the commonwealth of oceana-第9部分

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s　under　Herod；　Pilate；　and　Tiberius；　a　three…piled　tyranny。　　　　　To　proceed；　Athens　preserved　her　religion；　by　the　testimony　of　Paul；　with　great　superstition：　if　Alcibiades；　that　atheistical　fellow　had　not　showed　them　a　pair　of　heels；　they　had　shaven　off　his　head　for　shaving　their　Mercuries；　and　making　their　gods　look　ridiculously　upon　them　without　beards。　Nevertheless；　if　Paul　reasoned　with　them；　they　loved　news；　for　which　he　was　the　more　welcome；　and　if　he　converted　Dionysius　the　Areopagite；　that　is；　one　of　the　senators；　there　followed　neither　any　hurt　to　him；　nor　loss　of　honor　to　Dionysius。　And　for　Rome；　if　Cicero；　in　his　most　excellent　book　〃De　Natura　Deorum；〃　overthrew　the　national　religion　of　that　commonwealth；　he　was　never　the　further　from　being　consul。　But　there　is　a　meanness　and　poorness　in　modern　prudence；　not　only　to　the　damage　of　civil　government；　but　of　religion　itself；　for　to　make　a　man　in　matter　of　religion；　which　admits　not　of　sensible　demonstration　（jurare　in　verba　magistri）；　engage　to　believe　no　otherwise　than　is　believed　by　my　lord　bishop；　or　Goodman　Presbyter　is　a　pedantism　that　has　made　the　sword　to　be　a　rod　in　the　hands　of　schoolmasters；　by　which　means；　whereas　the　Christian　religion　is　the　furthest　of　any　from　countenancing　war；　there　never　was　a　war　of　religion　but　since　Christianity；　for　which　we　are　beholden　to　the　Pope；　for　the　Pope　not　giving　liberty　of　conscience　to　princes　and　commonwealths；　they　cannot　give　that　to　their　subjects　which　they　have　not　themselves；　whence　both　princes　and　subjects；　either　through　his　instigation　or　their　own　disputes；　have　introduced　that　execrable　custom；　never　known　in　the　world　before；　of　fighting　for　religion；　and　denying　the　magistrate　to　have　any　jurisdiction　concerning　it；　whereas　the　magistrate's　losing　the　power　of　religion　loses　the　liberty　of　conscience；　which　in　that　case　has　nothing　to　protect　it。　But　if　the　people　be　otherwise　taught；　it　concerns　them　to　look　about　them；　and　to　distinguish　between　the　shrieking　of　the　lapwing　and　the　voice　of　the　turtle。　　　　　To　come　to　civil　laws。　If　they　stand　one　way　and　the　balance　another；　it　is　the　case　of　a　government　which　of　necessity　must　be　new　modelled；　wherefore　your　lawyers；　advising　you　upon　the　like　occasions　to　fit　your　government　to　their　laws；　are　no　more　to　be　regarded　than　your　tailor　if　he　should　desire　you　to　fit　your　body　to　his　doublet。　There　is　also　danger　in　the　plausible　pretence　of　reforming　the　law；　except　the　government　be　first　good；　in　which　case　it　is　a　good　tree；　and　（trouble　not　yourselves　overmuch）　brings　not　forth　evil　fruit；　otherwise；　if　the　tree　be　evil；　you　can　never　reform　the　fruit；　or　if　a　root　that　is　naught　bring　forth　fruit　of　this　kind　that　seems　to　be　good；　take　the　more　heed；　for　it　is　the　ranker　poison。　It　was　nowise　probable；　if　Augustus　had　not　made　excellent　laws；　that　the　bowels　of　Rome　could　have　come　to　be　so　miserably　eaten　out　by　the　tyranny　of　Tiberius　and　his　successors。　The　best　rule　as　to　your　laws　in　general　is　that　they　be　few。　Rome；　by　the　testimony　of　Cicero；　Was　best　governed　under　those　of　the　twelve　tables；　and　by　that　of　Tacitus；　Plurimoe　leges；　corruptissima　respublica。　You　will　be　told　that　where　the　laws　be　few　they　leave　much　to　arbitrary　power。；　but　where　they　be　many；　they　leave　more；　the　laws　in　this　case；　according　to　Justinian　and　the　best　lawyers；　being　as　litigious　as　the　suitors。　Solon　made　few；　Lycurgus　fewer；　laws；　and　commonwealths　have　the　fewest　at　this　day　of　all　other　governments。　　　　　Now　to　conclude　this　part　with　a　word　de　judiciis；　or　of　the　constitution　or　course　of　courts；　it　is　a　discourse　not　otherwise　capable　of　being　well　managed　but　by　particular　examples；　both　the　constitution　and　course　of　courts　being　divers　in　different　governments；　but　best　beyond　compare　in　Venice；　where　they　regard　not　so　much　the　arbitrary　power　of　their　courts　as　the　constitution　of　them；　whereby　that　arbitrary　power　being　altogether　unable　to　retard　or　do　hurt　to　business；　produces　and　must　produce　the　quickest　despatch；　and　the　most　righteous　dictates　of　justice　that　are　perhaps　in　human　nature。　The　manner　I　shall　not　stand　in　this　place　to　describe；　because　it　is　exemplified　at　large　in　the　judicature　of　the　people　of　Oceana。　And　thus　much　of　ancient　prudence；　and　the　first　branch　of　this　preliminary　discourse。


