the commonwealth of oceana-第65章

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ndness；　while　everyone　striving　to　touch　his　hand；　they　bore　him　up　and　down　the　field　with　an　unruly　throng；　full　of　such　ejaculations　as　these：　How　is　there　a　people　in　the　world；　that　at　their　own　charge；　at　their　own　peril；　will　fight　for　the　liberty　of　another？　Did　they　live　at　the　next　door　to　the　fire？　Or　what　kind　of　men　are　these；　whose　business　it　is　to　pass　the　seas；　that　the　world　may　be　governed　with　righteousness？　The　cities　of　Greece　and　of　Asia　shake　off　their　iron　fetters　at　the　voice　of　a　crier　was　it　madness　to　imagine　such　a　thing；　and　is　it　done？　O　virtue！　O　felicity！　O　fame！　　　　　〃In　this　example　your　lordships　have　a　donation　of　liberty　or　of　Italian　right　to　a　people；　by　restitution　to　what　they　had　formerly　enjoyed；　and　some　particular　men；　families　or　cities；　according　to　their　merit　of　the　Romans；　if　not　upon　this；　yet　upon　the　like　occasions；　were　gratified　with　Latinity。〃　But　Philip's　share　by　this　means　did　not　please　him；　wherefore　the　league　was　broken　by　his　son　Perseus；　and　the　Macedonians　thereupon　for　the　second　time　conquered　by　AEmilius　Paulus；　their　King　taken；　and　they　some　time　after　the　victory　summoned　to　the　tribunal　of　the　general；　where；　remembering　how　little　hope　they　ought　to　have　of　pardon；　they　expected　some　dreadful　sentence：　when　AEmilius；　in　the　first　place；　declared　the　Macedonians　to　be　free；　in　the　full　possession　of　their　lands；　goods；　and　laws；　with　right　to　elect　annual　magistrates；　yielding　and　paying　to　the　people　of　Rome　one…half　of　the　tribute　which　they　were　accustomed　to　pay　to　their　own　kings。　This　done　he　went　on；　making　so　skilful　a　division　of　the　country　in　order　to　the　methodizing　of　the　people；　and　casting　them　into　the　form　of　popular　government；　that　the　Macedonians；　being　first　surprised　with　the　virtue　of　the　Romans；　began　now　to　alter　the　scene　of　their　admiration；　that　a　stranger　should　do　such　things　for　them　in　their　own　country；　and　with　such　facility　as　they　had　never　so　much　as　once　imagined　to　be　possible。　Nor　was　this　all；　for　AEmilius；　as　if　not　dictating　to　conquered　enemies；　but　to　some　well…deserving　friends；　gave　them　in　the　last　place　laws　so　suitable；　and　contrived　with　such　care　and　prudence；　that　long　use　and　experience　（the　only　correctness　of　works　of　this　nature）　could　never　find　a　fault　in　them。　　　　　〃In　this　example　you　have　a　donation　of　liberty；　or　of　Italian　right；　to　a　people　that　had　not　tasted　of　it　before；　but　were　now　taught　how　to　use　it。　　　　　〃My　lords；　the　royalists　should　compare　what　we　are　doing；　and　we　what　hitherto　we　have　done　for　them；　with　this　example。　It　is　a　shame　that　while　we　are　boasting　up　ourselves　above　all　others；　we　should　yet　be　so　far　from　imitating　such　examples　as　these；　that　we　do　not　so　much　as　understand　that　if　government　be　the　parent　of　manners；　where　there　are　no　heroic　virtues；　there　is　no　heroic　government。　　　　　〃But　the　Macedonians　rebelling；　at　the　name　of　a　false　Philip；　the　third　time　against　the　Romans；　were　by　them　judged　incapable　of　liberty；　and　reduced　by　Metellus　to　a　province。　　　　　〃Now　whereas　it　remains　that　I　explain　the　nature　of　a　province；　I　shall　rather　choose　that　of　Sicily；　because；　having　been　the　first　which　the　Romans　made；　the　descriptions　of　the　rest　relate　to　it。　　　　　〃'We　have　so　received　the　Sicilian　cities　into　amity；'　says　Cicero；　'that　they　enjoy　their　ancient　laws；　and　upon　no　other　condition　than　of　the　same　obedience　to　the　people　of　Rome；　which　they　formerly　yielded　to　their　own　princes　or　superiors。'　So　the　Sicilians；　whereas　they　had　been　parcelled　out　to　divers　princes；　and　into　divers　states　（the　cause　of　perpetual　wars；　whereby；　hewing　one　another　down；　they　became　sacrifices　to　the　ambition　of　their　neighbors；　or　of　some　invader）；　were　now　received　at　the　old　rate　into　a　new　protection　which　could　hold　them；　and　in　which　no　enemy　durst　touch　them；　nor　was　it　possible；　as　the　case　then　stood；　for　the　Sicilians　to　receive；　or　for　the　Romans　to　give　more。　　　　　〃A　Roman　province　is　defined　by　Sigonius　as　a　region　having　provincial　right。　