首页 >出版文学> 美国人之自由精神>第8章
Butthereapowerstepsin,thatlimitsthearroganceofragingpassionsandfurious
elements,andsays,“Sofarshaltthougo,andnofarther。”Whoareyou,that
youshouldfretandrage,andbitethechainsofNatureNothingworsehappens[注:Nothing
worsehappens&c。—‘Does’=Doeshappen。虽无更恶之事然与彼相同之事则不可免。]toyouthandoestoal?
nationswhohaveextensiveempire;andillhappensinalltheforms
intowhichempirecanbethrown。Inlargebodies,thecirculationofpowermustbeless
vigorousattheextremities,Naturehassaidit。TheTurkcannotgovernEgypt,and
ArabiaandCurdistan[注:Curdistan。突厥之属地。去其本部甚远。]ashegovernsThrace;[注:Thrace
突厥在欧洲之属地,在其东南。]norhashethesamedominioninCrimeaandAlgiers[注:Crimeaand
Algiers皆突厥领土。去其本国亦远。]whichhehasatBrusa[注:Brusa在君士但丁之南。去之甚近。]andSmyrna。[注:
Smyrna在亚洲突厥之西。临Eugean海。]Despotismitselfisobligedtotruckand
huckster。[注:Totruckandhuckster。—交换者谓其此移彼置。零售者喻其权力四分反致涣散薄弱也。]Thesultangets
suchobedienceashecan。Hegovernswithalooserein,[注:Looserein宽典。]thathe
maygovernatall;[注:Thathemaygovernatall谓其欲求治之不得不用宽典。否则将叛去也。]andthewholeof
theforceandvigorofhisauthorityinhiscentreisderivedfromaprudent
relaxationinallhisborders。
Spain,inherprovinces,is,perhaps,notsowellobeyedasyouareinyours。
Shecompliestoo;shesubmits;shewatchestimes。Thisistheimmutablecondition,the
eternallaw,ofextensiveanddetachedempire。
9。Then,sir,fromthesesixcapitalsources,—ofdescent;offormofgovernment;of
religionintheNorthernprovinces;ofmannersinthesouthern;ofeducation;of
theremotenessofsituationfromthefirstmover[注:Firstmover。政府权力之源泉。]of
government;—fromallthesecausesafiercespiritoflibertyhasgrownup。
Ithasgrownwiththegrowthofthepeopleinyourcolonies,andincreasedwiththe
incrcaseoftheirwealth—aspiritthat,unhappilymeetingwithanexerciseof
powerinEnglandwhich,howeverlawful,isnotreconcilabletoanyideasof
liberty,muchlesswiththeirs,haskindledthisflamethatisreadytoconsumeus。