the spirit of laws-第87节

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ey　drew　their　subsistence。

Corinth　was　admirably　situated；　it　separated　two　seas；　and　opened　and　shut　the　Peloponnesus；　it　was　the　key　of　Greece；　and　a　city　of　the　greatest　importance；　at　a　time　when　the　people　of　Greece　were　a　world；　and　the　cities　of　Greece　nations。　Its　trade　was　more　extensive　than　that　of　Athens；　having　a　port　to　receive　the　merchandise　of　Asia；　and　another　those　of　Italy；　for　the　great　difficulties　which　attended　the　doubling　Cape　Malea；　where　the　meeting　of　opposite　winds　causes　shipwrecks；＇29＇　induced　every　one　to　go　to　Corinth；　and　they　could　even　convey　their　vessels　over　land　from　one　sea　to　the　other。　Never　was　there　a　city　in　which　the　works　of　art　were　carried　to　so　high　a　degree　of　perfection。　But　here　religion　finished　the　corruption　which　their　opulence　began。　They　erected　a　temple　to　Venus；　in　which　more　than　a　thousand　courtesans　were　consecrated　to　that　deity；　from　this　seminary　came　the　greatest　part　of　those　celebrated　beauties　whose　history　Athen？us　has　presumed　to　commit　to　writing。

It　seems　that　in　Homer's　time　the　opulence　of　Greece　centred　in　Rhodes；　Corinth；　and　Orchomenus；　〃Jupiter；〃　he　says；　〃loved　the　Rhodians；　and　made　them　a　very　wealthy　nation。〃＇30＇　On　Corinth　he　bestows　the　epithet　of　rich。＇31＇　In　like　manner；　when　he　speaks　of　cities　that　have　plenty　of　gold；　he　mentions　Orchomenus；　to　which　he　joins　Thebes　in　Egypt。　Rhodes　and　Corinth　preserved　their　power；　but　Orchomenus　lost　hers。　The　situation　of　Orchomenus　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　Hellespont；　the　Propontis；　and　the　Euxine　Sea　makes　us　naturally　imagine　that　she　was　indebted　for　her　opulence　to　a　trade　along　that　maritime　coast；　which　had　given　rise　to　the　fable　of　the　golden　fleece；　and；　indeed；　the　name　of　Minyeios　has　been　given　to　Orchomenus　as　well　as　to　the　Argonauts。＇32＇　But　these　seas　becoming　afterwards　more　frequented；　the　Greeks　planted　along　the　coasts　a　greater　number　of　colonies；　which　traded　with　the　barbarous　nations；　and　at　the　same　time　preserved　an　intercourse　with　their　mother　country。　In　consequence　of　this；　Orchomenus　began　to　decline；　till　at　length　it　was　lost　in　the　crowd　of　the　other　cities　of　Greece。

Before　Homer's　time　the　Greeks　had　scarcely　any　trade　but　among　themselves；　and　with　a　few　barbarous　nations；　in　proportion；　however；　as　they　formed　new　colonies；　they　extended　their　dominion。　Greece　was　a　large　peninsula；　the　capes　of　which　seemed　to　have　kept　off　the　seas；　while　its　gulfs　opened　on　all　sides　to　receive　them。　if　we　cast　an　eye　on　Greece；　we　shall　find；　in　a　pretty　compact　country；　a　considerable　extent　of　sea…coast。　Her　innumerable　colonies　formed　an　immense　circle　round　her；　and　there　she　beheld；　in　some　measure；　the　whole　civilised　world。　Did　she　penetrate　into　Sicily　and　Italy；　she　formed　new　nations。　Did　she　navigate　towards　the　sea　of　Pontus；　the　coast　of　Asia　Minor；　or　that　of　Africa；　she　acted　in　the　same　manner。　Her　cities　increased　in　prosperity　in　proportion　as　they　happened　to　have　new　people　in　their　neighbourhood。　And　what　was　extremely　beautiful；　she　was　surrounded　on　every　side　with　a　prodigious　number　of　islands；　drawn；　as　it　were；　in　a　line　of　circumvallation。

