the spirit of laws-第73节

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20。　Of　the　Law　of　Nations　as　practised　by　the　Tartars。　The　Tartars　appear　to　be　mild　and　humane　among　themselves；　and　yet　they　are　most　cruel　conquerors：　when　they　take　cities　they　put　the　inhabitants　to　the　sword；　and　imagine　that　they　act　humanely　if　they　only　sell　the　people；　or　distribute　them　among　their　soldiers。

They　have　destroyed　Asia；　from　India　even　to　the　Mediterranean；　and　all　the　country　which　forms　the　east　of　Persia　they　have　rendered　a　desert。

The　law　of　nations　is　owing；　I　think；　to　the　following　cause。　These　people　having　no　towns；　all　their　wars　are　carried　on　with　eagerness　and　impetuosity。　They　fight　whenever　they　hope　to　conquer；　and　when　they　have　no　such　hope；　they　join　the　stronger　army。　With　such　customs；　it　is　contrary　to　the　law　of　nations　that　a　city　incapable　of　repelling　their　attack　should　stop　their　progress。　They　regard　not　cities　as　an　association　of　inhabitants；　but　as　places　made　to　bid　defiance　to　their　power。　They　besiege　them　without　military　skill；　and　expose　themselves　greatly　in　the　attack；　and　therefore　revenge　themselves　on　all　those　who　have　spilled　their　blood。

21。　The　Civil　Law　of　the　Tartars。　Father　Du　Halde　says　that　amongst　the　Tartars　the　youngest　of　the　males　is　always　the　heir；　by　reason　that　as　soon　as　the　elder　brothers　are　capable　of　leading　a　pastoral　life　they　leave　the　house　with　a　certain　number　of　cattle；　given　them　by　their　father；　and　build　a　new　habitation。　The　last　of　the　males；　who　continues　at　home　with　the　father；　is　then　his　natural　heir。

I　have　heard　that　a　like　custom　was　also　observed　in　some　small　districts　of　England；　and　we　find　it　still　in　Brittany；　in　the　duchy　of　Rohan；　where　it　obtains　with　regard　to　ignoble　tenures。　This　is　doubtless　a　pastoral　law　conveyed　thither　by　some　of　the　people　of　Britain；　or　established　by　some　German　nation。　By　C？sar　and　Tacitus　we　are　informed　that　the　latter　cultivated　but　little　land。

22。　Of　a　Civil　Law　of　the　German　Nations。　I　shall　here　explain　how　that　particular　passage　of　the　Salic　law　which　is　commonly　distinguished　by　the　term　〃the　Salic　law〃　relates　to　the　institutions　of　a　people　who　do　not　cultivate　the　earth；　or　at　least　who　cultivate　it　but　very　little。

The　Salic　law　ordains＇11＇　that；　when　a　man　has　left　children　behind　him；　the　males　shall　succeed　to　the　Salic　land　in　preference　to　the　females。

To　understand　the　nature　of　those　Salic　lands；　there　needs　no　more　than　to　search　into　the　usages　or　customs　of　the　Franks　with　regard　to　lands　before　they　left　Germany。

Mr。　Echard　has　very　plainly　proved　that　the　word　Salic　is　derived　from　Sala；　which　signifies　a　house；　and　therefore　that　the　Salic　land　was　the　land　belonging　to　the　house。　I　shall　proceed　further；　and　examine　into　the　nature　of　the　house；　and　of　the　land　belonging　to　the　house；　among　the　Germans。

〃They　dwell　not　in　towns；〃　says　Tacitus；　〃nor　can　they　bear　to　have　their　habitations　contiguous　to　those　of　others；　every　one　leaves　a　space　or　small　piece　of　ground　about　his　house；　which　is　enclosed。〃＇12＇　Tacitus　is　very　exact　in　this　account；　for　many　laws　of　the　Barbarian　codes　have　different　decrees　against　those　who　threw　down　this　enclosure；　as　well　as　against　such　as　broke　into　the　house。＇13＇

We　learn　from　Tacitus　and　C？sar　that　the　lands　cultivated　by　the　Germans　were　given　them　only　for　the　space　of　a　year；　after　which　they　again　became　public。　They　had　no　other　patrimony　but　the　house　and　a　piece　of　land　within　the　enclosure　that　surrounded　it。＇14＇　It　was　this　particular　patrimony　which　belonged　to　the　males。　And；　indeed；　how　could　it　belong　to　the　daughters？　They　were　to　pass　into　another　habitation。

The　Salic　land　was　then　within　that　enclosure　which　belonged　to　a　German　house；　this　was　the　only　property　they　had。　The　Franks；　after　their　conquests；　acquired　new　possessions；　and　continued　to　call　them　Salic　lands。

When　the　Franks　lived　in　Germany　their　wealth　consisted　of　slaves；　flocks；　horses；　arms；　&c。　The　habitation　and　the　small　portion　of　land　adjoining　it　were　naturally　given　to　the　male　children　who　were　to　dwell　there。　But　afterwards；　when　the　Franks　had　by　conquest　acquired　large　tracts　of　land；　they　thought　it　hard　that　the　daughters　and　their　children　should　be　incapable　of　enjoying　any　part　of　them。　Hence　it　was　that　they　introduced　a　custom　of　permitting　the　father　to　settle　the　estate　after　his　death　upon　his　daughter；　and　her　children。　They　silenced　the　law；　and　it　appears　that　these　settlements　were　frequent；　since　they　were　entered　in　the　formularies。＇15＇

