the spirit of laws-第23章

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throne。＇36＇

The　preservation　of　the　state　is　only　the　preservation　of　the　prince；　or　rather　of　the　palace　where　he　is　confined。　Whatever　does　not　directly　menace　this　palace　or　the　capital　makes　no　impression　on　ignorant；　proud；　and　prejudiced　minds；　and　as　for　the　concatenation　of　events；　they　are　unable　to　trace；　to　foresee；　or　even　to　conceive　it。　Politics；　with　its　several　springs　and　laws；　must　here　be　very　much　limited；　the　political　government　is　as　simple　as　the　civil。＇37＇

The　whole　is　reduced　to　reconciling　the　political　and　civil　administration　to　the　domestic　government；　the　officers　of　state　to　those　of　the　seraglio。

Such　a　state　is　happiest　when　it　can　look　upon　itself　as　the　only　one　in　the　world；　when　it　is　environed　with　deserts；　and　separated　from　those　people　whom　they　call　Barbarians。　Since　it　cannot　depend　on　the　militia；　it　is　proper　it　should　destroy　a　part　of　itself。

As　fear　is　the　principle　of　despotic　government；　its　end　is　tranquillity；　but　this　tranquillity　cannot　be　called　a　peace：　no；　it　is　only　the　silence　of　those　towns　which　the　enemy　is　ready　to　invade。

Since　strength　does　not　lie　in　the　state；　but　in　the　army　that　founded　it；　in　order　to　defend　the　state　the　army　must　be　preserved；　how　formidable　soever　to　the　prince。　How；　then；　can　we　reconcile　the　security　of　the　government　to　that　of　the　prince's　person？

Observe　how　industriously　the　Russian　government　endeavours　to　temper　its　arbitrary　power；　which　it　finds　more　burdensome　than　the　people　themselves。　They　have　broken　their　numerous　guards；　mitigated　criminal　punishments；　erected　tribunals；　entered　into　a　knowledge　of　the　laws；　and　instructed　the　people。　But　there　are　particular　causes　that　will　probably　once　more　involve　them　in　the　very　misery　which　they　now　endeavour　to　avoid。

In　those　states　religion　has　more　influence　than　anywhere　else；　it　is　fear　added　to　fear。　In　Mahomedan　countries；　it　is　partly　from　their　religion　that　the　people　derive　the　surprising　veneration　they　have　for　their　prince。

It　is　religion　that　amends　in　some　measure　the　Turkish　constitution。　The　subjects；　who　have　no　attachment　of　honour　to　the　glory　and　grandeur　of　the　state；　are　connected　with　it　by　the　force　and　principle　of　religion。

Of　all　despotic　governments　there　is　none　that　labours　more　under　its　own　weight　than　that　wherein　the　prince　declares　himself　proprietor　of　all　the　lands；　and　heir　to　all　his　subjects。　Hence　the　neglect　of　agriculture　arises；　and　if　the　prince　intermeddles　likewise　in　trade；　all　manner　of　industry　is　ruined。

Under　this　sort　of　government；　nothing　is　repaired　or　improved。＇38＇　Houses　are　built　only　for　the　necessity　of　habitation；　there　is　no　digging　of　ditches　or　planting　of　trees；　everything　is　drawn　from；　but　nothing　restored　to；　the　earth；　the　ground　lies　untilled；　and　the　whole　country　becomes　a　desert。

Is　it　to　be　imagined　that　the　laws　which　abolish　the　property　of　land　and　the　succession　of　estates　will　diminish　the　avarice　and　cupidity　of　the　great？　By　no　means。　They　will　rather　stimulate　this　cupidity　and　avarice。　The　great　men　will　be　prompted　to　use　a　thousand　oppressive　methods；　imagining　they　have　no　other　property　than　the　gold　and　silver　which　they　are　able　to　seize　upon　by　violence；　or　to　conceal。

To　prevent；　therefore；　the　utter　ruin　of　the　state；　the　avidity　of　the　prince　ought　to　be　moderated　by　some　established　custom。　Thus；　in　Turkey；　the　sovereign　is　satisfied　with　the　right　of　three　per　cent　on　the　value　of　inheritances。＇39＇　But　as　he　gives　the　greatest　part　of　the　lands　to　his　soldiery；　and　disposes　of　them　as　he　pleases；　as　he　seizes　on　all　the　inheritances　of　the　officers　of　the　empire　at　their　decease；　as　he　has　the　property　of　the　possessions　of　those　who　die　without　issue；　and　the　daughters　have　only　the　usufruct；　it　thence　follows　that　the　greatest　part　of　the　estates　of　the　country　are　held　in　a　precarious　manner。

