the spirit of laws-第139章

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erefore　a　difference　between　not　being　in　the　census　according　to　the　spirit　of　the　Voconian　law；　and　not　being　in　it　according　to　the　spirit　of　Servius　Tullius'　institutions。

They　whose　names　were　not　registered　in　the　first　five　classes；＇36＇　in　which　the　inhabitants　ranked　in　proportion　to　their　fortunes；　were　not　comprised　in　the　census　according　to　the　spirit　of　the　Voconian　law：　they　who　were　not　enrolled　in　one　of　these　six　classes；　or　who　were　not　ranked　by　the　censors　among　such　as　were　called　？rarii；　were　not　included　in　the　census　according　to　the　spirit　of　Servius'　institutions。　Such　was　the　force　of　nature；　that　to　elude　the　Voconian　law　fathers　submitted　to　the　disgrace　of　being　confounded　in　the　sixth　class　with　the　proletarii　and　capite　censi；　or　perhaps　to　have　their　names　entered　in　the　C？rites　tabul？。＇37＇

We　have　elsewhere　observed　that　the　Roman　laws　did　not　admit　of　fiduciary　bequests。　The　hopes　of　evading　the　Voconian　law　were　the　cause　of　their　being　introduced：　they　instituted　an　heir　qualified　by　the　law；　and　they　begged　he　would　resign　the　succession　to　a　person　whom　the　law　had　excluded；　this　new　method　of　disposition　was　productive　of　very　different　effects。　Some　resigned　the　inheritance；　and　the　conduct　of　Sextus　Peduccus　on　an　occasion　of　this　nature　was　very　remarkable。＇38＇　A　considerable　succession　was　left　him；　and　nobody　living　knew　that　he　was　desired　to　resign　it　to　another；　when　he　waited　upon　the　widow　of　the　testator　and　made　over　to　her　the　whole　fortune　belonging　to　her　late　husband。

Others　kept　possession　of　the　inheritance；　and　here　the　example　of　P。　Sextilius　Rufus　is　also　famous；　having　been　made　use　of　by　Cicero　in　his　disputations　against　the　Epicureans。＇39＇　〃In　my　younger　days；〃　says　he；　〃I　was　desired　by　Sextilius　to　accompany　him　to　his　friends；　in　order　to　know　whether　he　ought　to　restore　the　inheritance　of　Quintus　Fadius　Gallus　to　his　daughter　Fadia。　There　were　several　young　people　present；　with　others　of　more　maturity　and　judgment；　and　not　one　of　them　was　of　opinion　that　he　should　give　more　to　Fadia　than　the　lady　was　entitled　to　by　the　Voconian　law。　In　consequence　of　this；　Sextilius　kept　possession　of　a　fine　estate；　of　which　he　would　not　have　retained　a　single　sestertius　had　he　preferred　justice　to　utility。　It　is　possible；　added　he；　that　you　would　have　resigned　the　inheritance；　nay　it　is　possible　that　Epicurus　himself　would　have　resigned　it；　but　you　would　not　have　acted　according　to　your　own　principles。〃　Here　I　shall　pause　a　little　to　reflect。

It　is　a　misfortune　inherent　in　humanity　that　legislators　should　be　sometimes　obliged　to　enact　laws　repugnant　to　the　dictates　of　nature：　such　was　the　Voconian　law。　The　reason　is；　the　legislature　considers　the　society　rather　than　the　citizen；　and　the　citizen　rather　than　the　man。　The　law　sacrificed　both　the　citizen　and　the　man；　and　directed　its　views　to　the　prosperity　of　the　republic。　Suppose　a　person　made　a　fiduciary　bequest　in　favour　of　his　daughter；　the　law　paid　no　regard　to　the　sentiments　of　nature　in　the　father；　nor　to　the　filial　piety　of　the　daughter；　all　it　had　an　eye　to　was　the　person　to　whom　the　bequest　was　made　in　trust；　and　who　on　such　occasion　found　himself　in　a　terrible　dilemma。　If　he　restored　the　estate；　he　was　a　bad　citizen；　if　he　kept　it；　he　was　a　bad　man。　None　but　good…natured　people　thought　of　eluding　the　law；　and　they　could　pitch　upon　none　but　honest　men　to　help　them　to　elude　it；　for　a　trust　of　this　kind　requires　a　triumph　over　avarice　and　inordinate　pleasure；　which　none　but　honest　men　are　likely　to　obtain。　Perhaps　in　this　light　to　look　upon　them　as　bad　citizens　would　have　savoured　too　much　of　severity。　It　is　not　impossible　but　that　the　legislator　carried　his　point　in　a　great　measure；　since　his　law　was　of　such　a　nature　as　obliged　none　but　honest　men　to　elude　it。

At　the　time　when　the　Voconian　law　was　passed；　the　Romans　still　preserved　some　remains　of　their　ancient　purity　of　manners。　Their　conscience　was　sometimes　engaged　in　favour　of　the　law；　and　they　were　made　to　swear　they　would　observe　it：＇40＇　so　that　honesty　in　some　measure　was　set　in　opposition　against　itself。　But　latterly　their　morals　were　corrupted　to　such　a　degree　that　the　fiduciary　bequests　must　have　had　less　efficacy　to　elude　the　Voconian　law；　than　that　very　legislator　had　to　enforce　its　observance。

