the commonwealth of oceana-第41部分

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　cause　than　her　prudence；　which　will　appear　to　be　greater；　as　we　look　nearer；　for　the　effects　that　proceed　from　fortune；　if　there　be　any　such　thing；　are　like　their　cause；　inconstant。　But　there　never　happened　to　any　other　commonwealth　so　undisturbed　and　constant　a　tranquillity　and　peace　in　herself　as　are　in　that　of　Venice；　wherefore　this　must　proceed　from　some　other　cause　than　chance。　And　we　see　that　as　she　is　of　all　others　the　most　quiet；　so　the　most　equal　commonwealth。　Her　body　consists　of　one　order；　and　her　Senate　is　like　a　rolling　stone；　as　was　said；　which　never　did；　nor；　while　it　continues　upon　that　rotation；　never　shall　gather　the　moss　of　a　divided　or　ambitious　interest；　much　less　such　a　one　as　that　which　grasped　the　people　of　Rome　in　the　talons　of　their　own　eagles。　And　if　Machiavel；　averse　from　doing　this　commonwealth　right；　had　considered　her　orders；　as　his　reader　shall　easily　perceive　he　never　did；　he　must　have　been　so　far　from　attributing　the　prudence　of　them　to　chance；　that　he　would　have　touched　up　his　admirable　work　to　that　perfection　which；　as　to　the　civil　part；　has　no　pattern　in　the　universal　world　but　this　of　Venice。　　　　　〃Rome；　secure　by　her　potent　and　victorious　arms　from　all　external　causes　of　commotion；　was　either　beholden　for　her　peace　at　home　to　her　enemies　abroad；　or　could　never　rest　her　head。　My　lords；　you　that　are　parents　of　a　commonwealth；　and　so　freer　agents　than　such　as　are　merely　natural；　have　a　care。　For；　as　no　man　shall　show　me　a　commonwealth　born　straight　that　ever　became　crooked；　so　no　man　shall　show　me　a　commonwealth　born　crooked　that　ever　became　straight。　Rome　was　crooked　in　her　birth；　or　rather　prodigious。　Her　twins；　the　patrician　and　plebeian　orders；　came；　as　was　shown　by　the　foregoing　story；　into　the　world；　one　body　but　two　heads；　or　rather　two　bellies；　for；　notwithstanding　the　fable　out　of　AEsop；　whereby　Menenius　Agrippa；　the　orator　that　was　sent　from　the　Senate　to　the　people　at　Mount　Aventin；　showed　the　fathers　to　be　the　belly；　and　the　people　to　be　the　arms　and　the　legs　（which　except　that；　how　slothful　soever　it　might　seem；　they　were　nourished；　not　these　only；　but　the　whole　body　must　languish　and　be　dissolved）；　it　is　plain　that　the　fathers　were　a　distinct　belly；　such　a　one　as　took　the　meat　indeed　out　of　the　people's　mouths；　but　abhorring　the　agrarian；　returned　it　not　in　the　due　and　necessary　nutrition　of　a　commonwealth。　Nevertheless；　as　the　people　that　live　about　the　cataracts　of　Nilus　are　said　not　to　hear　the　noise；　so　neither　the。　Roman　writers；　nor　Machiavel　the　most　conversant　with　them；　seem　among　so　many　of　the　tribunitian　storms　to　hear　their　natural　voice；　for　though　they　could　not　miss　of　it　so　far　as　to　attribute　them　to　the　strife　of　the　people　for　participation　in　magistracy；　or；　in　which　Machiavel　more　particularly　joins；　to　that　about　the　agrarian；　this　was　to　take　the　business　short；　and　the　remedy　for　the　disease。　　　　　〃A　people；　when　they　are　reduced　to　misery　and　despair；　become　their　own　politicians；　as　certain　beasts；　when　they　are　sick；　become　their　own　physicians；　and　are　carried　by　a　natural　instinct　to　the　desire　of　such　herbs　as　are　their　proper　cure；　but　the　people；　for　the　greater　part；　are　beneath　the　beasts　in　the　use　of　them。　Thus　the　people　of　Rome；　though　in　their　misery　they　had　recourse　by　instinct；　as　it　were；　to　the　two　main　fundamentals　of　a　commonwealth；　participation　of　magistracy　and　the　agrarian；　did　but　taste　and　spit　at　them；　not　（which　is　necessary　in　physic）　drink　down　the　potion；　and　in　that　their　healths。　For　when　they　had　obtained　participation　of　magistracy　it　was　but　lamely；　not　to　a　full　and　equal　rotation　in　all　elections；　nor　did　they　greatly　regard　it　in　what　they　had　got。　And　when　they　had　attained　to　the　agrarian；　they　neglected　it　so　far　as　to　suffer　the　law　to　grow　obsolete；　but　if　you　do　not　take　the　due　dose　of　your　medicines　（as　there　be　slight　tastes　which　a　man　may　have　of　philosophy　that　incline　to　atheism）　it　may　chance　to　be　poison；　there　being　a　like　taste　of　the　politics　that　inclines　to　confusion；　as　appears　in　the　institution　of　the　Roman　tribunes；　by　which　magistracy　and　no　more　the　people　were　so　far　from　attaining　to　peace；　that　they　in　getting　but　so　much；　got　but　heads　for　an　eternal　feud；　whereas　if　they　had　attained　in　perfection　either　to　the　agrarian；　they　had　introduced　the　equality　and　calm　of　Lacedaemon；　or　to　rotation；　and　they　had　introduced　that　of　Venice：　and　so　there　could　have　been　no　more　enmity　between　the　Senate　and　the　people　of　Rome　than　there　was　between　those　orders　in　Lacedaemon；　or　is　now　in　Venice。　