the commonwealth of oceana-第39章

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a。〃　To　this　order；　implicitly　containing　the　sum　very　near　of　the　whole　civil　part　of　the　commonwealth；　my　Lord　Archon　spoke　thus　in　council：

　〃MY　DEAR　LORDS：　　　　　〃There　is　a　saying；　that　a　man　must　cut　his　coat　according　to　his　cloth。　When　I　consider　what　God　has　allowed　or　furnished　to　our　present　work；　I　am　amazed。　You　would　have　a　popular　government；　he　has　weighed　it　to　you　in　the　present　balance；　as　I　may　say；　to　a　drachm；　you　have　no　more　to　do　but　to　fix　it。　For　the　superstructures　of　such　a　government　they　require　a　good　aristocracy：　and　you　have；　or　have　had　a　nobility　or　gentry　the　best　studied；　and　the　best　writers；　at　least　next　that　of　Italy；　in　the　whole　world；　nor　have　they　been　inferior；　when　so　exercised；　in　the　leading　of　armies。　But　the　people　are　the　main　body　of　a　commonwealth；　show　me　from　the　treasuries　of　the　snow　（as　it　is　in　Job）　to　the　burning　zone　a　people　whose　shoulder　so　universally　and　so　exactly　fits　the　corselet。　Nevertheless；　it　were　convenient　to　be　well　provided　with　auxiliaries。　There　is　Marpesia；　through　her　fruitfulness；　inexhaustible　of　men；　and　men　through　her　barrenness　not　only　enured　to　hardship；　but　in　your　arms。　It　may　be　said　that　Venice；　excepting　only　that　she　takes　not　in　the　people；　is　the　most　incomparable　situation　of　a　commonwealth。　You　are　Venice；　taking　in　your　people　and　your　auxiliaries　too。　My　lords；　the　children　of　Israel　were　makers　of　brick　before　they　were　builders　of　a　commonwealth；　but　our　brick　is　made；　our　mortar　tempered；　the　cedars　of　Lebanon　are　hewed　and　squared　to　our　hands。　Has　this　been　the　work　of　man？　Or　is　it　in　man　to　withstand　this　work？　'Shall　he　that　contends　with　the　Almighty　instruct　him？　He　that　reproves　God；　let　him　answer　it。'　For　our　parts；　everything　is　so　laid　that　when　we　come　to　have　use　of　it；　it　is　the　next　at　hand；　and　unless　we　can　conceive　that　God　and　nature　do　anything　in　vain；　there　is　no　more　for　us　to　do　but　to　despatch。　The　piece　which　we　have　reached　to　us　in　the　foregoing　orders；　is　the　aristocracy。　Athens；　as　has　been　shown；　was　plainly　lost　through　the　want　of　a　good　aristocracy。　　　　　〃But　the　sufficiency　of　an　aristocracy　goes　demonstrably　upon　the　hand　of　the　nobility　or　gentry；　for　that　the　politics　can　be　mastered　without　study；　or　that　the　people　can　have　leisure　to　study；　is　a　vain　imagination；　and　what　kind　of　aristocracy　divines　and　lawyers　would　make；　let　their　incurable　running　upon　their　own　narrow　bias　and　their　perpetual　invectives　against　Machiavel　（though　in　some　places　justly　reprovable；　yet　the　only　politician；　and　incomparable　patron　of　the　people）　serve　for　instruction。　I　will　stand　no　more　to　the　judgment　of　lawyers　and　divines　in　this　work；　than　to　that　of　so　many　other　tradesmen；　but　if　this　model　chances　to　wander　abroad；　I　recommend　it　to　the　Roman　speculativi　（the　most　complete　gentlemen　of　this　age）　for　their　censure；　or　with　my　Lord　Epimonus　his　leave；　send　300　or　400　copies　to　your　agent　at　Venice　to　be　presented　to　the　magistrates　there；　and　when　they　have　considered　them；　to　be　proposed　to　the　debate　of　the　Senate；　the　most　competent　judges　under　heaven；　who；　though　they　have　great　affairs；　will　not　refuse　to　return　you　the　oracle　of　their　ballot。　The　councillors　of　princes　I　will　not　trust；　they　are　but　journeymen。　The　wisdom　of　these　later　times　in　princes'　affairs　（says　Verulamius）　is　rather　fine　deliveries　and　shiftings　of　dangers　when　they　be　near；　than　solid　and　grounded　courses　to　keep　them　off。　Their　councillors　do　not　derive　their　proceedings　from　any　sound　root　of　government　that　may　contain　the　demonstration；　and　assure　the　success　of　them；　but　are　expedient…mongers；　givers　of　themselves　to　help　a　lame　dog　over　a　stile；　else　how　comes　it　to　pass　that　the　fame　of　Cardinal　Richelieu　has　been　like　thunder；　whereof　we　hear　the　noise；　but　can　make　no　demonstration　of　the　reason？　But　to　return：　if　neither　the　people；　nor　divines　and　lawyers；　can　be　the　aristocracy　of　a　nation；　there　remains　only　the　nobility；　in　which　style；　to　avoid　further　repetition；　I　shall　understand　the　gentry　also；　as　the　French　do　by　the　word　noblesse。　　　　　