the spirit of laws-第133章

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9。　That　Things　which　ought　to　be　regulated　by　the　Principles　of　civil　Law　can　seldom　be　regulated　by　those　of　Religion。　The　laws　of　religion　have　a　greater　sublimity；　the　civil　laws　a　greater　extent。

The　laws　of　perfection　drawn　from　religion　have　more　in　view　the　goodness　of　the　person　that　observes　them　than　of　the　society　in　which　they　are　observed；　the　civil　laws；　on　the　contrary；　have　more　in　view　the　moral　goodness　of　men　in　general　than　that　of　individuals。

Thus；　venerable　as　those　ideas　are　which　immediately　spring　from　religion；　they　ought　not　always　to　serve　as　a　first　principle　to　the　civil　laws；　because　these　have　another；　the　general　welfare　of　society。

The　Romans　made　regulations　among　themselves　to　preserve　the　morals　of　their　women；　these　were　political　institutions。　Upon　the　establishment　of　monarchy；　they　made　civil　laws　on　this　head；　and　formed　them　on　the　principles　of　their　civil　government。　When　the　Christian　religion　became　predominant；　the　new　laws　that　were　then　made　had　less　relation　to　the　general　rectitude　of　morals　than　to　the　holiness　of　marriage；　they　had　less　regard　to　the　union　of　the　two　sexes　in　a　civil　than　in　a　spiritual　state。

At　first；　by　the　Roman　law；　a　husband；　who　brought　back　his　wife　into　his　house　after　she　had　been　found　guilty　of　adultery；　was　punished　as　an　accomplice　in　her　debauch。＇25＇　Justinian；　from　other　principles；　ordained　that　during　the　space　of　two　years　he　might　go　and　take　her　again　out　of　the　monastery。＇26＇

Formerly；　when　a　woman；　whose　husband　was　gone　to　war；　heard　no　longer　any　tidings　of　him；　she　might　easily　marry　again；　because　she　had　in　her　hands　the　power　of　making　a　divorce。　The　law　of　Constantine　obliged　the　woman　to　wait　four　years；　after　which　she　might　send　the　bill　of　divorce　to　the　general；　and；　if　her　husband　returned；　he　could　not　then　charge　her　with　adultery。＇27＇　But　Justinian　decreed　that；　let　the　time　be　never　so　long　after　the　departure　of　her　husband；　she　should　not　marry　unless；　by　the　deposition　and　oath　of　the　general；　she　could　prove　the　death　of　her　husband。＇28＇　Justinian　had　in　view　the　indissolubility　of　marriage；　but　we　may　safely　say　that　he　had　it　too　much　in　view。　He　demanded　a　positive　proof　when　a　negative　one　was　sufficient；　he　required　a　thing　extremely　difficult　to　give；　an　account　of　the　fate　of　a　man　at　a　great　distance；　and　exposed　to　so　many　accidents；　he　presumed　a　crime；　that　is；　a　desertion　of　the　husband；　when　it　was　so　natural　to　presume　his　death。　He　injured　the　commonwealth　by　obliging　women　to　live　out　of　marriage；　he　injured　individuals　by　exposing　them　to　a　thousand　dangers。

The　law　of　Justinian；　which　ranked　among　the　causes　of　divorce　the　consent　of　the　husband　and　wife　to　enter　into　a　monastery；　was　entirely　opposite　to　the　principles　of　the　civil　laws。＇29＇　It　is　natural　that　the　causes　of　divorce　should　have　their　origin　in　certain　impediments　which　could　not　be　foreseen　before　marriage；　but　this　desire　of　preserving　chastity　might　be　foreseen；　since　it　is　in　ourselves。　This　law　favours　inconstancy　in　a　state　which　is　by　its　very　nature　perpetual；　it　shook　the　fundamental　principle　of　divorce；　which　permits　the　dissolution　of　one　marriage　only　from　the　hope　of　another。　In　short；　if　we　view　it　in　a　religious　light；　it　is　no　more　than　giving　victims　to　God　without　a　sacrifice。

10。　In　what　Case　we　ought　to　follow　the　civil　Law　which　permits；　and　not　the　Law　of　Religion　which　forbids。　When　a　religion　which　prohibits　polygamy　is　introduced　into　a　country　where　it　is　permitted；　we　cannot　believe　（speaking　only　as　a　politician）　that　the　laws　of　the　country　ought　to　suffer　a　man　who　has　many　wives　to　embrace　this　religion；　unless　the　magistrate　or　the　husband　should　indemnify　them；　by　restoring　them　in　some　way　or　other　to　their　civil　state。　Without　this　their　condition　would　be　deplorable；　no　sooner　would　they　obey　the　laws　than　they　would　find　themselves　deprived　of　the　greatest　advantages　of　society。

