the spirit of laws-第62节

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14。　Other　Effects　of　the　Climate。　Our　ancestors；　the　ancient　Germans；　lived　in　a　climate　where　the　passions　were　extremely　calm。　Their　laws　decided　only　in　such　cases　where　the　injury　was　visible　to　the　eye；　and　went　no　further。　And　as　they　judged　of　the　outrages　done　to　men　from　the　greatness　of　the　wound；　they　acted　with　no　other　delicacy　in　respect　to　the　injuries　done　to　women。　The　law　of　the　Alemans＇25＇　on　this　subject　is　very　extraordinary。　If　a　person　uncovers　a　woman's　head；　he　pays　a　fine　of　fifty　sous；　if　he　uncovers　her　leg　up　to　the　knee；　he　pays　the　same；　and　double　from　the　knee　upwards。　One　would　think　that　the　law　measured　the　insults　offered　to　women　as　we　measure　a　figure　in　geometry；　it　did　not　punish　the　crime　of　the　imagination；　but　that　of　the　eye。　But　upon　the　migration　of　a　German　nation　into　Spain；　the　climate　soon　found　a　necessity　for　different　laws。　The　law　of　the　Visigoths　inhibited　the　surgeons　to　bleed　a　free　woman；　except　either　her　father；　mother；　brother；　son；　or　uncle　was　present。　As　the　imagination　of　the　people　grew　warm；　so　did　that　of　the　legislators；　the　law　suspected　everything　when　the　people　had　become　suspicious。

These　laws　had；　therefore；　a　particular　regard　for　the　two　sexes。　But　in　their　punishments　they　seem　rather　to　humour　the　revengeful　temper　of　private　persons　than　to　administer　public　justice。　Thus；　in　most　cases；　they　reduced　both　the　criminals　to　be　slaves　to　the　offended　relatives　or　to　the　injured　husband；　a　free…born　woman＇26＇　who　had　yielded　to　the　embraces　of　a　married　man　was　delivered　up　to　his　wife　to　dispose　of　her　as　she　pleased。　They　obliged　the　slaves；＇27＇　if　they　found　their　master's　wife　in　adultery；　to　bind　her　and　carry　her　to　her　husband；　they　even　permitted　her　children＇28＇　to　be　her　accusers；　and　her　slaves　to　be　tortured　in　order　to　convict　her。　Thus　their　laws　were　far　better　adapted　to　refine；　even　to　excess；　a　certain　point　of　honour　than　to　form　a　good　civil　administration。　We　must　not；　therefore；　be　surprised　if　Count　Julian　was　of　opinion　that　an　affront　of　that　kind　ought　to　be　expiated　by　the　ruin　of　his　king　and　country：　we　must　not　be　surprised　if　the　Moors；　with　such　a　conformity　of　manners；　found　it　so　easy　to　settle　and　to　maintain　themselves　in　Spain；　and　to　retard　the　fall　of　their　empire。

15。　Of　the　different　Confidence　which　the　Laws　have　in　the　People；　according　to　the　Difference　of　Climates。　The　people　of　Japan　are　of　so　stubborn　and　perverse　a　temper　that　neither　their　legislators　nor　magistrates　can　put　any　confidence　in　them：　they　set　nothing　before　their　eyes　but　judgments；　menaces；　and　chastisements；　every　step　they　take　is　subject　to　the　inquisition　of　the　civil　magistrate。　Those　laws　which　out　of　five　heads　of　families　establish　one　as　a　magistrate　over　the　other　four；　those　laws　which　punish　a　family　or　a　whole　ward　for　a　single　crime；　those　laws；　in　fine；　which　find　nobody　innocent　where　one　may　happen　to　be　guilty；　are　made　with　a　design　to　implant　in　the　people　a　mutual　distrust；　and　to　make　every　man　the　inspector；　witness；　and　judge　of　his　neighbour's　conduct。

