the spirit of laws-第53节

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Augustus；＇38＇　because　of　some　libels　that　had　been　written　against　persons　of　the　first　quality；　Tiberius；　because　of　those　which　he　suspected　to　have　been　written　against　himself。　Nothing　was　more　fatal　to　Roman　liberty。　Cremutius　Cordus　was　accused　of　having　called　Cassius　in　his　annals　the　last　of　the　Romans。＇39＇

Satirical　writings　are　hardly　known　in　despotic　governments；　where　dejection　of　mind　on　the　one　hand；　and　ignorance　on　the　other；　afford　neither　abilities　nor　will　to　write。　In　democracies　they　are　not　hindered；　for　the　very　same　reason　which　causes　them　to　be　prohibited　in　monarchies；　being　generally　levelled　against　men　of　power　and　authority；　they　flatter　the　malignancy　of　the　people；　who　are　the　governing　party。　In　monarchies　they　are　forbidden；　but　rather　as　a　subject　of　civil　animadversion　than　as　a　capital　crime。　They　may　amuse　the　general　malevolence；　please　the　malcontents；　diminish　the　envy　against　public　employments；　give　the　people　patience　to　suffer；　and　make　them　laugh　at　their　sufferings。

But　no　government　is　so　averse　to　satirical　writings　as　the　aristocratic。　There　the　magistrates　are　petty　sovereigns；　but　not　great　enough　to　despise　affronts。　If　in　a　monarchy　a　satirical　stroke　is　designed　against　the　prince；　he　is　placed　on　such　an　eminence　that　it　does　not　reach　him；　but　an　aristocratic　lord　is　pierced　to　the　very　heart。　Hence　the　decemvirs；　who　formed　an　aristocracy；　punished　satirical　writings　with　death。＇40＇

14。　Breach　of　Modesty　in　punishing　Crimes。　There　are　rules　of　modesty　observed　by　almost　every　nation　in　the　world；　now　it　would　be　very　absurd　to　infringe　these　rules　in　the　punishment　of　crimes；　the　principal　view　of　which　ought　always　to　be　the　establishment　of　order。

Was　it　the　intent　of　those　Oriental　nations　who　exposed　women　to　elephants　trained　up　for　an　abominable　kind　of　punishment　　was　it；　I　say；　their　intent　to　establish　one　law　by　the　breach　of　another？

By　an　ancient　custom　of　the　Romans　it　was　not　permitted　to　put　girls　to　death　till　they　were　ripe　for　marriage。　Tiberius　found　an　expedient　of　having　them　debauched　by　the　executioner　before　they　were　brought　to　the　place　of　punishment：＇41＇　that　bloody　and　subtle　tyrant　destroyed　the　morals　of　the　people　to　preserve　their　customs。

When　the　magistrates　of　Japan　caused　women　to　be　exposed　naked　in　the　market…places；　and　obliged　them　to　go　upon　all　fours　like　beasts；　modesty　was　shocked：＇42＇　but　when　they　wanted　to　compel　a　mother　　when　they　wanted　to　force　a　son　　I　cannot　proceed；　even　Nature　herself　is　struck　with　horror。＇43＇

15。　Of　the　Enfranchisement　of　Slaves　in　order　to　accuse　their　Master。　Augustus　made　a　law　that　the　slaves　of　those　who　conspired　against　his　person　should　be　sold　to　the　public；　that　they　might　depose　against　their　master。＇44＇　Nothing　ought　to　be　neglected　which　may　contribute　to　the　discovery　of　a　heinous　crime；　it　is　natural；　therefore；　that　in　a　government　where　there　are　slaves　they　should　be　allowed　to　inform；　but　they　ought　not　to　be　admitted　as　witnesses。

Vindex　discovered　the　conspiracy　that　had　been　formed　in　favour　of　Tarquin；　but　he　was　not　admitted　a　witness　against　the　children　of　Brutus。　It　was　right　to　give　liberty　to　a　person　who　had　rendered　so　great　a　service　to　his　country；　but　it　was　not　given　him　with　a　view　of　enabling　him　to　render　this　service。

Hence　the　Emperor　Tacitus　ordained　that　slaves　should　not　be　admitted　as　witnesses　against　their　masters；　even　in　the　case　of　high　treason：＇45＇　a　law　which　was　not　inserted　in　Justinian's　compilation。

16。　Of　Calumny　with　regard　to　the　Crime　of　High　Treason。　To　do　justice　to　the　C？sars；　they　were　not　the　first　devisers　of　the　horrid　laws　which　they　enacted。　It　was　Sulla＇46＇　that　taught　them　that　calumniators　ought　not　to　be　punished；　but　the　abuse　was　soon　carried　to　such　excess　as　to　reward　them。＇47＇

17。　Of　the　revealing　of　Conspiracies。　〃If　thy　brother；　the　son　of　thy　mother；　or　thy　son；　or　thy　daughter；　or　the　wife　of　thy　bosom；　or　thy　friend；　which　is　as　thine　own　soul；　entice　thee　secretly；　saying；　'Let　us　go　and　serve　other　gods；'　thou　shalt　surely　kill　him；　thou　shalt　stone　him。〃＇48＇　This　law　of　Deuteronomy　cannot　be　a　civil　law　among　most　of　the　nations　known　to　us；　because　it　would　pave　the　way　for　all　manner　of　wickedness。

No　less　severe　is　the　law　of　several　countries　which　commands　the　subjects；　on　pain　of　death；　to　disclose　conspiracies　in　which　they　are　not　even　so　much　as　concerned。　When　such　a　law　is　established　in　a　monarchical　government；　it　is　very　proper　it　should　be　under　some　restrictions。

