the commonwealth of oceana-第18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！


derators；　and　were　to　report　from　time　to　time　such　propositions　or　occurrences　as　they　thought　fit；　to　the　Council　of　legislators　sitting　more　privately　in　the　palace　called　Alma。　　　　　This　was　that　which　made　the　people　（who　were　neither　safely　to　be　admitted；　nor　conveniently　to　be　excluded　in　the　framing　of　the　commonwealth）　verily　believe；　when　it　came　forth；　that　it　was　no　other　than　that　whereof　they　themselves　had　been　the　makers。　　　　　Moreover；　this　Council　sat　divers　months　after　the　publishing　and　during　the　promulgation　of　the　model　to　the　people；　by　which　means　there　is　scarce　anything　was　said　or　written　for　or　against　the　said　model　but　you　shall　have　it　with　the　next　impression　of　this　work；　by　way　of　oration　addressed　to　and　moderated　by　the　prytans。　　　　　By　this　means　the　Council　of　legislators　had　their　necessary　solitude　and　due　aim　in　their　greater　work；　as　being　acquainted　from　time　to　time　with　the　pulse　of　the　people；　and　yet　without　any　manner　of　interruption　or　disturbance。　　　　　Wherefore　every　commonwealth　in　its　place　having　been　opened　by　due　method　　that　is；　first；　by　the　people；　secondly；　by　the　Senate；　and；　thirdly；　by　the　magistracy…the　Council　upon　mature　debate　took　such　results　or　orders　out　of　each；　and　out　of　every　part　of　each　of　them；　as　upon　opening　the　same　they　thought　fit；　which　being　put　from　time　to　time　in　writing　by　the　clerk　or　secretary；　there　remained　no　more　in　the　conclusion；　than　putting　the　orders　so　taken　together；　to　view　and　examine　them　with　a　diligent　eye；　that　it　might　be　clearly　discovered　whether　they　did　interfere；　or　could　anywise　come　to　interfere　or　jostle　one　with　the　other。　For　as　such　orders　jostling　or　coming　to　jostle　one　another　are　the　certain　dissolution　of　the　commonwealth；　so；　taken　upon　the　proof　of　like　experience；　and　neither　jostling　nor　showing　which　way　they　can　possibly　come　to　jostle　one　another；　they　make　a　perfect　and　（for　aught　that　in　human　prudence　can　be　foreseen）　an　immortal　commonwealth。　　　　　And　such　was　the　art　whereby　my　Lord　Archon　（taking　council　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Israel；　as　of　Moses；　and　of　the　rest　of　the　commonwealths；　as　of　Jethro）　framed　the　model　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Oceana。