The　civil　wars　were　the　destruction　of　an　infinite　number　of　citizens。　Under　Augustus；　Rome　was　almost　deserted；　it　was　necessary　to　re…people　it。　They　made　the　Papian　laws；　which　omitted　nothing　that　could　encourage　the　citizens　to　marry　and　procreate　children。＇41＇　One　of　the　principal　means　was　to　increase；　in　favour　of　those　who　gave　in　to　the　views　of　the　law；　the　hopes　of　being　heirs；　and　to　diminish　the　expectations　of　those　who　refused；　and　as　the　Voconian　law　had　rendered　women　incapable　of　succeeding；　the　Papian　law；　in　certain　cases；　dispensed　with　this　prohibition。＇42＇

Women；＇43＇　especially　those　who　had　children；　were　rendered　capable　of　receiving　in　virtue　of　the　will　of　their　husbands；　they　even　might；　when　they　had　children；　receive　in　virtue　of　the　will　of　strangers。　All　this　was　in　direct　opposition　to　the　regulations　of　the　Voconian　law：　and　yet　it　is　remarkable　that　the　spirit　of　this　law　was　not　entirely　abandoned。　For　example；　the　Papian　law；　which　permitted　a　man　who　had　one　child＇44＇　to　receive　an　entire　inheritance　by　the　will　of　a　stranger；　granted　the　same　favour　to　the　wife　only　when　she　had　three　children。＇45＇

It　must　be　remarked　that　the　Papian　law　did　not　render　the　women　who　had　three　children　capable　of　succeeding　except　in　virtue　of　the　will　of　strangers；　and　that　with　respect　to　the　succession　of　relatives；　it　left　the　ancient　laws；　and　particularly　the　Voconian；　in　all　their　force。＇46＇　But　this　did　not　long　subsist。

Rome；　corrupted　by　the　riches　of　every　nation；　had　changed　her　manners；　the　putting　a　stop　to　the　luxury　of　women　was　no　longer　minded。　Aulus　Gellius；　who　lived　under　Adrian；＇47＇　tells　us；　that　in　his　time　the　Voconian　law　was　almost　abolished；　it　was　buried　under　the　opulence　of　the　city。　Thus　we　find　in　the　sentences　of　Paulus；＇48＇　who　lived　under　Niger；　and　in　the　fragments　of　Ulpian；＇49＇　who　was　in　the　time　of　Alexander　Severus；　that　the　sisters　on　the　father's　side　might　succeed；　and　that　none　but　the　relatives　of　a　more　distant　degree　were　in　the　case　of　those　prohibited　by　the　Voconian　law。

The　ancient　laws　of　Rome　began　to　be　thought　severe。　The　pr？tors　were　no　longer　moved　except　by　reasons　of　equity；　moderation；　and　decorum。

We　have　seen；　that　by　the　ancient　laws　of　Rome　mothers　had　no　share　in　the　inheritance　of　their　children。　The　Voconian　law　afforded　a　new　reason　for　their　exclusion。　But　the　Emperor　Claudius　gave　the　mother　the　succession　of　her　children　as　a　consolation　for　her　loss。　The　Tertullian　senatus　consultum；　made　under　Adrian；＇50＇　gave　it　them　when　they　had　three　children　if　free　women；　or　four　if　they　were　freedwomen。　It　is　evident；　that　this　decree　of　the　senate　was　only　an　extension　of　the　Papian　law；　which　in　the　same　case　had　granted　to　women　the　inheritance　left　them　by　strangers。　At　length　Justinian　favoured　them　with　the　succession　independently　of　the　number　of　their　children。＇51＇

The　same　causes　which　had　debilitated　the　law　against　the　succession　of　women　subverted　that；　by　degrees；　which　had　limited　the　succession　of　the　relatives　on　the　woman's　side。

These　laws　were　extremely　conformable　to　the　spirit　of　a　good　republic；　where　they　ought　to　have　such　an　influence　as　to　prevent　this　sex　from　rendering　either　the　possession；　or　the　expectation　of　wealth；　an　instrument　of　luxury。　On　the　contrary；　the　luxury　of　a　monarchy　rendering　marriage　expensive　and　costly；　it　ought　to　be　there　encouraged；　both　by　the　riches　which　women　may　bestow；　and　by　the　hope　of　the　inheritances　it　is　in　their　power　to　procure。　Thus　when　monarchy　was　established　at　Rome；　the　whole　system　of　successions　was　changed。　The　pr？tors　called　the　relatives　of　the　woman's　side　in　default　of　those　of　the　male　side；　though　by　the　ancient　laws；　the　relatives　on　the　woman's　side　were　never　called。　The　Orphitian　senatus　consultum　called　children　to　the　succession　of　their　mother；　and　the　Emperors