the spirit of laws-第164章

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erty　is　ever　possessed　of　power；　the　king；　who　would　have　continually　disposed　of　the　fiefs；　that　is；　of　the　only　property　then　existing；　would　have　had　a　power　as　arbitrary　as　that　of　the　Sultan　is　in　Turkey；　which　is　contradictory　to　all　history。

6。　Of　the　Goths；　Burgundians；　and　Franks。　Gaul　was　invaded　by　German　nations。　The　Visigoths　took　possession　of　the　province　of　Narbonne；　and　of　almost　all　the　south；　the　Burgundians　settled　in　the　east；　and　the　Franks　subdued　very　nearly　all　the　rest。

No　doubt　but　these　Barbarians　retained　in　their　respective　conquests　the　manners；　inclinations；　and　usages　of　their　own　country；　for　no　nation　can　change　in　an　instant　their　manner　of　thinking　and　acting。　These　people　in　Germany　neglected　agriculture。　It　seems　by　C？sar　and　Tacitus　that　they　applied　themselves　greatly　to　a　pastoral　life；　hence　the　regulations　of　the　codes　of　Barbarian　laws　almost　all　relate　to　their　flocks。　Roricon；　who　wrote　a　history　among　the　Franks；　was　a　shepherd。

7。　Different　Ways　of　dividing　the　Land。　After　the　Goths　and　Burgundians　had；　under　various　pretences；　penetrated　into　the　heart　of　the　empire；　the　Romans；　in　order　to　put　a　stop　to　their　devastations；　were　obliged　to　provide　for　their　subsistence。　At　first　they　allowed　them　corn；＇10＇　but　afterwards　chose　to　give　them　lands。　The　emperors；　or　the　Roman　magistrates；　in　their　name；　made　particular　conventions　with　them　concerning　the　division　of　lands；＇11＇　as　we　find　in　the　chronicles　and　in　the　codes　of　the　Visigoths＇12＇　and　Burgundians。＇13＇

The　Franks　did　not　follow　the　same　plan。　In　the　Salic　and　Ripuarian　laws；　we　find　not　the　least　vestige　of　any　such　division　of　lands；　they　had　conquered　the　country；　and　so　took　what　they　pleased；　making　no　regulations　but　among　themselves。

Let　us；　therefore；　distinguish　between　the　conduct　of　the　Burgundians　and　Visigoths　in　Gaul；　of　those　same　Visigoths　in　Spain；　of　the　auxiliary　troops　under　Augustulus　and　Odoacer　in　ltaly；＇14＇　and　that　of　the　Franks　in　Gaul；　as　also　of　the　Vandals　in　Africa。＇15＇　The　former　entered　into　conventions　with　the　ancient　inhabitants；　and　in　consequence　thereof　made　a　division　of　lands　between　them；　the　latter　did　no　such　thing。

8。　The　same　Subject　continued。　What　has　induced　some　to　think　that　the　Roman　lands　were　entirely　usurped　by　the　Barbarians　is　their　finding　in　the　laws　of　the　Visigoths　and　the　Burgundians　that　these　two　nations　had　two…thirds　of　the　lands；　but　this　they　took　only　in　certain　quarters　or　districts　assigned　them。

Gundebald　says；　in　the　law　of　the　Burgundians；　that　his　people　at　their　establishment　had　two…thirds　of　the　lands　allowed　them；＇16＇　and　the　second　supplement　to　this　law　notices　that　only　a　moiety　would　be　allowed　to　those　who　should　hereafter　come　to　live　in　that　country。＇17＇　Therefore；　all　the　lands　had　not　been　divided　in　the　beginning　between　the　Romans　and　the　Burgundians。

In　those　two　regulations　we　meet　with　the　same　expressions　in　the　text；　consequently　they　explain　one　another；　and　as　the　latter　cannot　mean　a　universal　division　of　lands；　neither　can　this　signification　be　given　to　the　former。

The　Franks　acted　with　the　same　moderation　as　the　Burgundians；　they　did　not　strip　the　Romans　wherever　they　extended　their　conquests。　What　would　they　have　done　with　so　much　land？　They　took　what　suited　them；　and　left　the　remainder。

9。　A　just　Application　of　the　Law　of　the　Burgundians；　and　of　that　of　the　Visigoths；　in　relation　to　the　Division　of　Lands。　It　is　to　be　considered　that　those　divisions　of　land　were　not　made　with　a　tyrannical　spirit；　but　with　a　view　of　relieving　the　reciprocal　wants　of　two　nations　that　were　to　inhabit　the　same　country。

The　law　of　the　Burgundians　ordains　that　a　Burgundian　shall　be　received　in　an　hospitable　manner　by　a　Roman。　This　is　agreeable　to　the　manners　of　the　Germans；　who；　according　to　Tacitus；＇18＇　were　the　most　hospitable　people　in　the　world。