THE　SECOND　PART　OF　THE　PRELIMINARIES

In　the　second　part　I　shall　endeavor　to　show　the　rise；　progress；　and　declination　of　modern　prudence。　　　　　The　date　of　this　kind　of　policy　is　to　be　computed；　as　was　shown；　from　those　inundations　of　Goths；　Vandals；　Huns；　and　Lombards　that　overwhelmed　the　Roman　Empire。　But　as　there　is　no　appearance　in　the　bulk　or　constitution　of　modern　prudence；　that　it　should　ever　have　been　able　to　come　up　and　grapple　with　the　ancient；　so　something　of　necessity　must　have　interposed　whereby　this　came　to　be　enervated；　and　that　to　receive　strength　and　encouragement。　And　this　was　the　execrable　reign　of　the　Roman　emperors　taking　rise　from　（that　felix　scelus）　the　arms　of　Caesar；　in　which　storm　the　ship　of　the　Roman　Commonwealth　was　forced　to　disburden　itself　of　that　precious　freight；　which　never　since　could　emerge　or　raise　its　head　but　in　the　Gulf　of　Venice。　　　　　It　is　said　in　Scripture；　〃Thy　evil　is　of　thyself；　O　Israel！〃　to　which　answers　that　of　the　moralists；　〃None　is　hurt　but　by　himself；〃　as　also　the　whole　matter　of　the　politics；　at　present　this　example　of　the　Romans；　who；　through　a　negligence　committed　in　their　agrarian　laws；　let　in　the　sink　of　luxury；　and　forfeited　the　inestimable　treasure　of　liberty　for　themselves　and　their　posterity。　　　　　Their　agrarian　laws　were　such　whereby　their　lands　ought　to　have　been　divided　among　the　people；　either　without　mention　of　a　colony；　in　which　case　they　were　not　obliged　to　change　their　abode；　or　with　mention　and　upon　condition　of　a　colony；　in　which　case　they　were　to　change　their　abode；　and　leaving　the　city；　to　plant　themselves　upon　the　lands　so　assigned。　The　lands　assigned；　or　that　ought　to　have　been　assigned；　in　either　of　these　ways；　were　of　three　kinds：　such　as　were　taken　from　the　enemy　and　distributed　to　the　people；　or　such　as　were　taken　from　the　enemy；　and；　under　color　of　being　reserved　to　the　public　use；　were　through　stealth　possessed　by　the　nobility；　or　such　as　were　bought　with　the　public　money　to　be　distributed。　Of　the　laws　offered　in　these　cases；　those　which　divided　the　lands　taken　from　the　enemy；　or　purchased　with　the　public　money；　never　occasioned　any　dispute；　but　such　as　drove　at　dispossessing　the　nobility　of　their　usurpations；　and　dividing　the　common　purchase　of　the　sword　among　the　people；　were　never　touched　but　they　caused　earthquakes；　nor　could　they　ever　be　obtained　by　the　people；　or　being　obtained；　be　observed　by　the　nobility；　who　not　only　preserved　their　prey；　but　growing　vastly　rich　upon　it；　bought　the　people　by　degrees　quite　out　of　those　shares　that　had　been　conferred　upon　them。　This　the　Gracchi　coming　too　late　to　perceive　found　the　balance　of　the　commonwealth　to　be　lost；　but　putting　the　people　（when　they　had　least　force）　by　forcible　means　upon　the　recovery　of　it；　did　ill；　seeing　it　neither　could　nor　did　tend　to　any　more　than　to　show　them　by　worse　effects　that　what　the　wisdom　of　their　leaders　had　discovered　was　true。　For　quite　contrary　to　what　has　happened　in　Oceana；　where；　the　balance　falling　to　the　people；　they　have　overthrown　the　nobility；　that　nobility　of　Rome；　under　the　conduct　of　Sylla；　overthrew　the　people　and　the　commonwealth；　seeing　Sylla　first　introduced　that　new　balance　which　was　the　foundation　of　the　succeeding　monarchy；　in　the　plantation　of　military　colonies；　instituted　by　his　distribution　of　the　conquered　lands；　not　now　of　enemies；　but　of　citizens；　to　forty…seven　legions　of　his　soldiers；　so　that　how　he　came　to　be　perpetual　dictator；　or　other　magistrates　to　succeed　him　in　like　power；　is　no　miracle。　　　　　These　military　colonies　（in　which　manner　succeeding　emperors　continued；　as　Augustus　by　the　distribution　of　the　veterans；　whereby　he　had　overcome　Brutus　and　Cassius　to　plant　their　soldiery）　consisted　of　such　as　I　conceive　were　they　that　are　called　milites　beneficiarii；　in　regard　that　the　tenure　of　their　lands　was　by　way　of　benefices；　that　is；　for　life；　and　upon　condition　of　duty　or　service　in　the　war　upon　their　own　charge。　These　benefices　Alexander　Severus　granted　to　the　heirs　of　the　incumbents；　but　upon　the　same　conditions。　And　such　was　the　dominion　by　which　the　Roman　emperors　gave　their　balance。　But　to　the　beneficiaries；　as　was　no　less　than　necessary　for　the　safety　of　the　prince；　a　matter　of　8；000　by　the　example　of　Augustus　were　added；　which　departed　not　from　his　sides；　but　were　his　perpetual　guard；　called　Pretorian　bands；　though　these；　according　to　the　incurable　flaw　already　observed　in　this　kind　of　government；　became　the　most　frequent　butchers　of　their　lords　that　are　to　be　found　in　story。　Thus　far　the　Roman　monarchy　is　much　the　same　with　that　at　this　day　in　Turkey；　consisting　of　a　camp　and　a　horse…quarter；　a　camp　in　regard　of　the　Spahis　and　Janizaries；　the　perpetual　guard　of　the　prince；　except　they　also　chance　to　be　liquorish　after　his　blood；　and　a　horse…quarter　in　regard　of　the　distribution　of　his　whole　land　to　tenants　for　life；　upon　condition　of　continual　serv