the spirit of laws-第157部分

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was　count　in　the　city　of　Auxerre；＇1＇　he　sent　his　son　Mummolus　with　money　to　Gontram；　to　prevail　upon　him　to　continue　him　in　his　employment；　the　son　gave　the　money　for　himself；　and　obtained　the　father's　place。　The　kings　had　already　begun　to　spoil　their　own　favours。

Though　by　the　laws　of　the　kingdom　the　fiefs　were　precarious；　yet　they　were　neither　given　nor　taken　away　in　a　capricious　and　arbitrary　manner：　nay；　they　were　generally　one　of　the　principal　subjects　debated　in　the　national　assemblies。　It　is　natural；　however；　to　imagine　that　corruption　crept　into　this　as　well　as　the　other　case；　and　that　the　possession　of　the　fiefs；　like　that　of　the　counties；　was　continued　for　money。

I　shall　show　in　the　course　of　this　book；＇2＇　that；　independently　of　the　grants　which　the　princes　made　for　a　certain　time；　there　were　others　in　perpetuity。　The　court　wanted　to　revoke　the　former　grants；　this　occasioned　a　general　discontent　in　the　nation；　and　was　soon　followed　by　that　famous　revolution　in　French　history；　whose　first　epoch　was　the　amazing　spectacle　of　the　execution　of　Brunehault。

That　this　queen；　who　was　daughter；　sister　and　mother　of　so　many　kings；　a　queen　to　this　very　day　celebrated　for　public　monuments　worthy　of　a　Roman　？dile　or　proconsul；　born　with　an　admirable　genius　for　affairs；　and　endowed　with　qualities　so　long　respected；　should　see　herself　of　a　sudden　exposed　to　so　slow；　so　ignominious　and　cruel　a　torture；＇3＇　by　a　king　whose　authority　was　but　indifferently　established　in　the　nation；＇4＇　would　appear　very　extraordinary；　had　she　not　incurred　that　nation's　displeasure　for　some　particular　cause。　Clo…tharius　reproached　her　with　the　murder　of　ten　kings；　but　two　of　them　he　had　put　to　death　himself；　the　death　of　some　of　the　others　was　owing　to　chance；　or　to　the　villainy　of　another　queen；＇5＇　and　a　nation　that　had　permitted　Fredegunda　to　die　in　her　bed；＇6＇　that　had　even　opposed　the　punishment　of　her　flagitious　crimes；　ought　to　have　been　very　different　with　respect　to　those　of　Brunehault。

She　was　put　upon　a　camel；　and　led　ignominiously　through　the　army；　a　certain　sign　that　she　had　given　great　offence　to　those　troops。　Fredegarius　relates　that　Protarius；＇7＇　Brunehault's　favourite；　stripped　the　lords　of　their　property；　and　filled　the　exchequer　with　the　plunder；　that　he　humbled　the　nobility；　and　that　no　person　could　be　sure　of　continuing　in　any　office　or　employment。　The　army　conspired　against　him；　and　he　was　stabbed　in　his　tent；　but　Brunehault；　either　by　revenging　his　death；　or　by　pursuing　the　same　plan；＇8＇　became　every　day　more　odious　to　the　nation。＇9＇

Clotharius；　ambitious　of　reigning　alone；　inflamed　moreover　with　the　most　furious　revenge；　and　sure　of　perishing　if　Brunehault's　children　got　the　upper　hand；　entered　into　a　conspiracy　against　himself；　and　whether　it　was　owing　to　ignorance；　or　to　the　necessity　of　his　circumstances；　he　became　Brunehault's　accuser；　and　made　a　terrible　example　of　that　princess。

Warnacharius　had　been　the　very　soul　of　the　conspiracy　formed　against　Brunehault。　Being　at　that　time　mayor　of　Burgundy；　he　made　Clotharius　consent　that　he　should　not　be　displaced　while　he　lived。＇10＇　By　this　step　the　mayor　could　no　longer　be　in　the　same　case　as　the　French　lords　before　that　period；　and　this　authority　began　to　render　itself　independent　of　the　regal　dignity。

It　was　Brunehault's　unhappy　regency　which　had　exasperated　the　nation。　So　long　as　the　laws　subsisted　in　their　full　force；　no　one　could　grumble　at　having　been　deprived　of　a　fief；　since　the　law　did　not　bestow　it　upon　him　in　perpetuity。　But　when　fiefs　came　to　be　acquired　by　avarice；　by　bad　practices　and　corruption；　they　complained　of　being　divested；　by　irregular　means；　of　things　that　had　been　irregularly　acquired。　Perhaps　if　the　public　good　had　been　the　motive　of　the　revocation　of　those　grants；　nothing　would　have　been　said；　but　they　pretended　a　regard　for　order　while　they　were　openly　abetting　the　principles　of　corruption；　the　fiscal　rights　were　claimed　in　order　to　lavish　the　public　treasure；　and　grants　were　no　longer　the　reward　or　the　encouragement　of　services。　Brunehault；　from　a　corrupt　spirit；　wanted　to　reform　the　abuses　of　the　ancient　corruption。　Her　caprices　were　not　owing　to　weakness；　the　vassals　and　the　great　officers；　thinking　themselves　in　danger；　prevented　their　own　by　her　ruin。

