Astheenjoymentofliberty,andevenitssupportandpreservation,consistsineveryman’sbeingallowedtospeakhisthoughts,andtolayopenhissentiments,acitizeninthisstatewillsayorwritewhateverthelawsdonotexpresslyforbidtobesaidorwritten。
Apeoplelikethis,beingalwaysinaferment,aremoreeasilyconductedbytheirpassionsthanbyreason,whichneverproducesanygreateffectinthemindofman;itisthereforeeasyforthosewhogoverntomakethemundertakeenterprisescontrarytotheirtrueinterest。
Thisnationispassionatelyfondofliberty,becausethislibertyisreal;anditispossibleforit,initsdefence,tosacrificeitswealth,itsease,itsinterest,andtosupporttheburdenoftheheaviesttaxes,evensuchasadespoticprincedurstnotlayuponhissubjects。
Butasthepeoplehaveacertainknowledgeofthenecessityofsubmittingtothosetaxes,theypaythemfromthewell—foundedhopeoftheirdiscontinuance;theirburdensareheavy,buttheydonotfeeltheirweight;whilstinotherstatestheuneasinessisinfinitelygreaterthantheevil。
Thisnationmustthereforehaveafixedandcertaincredit,becauseitborrowsofitselfandpaysitself。Itispossibleforittoundertakethingsaboveitsnaturalstrength,andemployagainstitsenemiesimmensesumsoffictitiousriches,whichthecreditandnatureofthegovernmentmayrenderreal。
Topreserveitsliberty,itborrowsofitssubjects:andthesubjects,seeingthatitscreditwouldbelostifeveritwereconquered,haveanewmotivetomakefresheffortsindefenceofitsliberty。
Thisnation,inhabitinganisland,isnotfondofconquering,becauseitwouldbeweakenedbydistantconquests——especiallyasthesoiloftheislandisgood,forithasthennoneedofenrichingitselfbywar;andasnocitizenissubjecttoanother,eachsetsagreatervalueonhisownlibertythanonthegloryofoneoranynumberofcitizens。
Militarymenarethereregardedasbelongingtoaprofessionwhichmaybeusefulbutisoftendangerous,andasmenwhoseveryservicesareburdensometothenation:civilqualificationsarethereforemoreesteemedthanthemilitary。
Thisnation,whichlibertyandthelawsrendereasy,onbeingfreedfromperniciousprejudices,hasbecomeatradingpeople;andasithassomeofthoseprimitivematerialsoftradeoutofwhicharemanufacturedsuchthingsasfromtheartist’shandreceiveaconsiderablevalue,ithasmadesettlementspropertoprocuretheenjoymentofthisgiftofheaveninitsfullestextent。
Asthisnationissituatedtowardsthenorth,andhasmanysuperfluouscommodities,itmustwantalsoagreatamountofmerchandisewhichitsclimatewillnotproduce:ithasthereforeenteredintoagreatandnecessaryintercoursewiththesouthernnations;andmakingchoiceofthosestateswhomitiswillingtofavourwithanadvantageouscommerce,itentersintosuchtreatieswiththenationithaschosenasarereciprocallyusefultoboth。
Inastatewhere,ontheonehand,theopulenceisextreme,andontheotherthetaxesareexcessive,theyarehardlyabletoliveonasmallfortunewithoutindustry。Many,therefore,underapretenceoftravelling,orofhealth,retirefromamongthem,andgoinsearchofplenty,eventothecountriesofslavery。
Atradingnationhasaprodigiousnumberoflittleparticularinterests;
itmaytheninjureorbeinjuredinaninfinitenumberofways。Thusitbecomesimmoderatelyjealous,andismoreafflictedattheprosperityofothersthanitrejoicesatitsown。
Anditslaws,otherwisemildandeasy,maybesorigidwithrespecttothetradeandnavigationcarriedonwithit,thatitmayseemtotradeonlywithenemies。
Ifthisnationsendscoloniesabroad,itmustratherbetoextenditscommercethanitsdominion。