It　ought　not　to　be　applied　in　its　full　severity　save　to　the　strongest　cases　of　high　treason。　In　those　countries　it　is　of　the　utmost　importance　not　to　confound　the　different　degrees　of　this　crime。　In　Japan；　where　the　laws　subvert　every　idea　of　human　reason；　the　crime　of　concealment　is　applied　even　to　the　most　ordinary　cases。

A　certain　relation＇49＇　makes　mention　of　two　young　ladies　who　were　shut　up　for　life　in　a　box　thick　set　with　pointed　nails；　one　for　having　had　a　love　intrigue；　and　the　other　for　not　disclosing　it。

18。　How　dangerous　it　is　in　Republics　to　be　too　severe　in　punishing　the　Crime　of　High　Treason。　As　soon　as　a　republic　has　compassed　the　destruction　of　those　who　wanted　to　subvert　it；　there　should　be　an　end　of　terrors；　punishments；　and　even　of　rewards。

Great　punishments；　and　consequently　great　changes；　cannot　take　place　without　investing　some　citizens　with　an　exorbitant　power。　It　is；　therefore；　more　advisable　in　this　case　to　exceed　in　lenity　than　in　severity；　to　banish　but　few；　rather　than　many；　and　to　leave　them　their　estates；　instead　of　making　a　vast　number　of　confiscations。　Under　pretence　of　avenging　the　republic's　cause；　the　avengers　would　establish　tyranny。　The　business　is　not　to　destroy　the　rebel；　but　the　rebellion。　They　ought　to　return　as　quickly　as　possible　into　the　usual　track　of　government；　in　which　every　one　is　protected　by　the　laws；　and　no　one　injured。

The　Greeks　set　no　bounds　to　the　vengeance　they　took　upon　tyrants；　or　of　those　they　suspected　of　tyranny；　they　put　their　children　to　death；＇50＇　nay；　sometimes　five　of　their　nearest　relatives；＇51＇　and　they　proscribed　an　infinite　number　of　families。　By　such　means　their　republics　suffered　the　most　violent　shocks：　exiles；　or　the　return　of　the　exiled；　were　always　epochs　that　indicated　a　change　of　the　constitution。

The　Romans　had　more　sense。　When　Cassius　was　put　to　death　for　having　aimed　at　tyranny；　the　question　was　proposed　whether　his　children　should　undergo　the　same　fate：　but　they　were　preserved。　〃They；〃　says　Dionysius　Halicarnassus；＇52＇　〃who　wanted　to　change　this　law　at　the　end　of　the　Marsian　and　civil　wars；　and　to　exclude　from　public　offices　the　children　of　those　who　had　been　proscribed　by　Sulla；　are　very　much　to　blame。〃

We　find　in　the　wars　of　Marius　and　Sulla　to　what　excess　the　Romans　had　gradually　carried　their　barbarity。　Such　scenes　of　cruelty　it　was　hoped　would　never　be　revived。　But　under　the　triumvirs　they　committed　greater　acts　of　oppression；　though　with　some　appearance　of　lenity；　and　it　is　provoking　to　see　what　sophisms　they　made　use　of　to　cover　their　inhumanity。　Appian　has　given　us＇53＇　the　formula　of　the　proscriptions。　One　would　imagine　they　had　no　other　aim　than　the　good　of　the　republic；　with　such　calmness　do　they　express　themselves；　such　advantages　do　they　point　out　to　the　state；　such　expediency　do　they　show　in　the　means　they　adopt；　such　security　do　they　promise　to　the　opulent；　such　tranquillity　to　the　poor；　so　apprehensive　do　they　seem　of　endangering　the　lives　of　the　citizens；　so　desirous　of　appeasing　the　soldiers；　such　felicity；　in　fine；　do　they　presage　to　the　commonwealth。

Rome　was　drenched　in　blood　when　Lepidus　triumphed　over　Spain：　yet；　by　an　unparalleled　absurdity；　he　ordered　public　rejoicings　in　that　city；　upon　pain　of　proscription。

19。　In　what　Manner　the　Use　of　Liberty　is　suspended　in　a　Republic。　In　countries　where　liberty　is　most　esteemed；　there　are　laws　by　which　a　single　person　is　deprived　of　it；　in　order　to　preserve　it　for　the　whole　community。　Such　are　in　England　what　they　call　Bills　of　Attainder。＇54＇

These　are　in　relation　to　those　Athenian　laws　by　which　a　private　person　was　condemned；＇55＇　provided　they　were　made　by　the　unanimous　suffrage　of　six　thousand　citizens。　They　are　in　relation　also　to　those　laws　which　were　made　at　Rome　against　private　citizens；　and　were　called　privileges。＇56＇　These　were　never　passed　except　in　the　great　meetings　of　the　people。　But　in　what　manner　soever　they　were　enacted；　Cicero　was　for　having　them　abolished；　because　the　force　of　a　law　consists　in　its　being　made　for　the　whole　community。＇57＇　I　must　own；　notwithstanding；　that　the　practice　of　the　freest　nation　that　ever　existed　induces　me　to　think　that　there　are　cases　in　which　a　veil　should　be　drawn　for　a　while　over　liberty；　as　it　was　customary　to　cover　the　statues　of　the　gods。

20。　Of　Laws　favourable　to　the　Liberty　of　the　Subject　in　a　Republic。　In　popular　governments　it　often　happens　that　accusations　are　carried　on　in　public；　and　every　man　is　allowed　to　accuse　whomsoever　he　pleases。　This　rendered　it　necessary　to　establish　proper　laws；　in　order　to　protect　the　innocence　of　the　subject。　At　Athens；　if　an　accuser　had　not　the　fift