〃Now　to　treat　of　the　nobility　in　such　sort　as　may　be　less　obnoxious　to　mistake；　it　will　be　convenient；　and　answerable　to　the　present　occasion；　that　I　divide　my　discourse　into　four　parts：　　　　　〃The　first　treating　of　nobility；　and　the　kinds　of　it；　　　　　〃The　second；　of　their　capacity　of　the　Senate；　　　　　〃The　third。　of　the　divers　kinds　of　senates；　　　　　〃The　fourth；　of　the　Senate；　according　to　the　foregoing　orders。　　　　　〃Nobility　may　be　defined　divers　ways；　for　it　is　either　ancient　riches；　or　ancient　virtue；　or　a　title　conferred　by　a　prince　or　a　commonwealth。　　　　　〃Nobility　of　the　first　kind　may　be　subdivided　into　two　others；　such　as　hold　an　overbalance　in　dominion　or　property　to　the　whole　people；　or　such　as　hold　not　an　overbalance。　in　the　former　case；　a　nobility　（such　was　the　Gothic；　of　which　sufficient　has　been　spoken）　is　incompatible　with　popular　government；　for　to　popular　government　it　is　essential　that　power　should　be　in　the　people；　but　the　overbalance　of　a　nobility　in　dominion　draws　the　power　to　themselves。　Wherefore　in　this　sense　it　is　that　Machiavel　is　to　be　understood；　where　he　says；　that　these　are　pernicious　in　a　commonwealth；　and　of　France；　Spain；　and　Italy；　that　they　are　nations　which　for　this　cause　are　the　corruption　of　the　world：　for　otherwise　nobility　may；　according　to　his　definition　（which　is；　'that　they　are　such　as　live　upon　their　own　revenues　in　plenty；　without　engagement　either　to　the　tilling　of　their　lands；　or　other　work　for　their　livelihood　'）；　hold　an　underbalance　to　the　people；　in　which　case　they　are　not　only　safe；　but　necessary　to　the　natural　mixture　of　a　well…ordered　commonwealth。　　　　　〃For　how　else　can　you　have　a　commonwealth　that　is　not　altogether　mechanic？　or　what　comparison　is　there　of　such　commonwealths　as　are；　or　come　nearest　to　mechanic　　for　example；　Athens；　Switzerland；　Holland；　to　Lacedaemon；　Rome；　and　Venice；　plumed　with　their　aristocracies？　Your　mechanics；　till　they　have　first　feathered　their　nests；　like　the　fowls　of　the　air　whose　whole　employment　is　to　seek　their　food；　are　so　busied　in　their　private　concernments　that　they　have　neither　leisure　to　study　the　public；　nor　are　safely　to　be　trusted　with　it；　because　a　man　is　not　faithfully　embarked　in　this　kind　of　ship；　if　he　has　no　share　in　the　freight。　But　if　his　share　be　such　as　gives　him　leisure　by　his　private　advantage　to　reflect　upon　that　of　the　public；　what　other　name　is　there　for　this　sort　of　men；　being　a　leur　aise；　but　（as　Machiavel　you　see　calls　them）　nobility？　Especially　when　their　families　come　to　be　such　as　are　noted　for　their　services　done　to　the　commonwealth；　and　so　take　into　their　ancient　riches　ancient　virtue；　which　is　the　second　definition　of　nobility；　but　such　a　one　as　is　scarce　possible　in　nature　without　the　former。　'For　as　the　baggage；'　says　Verulamius；　'is　to　an　army；　so　are　riches　to　virtue；　they　cannot　be　spared　nor　left　behind；　though　they　be　impediments；　such　as　not　only　hinder　the　march；　but　sometimes　through　the　care　of　them　lose　or　disturb　the　victory。'　Of　this　latter　sort　is　the　nobility　of　Oceana；　the　best　of　all　others　because　they；　having　no　stamp　whence　to　derive　their　price；　can　have　it　no　otherwise　than　by　their　intrinsic　value。　The　third　definition　of　nobility；　is　a　title；　honor；　or　distinction　from　the　people；　conferred　or　allowed　by　the　prince　or　the　commonwealth。　And　this　may　be　two　ways；　either　without　any　stamp　or　privilege；　as　in　Oceana；　or　with　such　privileges　as　are　inconsiderable；　as　in　Athens　after　the　battle　of　Plataea；　whence　the　nobility　had　no　right；　as　such；　but　to　religious　offices；　or　inspection　of　the　public　games；　to　which　they　were　also　to　be　elected　by　the　people；　or　with　privileges；　and　those　considerable　ones；　as　the　nobility　in　Athens　before　the　battle　of　Plataea；　and　the　patricians　in　Rome　each　of　which　had　right；　or　claimed　it；　to　the　Senate　and　all　the　magistracies；　wherein　for　some　time　they　only　by　their　stamp　were　current。　　　　　〃But　to　begin　higher；　and　to　speak　more　at　large　of　nobility　in　their　several　capacities　of　the　Senate。　The　phylarchs；　or　princes　of　the　tribes　of　Israel；　were　the　most　renowned；　or；　as　the　Latin；　the　most　nobl