Asmenarefondofintroducingintootherplaceswhattheyhaveestablishedamongthemselves,theyhavegiventhepeopleofthecoloniestheirownformofgovernment;andthisgovernmentcarryingprosperityalongwithit,theyhaveraisedgreatnationsintheforeststheyweresenttoinhabit。
Havingformerlysubduedaneighbouringnation,whichbyitssituation,thegoodnessofitsports,andthenatureofitsproducts,inspiresitwithjealousy,thoughithasgiventhisnationitsownlaws,yetitholdsitingreatdependence:thesubjectstherearefreeandthestateitselfinslavery。
Theconqueredstatehasanexcellentcivilgovernment,butisoppressedbythelawofnations。Lawsareimposedbyonecountryontheother,andthesearesuchasrenderitsprosperityprecariousanddependentonthewillofamaster。
Therulingnationinhabitingalargeisland,andbeinginpossessionofagreattrade,haswithextraordinaryeasegrownpowerfulatsea;andasthepreservationofitslibertiesrequiresthatitshouldhaveneitherstrongholdsnorfortressesnorlandforces,ithasoccasionforaformidablenavytodefenditagainstinvasions;anavywhichmustbesuperiortothatofallotherpowers,who,employingtheirtreasuresinwarsonland,havenotsufficientforthoseatsea。
Theempireoftheseahasalwaysgiventhosewhohaveenjoyeditanaturalpride;because,thinkingthemselvescapableofextendingtheirinsultswherevertheyplease,theyimaginethattheirpowerisasboundlessastheocean。
Thisnationhasagreatinfluenceintheaffairsofitsneighbours;forasitspowerisnotemployedinconquests,itsfriendshipismorecourted,anditsresentmentmoredreaded,thancouldnaturallybeexpectedfromtheinconstancyofitsgovernment,anditsdomesticdivisions。
Thusitisthefateoftheexecutivepowertobealmostalwaysdisturbedathomeandrespectedabroad。
ShouldthisnationonsomeoccasionsbecomethecentreofthenegotiationsofEurope,probityandgoodfaithwouldbecarriedtoagreaterheightthaninotherplaces;becausetheministersbeingfrequentlyobligedtojustifytheirconductbeforeapopularcouncil,theirnegotiationscouldnotbesecret;andtheywouldbeforcedtobe,inthisrespect,alittlemorehonest。
Besides,astheywouldinsomesortbeanswerablefortheeventswhichanirregularconductmightproduce,thesurest,thesafestwayforthemwouldbetotakethestraightestpath。
Ifthenobleswereformerlypossessedofanimmoderatepower,andthemonarchhadfoundthemeansofabasingthembyraisingthepeople,thepointofextremeservitudemusthavebeenthatbetweenhumblingthenobilityandthatinwhichthepeoplebegantofeeltheirpower。
Thusthisnation,havingbeenformerlysubjecttoanarbitrarypower,onmanyoccasionspreservesthestyleofit,insuchamannerastoletusfrequentlyseeuponthefoundationofafreegovernmenttheformofanabsolutemonarchy。
Withregardtoreligion,asinthisstateeverysubjecthasafreewill,andmustconsequentlybeeitherconductedbythelightofhisownmindorbythecapriceoffancy,itnecessarilyfollowsthateveryonemusteitherlookuponallreligionwithindifference,bywhichmeanstheyareledtoembracetheestablishedreligion,ortheymustbezealousforreligioningeneral,bywhichmeansthenumberofsectsisincreased。
Itisnotimpossiblebutthatinthisnationtheremaybemenofnoreligion,whowouldnot,however,beartobeobligedtochangethatwhichtheywouldchoose,iftheycaredtochooseany;fortheywouldimmediatelyperceivethattheirlivesandfortunesarenotmorepeculiarlytheirsthantheirmannerofthinking,andthatwhoeverwoulddeprivethemoftheonemightevenwithbetterreasontakeawaytheother。
If,amongthedifferentreligions,thereisonethathasbeenattemptedtobeestablishedbymethodsofslavery,itmusttherebeodious;
becauseaswejudgeofthingsbytheappendageswejoinwiththem,itcouldneverpresentitselftothemindinconjunctionwiththeideaofliberty。