We　are　far　from　having　all　the　records　of　the　transactions　of　those　days；　and　the　writers　of　chronicles；　who　understood　very　nearly　as　much　of　the　history　of　their　time　as　our　peasants　know　of　ours；　are　extremely　barren。　Yet　we　have　a　constitution　of　Clotharius；　given　in　the　council　of　Paris；＇11＇　for　the　reformation　of　abuses；＇12＇　which　shows　that　this　prince　put　a　stop　to　the　complaints　that　had　occasioned　the　revolution。　On　the　one　hand；　he　confirms　all　the　grants　that　had　been　made　or　confirmed　by　the　kings　his　predecessors；＇13＇　and　on　the　other；　he　ordains　that　whatever　had　been　taken　from　his　vassals　should　be　restored　to　them。＇14＇

This　was　not　the　only　concession　the　king　made　in　that　council；　he　enjoined　that　whatever　had　been　innovated；　in　opposition　to　the　privileges　of　the　clergy；　should　be　redressed；　and　he　moderated　the　influence　of　the　court　in　the　election　of　bishops。＇15＇　He　even　reformed　the　fiscal　affairs；　ordaining　that　all　the　new　censuses　should　be　abolished；＇16＇　and　that　they　should　not　levy　any　toll　established　since　the　deaths　of　Gontram；　Sigebert；　and　Chilperic；＇17＇　that　is；　he　abolished　whatever　had　been　done　during　the　regencies　of　Fredegunda　and　Brunehault。　He　forbad　the　driving　of　his　cattle　to　graze　in　private　people's　grounds；＇18＇　and　we　shall　presently　see　that　the　reformation　was　still　more　general；　so　as　to　extend　even　to　civil　affairs。

2。　How　the　Civil　Government　was　reformed。　Hitherto　the　nation　had　given　marks　of　impatience　and　levity　with　regard　to　the　choice　or　conduct　of　her　masters；　she　had　regulated　their　differences　and　obliged　them　to　come　to　an　agreement　among　themselves。　But　now　she　did　what　before　was　quite　unexampled；　she　cast　her　eyes　on　her　actual　situation；　examined　the　laws　coolly；　provided　against　their　insufficiency；　repressed　violence；　and　moderated　the　regal　power。

The　bold　and　insolent　regencies　of　Fredegunda　and　Brunehault　had　less　surprised　than　roused　the　nation。　Fredegunda　had　defended　her　horried　cruelties；　her　poisonings　and　assassinations；　by　a　repetition　of　the　same　crimes；　and　had　behaved　in　such　a　manner　that　her　outrages　were　rather　of　a　private　than　public　nature。　Fredegunda　did　more　mischief：　Brunehault　threatened　more。　In　this　crisis　the　nation　was　not　satisfied　with　rectifying　the　feudal　system；　she　was　also　determined　to　secure　her　civil　government。　For　the　latter　was　rather　more　corrupt　than　the　former；　a　corruption　the　more　dangerous　as　it　was　more　inveterate；　and　connected　rather　with　the　abuse　of　manners　than　with　that　of　laws。

The　history　of　Gregory　of　Tours　exhibits；　on　the　one　hand；　a　fierce　and　barbarous　nation；　and　on　the　other；　kings　remarkable　for　the　same　ferocity　of　temper。　Those　princes　were　bloody；　iniquitous　and　cruel；　because　such　was　the　character　of　the　whole　nation。　If　Christianity　appeared　sometimes　to　soften　their　manners；　it　was　only　by　the　circumstances　of　terror　with　which　this　religion　alarms　the　sinner；　the　church　supported　herself　against　them　by　the　miraculous　operations　of　her　saints。　The　kings　would　not　commit　sacrilege；　because　they　dreaded　the　punishments　inflicted　on　that　species　of　guilt：　but　this　excepted；　either　in　the　riot　of　passion　or　in　the　coolness　of　deliberation；　they　perpetrated　the　most　horrid　crimes　and　barbarities　where　divine　vengeance　did　not　appear　so　immediately　to　overtake　the　criminal。　The　Franks；　as　I　have　already　observed；　bore　with　cruel　kings；　because　they　were　of　the　same　disposition　themselves；　they　were　not　shocked　at　the　iniquity　and　extortions　of　their　princes；　because　this　was　the　national　characteristic。　There　had　been　many　laws　established；　but　it　was　usual　for　the　king　to　defeat　them　all；　by　a　kind　of　letter　called　precepts；＇19＇　which　rendered　them　of　no　effect；　they　were　somewhat　similar　to　the　rescripts　of　the　Roman　Emperors；　whether　it　be　that　our　kings　borrowed　this　usage　from　those　princes；　or　whether　it　was　owing　to　their　own　natural　temper。　We　see　in　Gregory　of　Tours；　that　they　perpetrated　murder　in　cool　blood；　and　put　the　accused　to　death　unheard；　how　they　gave　precepts　for　illicit　marriages；＇20＇　for　transferring　successions；　for　depriving　relatives　of　their　right；　and；　in　fine；　marrying　consecrated　virgins。　They　did　not；　indeed；　assume　the　whole　legislative　power；　but　they　dispensed　with　the　execution　of　the　laws。

Clotharius'　constitution　redressed　all　these　grievances：　no　one　could　any　longer　be　condemned　without　being　heard：＇21＇　relatives　were　made　to　succeed；　according　to　the　order　established　by　law；＇22＇　all　precepts　for　marrying　religious　women　were　declared　null；＇23＇　and　those　who　had　obtained　and　made　use　of　them　were　severely　punished。　We　might　know　perhaps　more　exactly　his　determinations　with　regard　to　these　precepts；　if　the　thirteenth　and　the　next　two　articles　of　this　decree　had　not　been　lost　through　the　injury　of　time。　We　have　only　the　first　words　of　this　thirteenth　article；　ordaining　that　the　precepts　shall　be　observed；　whic