第27章

4。NewEffectsoftheFertilityandBarrennessofCountries。Thebarrennessoftheearthrendersmenindustrious，sober，inuredtohardship，courageous，andfitforwar；theyareobligedtoprocurebylabourwhattheearthrefusestobestowspontaneously。Thefertilityofacountrygivesease，effeminacy，andacertainfondnessforthepreservationoflife。IthasbeenremarkedthattheGermantroopsraisedinthoseplaceswherethepeasantsarerich，as，forinstance，inSaxony，arenotsogoodastheothers。Militarylawsmayprovideagainstthisinconveniencebyamoreseverediscipline。

5。OftheInhabitantsofIslands。Theinhabitantsofislandshaveahigherrelishforlibertythanthoseofthecontinent。Islandsarecommonlyofsmallextent；[4]onepartofthepeoplecannotbesoeasilyemployedtooppresstheother；theseaseparatesthemfromgreatempires；tyrannycannotsowellsupportitselfwithinasmallcompass：

conquerorsarestoppedbythesea；andtheislanders，beingwithoutthereachoftheirarms，moreeasilypreservetheirownlaws。

6。OfCountriesraisedbytheIndustryofMan。Thosecountrieswhichtheindustryofmanhasrenderedhabitable，andwhichstandinneedofthesameindustrytoprovidefortheirsubsistence，requireamildandmoderategovernment。Thereareprincipallythreeofthisspecies：thetwofineprovincesofKiang—nanandTsekianginChina；Egypt，andHolland。

TheancientemperorsofChinawerenotconquerors。Thefirstthingtheydidtoaggrandisethemselveswaswhatgavethehighestproofoftheirwisdom。Theyraisedfrombeneaththewaterstwoofthefinestprovincesoftheempire；theseowetheirexistencetothelabourofman。AnditistheinexpressiblefertilityofthesetwoprovinceswhichhasgivenEuropesuchideasofthefelicityofthatvastcountry。Butacontinualandnecessarycaretopreservefromdestructionsoconsiderableapartoftheempiredemandedratherthemannersofawisethanofavoluptuousnation，ratherthelawfulauthorityofamonarchthanthetyrannicswayofadespoticprince。Powerwas，therefore，necessarilymoderatedinthatcountry，asitwasformerlyinEgypt，andasitisnowinHolland，whichnaturehasmadetoattendtoherself，andnottobeabandonedtonegligenceorcaprice。

Thus，inspiteoftheclimateofChina，wheretheyarenaturallyledtoaservileobedience；inspiteoftheapprehensionswhichfollowtoogreatanextentofempire，thefirstlegislatorsofthiscountrywereobligedtomakeexcellentlaws，andthegovernmentwasfrequentlyobligedtofollowthem。

7。OfhumanIndustry。Mankindbytheirindustry，andbytheinfluenceofgoodlaws，haverenderedtheearthmoreproperfortheirabode。Weseeriversflowwheretherehavebeenlakesandmarshes：thisisabenefitwhichnaturehasnotbestowed；butitisabenefitmaintainedandsuppliedbynature。WhenthePersians[5]weremastersofAsia，theypermittedthosewhoconveyedaspringtoanyplacewhichhadnotbeenwateredbeforetoenjoythebenefitforfivegenerations；andasanumberofrivuletsflowedfromMountTaurus，theysparednoexpenseindirectingthecourseoftheirstreams。Atthisday，withoutknowinghowtheycamethither，theyarefoundinthefieldsandgardens。

Thus，asdestructivenationsproduceevilsmoredurablethanthemselves，theactionsofanindustriouspeoplearethesourceofblessingswhichlastwhentheyarenomore。

8。ThegeneralRelationofLaws。Thelawshaveaverygreatrelationtothemannerinwhichtheseveralnationsprocuretheirsubsistence。Thereshouldbeacodeoflawsofamuchlargerextentforanationattachedtotradeandnavigationthanforpeoplewhoarecontentwithcultivatingtheearth。Thereshouldbeamuchgreaterforthelatterthanforthosewhosubsistbytheirflocksandherds。Theremustbeastillgreaterforthesethanforsuchaslivebyhunting。

9。OftheSoilofAmerica。ThecauseoftherebeingsuchanumberofsavagenationsinAmericaisthefertilityoftheearth，whichspontaneouslyproducesmanyfruitscapableofaffordingthemnourishment。Ifthewomencultivateaspotoflandaroundtheircottages，themaizegrowsuppresently；andhuntingandfishingputthemeninastateofcompleteabundance。Besides，blackcattle，ascows，buffaloes，&c。，thrivetherebetterthancarnivorousbeasts。ThelatterhavealwaysreignedinAfrica。