Thelawsagainstthosewhoprofessthisreligioncouldnot,however,beofthesanguinarykind;forlibertycanneverinflictsuchpunishments;
buttheymaybesorigorousastodoallthemischiefthatcanbedoneincoldblood。
Itispossiblethatathousandcircumstancesmightconcurtogivetheclergysolittlecredit,thatothercitizensmayhavemore。Therefore,insteadofaseparation,theyhavechosenrathertosupportthesameburdensasthelaity,andinthisrespecttomakeonlyonebodywiththem;butastheyalwaysseektoconciliatetherespectofthepeople,theydistinguishthemselvesbyamoreretiredlife,aconductmorereserved,andagreaterpurityofmanners。
Theclergynotbeingabletoprotectreligion,nortobeprotectedbyit,onlyseektopersuade;theirpensthereforefurnishuswithexcellentworksinproofofarevelationandoftheprovidenceoftheSupremeBeing。
Yetthestatepreventsthesittingoftheirassemblies,anddoesnotsufferthemtocorrecttheirownabuses;itchoosesthus,throughacapriceofliberty,rathertoleavetheirreformationimperfectthantosuffertheclergytobethereformers。
Thosedignitieswhichmakeafundamentalpartoftheconstitutionaremorefixedthanelsewhere;but,ontheotherhand,thegreatinthiscountryoflibertyareneareruponalevelwiththepeople;theirranksaremoreseparated,andtheirpersonsmoreconfounded。
Asthosewhogovernhaveapowerwhich,insomemeasure,hasneedoffreshvigoureveryday,theyhaveagreaterregardforsuchasareusefultothemthanforthosewhoonlycontributetotheiramusement:wesee,therefore,fewercourtiers,flatterers,andparasites;inshort,fewerofallthosewhomaketheirownadvantageofthefollyofthegreat。
Menarelessesteemedforfrivoloustalentsandattainmentsthanforessentialqualities;andofthiskindtherearebuttwo,richesandpersonalmerit。
Theyenjoyasolidluxury,founded,notontherefinementsofvanity,butonthatofrealwants;theyasknothingofnaturebutwhatnaturecanbestow。
Therichenjoyagreatsuperfluityoffortune,andyethavenorelishforfrivolousamusements;thus,manyhavingmorewealththanopportunitiesofexpense,employitinafantasticmanner:inthisnationtheyhavemorejudgmentthantaste。
Astheyarealwaysemployedabouttheirowninterest,theyhavenotthatpolitenesswhichisfoundedonindolence;andtheyreallyhavenotleisuretoattainit。
TheeraofRomanpolitenessisthesameasthatoftheestablishmentofarbitrarypower。Anabsolutegovernmentproducesindolence,andthisgivesbirthtopoliteness。
Themorepeoplethereareinanationwhorequirecircumspectbehaviour,andcarenottodisplease,themorethereisofpoliteness。Butitisratherthepolitenessofmoralsthanthatofmannerswhichoughttodistinguishusfrombarbarousnations。
Inacountrywhereeverymanhas,insomesort,ashareintheadministrationofthegovernment,thewomenoughtscarcelytolivewiththemen。Theyarethereforemodest,thatis,timid;andthistimidityconstitutestheirvirtue:whilstthemenwithoutatasteforgallantryplungethemselvesintoadebauchery,whichleavesthematleisure,andintheenjoymentoftheirfullliberty。
Theirlawsnotbeingmadeforoneindividualmorethananother,eachconsidershimselfamonarch;and,indeed,themenofthisnationareratherconfederatesthanfellow—subjects。
Astheclimatehasgivenmanypersonsarestlessspiritandextendedviews,inacountrywheretheconstitutiongiveseverymanashareinitsgovernmentandpoliticalinterests,conversationgenerallyturnsuponpolitics:andweseemenspendtheirlivesinthecalculationofeventswhich,consideringthenatureofthingsandthecapricesoffortune,orratherofmen,canscarcelybethoughtsubjecttotherulesofcalculation。
Inafreenationitisveryoftenamatterofindifferencewhetherindividualsreasonwellorill;itissufficientthattheydoreason:
