the spirit of laws-第68节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


hese　laws；　which　can　be　observed　only　by　behaving　with　modesty　and　discretion。

Besides；　it　is　natural　for　intelligent　beings　to　feel　their　imperfections。　Nature　has；　therefore；　fixed　shame　in　our　minds　　a　shame　of　our　imperfections。

When；　therefore；　the　physical　power　of　certain　climates　violates　the　natural　law　of　the　two　sexes；　and　that　of　intelligent　beings；　it　belongs　to　the　legislature　to　make　civil　laws；　with　a　view　to　opposing　the　nature　of　the　climate　and　re…establishing　the　primitive　laws。

13。　Of　Jealousy。　With　respect　to　nations；　we　ought　to　distinguish　between　the　passion　of　jealousy　and　a　jealousy　arising　from　customs；　manners；　and　laws。　The　one　is　a　hot　raging　fever；　the　other；　cold；　but　sometimes　terrible；　may　be　joined　with　indifference　and　contempt。

The　one；　an　abuse　of　love；　derives　its　source　from　love　itself。　The　other　depends　only　on　manners；　on　the　customs　of　a　nation；　on　the　laws　of　the　country；　and　sometimes　even　on　religion。＇20＇

It　is　generally　the　effect　of　the　physical　power　of　the　climate；　and；　at　the　same　time；　the　remedy　of　this　physical　power。

14。　Of　the　Eastern　Manner　of　domestic　Government。　Wives　are　changed　so　often　in　the　East　that　they　cannot　have　the　power　of　domestic　government。　This　care　is；　therefore；　committed　to　the　eunuchs；　whom　they　entrust　with　their　keys　and　the　management　of　their　families。　〃In　Persia；〃　says　Sir　John　Chardin；　〃married　women　are　furnished　with　clothes　as　they　want　them；　after　the　manner　of　children。〃　Thus　that　care　which　seems　so　well　to　become　them；　that　care　which　everywhere　else　is　the　first　of　their　concern；　does　not　at　all　regard　them。

15。　Of　Divorce　and　Repudiation。　There　is　this　difference　between　a　divorce　and　a　repudiation；　that　the　former　is　made　by　mutual　consent；　arising　from　a　mutual　antipathy；　while　the　latter　is　formed　by　the　will；　and　for　the　advantage　of　one　of　the　two　parties；　independently　of　the　will　and　advantage　of　the　other。

The　necessity　there　is　sometimes　for　women　to　repudiate；　and　the　difficulty　there　always　is　in　doing　it；　render　that　law　very　tyrannical　which　gives　this　right　to　men　without　granting　it　to　women。　A　husband　is　the　master　of　the　house；　he　has　a　thousand　ways　of　confining　his　wife　to　her　duty；　or　of　bringing　her　back　to　it；　so　that　in　his　hands　it　seems　as　if　repudiation　could　be　only　a　fresh　abuse　of　power。　But　a　wife　who　repudiates　only　makes　use　of　a　dreadful　kind　of　remedy。　It　is　always　a　great　misfortune　for　her　to　go　in　search　of　a　second　husband；　when　she　has　lost　the　most　part　of　her　attractions　with　another。　One　of　the　advantages　attending　the　charms　of　youth　in　the　female　sex　is　that　in　an　advanced　age　the　husband　is　led　to　complacency　and　love　by　the　remembrance　of　past　pleasures。

It　is　then　a　general　rule　that　in　all　countries　where　the　laws　have　given　to　men　the　power　of　repudiating；　they　ought　also　to　grant　it　to　women。　Nay；　in　climates　where　women　live　in　domestic　slavery；　one　would　think　that　the　law　ought　to　favour　women　with　the　right　of　repudiation；　and　husbands　only　with　that　of　divorce。

When　wives　are　confined　in　a　seraglio；　the　husband　ought　not　to　repudiate　on　account　of　an　opposition　of　manners；　it　is　the　husband's　fault　if　their　manners　are　incompatible。

Repudiation　on　account　of　the　barrenness　of　the　woman　ought　never　to　take　place　except　where　there　is　only　one　wife：＇21＇　when　there　are　many；　this　is　of　no　importance　to　the　husband。

A　law　of　the　Maldivians　permitted　them　to　take　again　a　wife　whom　they　had　repudiated。＇22＇　A　law　of　Mexico＇23＇　forbade　their　being　reunited　under　pain　of　death。　The　law　of　Mexico　was　more　rational　than　that　of　the　Maldivians：　at　the　time　even　of　the　dissolution；　it　attended　to　the　perpetuity　of　marriage；　instead　of　this；　the　law　of　the　Maldivians　seemed　equally　to　sport　with　marriage　and　repudiation。

The　law　of　Mexico　admitted　only　of　divorce。　This　was　a　particular　reason　for　their　not　permitting　those　who　were　voluntarily　separated　to　be　ever　reunited。　Repudiation　seems　chiefly　to　proceed　from　a　hastiness　of　temper；　and　from　the　dictates　of　passion；　while　divorce　appears　to　be　an　affair　of　deliberation。

Divorces　are　frequently　of　great　political　use：　but　as　to　the　civil　utility；　they　are　established　only　for　the　advantage　of　the　husband　and　wife；　and　are　not　always　favourable　to　their　children。

16。　Of　Repudiation　and　Divorce　amongst　the　Romans。　Romulus　permitted　a　husband　to　repudiate　his　wife；　if　she　had　committed　adultery；　prepared　poison；　or　procured　false　keys。　He　did　not　grant　to　women　the　right　of　repudiating　their　husbands。　Plutarch＇24＇　calls　this　a　law　extremely　severe。

