the spirit of laws-第186章

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　immediate　vassals　of　the　king；　and　the　benefices　annexed　to　the　counties　were　no　longer　the　king's　benefices；　the　counts　grew　powerful　because　the　vassals　whom　they　had　already　under　them　enabled　them　to　procure　others。

In　order　to　be　convinced　how　much　the　monarchy　was　thereby　weakened　towards　the　end　of　the　second　race　we　have　only　to　cast　an　eye　on　what　happened　at　the　beginning　of　the　third；　when　the　multiplicity　of　rear…fiefs　flung　the　great　vassals　into　despair。

It　was　a　custom　of　the　kingdom＇190＇　that　when　the　elder　brothers　had　given　shares　to　their　younger　brothers；　the　latter　paid　homage　to　the　elder；　so　that　those　shares　were　held　of　the　lord　paramount　only　as　a　rear…fief。　Philip　Augustus；　the　Duke　of　Burgundy；　the　Counts　of　Nevers；　Boulogne；　St。　Paul；　Dampierre；　and　other　lords　declared＇191＇　that　henceforward；　whether　the　fiefs　were　divided　by　succession　or　otherwise；　the　whole　should　be　always　of　the　same　lord；　without　any　intermediation。　This　ordinance　was　not　generally　followed；　for；　as　I　have　elsewhere　observed；　it　was　impossible　to　make　general　ordinances　at　that　time；　but　many　of　our　customs　were　regulated　by　them。

29。　Of　the　Nature　of　the　Fiefs　after　the　Reign　of　Charles　the　Bald。　We　have　observed　that　Charles　the　Bald　ordained　that　when　the　possessor　of　a　great　office　or　of　a　fief　left　a　son　at　his　death；　the　office　or　fief　should　devolve　to　him。　It　would　be　a　difficult　matter　to　trace　the　progress　of　the　abuses　which　thence　resulted；　and　of　the　extension　given　to　that　law　in　each　country。　I　find　in　the　books　of　fiefs；＇192＇　that　towards　the　beginning　of　the　reign　of　the　Emperor　Conrad　II；　the　fiefs　situated　in　his　dominions　did　not　descend　to　the　grandchildren：　they　descended　only　to　one　of　the　last　possessor's　children；　who　had　been　chosen　by　the　lord：＇193＇　thus　the　fiefs　were　given　by　a　kind　of　election；　which　the　lord　made　among　the　children。

In　the　seventeenth　chapter　of　this　book　we　have　explained　in　what　manner　the　crown　was　in　some　respects　elective；　and　in　others　hereditary　under　the　second　race。　It　was　hereditary；　because　the　kings　were　always　taken　from　that　family；　and　because　the　children　succeeded；　it　was　elective；　by　reason　that　the　people　chose　from　among　the　children。　As　things　proceed　step　by　step；　and　one　political　law　has　constantly　some　relation　to　another　political　law；　the　same　spirit　was　followed　in　the　succession　of　fiefs；　as　had　been　observed　in　the　succession　to　the　crown。＇194＇　Thus　the　fiefs　were　transmitted　to　the　children　by　the　right　of　succession；　as　well　as　of　election；　and　each　fief　became　both　elective　and　hereditary；　like　the　crown。

This　right　of　election＇195＇　in　the　person　of　the　lord　was　not　subsisting　at　the　time　of　the　authors＇196＇　of　the　book　of　fiefs；　that　is；　in　the　reign　of　the　Emperor　Frederick　I。

30。　The　same　Subject　continued。　It　is　mentioned　in　the　books　of　fiefs；　that　when　the　Emperor　Conrad　set　out　for　Rome；　the　vassals　in　his　service　presented　a　petition　to　him　that　he　would　please　to　make　a　law　that　the　fiefs　which　descended　to　the　children　should　descend　also　to　the　grandchildren；　and　that　he　whose　brother　died　without　legitimate　heirs　might　succeed　to　the　fief　which　had　belonged　to　their　common　father。＇197＇　This　was　granted。

In　the　same　place　it　is　said　（and　we　are　to　remember　that　those　writers　lived　at　the　time　of　the　Emperor　Frederick　I）＇198＇　〃that　the　ancient　jurists　had　always　been　of　opinion＇199＇　that　the　succession　of　fiefs　in　a　collateral　line　did　not　extend　farther　than　to　brothers…german；　though　of　late　it　was　carried　as　far　as　the　seventh　degree；　and　by　the　new　code　they　had　extended　it　in　a　direct　line　in　infinitum。〃　It　is　thus　that　Conrad's　law　was　insensibly　extended。　All　these　things　being　supposed；　the　bare　perusal　of　the　history　of　France　is　sufficient　to　demonstrate　that　the　perpetuity　of　fiefs　was　established　earlier　in　this　kingdom　than　in　Germany。　Towards　the　commencement　of　the　reign　of　the　Emperor　Conrad　II　in　1024；　things　were　upon　the　same　footing　still　in　Germany；　as　they　had　been　in　France　during　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Bald；　who　died　in　877。　But　such　were　the　changes　made　in　this　kingdom　after　the　reign　of　Charles　the　Bald；　that　Charles　the　Simple　found　himself　unable　to　dispute　with　a　foreign　house　his　incontestable　rights　to　the　empire；　and；　in　fine；　that　in　Hugh　Capet's　time　the　reigning　family；　stripped　of　all　its　demesnes；　was　no　longer　in　a　condition　to　maintain　the　crown。

