the spirit of laws-第103部分

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The　females　of　brutes　have　an　almost　constant　fecundity。　But　in　the　human　species；　the　manner　of　thinking；　the　character；　the　passions；　the　humour；　the　caprice；　the　idea　of　preserving　beauty；　the　pain　of　child…bearing；　and　the　fatigue　of　a　too　numerous　family；　obstruct　propagation　in　a　thousand　different　ways。

2。　Of　Marriage。　The　natural　obligation　of　the　father　to　provide　for　his　children　has　established　marriage；　which　makes　known　the　person　who　ought　to　fulfil　this　obligation。　The　people＇2＇　mentioned　by　Pomponius　Mela＇3＇　had　no　other　way　of　discovering　him　but　by　resemblance。

Among　civilised　nations；　the　father　is　that　person　on　whom　the　laws；　by　the　ceremony　of　marriage；　have　fixed　this　duty；　because　they　find　in　him　the　man　they　want。＇4＇

Among　brutes　this　is　an　obligation　which　the　mother　can　generally　perform；　but　it　is　much　more　extensive　among　men。　Their　children　indeed　have　reason；　but　this　comes　only　by　slow　degrees。　It　is　not　sufficient　to　nourish　them；　we　must　also　direct　them：　they　can　already　live；　but　they　cannot　govern　themselves。

Illicit　conjunctions　contribute　but　little　to　the　propagation　of　the　species。　The　father；　who　is　under　a　natural　obligation　to　nourish　and　educate　his　children；　is　not　then　fixed；　and　the　mother；　with　whom　the　obligation　remains；　finds　a　thousand　obstacles　from　shame；　remorse；　the　constraint　of　her　sex；　and　the　rigour　of　laws；　and　besides；　she　generally　wants　the　means。

Women　who　have　submitted　to　public　prostitution　cannot　have　the　convenience　of　educating　their　children：　the　trouble　of　education　is　incompatible　with　their　station；　and　they　are　so　corrupt　that　they　can　have　no　protection　from　the　law。

It　follows　from　all　this　that　public　continence　is　naturally　connected　with　the　propagation　of　the　species。

3。　Of　the　Condition　of　Children。　It　is　a　dictate　of　reason　that　when　there　is　a　marriage；　children　should　follow　the　station　or　condition　of　the　father；　and　that　when　there　is　not；　they　can　belong　to　the　mother　only。＇5＇

4。　Of　Families。　It　is　almost　everywhere　a　custom　for　the　wife　to　pass　into　the　family　of　the　husband。　The　contrary　is　without　any　inconvenience　established　at　Formosa；＇6＇　where　the　husband　enters　into　the　family　of　the　wife。

This　law；　which　fixes　the　family　in　a　succession　of　persons　of　the　same　sex；　greatly　contributes；　independently　of　the　first　motives；　to　the　propagation　of　the　human　species。　The　family　is　a　kind　of　property：　a　man　who　has　children　of　a　sex　which　does　not　perpetuate　it　is　never　satisfied　if　he　has　not　those　who　can　render　it　perpetual。

Names；　whereby　men　acquire　an　idea　of　a　thing　which　one　would　imagine　ought　not　to　perish；　are　extremely　proper　to　inspire　every　family　with　a　desire　of　extending　its　duration。　There　are　people　among　whom　names　distinguish　families：　there　are　others　where　they　only　distinguish　persons：　the　latter　have　not　the　same　advantage　as　the　former。

5。　Of　the　several　Orders　of　lawful　Wives。　Laws　and　religion　sometimes　establish　many　kinds　of　civil　conjunctions；　and　this　is　the　case　among　the　Mahometans；　where　there　are　several　orders　of　wives；　the　children　of　whom　are　distinguished　by　being　born　in　the　house；　by　civil　contracts；　or　even　by　the　slavery　of　the　mother；　and　the　subsequent　acknowledgment　of　the　father。

It　would　be　contrary　to　reason　that　the　law　should　stigmatise　the　children　for　what　it　approved　in　the　father。　All　these　children　ought；　therefore；　to　succeed；　at　least　if　some　particular　reason　does　not　oppose　it；　as　in　Japan；　where　none　inherit　but　the　children　of　the　wife　given　by　the　emperor。　Their　policy　demands　that　the　gifts　of　the　emperor　should　not　be　too　much　divided；　because　they　subject　them　to　a　kind　of　service；　like　that　of　our　ancient　fiefs。

There　are　countries　where　a　wife　of　the　second　rank　enjoys　nearly　the　same　honours　in　a　family　as　in　our　part　of　the　world　are　granted　to　an　only　consort：　there　the　children　of　concubines　are　deemed　to　belong　to　the　first　or　principal　wife。　Thus　it　is　also　established　in　China。　Filial　respect；＇7＇　and　the　ceremony　of　deep　mourning；　are　not　due　to　the　natural　mother；　but　to　her　appointed　by　the　law。

By　means　of　this　fiction　they　have　no　bastard　children；　and　where　such　a　fiction　does　not　take　place；　it　is　obvious　that　a　law　to　legitimatize　the　children　of　concubines　must　be　considered　as　an　act　of　violence；　as　the　bulk　of　the　nation　would　be　stigmatised　by　such　a　decree。　Neither　is　there　any　regulation　in　those　countries　with　regard　to　children　born　in　adultery。　The　recluse　lives　of　women；　the　locks；　the　inclosures；　and　the　eunuchs　render　all　infidelity　to　their　husbands　so　difficult；　that　the　law　judges　it　impossible。　Besides；　the　same　sword　would　exterminate　the　mother　and　the　child。