Among　these　formularies　I　find　one　of　a　singular　nature。＇16＇　A　grandfather　ordained　by　will　that　his　grandchildren　should　share　his　inheritance　with　his　sons　and　daughters。　What　then　became　of　the　Salic　law？　In　those　times　either　it　would　not　be　observed；　or　the　continual　use　of　nominating　the　daughters　to　an　inheritance　had　made　them　consider　their　ability　to　succeed　as　a　case　authorised　by　custom。

The　Salic　law　had　not　in　view　a　preference　of　one　sex　to　the　other；　much　less　had　it　a　regard　to　the　perpetuity　of　a　family；　a　name；　or　the　transmission　of　land。　These　things　did　not　enter　into　the　heads　of　the　Germans；　it　was　purely　an　economical　law；　which　made　the　house　and　the　land　dependent　thereon　to　the　males　who　should　dwell　in　it；　and　to　whom　it　consequently　was　of　most　service。

We　need　here　only　transcribe　the　title　of　the　Allodial　Lands　of　the　Salic　law；　that　famous　text　of　which　so　many　have　talked；　and　which　so　few　have　read。

〃1。　If　a　man　dies　without　issue；　his　father　or　mother　shall　succeed　him。　2。　If　he　has　neither　father　nor　mother；　his　brother　or　sister　shall　succeed　him。　3。　If　he　has　neither　brother　nor　sister；　the　sister　of　his　mother　shall　succeed　him。　4。　If　his　mother　has　no　sister；　the　sister　of　his　father　shall　succeed　him。　5。　If　his　father　has　no　sister；　the　nearest　relative　by　the　male　side　shall　succeed。　6。　Not　any　part　of　the　Salic　land　shall　pass　to　the　females；　but　it　shall　belong　to　the　males；　that　is；　the　male　children　shall　succeed　their　father。〃＇17＇

It　is　plain　that　the　first　five　articles　relate　to　the　inheritance　of　a　man　who　dies　without　issue；　and　the　sixth　to　the　succession　of　him　who　has　children。

When　a　man　dies　without　children；　the　law　ordains　that　neither　of　the　two　sexes　shall　have　the　preference　to　the　other；　except　in　certain　cases。　In　the　first　two　degrees　of　succession；　the　advantages　of　the　males　and　females　were　the　same；　in　the　third　and　fourth；　the　females　had　the　preference；　and　the　males　in　the　fifth。

Tacitus　points　out　the　source　of　these　extravagances。　〃The　sister's　children；〃　says　he；　〃are　as　dear　to　their　uncle　as　to　their　own　father。　There　are　men　who　regard　this　degree　of　kindred　as　more　strict；　and　even　more　holy。　They　prefer　it　when　they　receive　hostages。〃＇18＇　Hence　it　proceeds　that　our　earliest　historians　speak　in　such　strong　terms　of　the　love　of　the　kings　of　the　Franks　for　their　sisters　and　their　sisters'　children。＇19＇　And；　indeed；　if　the　children　of　the　sister　were　considered　in　her　brother's　house　as　his　own　children；　it　was　natural　for　these　to　regard　their　aunt　as　their　mother。

The　sister　of　the　mother　was　preferred　to　the　father's　sister；　this　is　explained　by　other　texts　of　the　Salic　law。　When　a　woman　became　a　widow；＇20＇　she　fell　under　the　guardianship　of　her　husband's　relatives；　the　law　preferred　to　this　guardianship　the　relatives　by　the　females　before　those　by　the　males。　Indeed；　a　woman　who　entered　into　a　family　joining　herself　with　those　of　her　own　sex；　became　more　united　to　her　relatives　by　the　female　than　by　the　male。　Moreover；　when　a　man　killed　another；　and　had　not　wherewithal　to　pay　the　pecuniary　penalty；　the　law　permitted　him　to　deliver　up　his　substance；　and　his　relatives　were　to　supply　the　deficiency。＇21＇　After　the　father；　mother；　and　brother；　the　sister　of　the　mother　was　to　pay；　as　if　this　tie　had　something　in　it　most　tender：　now　the　degree　of　kindred　which　imposes　the　burdens　ought　also　to　confer　the　advantages。

The　Salic　law　enjoins　that　after　the　father's　sister；　the　succession　should　be　held　by　the　nearest　relative　male；　but　if　this　relative　was　beyond　the　fifth　degree；　he　should　not　inherit。　Thus　a　female　of　the　fifth　degree　might　inherit　to　the　prejudice　of　a　male　of　the　sixth；　and　this　may　be　seen　in　the　law　of　the　Ripuarian　Franks　（a　faithful　interpreter　of　the　Salic　law）；　under　the　title　of　Allodial　Lands；　where　it　closely　adheres　to　the　Salic　law　on　the　same　subject。＇22＇

If　the　father　left　issue；　the　Salic　law　would　have　the　daughters　excluded　from　the　inheritance　of　the　Salic　land；　and　determined　that　it　should　belong　to　the　male　children。

It　would　be　easy　for　me　to　prove　that　the　Salic　law　did　not　absolutely　exclude　the　daughters　from　the　possession　of　the　Salic　land；　but　only　in　the　case　where　they　were　debarred　by　their　brothers。　This　appears　from　the　letter　of　the　Salic　law；　which；　after　having　said　that　the　women　shall　possess　none　of　the　Salic　land；　but　only　the　males；　interprets　and　restrains　itself　by　adding；　〃that　is；　the　son　shall　succeed　to　the　inheritance　of　the　father。〃

2。　The　text　of　the　Salic　law　is　cleared　up　by　the　law　of　the　Ripuarian　Franks；　which　has　also　a　title　on　allodial　lands　very　conformable　to　that　o