The Spirit of Laws

第21章

Muchlessshouldtheyofferapublicaffronttoanyoftheirsubjects;

kingswereinstitutedtopardonandtopunish,butnevertoinsult。

Whentheyaffronttheirsubjects,theirtreatmentismorecruelthanthatoftheTurkortheMuscovite。Theinsultsoftheseareahumiliation,notadisgrace;butbothmustfollowfromtheinsolentbehaviourofmonarchs。

Suchistheprejudiceoftheeasternnationsthattheylookuponanaffrontfromtheprinceastheeffectofpaternalgoodness;andsuch,onthecontrary,isourwayofthinkingthatbesidesthecruelvexationofbeingaffronted,wedespairofeverbeingabletowipeoffthedisgrace。

Princesoughttobeoverjoyedtohavesubjectstowhomhonourisdearerthanlife,anincitementtofidelityaswellastocourage。

Theyshouldrememberthemisfortunesthathavehappenedtosovereignsforinsultingtheirsubjects:therevengeofCh?rea,oftheeunuchNarses,ofCountJulian,and,infine,oftheDuchessofMontpensier,who,beingenragedagainstHenryIIIforhavingpublishedsomeofherprivatefailings,tormentedhimduringherwholelife。

29。OfthecivilLawsproperformixingsomeportionofLibertyinadespoticGovernment。Thoughdespoticgovernmentsareoftheirownnatureeverywherethesame,yetfromcircumstances——fromareligiousopinion,fromprejudice,fromreceivedexamples,fromaparticularturnofmind,frommannersormorals——itispossibletheymayadmitofaconsiderabledifference。

Itisusefulthatsomeparticularnotionsshouldbeestablishedinthosegovernments。ThusinChinatheprinceisconsideredasthefatherofhispeople;andatthecommencementoftheempireoftheArabs,theprincewastheirpreacher。[76]

Itisproperthereshouldbesomesacredbooktoserveforarule,astheKoranamongtheArabs,thebooksofZoroasteramongthePersians,theVedaamongtheIndians,andtheclassicbooksamongtheChinese。Thereligiouscodesuppliesthecivilandfixestheextentofarbitrarysway。

Itisnotatallamissthatindubiouscasesthejudgesshouldconsulttheministersofreligion。[77]Thus,inTurkey,theCadisconsulttheMollahs。Butifitisacapitalcrime,itmaybeproperfortheparticularjudge,ifsuchtherebe,totakethegovernor’sadvice,totheendthatthecivilandecclesiasticalpowermaybetemperedalsobythepoliticalauthority。

30。ThesameSubjectcontinued。Nothingbuttheveryexcessandrageofdespoticpowerordainedthatthefather’sdisgraceshoulddragafteritthatofhiswifeandchildren。Theyarewretchedenoughalreadywithoutbeingcriminals:besides,theprinceoughttoleavesuppliantsormediatorsbetweenhimselfandtheaccused,toassuagehiswrathortoinformhisjustice。

ItisanexcellentcustomoftheMaldivians[78]thatwhenalordisdisgracedhegoeseverydaytopayhiscourttothekingtillheistakenagainintofavour:hispresencedisarmstheprince’sindignation。

Insomedespoticgovernments[79]theyhaveanotionthatitistrespassingagainsttherespectduetotheirprincetospeaktohiminfavourofapersonindisgrace。Theseprincesseemtousealltheirendeavourstodeprivethemselvesofthevirtueofclemency。

ArcadiusandHonorius,byalaw[80]onwhichwehavealreadydescanted,[81]positivelydeclarethattheywillshownofavourtothosewhoshallpresumetopetitiontheminbehalfoftheguilty。[82]Thiswasaverybadlawindeed,sinceitisbadevenunderadespoticgovernment。

ThecustomofPersia,whichpermitseverymanthatpleasestoleavethekingdom,isexcellent;andthoughthecontrarypracticederivesitsoriginfromdespoticpower,whichhaseverconsideredthesubjectsasslaves[83]andthosewhoquitthecountryasfugitives,yetthePersianpracticeisusefuleventoadespoticgovernment,becausetheapprehensionofpeople’swithdrawingfordebtrestrainsormoderatestheoppressionsofpashasandextortioners。