On　the　contrary；　the　people　of　India　are　mild；＇29＇　tender；　and　compassionate。　Hence　their　legislators　repose　great　confidence　in　them。　They　have　established＇30＇　very　few　punishments；　these　are　not　severe；　nor　are　they　rigorously　executed。　They　have　subjected　nephews　to　their　uncles；　and　orphans　to　their　guardians；　as　in　other　countries　they　are　subjected　to　their　fathers；　they　have　regulated　the　succession　by　the　acknowledged　merit　of　the　successor。　They　seem　to　think　that　every　individual　ought　to　place　entire　confidence　in　the　good　nature　of　his　fellow…subjects。＇31＇

They　enfranchise　their　slaves　without　difficulty；　they　marry　them；　they　treat　them　as　their　children。＇32＇　Happy　climate　which　gives　birth　to　innocence；　and　produces　a　lenity　in　the　laws！

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1。　This　appears　even　in　the　countenance：　in　cold　weather　people　look　thinner。

2。　We　know　that　it　shortens　iron。

3。　Those　for　the　succession　to　the　Spanish　monarchy。

4。　For　instance；　in　Spain。

5。　〃One　hundred　European　soldiers；〃　says　Tavernier；　〃would　without　any　great　difficulty　beat　a　thousand　Indian　soldiers。〃

6。　Even　the　Persians　who　settle　in　the　Indies　contract　in　the　third　generation　the　indolence　and　cowardice　of　the　Indians。　See　Bernier　on　the　Mogul；　i；　p。　182。

7。　We　find　by　a　fragment　of　Nicolaus　Damascenus；　collected　by　Constantine　Porphyrogenitus；　that　it　was　an　ancient　custom　in　the　East　to　send　to　strangle　a　governor　who　had　given　any　displeasure；　it　was　in　the　time　of　the　Medes。

8。　Panamanack：　See　Kircher。

9。　La　Loubere；　Account　of　the　Kingdom　of　Siam；　p。　446。

10。　Foe　endeavoured　to　reduce　the　heart　to　a　mere　vacuum：　〃We　have　eyes　and　ears；　but　perfection　consists　in　neither　seeing　nor　hearing；　a　mouth；　hands；　&c。；　but　perfection　requires　that　these　members　should　be　inactive。〃　This　is　taken　from　the　dialogue　of　a　Chinese　philosopher；　quoted　by　Father　Du　Halde；　iii。

11。　Father　Du　Halde；　History　of　China；　i；　p。　72。

12。　Several　of　the　kings　of　India　do　the　same。　La　Loubere；　Account　of　the　Kingdom　of　Siam；　p。　69。

13。　Venty；　the　third　emperor　of　the　third　dynasty；　tilled　the　lands　himself；　and　made　the　empress　and　his　wives　employ　their　time　in　the　silkworks　in　his　palace。　History　of　China。

14。　Hyde；　Religion　of　the　Persians。

15。　Monsieur　Bernier；　travelling　from　Lahore　to　Cashmere；　wrote　thus：　〃My　body　is　a　sieve；　scarcely　have　I　swallowed　a　pint　of　water；　but　I　see　it　transude　like　dew　out　of　all　my　limbs；　even　to　my　fingers'　ends。　I　drink　ten　pints　a　day；　and　it　does　me　no　manner　of　harm。〃　　Bernier；　Travels；　ii；　p。　261。

16。　In　the　blood　there　are　red　globules；　fibrous　parts；　white　globules；　and　water；　in　which　the　whole　swims。

17。　Plato；　Laws；　ii；　Aristotle；　Of　the　Care　of　Domestic　Affairs；　Eusebius；　Evangelical　Preparation；　xii。　17。

18。　This　is　seen　in　the　Hottentots；　and　the　inhabitants　of　the　most　southern　part　of　Chili。

19。　As　Pittacus　did；　according　to　Aristotle；　Politics；　ii。　12。　He　lived　in　a　climate　where　drunkenness　is　not　a　national　vice。