By　the　law　of　the　Burgundians；　it　is　ordained　that　the　Burgundians　shall　have　two…thirds　of　the　lands；　and　one…third　of　the　bondmen。　In　this　it　considered　the　genius　of　two　nations；　and　conformed　to　the　manner　in　which　they　procured　their　subsistence。　As　the　Burgundians　kept　herds　and　flocks；　they　wanted　a　great　deal　of　land　and　few　bondmen；　and　the　Romans；　from　their　application　to　agriculture；　had　need　of　less　land；　and　of　a　greater　number　of　bondmen。　The　woods　were　equally　divided；　because　their　wants　in　this　respect　were　the　same。

We　find　in　the　code　of　the　Burgundians＇19＇　that　each　Barbarian　was　placed　near　a　Roman。　The　division　therefore　was　not　general；　but　the　Romans　who　gave　the　division　were　equal　in　number　to　the　Burgundians　who　received　it。　The　Roman　was　injured　least。　The　Burgundians　as　a　martial　people；　fond　of　hunting　and　of　a　pastoral　life；　did　not　refuse　to　accept　of　the　fallow　grounds；　while　the　Romans　kept　such　lands　as　were　properest　for　culture：　the　Burgundian's　flock　fattened　the　Roman's　field。

10。　Of　Servitudes。　The　law　of　the　Burgundians　notices＇20＇　that　when　those　people　settled　in　Gaul；　they　were　allowed　two…thirds　of　the　land；　and　one…third　of　the　bondmen。　The　state　of　villainage　was　therefore　established　in　that　part　of　Gaul　before　it　was　invaded　by　the　Burgundians。＇21＇

The　law　of　the　Burgundians；　in　points　relating　to　the　two　nations；　makes　a　formal　distinction　in　both；　between　the　nobles；　the　freeborn　and　the　bondmen。＇22＇　Servitude　was　not　therefore　a　thing　peculiar　to　the　Romans；　nor　liberty　and　nobility　to　the　Barbarians。

This　very　same　law　says；＇23＇　that　if　a　Burgundian　freedman　had　not　given　a　certain　sum　to　his　master；　nor　received　a　third　share　of　a　Roman；　he　was　always　supposed　to　belong　to　his　master's　family。　The　Roman　proprietor　was　therefore　free；　since　he　did　not　belong　to　another　person's　family；　he　was　free；　because　his　third　portion　was　a　mark　of　liberty。

We　need　only　open　the　Salic　and　Ripuarian　laws　to　be　satisfied　that　the　Romans　were　no　more　in　a　state　of　servitude　among　the　Franks　than　among　the　other　conquerors　of　Gaul。

The　Count　de　Boulainvilliers　is　mistaken　in　the　capital　point　of　his　system：　he　has　not　proved　that　the　Franks　made　a　general　regulation　which　reduced　the　Romans　into　a　kind　of　servitude。

As　this　author's　work　is　penned　without　art；　and　as　he　speaks　with　the　simplicity；　frankness；　and　candour　of　that　ancient　nobility　whence　he　descends；　every　one　is　capable　of　judging　of　the　good　things　he　says；　and　of　the　errors　into　which　he　has　fallen。　I　shall　not；　therefore；　undertake　to　criticise　him；　I　shall　only　observe　that　he　had　more　wit　than　enlightenment；　more　enlightenment　than　learning；　though　his　learning　was　not　contemptible；　for　he　was　well　acquainted　with　the　most　valuable　part　of　our　history　and　laws。

The　Count　de　Boulainvilliers　and　the　Abbé　du　Bos　have　formed　two　different　systems；　one　of　which　seems　to　be　a　conspiracy　against　the　commons；　and　the　other　against　the　nobility。　When　the　sun　gave　leave　to　Ph？ton　to　drive　his　chariot；　he　said　to　him；　〃If　you　ascend　too　high；　you　will　burn　the　heavenly　mansions；　if　you　descend　too　low；　you　will　reduce　the　earth　to　ashes；　do　not　drive　to　the　right；　you　will　meet　there　with　the　constellation　of　the　Serpent；　avoid　going　too　much　to　the　left；　you　will　there　fall　in　with　that　of　the　Altar：　keep　in　the　middle。〃＇24＇

11。　The　same　Subject　continued。　What　first　gave　rise　to　the　notion　of　a　general　regulation　made　at　the　time　of　the　conquest　was　our　meeting　with　an　immense　number　of　forms　of　servitude　in　France；　towards　the　beginning　of　the　third　race；　and　as　the　continual　progression　of　these　forms　of　servitude　was　not　perceived；　people　imagined　in　an　age　of　obscurity　a　general　law　which　was　never　framed。

Towards　the　commencement　of　the　first　race　we　meet　with　an　infinite　number　of　freemen；　both　among　the　Franks　and　the　Romans；　but　the　number　of　bondmen　increased　to　that　degree；　that　at　the　beginning　of　the　third　race　all　the　husbandmen　and　almost　all　the　inhabitants　of　towns　had　become　bondmen：＇25＇　and　whereas；　at　the　first　period；　there　was　very　nearly　the　same　administration　in　the　cities　as　among　the　Romans；　namely；　a　corporation；　a　senate；　and　courts　of　judicature；　at　the　other　we　hardly　meet　with　anything　but　a　lord　and　his　bondmen