much　more　important　after　their　expulsion。　Hence　arose　the　jealousy　of　the　plebeians；　who　wanted　to　reduce　them。　The　contest　struck　at　the　constitution；　without　weakening　the　government；　for　it　was　very　indifferent　as　to　what　family　were　the　magistrates；　provided　the　magistracy　preserved　its　authority。

An　elective　monarchy；　like　that　of　Rome；　necessarily　supposes　a　powerful　aristocratic　body　to　support　it；　without　which　it　changes　immediately　into　tyranny　or　into　a　popular　state。　But　a　popular　state　has　no　need　of　this　distinction　of　families　to　maintain　itself。　To　this　it　was　owing　that　the　patricians；　who　were　a　necessary　part　of　the　constitution　under　the　regal　government；　became　a　superfluous　branch　under　the　consuls；　the　people　could　suppress　them　without　hurting　themselves；　and　change　the　constitution　without　corrupting　it。

After　Servius　Tullius　had　reduced　the　patricians；　it　was　natural　that　Rome　should　fall　from　the　regal　hands　into　those　of　the　people。　But　the　people　had　no　occasion　to　be　afraid　of　relapsing　under　a　regal　power　by　reducing　the　patricians。

A　state　may　alter　in　two　different　ways；　either　by　the　amendment　or　by　the　corruption　of　the　constitution。　If　it　has　preserved　its　principles　and　the　constitution　changes；　this　is　owing　to　its　amendment；　if　upon　changing　the　constitution　its　principles　are　lost；　this　is　because　it　has　been　corrupted。

The　government　of　Rome；　after　the　expulsion　of　the　kings；　should　naturally　have　been　a　democracy。　The　people　had　already　the　legislative　power　in　their　hands；　it　was　their　unanimous　consent　that　had　expelled　the　Tarquins；　and　if　they　had　not　continued　steady　to　those　principles；　the　Tarquins　might　easily　have　been　restored。　To　pretend　that　their　design　in　expelling　them　was　to　render　themselves　slaves　to　a　few　families　is　quite　absurd。　The　situation　therefore　of　things　required　that　Rome　should　have　formed　a　democracy；　and　yet　this　did　not　happen。　There　was　a　necessity　that　the　power　of　the　principal　families　should　be　tempered；　and　that　the　laws　should　have　a　bias　to　democracy。

The　prosperity　of　states　is　frequently　greater　in　the　insensible　transition　from　one　constitution　to　another　than　in　either　of　those　constitutions。　Then　it　is　that　all　the　springs　of　government　are　upon　the　stretch；　that　the　citizens　assert　their　claims；　that　friendships　or　enmities　are　formed　amongst　the　jarring　parties；　and　that　there　is　a　noble　emulation　between　those　who　defend　the　ancient　and　those　who　are　strenuous　in　promoting　the　new　constitution。

14。　In　what　Manner　the　Distribution　of　the　three　Powers　began　to　change　after　the　Expulsion　of　the　Kings。　There　were　four　things　that　greatly　prejudiced　the　liberty　of　Rome。　The　patricians　had　engrossed　to　themselves　all　public　employments　whatever；　an　exorbitant　power　was　annexed　to　the　consulate；　the　people　were　often　insulted；　and；　in　fine；　they　had　scarcely　any　influence　at　all　left　in　the　public　suffrages。　These　four　abuses　were　redressed　by　the　people。

1st。　It　was　regulated　that　the　plebeians　might　aspire　to　some　magistracies；　and　by　degrees　they　were　rendered　capable　of　them　all；　except　that　of　Inter…rex。

2nd。　The　consulate　was　dissolved　into　several　other　magistracies；＇32＇　pr？tors　were　created；　on　whom　the　power　was　conferred　of　trying　private　causes；　qu？stors＇33＇　were　nominated　for　determining　those　of　a　criminal　nature；　？diles　were　established　for　the　civil　administration；　treasurers＇34＇　were　made　for　the　management　of　the　public　money；　and；　in　fine；　by　the　creation　of　censors　the　consuls　were　divested　of　that　part　of　the　legislative　power　which　regulates　the　morals　of　the　citizens　and　the　transient　polity　of　the　different　bodies　of　the　state。　The　chief　privileges　left　them　were　to　preside　in　the　great　meetings＇35＇　of　the　people；　to　assemble　the　senate；　and　to　command　the　armies。

3rd。　The　sacred　laws　appointed　tribunes；　who　had　a　power　of　checking　the　encroachments　of　the　patricians；　and　prevented　not　only　private　but　likewise　public　injuries。

In　fine；　the　plebeians　increased　their　influence　in　the　general　assemblies。　The　people　of　Rome　were　divided　in　three　different　manners　　by　centuries；　by　curi？；　and　by　tribes；　and　whenever　they　gave　their　votes；　they　were　convened　in　one　of　those　three　ways。

In　the　first　the　patricians；　the　leading　men；　the　rich　and　the　senate；　which　was　very　nearly　the　same　thing；　had　almost　the　whole　authority；　in　the　second　they　had　less；　and　less　still　in　the　third。

The　division　into　centuries　was　a　division　rather　of　estates　and　fortunes　than　of　persons　The　whole　people　were　distributed　into　a　hundred　and　ninety…three　centuries；＇36＇　which　had　each　a　single　vote。　The　patricians　and　leading　men　composed　the　first　ninety…eight　centuries；　and　the　other　ninety…five　consisted　of　the　remainder　of　the　citizens。　In　this　division　therefore　the　patricians　were　masters　of　the　suffrages。

In　the　division　into　curi？；＇37＇　the　patricians　had　not　the　same　advantages；　some；　however；　they　had；　for　it　was　necessary　to　consult　the　augurs；　who　were　under　the　direction　of　the　patricians；　and　no　proposal　could　be　made　there　to　the　people　unless　it　had　been　previously　laid　before　the　senate；　and　approved　of　by　a　senatus…consultum。　But；　in　the　division　into　tribes　they　had　nothing　to　do　either　with　the　augurs　or　with　the　decrees　of　the　senate；　and　the　patricians　were　excluded。

Now　the　people　endeavoured　constantly　to　have　those　meetings　by　curi？　which　had　been　customary　by　centuries；　and　by　tribes；　those　they　used　to　have　before　by　curi？；　by　which　means　the　direction　of　public　affairs　soon　devolved　from　the　patricians　to　the　plebeians。

Thus　when　the　plebeians　obtained　the　power　of　trying　the　patricians　　a　power　which　commenced　in　the　affair　of　Coriolanus；＇38＇　they　insisted　upon　assembling　by　tribes；＇39＇　and　not　by　centuries；　and　when　the　new　magistracies＇40＇　of　tribunes　an