the spirit of laws-第165章

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nate；　and　courts　of　judicature；　at　the　other　we　hardly　meet　with　anything　but　a　lord　and　his　bondmen。

When　the　Franks；　Burgundians；　and　Goths　made　their　several　invasions；　they　seized　upon　gold；　silver；　movables；　clothes；　men；　women；　boys；　and　whatever　the　army　could　carry；　the　whole　was　brought　to　one　place；　and　divided　among　the　army。＇26＇　History　shows　that　after　the　first　settlement；　that　is；　after　the　first　devastation；　they　entered　into　an　agreement　with　the　inhabitants；　and　left　them　all　their　political　and　civil　rights。　This　was　the　law　of　nations　in　those　days；　they　plundered　everything　in　time　of　war；　and　granted　everything　in　time　of　peace。　Were　it　not　so；　how　should　we　find　both　in　the　Salic　and　Burgundian　laws　such　a　number　of　regulations　absolutely　contrary　to　a　general　servitude　of　the　people？

But　though　the　conquest　was　not　immediately　productive　of　servitude；　it　arose　nevertheless　from　the　same　law　of　nations　which　subsisted　after　the　conquest。＇27＇　Opposition；　revolts　and　the　taking　of　towns　were　followed　by　the　slavery　of　the　inhabitants。　And；　not　to　mention　the　wars　which　the　conquering　nations　made　against　one　another；　as　there　was　this　peculiarity　among　the　Franks；　that　the　different　partitions　of　the　monarchy　gave　rise　continually　to　civil　wars　between　brothers　or　nephews；　in　which　this　law　of　nations　was　constantly　practised；　servitudes；　of　course；　became　more　general　in　France　than　in　other　countries：　and　this　is；　I　believe；　one　of　the　causes　of　the　difference　between　our　French　laws　and　those　of　Italy　and　Spain；　in　respect　to　the　right　of　seigniories。

The　conquest　was　soon　over；　and　the　law　of　nations　then　in　force　was　productive　of　some　servile　dependences。　The　custom　of　the　same　law　of　nations；　which　obtained　for　many　ages；　gave　a　prodigious　extent　to　those　servitudes。

Theodoric＇28＇　imagining　that　the　people　of　Auvergne　were　not　faithful　to　him；　thus　addressed　the　Franks　of　his　division：　〃Follow　me；　and　I　will　carry　you　into　a　country　where　you　shall　have　gold；　silver；　captives；　clothes；　and　flocks　in　abundance；　and　you　shall　remove　all　the　people　into　your　own　country。〃

After　the　conclusion　of　the　peace　between　Gontram　and　Chilperic；　the　troops　employed　in　the　siege　of　Bourges；　having　had　orders　to　return；　carried　such　a　considerable　booty　away　with　them　that　they　hardly　left　either　men　or　cattle　in　the　country。＇29＇

Theodoric；　King　of　Italy；　whose　spirit　and　policy　it　was　ever　to　distinguish　himself　from　the　other　barbarian　kings；　upon　sending　an　army　into　Gaul；　wrote　thus　to　the　general：＇30＇　〃It　is　my　will　that　the　Roman　laws　be　followed；　and　that　you　restore　the　fugitive　slaves　to　their　right　owners。　The　defender　of　liberty　ought　not　to　encourage　servants　to　desert　their　masters。　Let　other　kings　delight　in　the　plunder　and　devastation　of　the　towns　which　they　have　subdued；　we　are　desirous　to　conquer　in　such　a　manner　that　our　subjects　shall　lament　their　having　fallen　too　late　under　our　government。〃　It　is　evident　that　his　intention　was　to　cast　odium　on　the　kings　of　the　Franks　and　the　Burgundians；　and　that　he　alluded　in　the　above　passage　to　their　particular　law　of　nations。　Yet　this　law　of　nations　continued　in　force　under　the　second　race。　King　Pepin's　army；　having　penetrated　into　Aquitaine；　returned　to　France　loaded　with　an　immense　booty；　and　with　a　number　of　bondmen；　as　we　are　informed　by　the　annals　of　Metz。＇31＇

Here　might　I　quote　numberless　authorities；＇32＇　and　as　the　public　compassion　was　raised　at　the　sight　of　those　miseries；　as　several　holy　prelates；　beholding　the　captives　in　chains；　employed　the　treasure　belonging　to　the　church；　and　sold　even　the　sacred　utensils；　to　ransom　as　many　as　they　could；　and　as　several　holy　monks　exerted　themselves　on　that　occasion；　it　is　in　the　Lives　of　the　Saints　that　we　meet　with　the　best　explanations　on　the　subject。＇33＇　And；　although　it　may　be　objected　to　the　authors　of　those　lives　that　they　have　been　sometimes　a　little　too　credulous　in　respect　to　things　which　God　has　certainly　performed；　if　they　were　in　the　order　of　his　providence；　yet　we　draw　considerable　light　thence　with　regard　to　the　manners　and　usages　of　those　times。