What　a　source　of　prosperity　must　Greece　have　found　in　those　games　with　which　she　entertained；　in　some　measure；　the　whole　globe；　in　those　temples；　to　which　all　the　kings　of　the　earth　sent　their　offerings；　in　those　festivals；　at　which　such　a　concourse　of　people　used　to　assemble　from　all　parts；　in　those　oracles；　to　which　the　attention　of　all　mankind　was　directed；　and；　in　short；　in　that　exquisite　taste　for　the　polite　arts；　which　she　carried　to　such　a　height　that　to　expect　ever　to　surpass　her　would　be　only　betraying　our　ignorance！

8。　Of　Alexander：　his　Conquests。　Four　great　events　happened　in　the　reign　of　Alexander　which　entirely　changed　the　face　of　commerce：　the　taking　of　Tyre；　the　conquest　of　Egypt；　that　likewise　of　the　Indies；　and　the　discovery　of　the　sea　which　lies　south　of　that　country。

The　empire　of　Persia　extended　to　the　Indus。＇33＇　Darius；　long　before　Alexander；　had　sent　some　vessels；　which　sailed　down　this　river；　and　passed　even　into　the　Red　Sea。＇34＇　How　then　were　the　Greeks　the　first　who　traded　with　the　Indies　by　the　south？　Had　not　the　Persians　done　this　before？　Did　they　make　no　advantage　of　seas　which　were　so　near　them；　of　the　very　seas　that　washed　their　coasts？　Alexander；　it　is　true；　conquered　the　Indies；　but　was　it　necessary　for　him　to　conquer　a　country　in　order　to　trade　with　it？　This　is　what　I　shall　now　examine。

Ariana；＇35＇　which　extended　from　the　Persian　Gulf　as　far　as　the　Indus；　and　from　the　South　Sea　to　the　mountains　of　Paropamisus；　depended　indeed；　in　some　measure；　on　the　empire　of　Persia；　but　in　the　southern　part　it　was　barren；　scorched；　rude；　and　uncultivated。　Tradition　relates＇36＇　that　the　armies　of　Semiramis　and　Cyrus　perished　in　these　deserts；　and　Alexander；　who　caused　his　fleet　to　follow　him；　could　not　avoid　losing　in　this　place　a　great　part　of　his　army。　The　Persians　left　the　whole　coast　to　the　Ichthyophagi；＇37＇　the　Orit？；　and　other　barbarous　nations。　Besides；　the　Persians　were　no　great　sailors；＇38＇　and　their　very　religion　debarred　them　from　entertaining　any　such　notion　as　that　of　a　maritime　commerce。　The　voyage　undertaken　by　Darius's　direction　upon　the　Indus　and　the　Indian　Sea　proceeded　rather　from　the　capriciousness　of　a　prince　vainly　ambitious　of　showing　his　power　than　from　any　settled　regular　project。　It　was　attended　with　no　consequence　either　to　the　advantage　of　commerce　or　of　navigation。　They　emerged　from　their　ignorance　only　to　plunge　into　it　again。

Besides；　it　was　a　received　opinion＇39＇　before　the　expedition　of　Alexander　that　the　southern　parts　of　India　were　uninhabitable。＇40＇　This　proceeded　from　a　tradition　that　Semiramis＇41＇　had　brought　back　thence　only　twenty　men；　and　Cyrus　but　seven。

Alexander　entered　by　the　north。　His　design　was　to　march　towards　the　east；　but　having　found　a　part　of　the　south　full　of　great　nations；　cities；　and　rivers；　he　attempted　to　conquer　it；　and　succeeded。

He　then　formed　a　design　of　uniting　the　Indies　to　the　western　nations　by　a　maritime　commerce；　as　he　had　already　united　them　by　the　colonies　he　had　established　by　land。