hencespringsthatlibertywhichisasecurityfromtheeffectsofthesereasonings。
Butinadespoticgovernment,itisequallyperniciouswhethertheyreasonwellorill;theirreasoningisalonesufficienttoshocktheprincipleofthatgovernment。
Manypeoplewhohavenodesireofpleasingabandonthemselvestotheirownparticularhumour;andmostofthosewhohavewitandingenuityareingeniousintormentingthemselves:filledwithcontemptordisgustforallthings,theyareunhappyamidstalltheblessingsthatcanpossiblycontributetopromotetheirfelicity。
Asnosubjectfearsanother,thewholenationisproud;fortheprideofkingsisfoundedonlyontheirindependence。
Freenationsarehaughty;othersmaymoreproperlybecalledvain。
Butasthesemenwhoarenaturallysoproudlivemuchbythemselves,theyarecommonlybashfulwhentheyappearamongstrangers;andwefrequentlyseethembehaveforaconsiderabletimewithanoddmixtureofprideandill—placedshame。
Thecharacterofthenationismoreparticularlydiscoveredintheirliteraryperformances,inwhichwefindthemenofthoughtanddeepmeditation。
Associetygivesusasenseoftheridiculeofmankind,retirementrendersusmorefittoreflectonthefollyofvice。Theirsatiricalwritingsaresharpandsevere,andwefindamongthemmanyJuvenals,withoutdiscoveringoneHorace。
Inmonarchiesextremelyabsolute,historiansbetraythetruth,becausetheyarenotatlibertytospeakit;instatesremarkablyfree,theybetraythetruth,becauseoftheirlibertyitself;whichalwaysproducesdivisions,everyonebecomingasgreataslavetotheprejudicesofhisfactionashecouldbeinadespoticstate。
Theirpoetshavemorefrequentlyanoriginalrudenessofinventionthanthatparticularkindofdelicacywhichspringsfromtaste;wetherefindsomethingwhichapproachesnearertotheboldstrengthofaMich?lAngelothantothesoftergracesofaRaph?l。
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1。Theycutoutthetonguesoftheadvocates,andcried,"Viper,don’thiss。"——Tacitus。
2。Agathias,iv。
3。Justin,xxxviii。
4。Calumniaslitium——Ibid。
5。Tacitus。
6。Hehasdescribedthisinterview,whichhappenedin1596,intheCollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,iii,partI,p。33。
7。Bookliv。17,p。532。
8。FableoftheBees。
9。ThepeoplewhofollowthekhanofMalacamber,thoseofCarnatacaandCoromandel,areproudandindolent;theyconsumelittle,becausetheyaremiserablypoor;whilethesubjectsoftheMogulandthepeopleofHindostanemploythemselves,andenjoytheconveniencesoflife,liketheEuropeans。——CollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,i,p。54。
10。SeeDampier,iii。
11。EdifyingLetters,coll。xil,p。80。
12。Bookxliii。2。
13。Bythenatureofthesoilandclimate。
14。FatherDuHalde,ii。
15。FatherDuHalde。
16。Mosesmadethesamecodeforlawsandreligion。TheoldRomansconfoundedtheancientcustomswiththelaws。
17。SeeFatherDuHalde。
18。SeetheclassicbooksfromwhichFatherDuHaldegivesussomeexcellentextracts。
19。Itisthiswhichhasestablishedemulation,whichhasbanishedlaziness,andcultivatedaloveoflearning。
20。SeethereasonsgivenbytheChinesemagistratesintheirdecreesforproscribingtheChristianreligion。EdifyingLetters,coll。xvii。
21。Seeiv。3,xix。13。
22。Seexxiv。3。
23。Lange,Journalin1721and1722;inVoyagestotheNorth,viii,p。
363。
24。Plutarch,Solon。
25。Laws,xii。
26。Ibid。,xii。
27。Insimplum。
28。Livy,xxxviii。
29。Institutes,ii。tit。6,§2。Ozel’scompilation,Leyden,1658。
30。Ibid。,ii。,DePupil。substit。§3。
31。Theformofthevulgarsubstitutionranthus:"Ifsuchaoneisunwillingtotaketheinheritance,Isubstituteinhisstead,"&c。;thepupillarysubstitution:"Ifsuchaonediesbeforehearrivesattheageofpuberty,Isubstitute,"&c。