6。　Of　Bastards　in　different　Governments。　They　have　therefore　no　such　thing　as　bastards　where　polygamy　is　permitted；　this　disgrace　is　known　only　in　countries　in　which　a　man　is　allowed　to　marry　but　one　wife。　Here　they　were　obliged　to　stamp　a　mark　of　infamy　upon　concubinage；　and　consequently　they　were　under　a　necessity　of　stigmatising　the　issue　of　such　unlawful　conjunctions。

In　republics；　where　it　is　necessary　that　there　should　be　the　purest　morals；　bastards　ought　to　be　more　degraded　than　in　monarchies。

The　laws　made　against　them　at　Rome　were　perhaps　too　severe；　but　as　the　ancient　institutions　laid　all　the　citizens　under　a　necessity　of　marrying；　and　as　marriages　were　also　softened　by　the　permission　to　repudiate　or　make　a　divorce；　nothing　but　an　extreme　corruption　of　manners　could　lead　them　to　concubinage。

It　is　observable　that　as　the　quality　of　a　citizen　was　a　very　considerable　thing　in　a　democratic　government；　where　it　carried　with　it　the　sovereign　power；　they　frequently　made　laws　in　respect　to　the　state　of　bastards；　which　had　less　relation　to　the　thing　itself　and　to　the　honesty　of　marriage　than　to　the　particular　constitution　of　the　republic。　Thus　the　people　have　sometimes　admitted　bastards　into　the　number　of　citizens；　in　order　to　increase　their　power　in　opposition　to　the　great。＇8＇　Thus　the　Athenians　excluded　bastards　from　the　privilege　of　being　citizens；　that　they　might　possess　a　greater　share　of　the　corn　sent　them　by　the　King　of　Egypt。　In　fine；　Aristotle　informs　us　that　in　many　cities　where　there　was　not　a　sufficient　number　of　citizens；　their　bastards　succeeded　to　their　possessions；　and　that　when　there　was　a　proper　number；　they　did　not　inherit。＇9＇

7。　Of　the　Father's　Consent　to　Marriage。　The　consent　of　fathers　is　founded　on　their　authority；　that　is；　on　the　right　of　property。　It　is　also　founded　on　their　love；　on　their　reason；　and　on　the　uncertainty　of　that　of　their　children；　whom　youth　confines　in　a　state　of　ignorance　and　passion　in　a　state　of　ebriety。

In　the　small　republics；　or　singular　institutions　already　mentioned；　they　might　have　laws　which　gave　to　magistrates　that　right　of　inspection　over　the　marriages　of　the　children　of　citizens　which　nature　had　already　given　to　fathers。　The　love　of　the　public　might　there　equal　or　surpass　all　other　love。　Thus　Plato　would　have　marriages　regulated　by　the　magistrates：　this　the　Laced？monian　magistrates　performed。

But　in　common　institutions；　fathers　have　the　disposal　of　their　children　in　marriage：　their　prudence　in　this　respect　is　always　supposed　to　be　superior　to　that　of　a　stranger。　Nature　gives　to　fathers　a　desire　of　procuring　successors　to　their　children；　when　they　have　almost　lost　the　desire　of　enjoyment　themselves。　In　the　several　degrees　of　progeniture；　they　see　themselves　insensibly　advancing　to　a　kind　of　immortality。　But　what　must　be　done；　if　oppression　and　avarice　arise　to　such　a　height　as　to　usurp　all　the　authority　of　fathers？　Let　us　hear　what　Thomas　Gage　says　in　regard　to　the　conduct　of　the　Spaniards　in　the　West　Indies。＇10＇

〃According　to　the　number　of　the　sons　and　daughters　that　are　marriageable；　the　father's　tribute　is　raised　and　increased；　until　they　provide　husbands　and　wives　for　their　sons　and　daughters；　who；　as　soon　as　they　are　married；　are　charged　with　tribute；　which；　that　it　may　increase；　they　will　suffer　none　above　fifteen　years　of　age　to　live　unmarried。　Nay；　the　set　time　of　marriage　appointed　for　the　Indians　is　at　fourteen　years　for　the　man；　and　thirteen　for　the　woman；　alleging　that　they　are　sooner　ripe　for　the　fruit　of　wedlock；　and　sooner　ripe　in　knowledge　and　malice；　and　strength　for　work　and　service；　than　any　other　people。　Nay；　sometimes　they　force　those　to　marry　who　are　scarcely　twelve　and　thirteen　years　of　age；　if　they　find　them　well…limbed　and　strong　in　body；　explaining　a　point　of　one　of　the　canons；　which　alloweth　fourteen　and　fifteen　years。　Nisi　malitia　suppleat　？tatem。〃

He　saw　a　list　of　these　taken。　It　was；　says　he；　a　most　shameful　affair。　Thus　in　an　action　which　ought　to　be　the　most　free；　the　Indians　are　the　greatest　slaves。

8。　The　same　Subject　continued。　In　England　the　law　is　frequently　abused　by　the　daughters　marrying　according　to　their　own　fancy　without　consulting　their　parents。　This　custom　is；　I　am　apt　to　imagine；　more　tolerated　there　than　anywhere　else　from　a　consideration　that　as　the　laws　have　not　established　a　monastic　celibacy；　the　daughters　have　no　other　state　to　choose　but　that　of　marriage；　and　this　they　cannot　refuse。　In　France；　on　the　contrary；　yo