Weshouldnot，Ibelieve，havealltheseadvantagesinEuropeifthelandwasleftuncultivated；itwouldscarcelyproduceanythingbesidesforestsofoaksandotherbarrentrees。

10。OfPopulationintheRelationitbearstotheMannerofprocuringSubsistence。Letusseeinwhatproportioncountriesarepeopledwheretheinhabitantsdonotcultivatetheearth。Astheproduceofuncultivatedlandistothatoflandimprovedbyculture，sothenumberofsavagesinonecountryistothatofhusbandmeninanother：andwhenthepeoplewhocultivatethelandcultivatealsothearts，thisisalsoinsuchproportionsaswouldrequireaminutedetail。

Theycanscarcelyformagreatnation。Iftheyareherdsmenandshepherds，theyhaveneedofanextensivecountrytofurnishsubsistenceforasmallnumber；iftheylivebyhunting，theirnumbermustbestillless，andinordertofindthemeansoflifetheymustconstituteaverysmallnation。

Theircountrycommonlyaboundswithforests，which，astheinhabitantshavenottheartofdrainingoffthewaters，arefilledwithbogs；hereeachtroopcantonthemselves，andformapettynation。

11。OfsavageandbarbarousNations。Thereisthisdifferencebetweensavageandbarbarousnations：theformeraredispersedclans，whichforsomeparticularreasoncannotbejoinedinabody；andthelatterarecommonlysmallnations，capableofbeingunited。Thesavagesaregenerallyhunters；thebarbariansareherdsmenandshepherds。

ThisappearsplaininthenorthofAsia。ThepeopleofSiberiacannotliveinbodies，becausetheyareunabletofindsubsistence；theTartarsmayliveinbodiesforsometime，becausetheirherdsandflocksmayforatimebereassembled。Alltheclansmaythenbereunited，andthisiseffectedwhenonechiefhassubduedmanyothers；afterwhichtheymaydotwothings——eitherseparate，orsetoutwithadesigntomakeagreatconquestinsomesouthernempire。

12。OftheLawofNationsamongPeoplewhodonotcultivatetheEarth。

Asthesepeopledonotliveincircumscribedterritories，manycausesofstrifearisebetweenthem；theyquarrelaboutwastelandasweaboutinheritances。Thustheyfindfrequentoccasionsforwar，indisputesinrelationeithertotheirhunting，theirfishing，thepasturefortheircattle，ortheviolentseizingoftheirslaves；andastheyarenotpossessedoflandedproperty，theyhavemanythingstoregulatebythelawofnations，andbutfewtodecidebythecivillaw。

13。OftheCivilLawsofthoseNationswhodonotcultivatetheEarth。

Thedivisionoflandsiswhatprincipallyincreasesthecivilcode。

Amongnationswheretheyhavenotmadethisdivisionthereareveryfewcivillaws。

Theinstitutionsofthesepeoplemaybecalledmannersratherthanlaws。

Amongsuchnationsasthesetheoldmen，whorememberthingspast，havegreatauthority；theycannottherebedistinguishedbywealth，butbywisdomandvalour。

Thesepeoplewanderanddispersethemselvesinpasturegroundsorinforests。Marriagecannottherehavethesecuritywhichithasamongus，whereitisfixedbythehabitation，andwherethewifecontinuesinonehouse；theymaythenmoreeasilychangetheirwives，possessmany，andsometimesmixindifferentlylikebrutes。

Nationsofherdsmenandshepherdscannotleavetheircattle，whicharetheirsubsistence；neithercantheyseparatethemselvesfromtheirwives，wholookafterthem。Allthisought，then，togotogether，especiallyaslivinggenerallyinaflatopencountry，wheretherearefewplacesofconsiderablestrength，theirwives，theirchildren，theirflocks，maybecomethepreyoftheirenemies。

Thelawsregulatethedivisionofplunder，andgive，likeourSaliclaws，aparticularattentiontotheft。

14。OfthepoliticalStateofthePeoplewhodonotcultivatetheLand。

Thesepeopleenjoygreatliberty；forastheydonotcultivatetheearth，theyarenotfixed：theyarewanderersandvagabonds；andifachiefshoulddeprivethemoftheirliberty，t