the commonwealth of oceana-第25部分

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ng　else　but　nobility；　by　which；　whatever　their　estates　suck　from　the　people；　especially　if　it　comes　equally；　is　digested　into　the　better　blood　of　that　commonwealth；　which　is　all；　or　the　greatest；　benefit　they　can　have　by　accumulation。　For　how　unequal　soever　you　will　have　them　to　be　in　their　incomes；　they　have　officers　of　the　pomp；　to　bring　them　equal　in　expenses；　or　at　least　in　the　ostentation　or　show　of　them。　And　so　unless　the　advantage　of　an　estate　consists　more　in　the　measure　than　in　the　use　of　it；　the　authority　of　Venice　does　but　enforce　our　agrarian；　nor　shall　a　man　evade　or　elude　the　prudence　of　it；　by　the　authority　of　any　other　commonwealth。　　　　　〃For　if　a　commonwealth　has　been　introduced　at　once；　as　those　of　Israel　and　Lacedaemon；　you　are　certain　to　find　her　underlaid　with　this　as　the　main　foundation；　nor；　if　she　is　obliged　more　to　fortune　than　prudence；　has　she　raised　her　head　without　musing　upon　this　matter；　as　appears　by　that　of　Athens；　which　through　her　defect　in　this　point；　says　Aristotle；　introduced　her　ostracism；　as　most　of　the　democracies　of　Greece。　But；　not　to　restrain　a　fundamental　of　such　latitude　to　any　one　kind　of　government；　do　we　not　yet　see　that　if　there　be　a　sole　landlord　of　a　vast　territory；　he　is　the　Turk？　that　if　a　few　landlords　overbalance　a　populous　country；　they　have　store　of　servants？　that　if　a　people　be　in　an　equal　balance；　they　can　have　no　lords？　that　no　government　can　otherwise　be　erected；　than　upon　some　one　of　these　foundations？　that　no　one　of　these　foundations　（each　being　else　apt　to　change　into　some　other）　can　give　any　security　to　the　government；　unless　it　be　fixed？　that　through　the　want　of　this　fixation；　potent　monarchy　and　commonwealths　have　fallen　upon　the　heads　of　the　people；　and　accompanied　their　own　sad　ruins　with　vast　effusions　of　innocent　blood？　Let　the　fame；　as　was　the　merit　of　the　ancient　nobility　of　this　nation；　be　equal　to　or　above　what　has　been　already　said；　or　can　be　spoken；　yet　have　we　seen　not　only　their　glory　but　that　of　a　throne；　the　most　indulgent　to　and　least　invasive　for　so　many　ages　upon　the　liberty　of　a　people　that　the　world　has　known；　through　the　mere　want　of　fixing　her　foot　by　a　proportionable　agrarian　upon　her　proper　foundation；　to　have　fallen　with　such　horror　as　has　been　a　spectacle　of　astonishment　to　the　whole　earth。　And　were　it　well　argued　from　one　calamity；　that　we　ought　not　to　prevent　another？　Nor　is　Aristotle　so　good　a　commonwealths　man　for　deriding　the　invention　of　Phaleas　as　in　recollecting　himself；　where　he　says　that　democracies；　when　a　less　part　of　their　citizens　overtop　the　rest　in　wealth；　degenerate　into　oligarchies　and　principalities；　and；　which　comes　nearer　to　the　present　purpose；　that　the　greater　part　of　the　nobility　of　Tarentum　coming　accidentally　to　be　ruined；　the　government　of　the　few　came　by　consequence　to　be　changed　into　that　of　the　many。　　　　　〃These　things　considered；　I　cannot　see　how　an　agrarian；　as　to　the　fixation　or　security　of　a　government；　can　be　less　than　necessary。　And　if　a　cure　be　necessary；　it　excuses　not　the　patient；　his　disease　being　otherwise　desperate；　that　it　is　dangerous；　which　was　the　case　of　Rome；　not　so　stated　by　Machiavel；　where　he　says；　that　the　strife　about　the　agrarian　caused　the　destruction　of　that　commonwealth。　As　if　when　a　senator　was　not　rich　（as　Crassus　held）　except　he　could　pay　an　army；　that　commonwealth　could　expect　nothing　but　ruin　whether　in　strife　about　the　agrarian；　or　without　it。　'Of　late；'　says　Livy；　'riches　have　introduced　avarice；　and　voluptuous　pleasures　abounding　have　through　lust　and　luxury　begot　a　desire　of　lasting　and　destroying　all　good　orders。'　if　the　greatest　security　of　a　commonwealth　consists　in　being　provided　with　the　proper　antidote　against　this　poison；　her　greatest　danger；　must　be　from　the　absence　of　an　agrarian；　which　is　the　whole　truth　of　the　Roman　example。　For　the　Laconic；　I　shall　reserve　the　further　explication　of　it；　as　my　lord　also　did；　to　another　place；　and　first　see　whether　an　agrarian　proportioned　to　a　popular　government　be　sufficient　to　keep　out　monarchy。　My　lord　is　for　the　negative；　and　fortified　by　the　people　of　Israel　electing　a　king。　To　which　I　say　that　the　action　of　the　people　therein　expressed　is　a　full　answer　to　the　objection　of　that　example；　for　the　monarchy　neither　grew　upon　them；　nor　could；　by　reason　of　the　agrarian；　possibly　have　invaded　them；　if　they　had　not　pulled　it　upon　themselves　by　the　election　of　a　king。　