20。　Book　ii。

21。　Book　ii。　tit。　1；　§　3；　tit。　18；　§　1。

22。　Ricaut；　State　of　the　Ottoman　Empire；　p。　284。

23。　It　may　be　complicated　with　the　scurvy；　which；　in　some　countries　especially；　renders　a　man　whimsical　and　unsupportable　to　himself。　See　Pirard；　Voyages；　part　II；　21。

24。　Here　I　take　this　word　for　the　design　of　subverting　the　established　power；　and　especially　that　of　democracy；　this　is　the　signification　in　which　it　was　understood　by　the　Greeks　and　Romans。

25。　Chapter　58；　§§　1；　2。

26。　Law　of　the　Visigoths；　iii；　tit。　4；　§　9。

27。　Ibid。；　§　6。

28。　Ibid。；　§　13。

29。　See　Bernier；　ii；　p。　140。

30。　See　in　the　Edifying　Letters；　coll。　xiv；　p。　403；　the　principal　laws　or　customs　of　the　inhabitants　of　the　peninsula　on　this　side　the　Ganges。

31。　See　Edifying　Letters；　coll；　ix；　p。　378。

32。　I　had　once　thought　that　the　lenity　of　slavery　in　India　had　made　Diodorus　say　that　there　was　neither　master　nor　slave　in　that　country；　but　Diodorus　has　attributed　to　the　whole　continent　of　India　what；　according　to　Strabo；　xv；　belonged　only　to　a　particular　nation。




Book　XV。　In　What　Manner　the　Laws　of　Civil　Slavery　Relate　to　the　Nature　of　the　Climate

1。　Of　civil　Slavery。　Slavery；　properly　so　called；　is　the　establishment　of　a　right　which　gives　to　one　man　such　a　power　over　another　as　renders　him　absolute　master　of　his　life　and　fortune。　The　state　of　slavery　is　in　its　own　nature　bad。　It　is　neither　useful　to　the　master　nor　to　the　slave；　not　to　the　slave；　because　he　can　do　nothing　through　a　motive　of　virtue；　nor　to　the　master；　because　by　having　an　unlimited　authority　over　his　slaves　he　insensibly　accustoms　himself　to　the　want　of　all　moral　virtues；　and　thence　becomes　fierce；　hasty；　severe；　choleric；　voluptuous；　and　cruel。

In　despotic　countries；　where　they　are　already　in　a　state　of　political　servitude；　civil　slavery　is　more　tolerable　than　in　other　governments。　Every　one　ought　to　be　satisfied　in　those　countries　with　necessaries　and　life。　Hence　the　condition　of　a　slave　is　hardly　more　burdensome　than　that　of　a　subject。

But　in　a　monarchical　government；　where　it　is　of　the　utmost　importance　that　human　nature　should　not　be　debased　or　dispirited；　there　ought　to　be　no　slavery。　In　democracies；　where　they　are　all　upon　equality；　and　in　aristocracies；　where　the　laws　ought　to　use　their　utmost　endeavours　to　procure　as　great　an　equality　as　the　nature　of　the　government　will　permit；　slavery　is　contrary　to　the　spirit　of　the　constitution：　it　only　contributes　to　give　a　power　and　luxury　to　the　citizens　which　they　ought　not　to　have。

2。　Origin　of　the　Right　of　Slavery　among　the　Roman　Civilians。　One　would　never　have　imagined　that　slavery　should　owe　its　birth　to　pity；　and　that　this　should　have　been　excited　in　three　different　ways。＇1＇

The　law　of　nations　to　prevent　prisoners　from　being　put　to　death　has　allowed　them　to　be　made　slaves。　The　civil　law　of　the　Romans　empowered　debtors；　who　were　subject　to　be　ill…used　by　their　creditors；　to　sell　themselves。　And　the　law　of　nature　requires　that　children　whom　a　father　in　a　state　of　servitude　is　no　longer　able　to　maintain　should　be　reduced　to　the　same　state