Provincial　right　in　general　was　to　be　governed　by　a　Roman　praetor；　or　consul；　in　matters　at　least　of　state；　and　of　the　militia；　and　by　a　quaeStor；　whose　office　it　was　to　receive　the　public　revenue。　Provincial　right　in　particular　was　different；　according　to　the　different　leagues　or　agreements　between　the　commonwealth；　and　the　people　reduced　into　a　province。　'Siculi　hoc　jure　sunt；　ut　quod　civis　cum　cive　agat；　domi　certet　suis　legibus；　quod　siculus　cum　siculo　non　ejusdem　civitatis；　ut　de　eo　proetor　judices；　ex　P。　Rupilii　decreto；　sortiatur。　Quod　privatus　a　populo　petit；　aut　populus　a　privato；　senatus　ex　aliqua　civitate；　qui　judicet；　datur；　cui　alternoe　civitates　rejectoe　sunt。　Quod　vivis　Romanus　a　siculo　petit；　siculus　judex　datur　quod　siculus　a　cive　Romano；　civis　Romanus　datur。　Coeterarum　rerum　selecti　judices　ex　civium　Romanorum　conventu　proponi　solent。　Inter　aratores　et　decumanos　lege　frumentaria；　quam　Hieronicam　appellant；　judicia　fiunt。'　Because　the　rest　would　oblige　me　to　a　discourse　too　large　for　this　place；　it　shall　suffice　that　I　have　showed　you　how　it　was　in　Sicily。　　　　　〃My　lords；　upon　the　fabric　of　your　provincial　orb　I　shall　not　hold　you；　because　it　is　sufficiently　described　in　the　order；　and　I　cannot　believe　that　you　think　it　inferior　to　the　way　of　a　praetor　and　a　quaestor。　But　whereas　the　provincial　way　of　the　Roman　Commonwealth　was　that　whereby　it　held　the　empire　of　the　world；　and　your　orbs　are　intended　to　be　capable　at　least　of　the　like　use；　there　may　arise　many　controversies；　as　whether　such　a　course　be　lawful；　whether　it　be　feasible；　and；　seeing　that　the　Romans　were　ruined　upon　that　point；　whether　it　would　not　be　to　the　destruction　of　the　commonwealth。　　　　　〃For　the　first：　if　the　empire　of　a　commonwealth　be　an　occasion　to　ask　whether　it　be　lawful　for　a　commonwealth　to　aspire　to　the　empire　of　the　world；　it　is　to　ask　whether　it　be　lawful　for　it　to　do　its　duty；　or　to　put　the　world　into　a　better　condition　than　it　was　before。　　　　　〃And　to　ask　whether　this　be　feasible；　is　to　ask　why　the　Oceaner；　being　under　the　like　administration　of　government；　may　not　do　as　much　with　200　men　as　the　Roman　did　with　100；　for　comparing　their　commonwealths　in　their　rise；　the　difference　is　yet　greater：　now　that　Rome　（seris　avaritia　luxuriaque）；　through　the　natural　thirst　of　her　constitution；　came　at　length　with　the　fulness　of　her　provinces　to　burst　herself；　this　is　no　otherwise　to　he　understood　than　as　when　a　man　that　from　his　own　evil　constitution　had　contracted　the　dropsy；　dies　with　drinking；　it　being　apparent　that　in　case　her　agrarian　had　held；　she　could　never　have　been　thus　ruined；　and　I　have　already　demonstrated　that　your　agrarian　being　once　poised；　can　never　break　or　swerve。　　　　　〃Wherefore　to　draw　toward　some　conclusion　of　this　discourse；　let　me　inculcate　the　use；　by　selecting　a　few　considerations　out　of　many。　The　regard　had　in　this　place　to　the　empire　of　the　world　appertains　to　a　well…ordered　commonwealth；　more　especially　for　two　reasons：　　　　　〃1。　The　facility　of　this　great　enterprise；　by　a　government　of　the　model　proposed；　　　　　〃2。　The　danger　that　you　would　run　in　the　omission　of　such　a　government。　　　　　〃The　facility　of　this　enterprise；　upon　the　grounds　already　laid；　must　needs　be　great；　forasmuch　as　the　empire　of　the　world　has　been；　both　in　reason　and　experience；　the　necessary　consequence　of　a　commonwealth　of　this　nature　only；　for　though　it　has　been　given　to　all　kinds　to　drive　at　it；　since　that　of　Athens　or　Lacedaemon；　if　the　one　had　not　hung　in　the　other's　light；　might　have　gained　it；　yet　could　neither　of　them　have　held　it；　not　Athens；　through　the　manner　of　her　propagation；　which；　being　by　downright　tyranny；　could　not　preserve　what　she　had；　nor　Lacedaemon；　because　she　was　overthrown　by　the　weight　of　a　less　conquest。　The　facility　then　of　this　great　enterprise　being　peculiar　to　popular　government；　I　shall　consider　it；　first；　in　gaining；　and　secondly；　in　holding。　　　　　〃For　the　former；　volenti　non　fit　injuria。　It　is　said　of　the　people　under　Eumenes；　that　they　would　not　have　changed　them　no　their　subjection　for　liberty；　wherefore　the　Romans　gave　disturbance。　If　a　people　be　contented　with　their　government；　it　is　a　certain　sign　that　it　is　good；　a