He　ordered　a　fleet　to　be　built　on　the　Hydaspes；　then　fell　down　that　river；　entered　the　Indus；　and　sailed　even　to　its　mouth。　He　left　his　army　and　his　fleet　at　Patala；　went　himself　with　a　few　vessels　to　view　the　sea；　and　marked　the　places　where　he　would　have　ports　to　be　opened　and　arsenals　erected。　Upon　his　return　from　Patala　he　separated　the　fleet；　and　took　the　route　by　land；　for　the　mutual　support　of　fleet　and　army。　The　fleet　followed　the　coast　from　the　Indus　along　the　banks　of　the　country　of　the　Orit？；　of　the　Ichthyophagi；　of　Carmania　and　Persia。　He　caused　wells　to　be　dug；　built　cities；　and　would　not　suffer　the　Ichthyophagi　to　live　on　fish；＇42＇　being　desirous　of　having　the　borders　of　the　sea　inhabited　by　civilised　nations。　Nearchus　and　Onesecritus　wrote　a　journal　of　this　voyage；　which　was　performed　in　ten　months。　They　arrived　at　Susa；　where　they　found　Alexander；　who　gave　an　entertainment　to　his　whole　army。

This　prince　had　founded　Alexandria；　with　a　view　of　securing　his　conquest　of　Egypt；　this　was　a　key　to　open　it；　in　the　very　place　where　the　kings　his　predecessors　had　a　key　to　shut　it；＇43＇　and　he　had　not　the　least　thought　of　a　commerce　of　which　the　discovery　of　the　Indian　Sea　could　alone　give　him　the　idea。

It　even　seems　that　after　his　discovery　he　had　no　new　design　in　regard　to　Alexandria。　He　had；　indeed；　a　general　scheme　of　opening　a　trade　between　the　East　Indies　and　the　western　parts　of　his　empire；　but　as　for　the　project　of　conducting　this　commerce　through　Egypt；　his　knowledge　was　too　imperfect　to　be　able　to　form　any　such　design。　It　is　true　he　had　seen　the　Indus；　he　had　seen　the　Nile；　but　he　knew　nothing　of　the　Arabian　seas　between　the　two　rivers。　Scarcely　had　he　returned　from　India　when　he　fitted　out　new　fleets；　and　navigated　on　the　Euleus；＇44＇　the　Tigris；　the　Euphrates；　and　the　ocean；　he　removed　the　cataracts；　with　which　the　Persians　had　encumbered　those　rivers；　and　he　discovered　that　the　Persian　Gulf　was　a　branch　of　the　main　sea。　But　as　he　went　to　view　this　sea＇45＇　in　the　same　manner　as　he　had　done　in　respect　to　that　of　India；　as　he　caused　a　port　to　be　opened　for　a　thousand　ships；　and　arsenals　to　be　erected　at　Babylon；　as　he　sent　five　hundred　talents　into　Phoenicia　and　Syria；　to　draw　mariners　into　this　service　whom　he　intended　to　distribute　in　the　colonies　along　the　coast；　in　fine；　as　he　caused　immense　works　to　be　erected　on　the　Euphrates；　and　the　other　rivers　of　Assyria；　there　could　be　no　doubt　but　he　designed　to　carry　on　the　commerce　of　India　by　the　way　of　Babylon　and　the　Persian　Gulf。

There　are　some　who　pretend　that　Alexander　wanted　to　subdue　Arabia；＇46＇　and　had　formed　a　design　to　make　it　the　seat　of　his　empire：　but　how　could　he　have　pitched　upon　a　place　with　which　he　was　entirely　unacquainted？＇47＇　Besides；　of　all　countries；　this　would　have　been　the　most　inconvenient　to　him；　for　it　would　have　separated　him　from　the　rest　of　his　empire。　The　Caliphs；　who　made　distant　conquests；　soon　withdrew　from　Arabia　to　reside　elsewhere。

9。　Of　the　Commerce　of　the　Grecian　Kings　after　the　Death　of　Alexander。　At　the　tim