Which　being　an　accident；　the　like　whereof　is　not　to　be　found　in　any　other　people　so　planted；　nor　in　this　till；　as　it　is　manifest；　they　were　given　up　by　God　to　infatuation　（for　says　he　to　Samuel；　'They　have　not　rejected　thee；　but　they　have　rejected　me；　that　I　should　not　reign　over　them；）；　has　something　in　it　which　is　apparent；　by　what　went　before；　to　have　been　besides　the　course　of　nature；　and　by　what　followed。　　　　　〃For　the　King　having　no　other　foundation　than　the　calamities　of　the　people；　so　often　beaten　by　their　enemies；　that　despairing　of　themselves　they　were　contented　with　any　change；　if　he　had　peace　as　in　the　days　of　Solomon；　left　but　a　slippery　throne　to　his　successor；　as　appeared　by　Rehoboam。　And　the　agrarian；　notwithstanding　the　monarchy　thus　introduced；　so　faithfully　preserved　the　root　of　that　commonwealth；　that　it　shot　forth　oftener　and　by　intervals　continued　longer　than　any　other　government；　as　may　be　computed　from　the　institution　of　the　same　by　Joshua；　1；465　years　before　Christ；　to　the　total　dissolution　of　it；　which　happened　in　the　reign　of　the　emperor　Adrian；　135　years　after　the　incarnation。　A　people　planted　upon　an　equal　agrarian；　and　holding　to　it；　if　they　part　with　their　liberty；　must　do　it　upon　good…will；　and　make　but　a　bad　title　of　their　bounty。　As　to　instance　yet　further　in　that　which　is　proposed　by　the　present　order　to　this　nation；　the　standard　whereof　is　at　？；000　a　year；　the　whole　territory　of　Oceana　being　divided　by　this　proportion；　amounts　to　5；000　lots。　So　the　lands　of　Oceana　being　thus　distributed；　and　bound　to　this　distribution；　can　never　fall　to　fewer　than　5；000　proprietors。　But　5；000　proprietors　so　seized　will　not　agree　to　break　the　agrarian；　for　that　were　to　agree　to　rob　one　another；　nor　to　bring　in　a　king；　because　they　must　maintain　him；　and　can　have　no　benefit　by　him；　nor　to　exclude　the　people；　because　they　can　have　as　little　by　that；　and　must　spoil　their　militia。　So　the　commonwealth　continuing　upon　the　balance　proposed；　though　it　should　come　into　5；000　hands；　can　never　alter；　and　that　it　should　ever　come　into　5；000　hands　is　as　improbable　as　anything　in　the　world　that　is　not　altogether　impossible。　　　　　〃My　lord's　other　considerations　are　more　private；　as　that；　this　order　destroys　families；　which　is　as　if　one　should　lay　the　ruin　of　some　ancient　castle　to　the　herbs　which　usually　grow　out　of　them；　the　destruction　of　those　families　being　that　indeed　which　naturally　produced　this　order。　For　we　do　not　now　argue　for　that　which　we　would　have；　but　for　that　which　we　are　already　possessed　of；　as　would　appear　if　a　note　were　but　taken　of　all　such　as　have　at　this　day　above　？；000　a　year　in　Oceana。　If　my　lord　should　grant　（and　I　will　put　it　with　the　most）　that　they　who　are　proprietors　in　land；　exceeding　this　proportion；　exceed　not　300；　with　what　brow　can　the　interest　of　so　few　be　balanced　with　that　of　the　whole　nation？　or　rather；　what　interest　have　they　to　put　in　such　a　balance？　they　would　live　as　they　had　been　accustomed　to　do；　who　hinders　them？　they　would　enjoy　their　estates；　who　touches　them？　they　would　dispose　of　what　they　have　according　to　the　interest　of　their　families；　it　is　that　which　we　desire。　A　man　has　one　son；　let　him　be　called；　would　he　enjoy　his　father's　estate？　it　is　his；　his　son's；　and　his　son's　son's　after　him。　A　man　has　five　sons；　let　them　be　called；　would　they　enjoy　their　father's　estate？　It　is　divided　among　them；　for　we　have　four　votes　for　one　in　the　same　family；　and　therefore　this　must　be　the　interest　of　the　family；　or　the　family　knows　not　its　own　interest。　If　a　man　shall　dispute　otherwise；　he　must　draw　his　arguments　from　custom　and　from　greatness；　which　was　the　interest　of　the　monarchy；　not　of　the　family；　and　we　are　now　a　commonwealth。　If　the　monarchy　could　not　bear　with　such　divisions　because　they　tendered　to　a　commonwealth；　neither　can　a　commonwealth　connive　at　such　accumulations　because　they　tend　to　a　monarchy。　If　the　monarchy　might　make　bold　with　so　many　for　the　good　of　one；　we　may　make　bold　with　one　for　the　good　of　so　many；　nay；　for　the　good　of　all。　　　　　〃My　lords；　it　comes　into　my　mind；　that　which　upon　occasion　of　the　variety　of　parties　enumerated　in　our　late　civil　wars；　was　said　by　a　friend　of　mine　coming　home　from　his　travels；　about　the　latter　end　of　these　troubles；　that　he　admired　how　it　came　to　pass；　that　younger　brothers；　especially　being　so　many　more　in　number　than　their　elder　did　not　unite　as　one　man　against　a　tyranny；　the　like　whereof　has　not　been　exercised　in　any　other　nation。　And　truly；　when　I　consider　that　our　countrymen　are　none　of　the　worst…natured；　I　must　confess　I　marvel　much　how　it　comes　to　pass　that　we　should　use　our　children　as　we　do　our　puppies　　take　one；　lay　it　in　the　lap；　feed　it　with　every　good　bit；　and　drown　five；　nay；　yet　worse；　forasmuch　as　the　puppies　are　once　drowned；　whereas　the　children　are　left　perpetually　drown