As　the　Athenian　law＇25＇　gave　the　power　of　repudiation　to　the　wife　as　well　as　to　the　husband；　and　as　this　right　was　obtained　by　the　women　among　the　primitive　Romans；　notwithstanding　the　law　of　Romulus；　it　is　evident　that　this　institution　was　one　of　those　which　the　deputies　of　Rome　brought　from　Athens；　and　which　were　inserted　in　the　laws　of　the　Twelve　Tables。

Cicero　says　that　the　reasons　of　repudiation　sprang　from　the　law　of　the　Twelve　Tables。＇26＇　We　cannot　then　doubt　but　that　this　law　increased　the　number　of　the　reasons　for　repudiation　established　by　Romulus。

The　power　of　divorce　was　also　an　appointment；　or　at　least　a　consequence；　of　the　law　of　the　Twelve　Tables。　For　from　the　moment　that　the　wife　or　the　husband　had　separately　the　right　of　repudiation；　there　was　a　much　stronger　reason　for　their　having　the　power　of　quitting　each　other　by　mutual　consent。

The　law　did　not　require　that　they　should　lay　open　the　causes　of　divorce＇27＇　In　the　nature　of　the　thing；　the　reasons　for　repudiation　should　be　given；　while　those　for　a　divorce　are　unnecessary；　because；　whatever　causes　the　law　may　admit　as　sufficient　to　break　a　marriage；　a　mutual　antipathy　must　be　stronger　than　them　all。

The　following　fact；　mentioned　by　Dionysius　Halicarnassus；＇28＇　Valerius　Maximus；＇29＇　and　Aulus　Gellius；＇30＇　does　not　appear　to　me　to　have　the　least　degree　of　probability：　though　they　had　at　Rome；　say　they；　the　power　of　repudiating　a　wife；　yet　they　had　so　much　respect　for　the　auspices　that　nobody　for　the　space　of　five　hundred　and　twenty　years　ever　made＇31＇　use　of　this　right；　till　Carvilius　Ruga　repudiated　his；　because　of　her　sterility。　We　need　only　be　sensible　of　the　nature　of　the　human　mind　to　perceive　how　very　extraordinary　it　must　be　for　a　law　to　grant　such　right　to　a　whole　nation；　and　yet　for　nobody　to　make　use　of　it。　Coriolanus；　setting　out　on　his　exile；　advised　his＇32＇　wife　to　marry　a　man　more　happy　than　himself。　We　have　just　been　seeing　that　the　law　of　the　Twelve　Tables　and　the　manners　of　the　Romans　greatly　extended　the　law　of　Romulus。　But　to　what　purpose　were　these　extensions　if　they　never　made　use　of　a　power　to　repudiate？　Besides；　if　the　citizens　had　such　a　respect　for　the　auspices　that　they　would　never　repudiate；　how　came　the　legislators　of　Rome　to　have　less　than　they？　And　how　came　the　laws　incessantly　to　corrupt　their　manners？

All　that　is　surprising　in　the　fact　in　question　will　soon　disappear；　only　by　comparing　two　passages　in　Plutarch。　The　regal　law＇33＇　permitted　a　husband　to　repudiate　in　the　three　cases　already　mentioned；　and　〃it　enjoined；〃　says　Plutarch；＇34＇　〃that　he　who　repudiated　in　any　other　case　should　be　obliged　to　give　the　half　of　his　substance　to　his　wife；　and　that　the　other　half　should　be　consecrated　to　Ceres。〃　They　might　then　repudiate　in　all　cases；　if　they　were　but　willing　to　submit　to　the　penalty。　Nobody　had　done　this　before　Carvilius　Ruga；＇35＇　who；　as　Plutarch　says　in　another　place；＇36＇　〃put　away　his　wife　for　her　sterility　two　hundred　and　thirty　years　after　Romulus。〃　That　is；　she　was　repudiated　seventy…one　years　before　the　law　of　the　Twelve　Tables；　which　extended　both　the　power　and　causes　of　repudiation。

The　authors　I　have　cited　say　that　Carvilius　Ruga　loved　his　wife；　but　that　the　censors　made　him　take　an　oath　to　put　her　away；　because　of　her　barrenness；　to　the　end　that　he　might　give　children　to　the　republic；　and　that　this　rendered　him　odious　to　the　people。　We　must　know　the　genius　and　temper　of　the　Romans　before　we　can　discover　the　true　cause　of　the　hatred　they　had　conceived　against　Carvilius。　He　did　not　fall　into　disgrace　with　the　people　for　repudiating　his　wife；　this　was　an　affair　that　did　not　at　all　concern　them。　But　Carvilius　had　taken　an　oath　to　the　censors；　that　by　reason　of　the　sterility　of　his　wife　he　would　repudiate　her　to　give　children　to　the　republic。　This　was　a　yoke　which　the　people　saw　the　censors　were　going　to　put　upon　them。　I　shall　discover；　in　the　prosecution　of　this　work；＇37＇　the　repugnance　which　they　always　felt　to　regulations　of　the　like　kind。　But　whence　can　such　a　contradiction　between　those　authors　arise？　It　is　because　Plutarch　examined　into　a　fact；　and　the　others　have　recounted　a　prodigy。

______

1。　〃Mahomet　married　Cadhisja　at　five；　and　took　her　to　his　bed　at　eight　years　old。　In　the　hot　countries　of　Arabia　and　the　Indies；　girls　are　marriageable　at　eight　years　of　age；　and　are　brought　to　bed　the　year　after。〃　　Prideaux；　Life　of　Mahomet。　We　see　women　in　the　kingdom　of　Algiers　pregnant　at　nine；　ten；　and　eleven　years　of　age。　　Laugier　de　Tassis；　History　of　the　Kingdom　of　Algiers；　p。　61。

2。　See　Jornandes；　De　Regno　et　tempor。　success。；　and