32。Bookiii,tit。5,§5。
33。Leg。8,Cod。,DeRepud。
34。AndthelawoftheTwelveTables。SeeCicero,Philipp。,ii。69。
35。Siverberibusquaingenuisalienasunt,afficientemprobaverit。
36。InNov。117,cap。xiv。
37。Chapter6。
BookXX。OfLawsinRelationtoCommerce,ConsideredinitsNatureandDistinctions1。OfCommerce。Thefollowingsubjectsdeservetobetreatedinamoreextensivemannerthanthenatureofthisworkwillpermit。FainwouldI
glidedownagentleriver,butIamcarriedawaybyatorrent。
Commerceisacureforthemostdestructiveprejudices;foritisalmostageneralrulethatwhereverwefindagreeablemanners,therecommerceflourishes;andthatwhereverthereiscommerce,therewemeetwithagreeablemanners。
Letusnotbeastonished,then,ifourmannersarenowlesssavagethanformerly。Commercehaseverywherediffusedaknowledgeofthemannersofallnations:thesearecomparedonewithanother,andfromthiscomparisonarisethegreatestadvantages。
Commerciallaws,itmaybesaid,improvemannerstorthesamereasonthattheydestroythem。Theycorruptthepurestmorals。[1]ThiswasthesubjectofPlato’scomplaints;andweeverydayseethattheypolishandrefinethemostbarbarous。
2。OftheSpiritofCommerce。Peaceisthenaturaleffectoftrade。Twonationswhotrafficwitheachotherbecomereciprocallydependent;forifonehasaninterestinbuying,theotherhasaninterestinselling:
andthustheirunionisfoundedontheirmutualnecessities。
Butifthespiritofcommerceunitesnations,itdoesnotinthesamemanneruniteindividuals。Weseethatincountries[2]wherethepeoplemoveonlybythespiritofcommerce,theymakeatrafficofallthehumane,allthemoralvirtues;themosttriflingthings,thosewhichhumanitywoulddemand,aretheredone,ortheregiven,onlyformoney。
Thespiritoftradeproducesinthemindofamanacertainsenseofexactjustice,opposite,ontheonehand,torobbery,andontheothertothosemoralvirtueswhichforbidouralwaysadheringrigidlytotherulesofprivateinterest,andsufferustoneglectthisfortheadvantageofothers。
Thetotalprivationoftrade,onthecontrary,producesrobbery,whichAristotleranksinthenumberofmeansofacquiring;yetitisnotatallinconsistentwithcertainmoralvirtues。Hospitality,forinstance,ismostrareintradingcountries,whileitisfoundinthemostadmirableperfectionamongnationsofvagabonds。
Itisasacrilege,saysTacitus,foraGermantoshuthisdooragainstanymanwhomsoever,whetherknownorunknown。Hewhohasbehavedwithhospitalitytoastrangergoestoshowhimanotherhousewherethishospitalityisalsopractised;andheistherereceivedwiththesamehumanity。[3]ButwhentheGermanshadfoundedkingdoms,hospitalityhadbecomeburdensome。ThisappearsbytwolawsofthecodeoftheBurgundians;[4]oneofwhichinflictedapenaltyoneverybarbarianwhopresumedtoshowastrangerthehouseofaRoman;andtheotherdecreedthatwhoeverreceivedastrangershouldbeindemnifiedbytheinhabitants,everyonebeingobligedtopayhisproperproportion。
3。OfthePovertyofthePeople。Therearetwosortsofpoor;thosewhoarerenderedsuchbytheseverityofgovernment:theseare,indeed,incapableofperformingalmostanygreataction,becausetheirindigenceisaconsequenceoftheirslavery。Othersarepoor,onlybecausetheyeitherdespiseorknownottheconveniencesoflife;andthesearecapableofaccomplishinggreatthings,becausetheirpovertyconstitutesapartoftheirliberty。
4。OfCommerceindifferentGovernments。Tradehassomerelationtoformsofgovernment。Inamonarchy,itisgenerallyfoundedonluxury;
