the spirit of laws-第166章

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or　benefices　among　the　Franks。　But　the　opinion　that　our　fiefs　derive　their　origin　from　that　Institution　of　the　Romans　is　at　present　exploded；　it　obtained　only　at　a　time　when　the　Roman　history；　not　ours；　was　well　understood；　and　our　ancient　records　lay　buried　in　obscurity　and　dust。

But　the　Abbé　is　in　the　wrong　to　quote　Cassiodorus；　and　to　make　use　of　what　was　transacting　in　Italy；　and　in　the　part　of　Gaul　subject　to　Theodoric；　in　order　to　acquaint　us　with　the　practice　established　among　the　Franks；　these　are　things　which　must　not　be　confounded。　I　propose　to　show；　some　time　or　other；　in　a　certain　work；　that　the　plan　of　the　monarchy　of　the　Ostrogoths　was　entirely　different　from　that　of　any　other　government　founded　in　those　days　by　the　other　Barbarian　nations；　and　that　so　far　from　our　being　entitled　to　affirm　that　a　practice　obtained　among　the　Franks　because　it　was　established　among　the　Ostrogoths；　we　have　on　the　contrary　just　reason　to　think　that　a　custom　of　the　Ostrogoths　was　not　in　force　among　the　Franks。

The　hardest　task　for　persons　of　extensive　erudition　is　to　seek　their　proofs　in　such　passages　as　bear　upon　the　subject；　and　to　find；　if　we　may　be　allowed　to　express　ourselves　in　astronomical　terms；　the　position　of　the　sun。

The　same　author　makes　a　wrong　use　of　the　capitularies；　as　well　as　of　the　historians　and　laws　of　the　barbarous　nations。　When　he　wants　the　Franks　to　pay　taxes；　he　applies　to　freemen　what　can　be　understood　only　of　bondmen；＇50＇　when　he　speaks　of　their　military　service；　he　applies　to　bondmen　what　can　never　relate　but　to　freemen。＇51＇

13。　Of　Taxes　paid　by　the　Romans　and　Gauls　in　the　Monarchy　of　the　Franks。　I　might　here　examine　whether；　after　the　Gauls　and　Romans　were　conquered；　they　continued　to　pay　the　taxes　to　which　they　were　subject　under　the　emperors。　But；　for　the　sake　of　brevity；　I　shall　be　satisfied　with　observing　that；　if　they　paid　them　in　the　beginning；　they　were　soon　after　exempted；　and　that　those　taxes　were　changed　into　a　military　service。　For；　I　confess；　I　can　hardly　conceive　how　the　Franks　should　have　been　at　first　such　great　friends；　and　afterwards　such　sudden　and　violent　enemies；　to　taxes。

A　capitulary＇52＇　of　Louis　the　Debonnaire　explains　extremely　well　the　situation　of　the　freemen　in　the　monarchy　of　the　Franks。　Some　troops　of　Goths　or　Iberians；　flying　from　the　oppression　of　the　Moors；　were　received　into　Louis'　dominions。　The　agreement　made　with　them　was　that；　like　other　freemen；　they　should　follow　their　count　to　the　army；　and　that　upon　a　march　they　should　mount　guard　and　patrol　under　the　command　also　of　their　count；　and　that　they　should　furnish　horses　and　carriages　for　baggage　to　the　king's　commissaries；＇53＇　and　to　the　ambassadors　in　their　way　to　or　from　court；　and　that　they　should　not　be　compelled　to　pay　any　further　impost；　but　should　be　treated　as　the　other　freemen。

It　cannot　be　said　that　these　were　new　usages　introduced　at　the　commencement　of　the　second　race。　This　must　be　referred　at　least　to　the　middle　or　to　the　end　of　the　first。　A　capitulary　of　the　year　864　＇54＇　says　in　express　terms　that　it　was　the　ancient　custom　for　freemen　to　perform　military　service；　and　to　furnish　likewise　the　horses　and　carriages　above…mentioned；　duties　particular　to　themselves；　and　from　which　those　who　possessed　the　fiefs　were　exempt；　as　I　shall　prove　hereafter。

This　is　not　all；　there　was　a　regulation　which　hardly　permitted　the　imposing　of　taxes　on　those　freemen。＇55＇　He　who　had　four　manors　was　obliged　to　march　against　the　enemy：＇56＇　he　who　had　but　three　was　joined　with　a　freeman　that　had　only　one；　the　latter　bore　the　fourth　part　of　the　other's　charges；　and　stayed　at　home。　In　like　manner；　they　joined　two　freemen　who　had　each　two　manors；　he　who　went　to　the　army　had　half　his　charges　borne　by　him　who　stayed　at　home。

Again；　we　have　an　infinite　number　of　charters；　in　which　the　privileges　of　fiefs　are　granted　to　lands　or　districts　possessed　by　freemen；　and　of　which　I　shall　make　further　mention　hereafter。＇57＇　These　lands　are　exempted　from　all　the　duties　or　services　which　were　required　of　them　by　the　counts；　and　by　the　rest　of　the　king's　officers；　and　as　all　these　services　are　particularly　enumerated　without　making　any　mention　of　taxes；　it　is　manifest　that　no　taxes　were　imposed　upon　them。