PART　III

THE　MODEL　OF　THE　COMMONWEALTH　OF　OCEANA


WHEREAS　my　Lord　Archon；　being　from　Moses　and　Lycurgus　the　first　legislator　that　hitherto　is　found　in　history　to　have　introduced　or　erected　an　entire　commonwealth　at　once；　happened；　like　them　also；　to　be　more　intent　upon　putting　the　same　into　execution　or　action；　than　into　writing；　by　which　means　the　model　came　to　be　promulgated　or　published　with　more　brevity　and　less　illustration　than　are　necessary　for　their　understanding　who　have　not　been　acquainted　with　the　whole　proceedings　of　the　Council　of　legislators；　and　of　the　prytans；　where　it　was　asserted　and　cleared　from　all　objections　and　doubts：　to　the　end　that　I　may　supply　what　was　wanting　in　the　promulgated　epitome　to　a　more　full　and　perfect　narrative　of　the　whole；　I　shall　rather　take　the　commonwealth　practically；　and　as　it　has　now　given　an　account　of　itself　in　some　years'　revolutions　（as　Dicearchus　is　said　to　have　done　that　of　Lacedaemon；　first　transcribed　by　his　hand　some　three　or　four　hundred　years　after　the　institution）；　yet　not　omitting　to　add　for　proof　to　every　order　such　debates　and　speeches　of　the　legislators　in　their　Council；　or　at　least　such　parts　of　them　as　may　best　discover　the　reason　of　the　government；　nor　such　ways　and　means　as　were　used　in　the　institution　or　rise　of　the　building；　not　to　be　so　well　conceived；　without　some　knowledge　given　of　the　engines　wherewithal　the　mighty　weight　was　moved。　But　through　the　entire　omission　of　the　Council　of　legislators　or　workmen　that　squared　every　stone　to　this　structure　in　the　quarries　of　ancient　prudence；　the　proof　of　the　first　part　of　this　discourse　will　be　lame；　except　I　insert；　as　well　for　illustration　as　to　avoid　frequent　repetition；　three　remarkable　testimonies　in　this　place。　　　　　The　first　is　taken　out　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Israel：　〃So　Moses　hearkened　to　the　voice　of　Jethro；　his　father…in…law；　and　did　all　that　he　had　said。　And　Moses　chose　able　men　out　of　all　Israel；　and　made　them　heads　over　the　people；〃　tribunes；　as　it　is　in　the　vulgar　Latin；　or　phylarchs；　that　is；　princes　of　the　tribes；　sitting　upon　twelve　thrones；　and　judging　the　twelve　tribes　of　Israel；　and　next　to　these　he　chose　rulers　of　thousands；　rulers　of　hundreds；　rulers　of　fifties；　and　rulers　of　tens；　which　were　the　steps　and　rise　of　this　commonwealth　from　its　foundation　or　root　to　its　proper　elevation　or　accomplishment　in　the　Sanhedrim；　and　the　congregation；　already　opened　in　the　preliminaries。　　　　　The　second　is　taken　out　of　Lacedaemon；　as　Lycurgus　（for　the　greater　impression　of　his　institutions　upon　the　minds　of　his　citizens）　pretended　to　have　received　the　model　of　that　commonwealth　from　the　oracle　of　Apollo　at　Delphos；　the　words　whereof　are　thus　recorded　by　Plutarch　in　the　life　of　that　famous　legislator：　〃When　thou　shalt　have　divided　the　people　into　tribes　（which　were　six）　and　oboe　（which　were　five　in　every　tribe）；　thou　shalt　constitute　the　Senate；　consisting；　with　the　two　Kings；　of　thirty　councillors；　who；　according　as　occasion　requires；　shall　cause　the　congregation　to　be　assembled　between　the　bridge　and　the　river　Gnacion；　where　the　Senate　shall　propose　to　the　people；　and　dismiss　them　without　suffering　them　to　debate。〃　The　oboe　were　lineages　into　which　every　tribe　was　divided；　and　in　each　tribe　there　was　another　division　containing　all　those　of　the　same　that　were　of　military　age；　which　being　called　the　mora；　was　subdivided　into　troops　and　companies　that　were　kept　in　perpetual　discipline　under　the　command　of　a　magistrate　called　the　polemarch。　　　　　The　third　is　taken　out　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome；　or　those　parts　of　it　which　are　comprised　in　the　first　and　second　books　of　Livy；　where　the　people；　according　to　the　institution　by　Romulus；　are　first　divided　into　thirty　curias　or　parishes；　whereof　he　elected；　by　three　out　of　each　curia；　the　Senate；　which；　from　his　reign　to　that　or　Servius　Tullius；　proposed　to　the　parishes　or　parochial　congregations；　and　these　being　called　the　Comitia　curiata；　had　the　election　of　the　kings；　the　confirmation　of　their　laws；　and　the　last　appeal　in　matters　of　judicature；　as　appears　in　the　case　of　Horatius　that　killed　his　sister；　till；　in　the　reign　of　Servius　（for　the　other　kings　kept　not　to　the　institution　of　Romulus）；　the　people　being　grown　somewhat；　the　power　of　the　Curiata　was　for　the　greater　part　translated　to　the　Centuriata　comitia　instituted　by　this　King；　which　distributed　the　people；　according　to　the　sense　of　valuation　of　their　estates；　into　six　classes；　every　one　containing　about　forty　centuries；　divided　into　youth　and　elders；　the　youth　for　field…service；　the　elders　for　the　defence　of　their　territory；　all　armed　and　under　continual　discipline；　in　which　they　assembled　both　upon　military　and　civil　occasions。　But　when　the　Senate　proposed　to　the　people；　the　horse　only；　whereof　there　were　twelve　centuries；　consisting　of　the　richest　sort　over　and　above　those　of　the　foot　enumerated；　were　called　with　the　first　classes　of　the　foot　to　the　suffrage；　or　if　these　accorded　not；　then　the　second　classes　were　called　to　them；　but　seldom　or　never　any　of　the　rest。　Wherefore　the　people；　after　the　expulsion　of　the　kings；　growing　impatient　of　this　inequality；　rested　not　till　they　had　reduced　the　suffrage　as　it　had　been　in　the　Comitia　curiato　to　the　whole　people　again；　but　in　another　way；　that　is　to　say；　by　the　Comitia　tributa；　which　thereupon　were　instituted；　being　a　council　where　the　people　in　exigencies　made　laws　without　the　Senate；　which　laws　were　called　plebiscita。　This　Council　is　that　in　regard　whereof　Cicero　and　other　great　wits　so　frequently　inveigh　against　the　people；　and　sometimes　even　Livy　as　at　the　first　institution　of　it。　To　say　the　truth；　it　was　a　kind　of　anarchy；　whereof　the　people　could　not　be　excusable；　if　there　had　not；　through　the　courses　taken　by　the　Senate；　been　otherwise　a　necessity　that　they　must　have　seen　the　commonwealth　run　into　oligarchy。　　　　　The　manner　how　the　Comitia　curiata；　centuriata　or　tributa　were　called；　during　the　time　of　the　commonwealth；　to　the　suffrage；　was　by　lot：　the　curia；　century；　or