When　we　cast　an　eye　upon　the　monuments　of　our　history　and　laws；　the　whole　seems　to　be　an　immense　expanse；　a　boundless　ocean；＇34＇　all　those　frigid；　dry；　insipid；　and　hard　writings　must　be　read　and　devoured　in　the　same　manner　as　Saturn　is　fabled　to　have　devoured　the　stones。

A　vast　quantity　of　land　which　had　been　in　the　hands　of　freemen＇35＇　was　changed　into　mortmain。　When　the　country　was　stripped　of　its　free　inhabitants；　those　who　had　a　great　multitude　of　bondmen　either　took　large　territories　by　force；　or　had　them　yielded　by　agreement；　and　built　villages；　as　may　be　seen　in　different　charters。　On　the　other　hand；　the　freemen　who　cultivated　the　arts　found　themselves　reduced　to　exercise　those　arts　in　a　state　of　servitude；　thus　the　servitudes　restored　to　the　arts　and　to　agriculture　whatever　they　had　lost。

It　was　a　customary　thing　with　the　proprietors　of　lands；　to　give　them　to　the　churches；　in　order　to　hold　them　themselves　by　a　quit…rent；　thinking　to　partake　by　their　servitude　of　the　sanctity　of　the　churches。

12。　That　the　Lands　belonging　to　the　Division　of　the　Barbarians　paid　no　Taxes。　A　people　remarkable　for　their　simplicity　and　poverty；　a　free　and　martial　people；　who　lived　without　any　other　industry　than　that　of　tending　their　flocks；　and　who　had　nothing　but　rush　cottages　to　attach　them　to　their　lands；＇36＇　such　a　people；　I　say；　must　have　followed　their　chiefs　for　the　sake　of　booty；　and　not　to　pay　or　to　raise　taxes。　The　art　of　tax…gathering　was　invented　later；　and　when　men　began　to　enjoy　the　blessings　of　other　arts。

The　temporary　tax　of　a　pitcher　of　wine　for　every　acre；＇37＇　which　was　one　of　the　exactions　of　Chilperic　and　Fredegonda；　related　only　to　the　Romans。　And　indeed　it　was　not　the　Franks　that　tore　the　rolls　of　those　taxes；　but　the　clergy；　who　in　those　days　were　all　Romans。＇38＇　The　burden　of　this　tax　lay　chiefly　on　the　inhabitants　of　the　towns；＇39＇　now　these　were　almost　all　inhabited　by　Romans。

Gregory　of　Tours　relates＇40＇　that　a　certain　judge　was　obliged；　after　the　death　of　Chilperic；　to　take　refuge　in　a　church；　for　having　under　the　reign　of　that　prince　ordered　taxes　to　be　levied　on　several　Franks　who　in　the　reign　of　Childebert　were　ingenui；　or　free…born：　Multos　de　Francis；　qui　tempore　Childeberti　regis　ingenui　fuerant；　publico　tributo　subegit。　Therefore　the　Franks　who　were　not　bondmen　paid　no　taxes。

There　is　not　a　grammarian　but　would　turn　pale　to　see　how　the　Abbé　du　Bos　has　interpreted　this　passage。＇41＇　He　observes　that　in　those　days　the　freedmen　were　also　called　ingenui。　Upon　this　supposition　he　renders　the　Latin　word　ingenui；　by　the　words　〃freed　from　taxes〃；　a　phrase　which　we　indeed　may　use　in　French；　as　we　say　〃freed　from　cares；〃　〃freed　from　punishments〃；　but　in　the　Latin　tongue　such　expressions　as　ingenui　a　tributis；　libertini　a　tributis；　manumissi　tributorum；　would　be　quite　monstrous。

Parthenius；　says　Gregory　of　Tours；＇42＇　had　like　to　have　been　put　to　death　by　the　Franks　for　subjecting　them　to　taxes。　The　Abbé　du　Bos　finding　himself　hard　pressed　by　this　passage＇43＇　very　coolly　assumes　the　thing　in　question；　it　was；　says　he；　a　surcharge。

We　find　in　the　law　of　the　Visigoths＇44＇　that　when　a　Barbarian　had　seized　upon　the　estate　of　a　Roman；　the　judge　obliged　him　to　sell　it；　to　the　end　that　this　estate　might　continue　to　be　tributary；　consequently　the　Barbarians　paid　no　land　taxes。＇45＇

The　Abbé　du　Bos；＇46＇　who　would　fain　have　the　Visigoths　subjected　to　taxes；＇47＇　quits　the　literal　and　spiritual　sense　of　the　law；　and　pretends；　upon　no　other　indeed　than　an　imaginary　foundation；　that　between　the　establishment　of　the　Goths　and　this　law；　there　had　been　an　augmentation　of　taxes　which　related　only　to　the　Romans。　But　none　but　Father　Harduin　are　allowed　thus　to　exercise　an　arbitrary　power　over　facts。

This　learned　author＇48＇　has　rummaged　Justinian's　Code＇49＇　in　search　of　laws　to　prove　that；　among　the　Romans；　the　military　benefices　were　subject　to　taxes。　Whence　he　would　infer　that　the　same　held　good　with　regard　to　fiefs　or　benefices　among　the　Franks。　But　the　opinion　that　our　fiefs　derive　their　origin　from　that　Institut