the commonwealth of oceana-第59章

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ill　the　time　of　the　Gracchi　　that　is　to　say；　till　it　was　too　late；　or　to　no　purpose　to　break　it　　was　the　cause　why；　in　all　the　former　heats　and　disputes　that　had　happened　between　the　Senate　and　the　people；　it　never　came　to　blows；　which　indeed　was　good；　but　withal；　the　people　could　have　no　remedy；　which　was　certainly　evil。　Wherefore　I　am　of　opinion　that　a　senator　ought　not　to　be　a　patron　or　advocate；　nor　a　patron　or　advocate　to　be　a　senator；　for　if　his　practice　be　gratis　it　debauches　the　people；　and　if　it　be　mercenary　it　debauches　himself：　take　it　which　way　you　will；　when　he　should　be　making　of　laws；　he　will　be　knitting　of　nets。　　　　　〃Lycurgus；　as　I　said；　by　being　a　traveller　became　a　legislator；　but　in　times　when　prudence　was　another　thing。　Nevertheless　we　may　not　shut　out　this　part　of　education　in　a　commonwealth；　which　will　be　herself　a　traveller；　for　those　of　this　make　have　seen　the　world；　especially　because　this　is　certain　（though　it　be　not　regarded　in　our　times；　when　things　being　left　to　take　their　chance；　it　fares　with　us　accordingly）　that　no　man　can　be　a　politician　except　he　be　first　a　historian　or　a　traveller；　for　except　he　can　see　what　must　be；　or　what　may　be；　he　is　no　politician。　Now　if　he　has　no　knowledge　in　history　he　cannot　tell　what　has　been；　and　if　he　has　not　been　a　traveller；　he　cannot　tell　what　is；　but　he　that　neither　knows　what　has　been；　nor　what　is；　can　never　tell　what　must　be；　or　what　may　be。　Furthermore；　the　embassies…in…ordinary　by　our　constitution　are　the　prizes　of　young　men；　more　especially　such　as　have　been　travellers。　Wherefore　they　of　these　inclinations；　having　leave　of　the　censors；　owe　them　an　account　of　their　time；　and　cannot　choose　but　lay　it　out　with　some　ambition　of　praise　or　reward；　where　both　are　open；　whence　you　will　have　eyes　abroad；　and　better　choice　of　public　ministers；　your　gallants　showing　themselves　not　more　to　the　ladies　at　their　balls　than　to　your　commonwealth　at　her　Academy　when　they　return　from　their　travels。　　　　　〃But　this　commonwealth　being　constituted　more　especially　of　two　elements；　arms　and　councils；　drives　by　a　natural　instinct　at　courage　and　wisdom；　which　he　who　has　attained　is　arrived　at　the　perfection　of　human　nature。　It　is　true　that　these　virtues　must　have　some　natural　root　in　him　that　is　capable　of　them；　but　this　amounts　not　to　so　great　a　matter　as　some　will　have　it。　For　if　poverty　makes　an　industrious；　a　moderate　estate　a　temperate；　and　a　lavish　fortune　a　wanton　man；　and　this　be　the　common　course　of　things；　wisdom　then　is　rather　of　necessity　than　inclination。　And　that　an　army　which　was　meditating　upon　flight；　has　been　brought　by　despair　to　win　the　field；　is　so　far　from　being　strange；　that　like　causes　will　evermore　produce　like　effects。　Wherefore　this　commonwealth　drives　her　citizens　like　wedges；　there　is　no　way　with　them　but　thorough；　nor　end　but　that　glory　whereof　man　is　capable　by　art　or　nature。　That　the　genius　of　the　Roman　families　commonly　preserved　itself　throughout　the　line　（as　to　instance　in　some；　the　Manlii　were　still　severe；　the　Publicolae　lovers；　and　the　Appii　haters　of　the　people）　is　attributed　by　Machiavel　to　their　education；　nor；　if　interest　might　add　to　the　reason　why　the　genius　of　a　patrician　was　one　thing；　and　that　of　a　plebeian　another；　is　the　like　so　apparent　between　different　nations；　who；　according　to　their　different　educations；　have　yet　as　different　manners。　It　was　anciently　noted；　and　long　confirmed　by　the　actions　of　the　French；　that　in　their　first　assaults　their　courage　was　more　than　that　of　men；　and　for　the　rest　less　than　that　of　women；　which　nevertheless；　through　the　amendment　of　their　discipline；　we　see　now　to　be　otherwise。　I　will　not　say　but　that　some　man　or　nation　upon　an　equal　improvement　of　this　kind　may　be　lighter　than　some　other；　but　certainly　education　is　the　scale　without　which　no　man　or　nation　can　truly　know　his　or　her　own　weight　or　value。　By　our　histories　we　can　tell　when　one　Marpesian　would　have　beaten　ten　Oceaners；　and　when　one　Oceaner　would　have　beaten　ten　Marpesians。　Marc　Antony　was　a　Roman；　but　how　did　that　appear　in　the　embraces　of　Cleopatra？　