It　was　very　natural　that　the　Roman　system　of　taxation　should　of　itself　fall　out　of　use　in　the　monarchy　of　the　Franks；　it　was　a　most　complicated　device；　far　above　the　conception；　and　wide　from　the　plan　of　those　simple　people。　Were　the　Tartars　to　overrun　Europe；　we　should　find　it　very　difficult　to　make　them　comprehend　what　is　meant　by　our　financiers。

The　anonymous　author　of　the　life　of　Louis　the　Debonnaire；＇58＇　speaking　of　the　counts　and　other　officers　of　the　nation　of　the　Franks；　whom　Charlemagne　established　in　Aquitania；　says；　that　he　entrusted　them　with　the　care　of　defending　the　frontiers；　as　also　with　the　military　power　and　the　direction　of　the　demesnes　belonging　to　the　crown。　This　shows　the　state　of　the　royal　revenues　under　the　second　race。　The　prince　had　kept　his　demesnes　in　his　own　hands；　and　employed　his　bondmen　in　improving　them。　But　the　indictions；　the　capitations　and　other　imposts　raised　at　the　time　of　the　emperors　on　the　persons　or　goods　of　freemen　had　been　changed　into　an　obligation　of　defending　the　frontiers　and　marching　against　the　enemy。

In　the　same　history；＇59＇　we　find　that　Louis　the　Debonnaire；　having　been　to　wait　upon　his　father　in　Germany；　this　prince　asked　him；　why　he；　who　was　a　crowned　head；　came　to　be　so　poor：　to　which　Louis　made　answer　that　he　was　only　a　nominal　king；　and　that　the　great　lords　were　possessed　of　almost　all　his　demesnes；　that　Charlemagne；　being　apprehensive　lest　this　young　prince　should　forfeit　their　affection；　if　he　attempted　himself　to　resume　what　he　had　inconsiderately　granted；　appointed　commissaries　to　restore　things　to　their　former　situation。

The　bishops；　writing＇60＇　to　Louis；　brother　of　Charles　the　Bald；　used　these　words：　〃Take　care　of　your　lands；　that　you　may　not　be　obliged　to　travel　continually　by　the　houses　of　the　clergy；　and　to　tire　their　bondmen　with　carriages。　Manage　your　affairs；〃　continue　they；　〃in　such　a　manner　that　you　may　have　enough　to　live　upon；　and　to　receive　embassies。〃　It　is　evident　that　the　king's　revenues　in　those　days　consisted　of　their　demesnes。＇61＇

14。　Of　what　they　called　Census。　After　the　Barbarians　had　quitted　their　own　country；　they　were　desirous　of　reducing　their　usages　into　writing；　but　as　they　found　difficulty　in　writing　German　words　with　Roman　letters；　they　published　these　laws　in　Latin。

In　the　confusion　and　rapidity　of　the　conquest；　most　things　changed　their　nature；　in　order；　however；　to　express　them；　they　were　obliged　to　make　use　of　such　old　Latin　words　as　were　most　analogous　to　the　new　usages。　Thus；　whatever　was　likely　to　revive　the　idea　of　the　ancient　census　of　the　Romans　they　called　by　the　name　of　census　tributum；＇62＇　and　when　things　had　no　relation　at　all　to　the　Roman　census；　they　expressed；　as　well　as　they　could；　the　German　words　by　Roman　letters；　thus　they　formed　the　word　fredum；　on　which　I　shall　have　occasion　to　descant　in　the　following　chapters。

The　words　census　and　tributum　having　been　employed　in　an　arbitrary　manner；　this　has　thrown　some　obscurity　on　the　signification　in　which　these　words　were　used　under　our　princes　of　the　first　and　second　race。　And　modern　authors＇63＇　who　have　adopted　particular　systems；　having　found　these　words　in　the　writings　of　those　days；　imagined　that　what　was　then　called　census　was　exactly　the　census　of　the　Romans；　and　thence　they　inferred　this　consequence；　that　our　kings　of　the　first　two　races　had　put　themselves　in　the　place　of　the　Roman　emperors；　and　made　no　change　in　their　administration。＇64＇　Besides；　as　particular　duties　raised　under　the　second　race　were　by　change　and　by　certain　restrictions　converted　into　others；＇65＇　they　inferred　thence　that　these　duties　were　the　census　of　the　Romans；　and　as；　since　the　modern　regulations；　they　found　that　the　crown　demesnes　were　absolutely　unalienable；　they　pretended　that　those　duties　which　represented　the　Roman　census；　and　did　not　form　a　part　of　the　demesnes；　were　mere　usurpation。　I　omit　the　other　consequences。

To　apply　the　ideas　of　the　present　time　to　distant　ages　i