11。　That　human　Courts　of　Justice　should　not　be　regulated　by　the　Maxims　of　those　Tribunals　which　relate　to　the　Other　Life。　The　tribunal　of　the　inquisition；　formed　by　the　Christian　monks　on　the　idea　of　the　tribunal　of　penitence；　is　contrary　to　all　good　policy。　It　has　everywhere　met　with　a　general　dislike；　and　must　have　sunk　under　the　oppositions　it　met　with；　if　those　who　were　resolved　to　establish　it　had　not　drawn　advantages　even　from　these　oppositions。

This　tribunal　is　insupportable　in　all　governments。　In　monarchies；　it　only　makes　informers　and　traitors；　in　republics；　it　only　forms　dishonest　men；　in　a　despotic　state；　it　is　as　destructive　as　the　government　itself。

12。　The　same　Subject　continued。　It　is　one　abuse　of　this　tribunal　that；　of　two　persons　accused　of　the　same　crime；　he　who　denies　is　condemned　to　die；　and　he　who　confesses　avoids　the　punishment。　This　has　its　source　in　monastic　ideas；　where　he　who　denies　seems　in　a　state　of　impenitence　and　damnation；　and　he　who　confesses；　in　a　state　of　repentance　and　salvation。　But　a　distinction　of　this　kind　can　have　no　relation　to　human　tribunals。　Human　justice；　which　sees　only　the　actions；　has　but　one　compact　with　men；　namely；　that　of　innocence；　divine　justice；　which　sees　the　thoughts；　has　two；　that　of　innocence　and　repentance。

13。　In　what　Cases；　with　regard　to　Marriage；　we　ought　to　follow　the　Laws　of　Religion；　and　in　what　Cases　we　should　follow　the　civil　Laws。　It　has　happened　in　all　ages　and　countries；　that　religion　has　been　blended　with　marriages。　When　certain　things　have　been　considered　as　impure　or　unlawful；　and　had　nevertheless　become　necessary；　they　were　obliged　to　call　in　religion　to　legitimate　in　the　one　case；　and　to　reprove　in　others。

On　the　other　hand；　as　marriage　is　of　all　human　actions　that　in　which　society　is　most　interested；　it　became　proper　that　this　should　be　regulated　by　the　civil　laws。

Everything　which　relates　to　the　nature　of　marriage；　its　form；　the　manner　of　contracting　it；　the　fruitfulness　it　occasions；　which　has　made　all　nations　consider　it　as　the　object　of　a　particular　benediction；　a　benediction　which；　not　being　always　annexed　to　it；　is　supposed　to　depend　on　certain　superior　graces；　all　this　is　within　the　resort　of　religion。

The　consequences　of　this　union　with　regard　to　property；　the　reciprocal　advantages；　everything　which　has　a　relation　to　the　new　family；　to　that　from　which　it　sprang；　and　to　that　which　is　expected　to　arise；　all　this　relates　to　the　civil　laws。

As　one　of　the　great　objects　of　marriage　is　to　take　away　that　uncertainty　which　attends　unlawful　conjunctions；　religion　here　stamps　its　seal；　and　the　civil　laws　join　theirs　to　it；　to　the　end　that　it　may　be　as　authentic　as　possible。　Thus；　besides　the　conditions　required　by　religion　to　make　a　marriage　valid；　the　civil　laws　may　still　exact　others。

The　civil　laws　receive　this　power　from　their　being　additional　obligations；　and　not　contradictory　ones。　The　law　of　religion　insists　upon　certain　ceremonies；　the　civil　laws　on　the　consent　of　fathers；　in　this　case；　they　demand　something　more　than　that　of　religion；　but　they　demand　nothing　contrary　to　it。

It　follows　hence；　that　the　religious　law　must　decide　whether　the　bond　be　indissoluble　or　not；　for　if　the　laws　of　religion　had　made　the　bond　indissoluble；　and　the　civil　laws　had　declared　it　might　be　broken；　they　would　be　contradictory　to　each　other。

Sometimes　the　regulations　made　by　the　civil　laws　with　respect　to　marriage　are　not　absolutely　necessary；　such　are　those　established　by　the　laws；　which；　instead　of　annulling　the　marriage；　only　punish　those　who　contract　it。

Among　the　Romans；　the　Papian　law　declared　those　marriages　illegal　which　had　been　prohibited；　and　yet　only　subjected　them　to　a　penalty；＇30＇　but　a　Senatus　Consultum；　made　at　the　instance　of　the　Emperor　Marcus　Antoninus；　declared　them　void；　there　then　no　longer　subsisted　any　such　thing　as　a　marriage；　wife；　dowry；　or　husband。＇31＇　The　civil　laws　determine　according　to　circumstances：　sometimes　they　are　most　attentive　to　repair　the　evil；　at　others；　to　prevent　it。

14。　In　what　instances　Marriages　between　Relatives　shall　be　regulated　by　the　Laws　of　Nature：　and　in　what　instances　by　the　civil　Laws。　With　regard　to　the　prohibition　of　marriage　between　relatives；　it