You　must　have　some　other　education　for　your　youth；　or　they；　like　that　passage；　will　show　better　in　romance　than　true　story。　　　　　〃The　custom　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome　in　distributing　her　magistracies　without　respect　of　age；　happened　to　do　well　in　Corvinus　and　Scipio；　for　which　cause　Machiavel　（with　whom　that　which　was　done　by　Rome；　and　that　which　is　well　done；　are　for　the　most　part　all　one）　commends　this　course。　Yet　how　much　it　did　worse　at　other　times；　is　obvious　in　Pompey　and　Caesar；　examples　by　which　Boccalini　illustrates　the　prudence　of　Venice　in　her　contrary　practice；　affirming　it　to　have　been　no　small　step　to　the　ruin　of　the　Roman　liberty；　that　these　（having　tasted　in　their　youth　of　the　supreme　honors）　had　no　greater　in　their　age　to　hope　for；　but　by　perpetuating　of　the　same　in　themselves；　which　came　to　blood　and　ended　in　tyranny。　The　opinion　of　Verulamius　is　safe：　'The　errors；'　says　he；　'of　young　men　are　the　ruin　of　business；　whereas　the　errors　of　old　men　amount　but　to　this；　that　more　might　have　been　done；　or　sooner。'　But　though　their　wisdom　be　little；　their　courage　is　great；　wherefore　（to　come　to　the　main　education　of　this　commonwealth）　the　militia　of　Oceana　is　the　province　of　youth。　　　　　〃The　distribution　of　this　province　by　the　essays　is　so　fully　described　in　the　order；　that　I　need　repeat　nothing；　the　order　itself　being　but　a　repetition　or　copy　of　that　original；　which　in　ancient　prudence　is　of　all　others　the　fairest；　as　that　from　whence　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome　more　particularly　derived　the　empire　of　the　world。　And　there　is　much　more　reason　in　this　age；　when　governments　are　universally　broken；　or　swerved　from　their　foundations；　and　the　people　groan　under　tyranny；　that　the　same　causes　（which　could　not　be　withstood　when　the　world　was　full　of　popular　governments）　should　have　the　like　effects。　　　　　〃The　causes　in　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome；　whereof　the　empire　of　the　world　was　not　any　miraculous；　but　a　natural　（nay；　I　may　safely　say　a　necessary）　consequence；　are　contained　in　that　part　of　her　discipline　which　was　domestic；　and　in　that　which　she　exercises　in　her　provinces　or　conquest。　Of　the　latter　I　shall　have　better　occasion　to　speak　when　we　come　to　our　provincial　orbs；　the　former　divided　the　whole　people　by　tribes；　amounting；　as　Livy　and　Cicero　show；　at　their　full　growth　to　thirty…five；　and　every　tribe　by　the　sense　or　valuation　of　estates　into　five　classes：　for　the　sixth　being　proletary；　that　is　the　nursery；　or　such　as　through　their　poverty　contributed　nothing　to　the　commonwealth　but　children；　was　not　reckoned　nor　used　in　arms。　And　this　is　the　first　point　of　the　militia；　in　which　modern　prudence　is　quite　contrary　to　the　ancient；　for　whereas　we；　excusing　the　rich　and　arming　the　poor；　become　the　vassals　of　our　servants；　they；　by　excusing　the　poor　and　arming　such　as　were　rich　enough　to　be　freemen；　became　lords　of　the　earth。　The　nobility　and　gentry　of　this　nation；　who　understand　so　little　what　it　is　to　be　the　lords　of　the　earth　that　they　have　not　been　able　to　keep　their　own　lands；　will　think　it　a　strange　education　for　their　children　to　be　common　soldiers；　and　obliged　to　all　the　duties　of　arms；　nevertheless　it　is　not　for　four　shillings　a　week；　but　to　be　capable　of　being　the　best　man　in　the　field　or　in　the　city　the　latter　part　of　which　consideration　makes　the　common　soldier　herein　a　better　man　than　the　general　of　any　monarchical　army。　　　　　〃And　whereas　it　may　be　thought　that　this　would　drink　deep　of　noble　blood；　I　dare　boldly　say；　take　the　Roman　nobility　in　the　heat　of　their　fiercest　wars；　and　you　shall　not　find　such　a　shambles　of　them　as　has　been　made　of　ours　by　mere　luxury　and　slothfulness；　which；　killing　the　body；　kill　the　soul　also：　Animasque　in　vulnere　ponunt。　Whereas　common　right　is　that　which　he　who　stands　in　the　vindication　of；　has　used　that　sword　of　justice　for　which　he　receives　the　purple　of　magistracy。　The　glory　of　a　man　on　earth　can　go　no　higher；　and　if　he　falls　he　rises　again；　and　comes　sooner　to　that　reward　which　is　so　much　higher　as　heaven　is　above　the　earth。　To　return　to　the　Roman　example：　every　class　was　divided；　as　has　been　more　than　once　shown；　into　centuries；　and　every　century　was　equall