The　weak　understanding　of　Charles　the　Bald　produced　an　equal　weakness　in　the　French　monarchy。　But　as　his　brother；　Louis；　King　of　Germany；　and　some　of　that　prince's　successors　were　men　of　better　parts；　their　government　preserved　its　vigour　much　longer。

But　what　do　I　say？　Perhaps　the　phlegmatic　constitution；　and；　if　I　dare　use　the　expression；　the　immutability　of　spirit　peculiar　to　the　German　nation　made　a　longer　stand　than　the　volatile　temper　of　the　French　against　that　disposition　of　things；　which　perpetuated　the　fiefs　by　a　natural　tendency；　in　families。

Besides；　the　kingdom　of　Germany　was　not　laid　waste　and　annihilated；　as　it　were；　like　that　of　France；　by　that　particular　kind　of　war　with　which　it　had　been　harassed　by　the　Normans　and　Saracens。　There　were　less　riches　in　Germany；　fewer　cities　to　plunder；　less　extent　of　coast　to　scour；　more　marshes　to　get　over；　more　forests　to　penetrate。　As　the　dominions　of　those　princes　were　less　in　danger　of　being　ravaged　and　torn　to　pieces；　they　had　less　need　of　their　vassals　and　consequently　less　dependence　on　them。　And　in　all　probability；　if　the　Emperors　of　Germany　had　not　been　obliged　to　be　crowned　at　Rome；　and　to　make　continual　expeditions　into　Italy；　the　fiefs　would　have　preserved　their　primitive　nature　much　longer　in　that　country。

31。　In　what　Manner　the　Empire　was　transferred　from　the　Family　of　Charlemagne。　The　empire；　which；　in　prejudice　to　the　branch　of　Charles　the　Bald　had　been　already　given　to　the　bastard　line　of　Louis；　King　of　Germany；＇200＇　was　transferred　to　a　foreign　house　by　the　election　of　Conrad；　Duke　of　Franconia；　in　912。　The　reigning　branch　in　France；　being　hardly　able　to　contest　a　few　villages；　was　much　less　in　a　situation　to　contest　the　empire。　We　have　an　agreement　entered　into　between　Charles　the　Simple　and　the　Emperor　Henry　I；　who　had　succeeded　to　Conrad；　It　is　called　the　Compact　of　Bonn。＇201＇　These　two　princes　met　in　a　vessel　which　had　been　placed　in　the　middle　of　the　Rhine；　and　swore　eternal　friendship。　They　used　on　this　occasion　an　excellent　middle　term。　Charles　took　the　title　of　King　of　West　France；　and　Henry　that　of　King　of　East　France。　Charles　contracted　with　the　King　of　Germany；　and　not　with　the　Emperor。

32。　In　what　Manner　the　Crown　of　France　was　transferred　to　the　House　of　Hugh　Capet。　The　inheritance　of　the　fiefs；　and　the　general　establishment　of　rear…fiefs；　extinguished　the　political　and　formed　a　feudal　government。　Instead　of　that　prodigious　multitude　of　vassals　who　were　formerly　under　the　king；　there　were　now　a　few　only；　on　whom　the　others　depended。　The　kings　had　scarcely　any　longer　a　direct　authority；　a　power　which　was　to　pass　through　so　many　other　and　through　such　great　powers　either　stopped　or　was　lost　before　it　reached　its　term。　Those　great　vassals　would　no　longer　obey；　and　they　even　made　use　of　their　rear…vassals　to　withdraw　their　obedience。　The　kings；　deprived　of　their　demesnes　and　reduced　to　the　cities　of　Rheims　and　Laon；　were　left　exposed　to　their　mercy；　the　tree　stretched　out　its　branches　too　far；　and　the　head　was　withered。　The　kingdom　found　itself　without　a　demesne；　as　the　empire　is　at　present。　The　crown　was；　therefore；　given　to　one　of　the　most　potent　vassals。

The　Normans　ravaged　the　kingdom；　they　sailed　in　open　boats　or　small　vessels；　entered　the　mouths　of　rivers；　and　laid　the　country　waste　on　both　sides。　The　cities　of　Orleans　and　Paris　put　a　stop　to　those　plunderers；　so　that　they　could　not　advance　farther；　either　on　the　Seine；　or　on　the　Loire。＇202＇　Hugh　Capet；　who　was　master　of　those　cities；　held　in　his　hands　the　two　keys　of　the　unhappy　remains　of　the　kingdom；　the　crown　was　conferred　upon　him　as　the　only　person　able　to　defend　it。　It　is　thus　the　empire　was　afterwards　given　to　a　family　whose　dominions　form　so　strong　a　barrier　against　the　Turks。