andthoughitbealsofoundedonrealwants,yettheprincipalviewwithwhichitiscarriedonistoprocureeverythingthatcancontributetothepride,thepleasure,andthecapriciouswhimsofthenation。Inrepublics,itiscommonlyfoundedoneconomy。Theirmerchants,havinganeyetoallthenationsoftheearth,bringfromonewhatiswantedbyanother。ItisthusthattherepublicsofTyre,Carthage,Athens,Marseilles,Florence,Venice,andHollandengagedincommerce。
Thiskindoftraffichasanaturalrelationtoarepublicangovernment:
tomonarchiesitisonlyoccasional。Forasitisfoundedonthepracticeofgaininglittle,andevenlessthanothernations,andofremedyingthisbygainingincessantly,itcanhardlybecarriedonbyapeopleswallowedupinluxury,whospendmuch,andseenothingbutobjectsofgrandeur。
Cicerowasofthisopinion,whenhesojustlysaid,"Idonotlikethatthesamepeopleshouldbeatonceboththelordsandfactorsofthewholeearth。"[5]Forthiswould,indeed,betosupposethateveryindividualinthestate,andthewholestatecollectively,hadtheirheadsconstantlyfilledwithgrandviews,andatthesametimewithsmallones;whichisacontradiction。
Notbutthatthemostnobleenterprisesarecompletedalsointhosestateswhichsubsistbyeconomicalcommerce:theyhaveevenanintrepiditynottobefoundinmonarchies。Andthereasonisthis:
Onebranchofcommerceleadstoanother,thesmalltothemoderate,themoderatetothegreat;thushewhohasgratifiedhisdesireofgainingalittleraiseshimselftoasituationinwhichheisnotlessdesirousofgainingagreatdeal。
Besides,thegrandenterprisesofmerchantsarealwaysnecessarilyconnectedwiththeaffairsofthepublic。But,inmonarchies,thesepublicaffairsgiveasmuchdistrusttothemerchantsasinfreestatestheyappeartogivesafety。Greatenterprises,therefore,incommercearenotformonarchical,butforrepublican,governments。
Inshort,anopinionofgreatercertainty,astothepossessionofpropertyinthesestates,makesthemundertakeeverything。Theyflatterthemselveswiththehopesofreceivinggreatadvantagesfromthesmilesoffortune;andthinkingthemselvessureofwhattheyhavealreadyacquired,theyboldlyexposeitinordertoacquiremore;riskingnothing,butasthemeansofobtaining。
Idonotpretendtosaythatanymonarchyisentirelyexcludedfromaneconomicalcommerce;butofitsownnatureithaslesstendencytowardsit:neitherdoImeanthattherepublicswithwhichweareacquaintedareabsolutelydeprivedofthecommerceofluxury;butitislessconnectedwiththeirconstitution。
Withregardtoadespoticstate,thereisnooccasiontomentionit。A
generalrule:Anationinslaverylaboursmoretopreservethantoacquire;afreenation,moretoacquirethantopreserve。
5。OfNationsthathaveenteredintoaneconomicalCommerce。Marseilles,anecessaryretreatinthemidstofatempestuoussea;Marseilles,aharbourwhichallthewinds,theshelvesofthesea,thedispositionofthecoasts,pointoutforalanding—place,becamefrequentedbymariners;whilethesterilityoftheadjacentcountrydeterminedthecitizenstoaneconomicalcommerce。[6]Itwasnecessarythattheyshouldbelaborioustosupplywhatnaturehadrefused;thattheyshouldbejust,inordertoliveamongbarbarousnations,fromwhomtheyweretoderivetheirprosperity;thattheyshouldbemoderate,totheendthattheymightalwaystastethesweetsofatranquilgovernment;infine,thattheyshouldbefrugalintheirmanners,toenablethemtosubsistbytrade——atradethemorecertainasitwaslessadvantageous。
Weeverywhereseeviolenceandoppressiongivebirthtoacommercefoundedoneconomy,whilemenareconstrainedtotakerefugeinmarshes,inisles,intheshallowsofthesea,andevenonrocksthemselves。ThusitwasthatTyre,Venice,andthecitiesofHollandwerefounded。
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