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1。Politics,ii。8。

2。TarquiniusPriscus。SeeDionysiusHalicarnassus,iv。

3。Asearlyastheyear560。

4。Aristotle,Politics,ii。12。HegavehislawsatThuriuminthe84thOlympiad。

5。SeeAristides,Orat。inMinervam。

6。DionysiusHalicarnassusonthejudgmentofCoriolanus,vii。

7。Minerv?calculus。

8。St。Louismadesuchseverelawsagainstthosewhosworethatthepopethoughthimselfobligedtoadmonishhimforit。Thisprincemoderatedhiszeal,andsoftenedhislaws。SeehisOrdinances。

9。FatherRougerel。

10。Nicetas,LifeofManuelComnenus,iv。

11。Ibid。

12。Theophylactus,HistoryoftheEmperorMaurice,11。

13。SecretHistory。

14。FatherDuHalde,i,p。43。

15。FatherParenninintheEdifyingLetters。

16。Bookxxix。

17。Gratian,Valentinian,andTheodosius。ThisisthesecondintheCod。

decrimin。sacril。

18。Sacrilegiiinstarestdubitareanisdignussitquemelegeritimperator。——Cod。decrimin。sacril。ThislawhasservedasamodeltothatofRogerintheconstitutionofNaples,tit。4。

19。Leg。5,adleg。Jul。Majest。

20。ArcadiusandHonorius。

21。MemoirsofMontresor,i,p。238,Cologne,1723。

22。Namipsiparscorporisnostrisunt——ThesamelawoftheCod。,adleg。Jul。Majest。

23。Itisthe9thoftheCod。Theod。defalsamoneta。

24。Etiamexaliiscausismajestatiscriminacessantmeos?culo——Leg。

1。Cod。,ix,tit。8,adleg。Jul。Majest。

25。Alienamsect?me?solicitudinemconcepisti。——Leg。2,Cod。,iii,tit。4,adleg。Jul。Majest。

26。Leg。4,§1,ff。adleg。,Jul。Majest。,xlviii,tit。4。

27。SeeLeg。5,§2,ff。ibid。

28。Ibid。,§1。

29。Aliudvequidsimileadmiserint——Leg。6,ff。adleg。Jul。Majest。

30。Inthelastlaw,ff。adleg。Jul。deadulteriis。

31。SeeBurnet,HistoryoftheReformation。

32。Plutarch,Dionysius。

33。Thethoughtmustbejoinedwithsomesortofaction。

34。Sinontalesitdelictuminquodvelscripturalegisdescenditveladexemplumlegisvindicandumest,saysModestinusinLeg。7,§3,ff。

adleg。Jul。Majest。

35。In1740。

36。Neclubricumlingu?adpoenamfaciletrahendumest。——Modestinus,inLeg。7,§3,ff。adleg。Jul。Majest。

37。Siidexlevitateprocesserit,contemnendumest;siexinsania,miserationedignissimum;siabinjuria,remittendum。——Leg。unica。Cod。

siquisImperat。maled。

38。Tacitus,Annals,i。72。Thiscontinuedunderthefollowingreigns。

SeethefirstlawintheCod。defamosislibellis。

39。Tacitus,Annals,iv。34。

40。ThelawoftheTwelveTables。

41。Suetonius,LifeofTiberius,61。

42。CollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,v,partII。

43。Ibid。,p。496。

44。Dio,inXiphilin。,lv。5。Tacitus,Annals,ii。30,iii。67,attributesthislaw,nottoAugustus,buttoTiberius。

45。FlaviusVopiscusinhisLife,9。

46。Sullamadealawofmajesty,whichismentionedinCicero’sOrations,ProCluentio,art。3;InPisonem,art。21;andagainstVerres,art。5。FamiliarEpistles,iii,11。C?sarandAugustusinsertedthemintheJulianLaws;othersmadeadditionstothem。

47。Etquoquisdistinctioraccusator,eomagishonoresassequebatur,acvelutisacrosanctuserat。——Tacitus,Annals,iv。36。

48。Deut。,13。6—9。

49。CollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,v,partII,p。423。

50。DionysiusHalicarnassus,RomanAntiquities,viii。

51。Tyrannooccisoquinqueejusproximoscognationemagistratusnecato。

——Cicero,DeInvent。ii。29。

52。Cookviii,p。547。

53。OftheCivilWars,iv。

54。Itisnotsufficientinthecourtsofjusticeofthatkingdomthattheevidencebeofsuchanatureastosatisfythejudges;theremustbealegalp

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