the commonwealth of oceana-第12章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


mmonwealth　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　service；　or　as　often　as　they　shall　be　commanded　at　their　own　charge　by　timars；　being　a　word　which　they　say　signifies　benefices；　that　it　shall　save　me　a　labor　of　opening　the　government。　　　　　But　the　fame　of　Mahomet　and　his　prudence　is　especially　founded　in　this；　that　whereas　the　Roman　monarchy；　except　that　of　Israel；　was　the　most　imperfect；　the　Turkish　is　the　most　perfect　that　ever　was。　Which　happened　in　that　the　Roman　（as　the　Israelitish　of　the　Sanhedrim　and　the　congregation）　had　a　mixture　of　the　Senate　and　the　people；　and　the　Turkish　is　pure。　And　that　this　was　pure；　and　the　other　mixed；　happened　not　through　the　wisdom　of　the　legislators；　but　the　different　genius　of　the　nations；　the　people　of　the　Eastern　parts；　except　the　Israelites；　which　is　to　be　attributed　to　their　agrarian；　having　been　such　as　scarce　ever　knew　any　other　condition　than　that　of　slavery；　and　these　of　the　Wester　having　ever　had　such　a　relish　of　liberty；　as　through　what　despair　soever　could　never　be　brought　to　stand　still　while　the　yoke　was　putting　on　their　necks；　but　by　being　fed　with　some　hopes　of　reserving　to　themselves　some　part　of　their　freedom。　　　　　Wherefore　Julius　Caesar　（saith　Suetonius）　contented　himself　in　naming　half　the　magistrates；　to　leave　the　rest　to　the　suffrage　of　the　people。　And　Maecenas；　though　he　would　not　have　Augustus　to　give　the　people　their　liberty；　would　not　have　him　take　it　quite　away。　Whence　this　empire；　being　neither　hawk　nor　buzzard；　made　a　flight　accordingly；　and　the　prince　being　perpetually　tossed　（having　the　avarice　of　the　soldiery　on　this　hand　to　satisfy　upon　the　people；　and　the　Senate　and　the　people　on　the　other　to　be　defended　from　the　soldiery）；　seldom　died　any　other　death　than　by　one　horn　of　this　dilemma；　as　is　noted　more　at　large　by　Machiavel。　　　　　But　the　Pretorian　bands；　those　bestial　executioners　of　their　captain's　tyranny　upon　others；　and　of　their　own　upon　him；　having　continued　from　the　time　of　Augustus；　were　by　Constantine　the　Great　（incensed　against　them　for　taking　part　with　his　adversary　Maxentius）　removed　from　their　strong　garrison　which　they　held　in　Rome；　and　distributed　into　divers　provinces。　The　benefices　of　the　soldiers　that　were　hitherto　held　for　life　and　upon　duty；　were　by　this　prince　made　hereditary；　so　that　the　whole　foundation　whereupon　this　empire　was　first　built　being　now　removed；　shows　plainly　that　the　emperors　must　long　before　this　have　found　out　some　other　way　of　support；　and　this　was　by　stipendiating　the　Goths；　a　people　that；　deriving　their　roots　from　the　northern　parts　of　Germany；　or　out　of　Sweden；　had；　through　their　victories　obtained　against　Domitian；　long　since　spread　their　branches　to　so　near　a　neighborhood　with　the　Roman　territories　that　they　began　to　overshadow　them。　For　the　emperors　making　use　of　them　in　their　armies；　as　the　French　do　at　this　day　of　the　Switz；　gave　them　that　under　the　notion　of　a　stipend；　which　they　received　as　tribute；　coming；　if　there　were　any　default　in　the　payment；　so　often　to　distrain　for　it；　that　in　the　time　of　Honorius　they　sacked　Rome；　and　possessed　themselves　of　It