Wherefore　Machiavel　seems　to　me；　in　attributing　the　peace　of　Venice　more　to　her　luck　than　her　prudence；　of　the　whole　stable　to　have　saddled　the　wrong　horse；　for　though　Rome　in　her　military　part　could　beat　it　better；　beyond　all　comparison；　upon　the　sounding　hoof；　Venice　for　the　civil　part　has　plainly　had　the　wings　of　Pegasus。　　　　　〃The　whole　question　then　will　come　upon　this　point；　whether　the　people　of　Rome　could　have　obtained　these　orders？　And　first；　to　say　that　they　could　not　have　obtained　them　without　altering　the　commonwealth；　is　no　argument；　seeing　neither　could　they；　without　altering　the　commonwealth；　have　obtained　their　tribunes；　which　nevertheless　were　obtained。　And　if　a　man　considers　the　posture　that　the　people　were　in　when　they　obtained　their　tribunes；　they　might　as　well；　and　with　as　great　ease　（forasmuch　as　the　reason　why　the　nobility　yielded　to　the　tribunes　was　no　other　than　that　there　was　no　remedy）　have　obtained　anything　else。　And　for　experience；　it　was　in　the　like　case　that　the　Lacedaemonians　did　set　up　their　ephors；and　the　Athenians；after　the　battle　of　Plataea；　bowed　the　Senate　（so　hard　a　thing　it　is　for　a　commonwealth　that　was　born　crooked　to　become　straight）　as　much　the　other　way。　Nor；　if　it　be　objected　that　this　must　have　ruined　the　nobility　（and　in　that　deprived　the　commonwealth　of　the　greatness　which　she　acquired　by　them）；　is　this　opinion　holding；　but　confuted　by　the　sequel　of　the　story；　showing　plainly　that　the　nobility；　through　the　defect　of　such　orders　（that　is　to　say；　of　rotation　and　the　agrarian）；　came　to　eat　up　the　people；　and　battening　themselves　in　luxury；　to　be；　as　Sallust　speaks　of　them；　'a　most　sluggish　and　lazy　nobility；　in　whom；　besides　the　name；　there　was　no　more　than　in　a　statue；'　and　to　bring　so　mighty　a　commonwealth；　and　of　so　huge　a　glory；　to　so　deplorable　an　end。　Wherefore　means　might　have　been　found　to　remove　the　enmity　that　was　between　the　Senate　and　the　people　of　Rome。　　　　　〃My　lords；　if　I　have　argued　well；　I　have　given　you　the　comfort　and　assurance　that；　notwithstanding　the　judgment　of　Machiavel；　your　commonwealth　is　both　safe　and　sound；　but　if　I　have　not　argued　well；　then　take　the　comfort　and　assurance　which　he　gives　you　while　he　is　firm；　that　a　legislator　is　to　lay　aside　all　other　examples；　and　follow　that　of　Rome　only；　conniving　and　temporizing　with　the　enmity　between　the　Senate　and　the　people　as　a　necessary　step　to　the　Roman　greatness。　Whence　it　follows　that　your　commonwealth；　at　the　worst；　is　that　which　he　has　given　you　his　word　is　the　best。　　　　　〃I　have　held　your　lordships　long；　but　upon　an　account　of　no　small　importance；　which　I　can　now　sum　up　in　these　few　words：　where　there　is　a　liquorishness　in　a　popular　assembly　to　debate；　it　proceeds　not　from　the　constitution　of　the　people；　but　of　the　commonwealth。　Now　that　your　commonwealth　is　of　such　a　constitution　as　is　naturally　free　from　this　kind　of　intemperance；　is　that　which；　to　make　good；　I　must　divide　the　remainder　of　my　discourse　into　two　parts：　　　　　〃The　first；　showing　the　several　constitutions　of　the　assemblies　of　the　people　in　other　commonwealths；　　　　　〃The　second；　comparing　our　assembly　of　the　people　with　theirs；　and　showing　how　it　excludes　the　inconveniences　and　embraces　the　conveniences　of　them　all。　　　　　〃In　the　beginning　of　the　first　part　I　must　take　notice；　that　among　the　popular　errors　of　our　days　it　is　no　small　one　that　men　imagine　the　ancient　governments　of　this　kind　to　have　consisted　for　the　most　part　of　one　city　that　is；　of　one　town；　whereas　by　what　we　have　learned　of　my　'lords　that　owned　them；　it　appears　that　there　was　not　any　considerable　one　of　such　a　Constitution　but　Carthage；　till　this　in　our　days　of　Venice。　　　　　〃For　to　begin　with　Israel；　it　consisted　of　the　twelve　tribes；　locally　spread　or　quartered　throughout　the　whole　territory；　and　these　being　called　together　by　trumpets；　constituted　the　Church　or　assembly　of　the　people。　The　vastness　of　this　weight；　as　also　the　slowness　thence　unavoidable；　became　a　great　cause　（as　has　been　shown　at　large　by　my　Lord　Phosphorus）　of　the　breaking　that　commonwealth；　notwithstanding　that　the　Temple；　and　those　religious　ceremonies　for　which　the　people　were　at　least　annually　obliged　to　repair　thither；　were　no　small　ligament　of　the　tribes；　otherwise　but　slightly　tacked　together。　　　　　〃Athens　consisted　of　four　tribes；　taking　in　the　whole　people；　both　of　the　city　and　of　the　territory；　not　so　gathered　by　Theseus　into　one　town；　as　to　exclude　the　country；　but　to　the　end　that　there　might　be　some　capital　of　the　commonwealth：　though　true　it　be；　that　the　congregation；　consisting　of　the　inhabitants　within　the　walls；　was　sufficient　to　all　intents　and　purposes；　without　those　of　the　count