By　the　laws　of　Bantam；＇40＇　the　king　seizes　on　the　whole　inheritance；　even　wife；　children；　and　habitation。　In　order　to　elude　the　cruelest　part　of　this　law；　they　are　obliged　to　marry　their　children　at　eight；　nine；　or　ten　years　of　age；　and　sometimes　younger；　to　the　end　that　they　may　not　be　a　wretched　part　of　the　father's　succession。

In　countries　where　there　are　no　fundamental　laws；　the　succession　to　the　empire　cannot　be　fixed。　The　crown　is　then　elective；　and　the　right　of　electing　is　in　the　prince；　who　names　a　successor　either　of　his　own　or　of　some　other　family。　In　vain　would　it　be　to　establish　here　the　succession　of　the　eldest　son；　the　prince　might　always　choose　another。　The　successor　is　declared　by　the　prince　himself；　or　by　a　civil　war。　Hence　a　despotic　state　is；　upon　another　account；　more　liable　than　a　monarchical　government　to　dissolution。

As　every　prince　of　the　royal　family　is　held　equally　capable　of　being　chosen；　hence　it　follows　that　the　prince　who　ascends　the　throne　immediately　strangles　his　brothers；　as　in　Turkey；　or　puts　out　their　eyes；　as　in　Persia；　or　bereaves　them　of　their　understanding；　as　in　the　Mogul's　country；　or　if　these　precautions　are　not　used；　as　in　Morocco；　the　vacancy　of　the　throne　is　always　attended　with　the　horrors　of　a　civil　war。

By　the　constitution　of　Russia＇41＇　the　Czar　may　choose　whom　he　has　a　mind　for　his　successor；　whether　of　his　own　or　of　a　strange　family。　Such　a　settlement　produces　a　thousand　revolutions；　and　renders　the　throne　as　tottering　as　the　succession　is　arbitrary。　The　right　of　succession　being　one　of　those　things　which　are　of　most　importance　to　the　people　to　know；　the　best　is　that　which　most　sensibly　strikes　them。　Such　as　a　certain　order　of　birth。　A　settlement　of　this　kind　puts　a　stop　to　intrigues；　and　stifles　ambition；　the　mind　of　a　weak　prince　is　no　longer　enslaved；　nor　is　he　made　to　speak　his　will　as　he　is　just　expiring。

When　the　succession　is　established　by　a　fundamental　law；　only　one　prince　is　the　successor；　and　his　brothers　have　neither　a　real　nor　apparent　right　to　dispute　the　crown　with　him。　They　can　neither　pretend　to　nor　take　any　advantage　of　the　will　of　a　father。　There　is　then　no　more　occasion　to　confine　or　kill　the　king's　brother　than　any　other　subject。

But　in　despotic　governments；　where　the　prince's　brothers　are　equally　his　slaves　and　his　rivals；　prudence　requires　that　their　persons　be　secured；　especially　in　Mahomedan　countries；　where　religion　considers　victory　or　success　as　a　divine　decision　in　their　favour；　so　that　they　have　no　such　thing　as　a　monarch　de　jure；　but　only　de　facto。

There　is　a　far　greater　incentive　to　ambition　in　countries　where　the　princes　of　the　blood　are　sensible　that　if　they　do　not　ascend　the　throne　they　must　be　either　imprisoned　or　put　to　death；　than　among　us；　where　they　are　placed　in　such　a　station　as　may　satisfy；　if　not　their　ambition；　at　least　their　moderate　desires。

The　princes　of　despotic　governments　have　ever　perverted　the　use　of　marriage。　They　generally　take　a　great　many　wives；　especially　in　that　part　of　the　world　where　absolute　power　is　in　some　measure　naturalised；　namely；　Asia。　Hence　they　come　to　have　such　a　multitude　of　children　that　they　can　hardly　have　any　great　affection　for　them；　nor　the　children　for　one　another。

The　reigning　family　resembles　the　state；　it　is　too　weak　itself；　and　its　head　too　powerful；　it　seems　very　numerous　and　extensive；　and　yet　is　suddenly　extinct。　Artaxerxes＇42＇　put　all　his　children　to　death　for　conspiring　against　him。

It　is　not　at　all　probable　that　fifty　children　would　conspire　against　their　father；　and　much　less　that　this　conspiracy　would　be　owing　to　his　having　refused　to　resign　his　concubine　to　his　eldest　son。　It　is　more　natural　to　believe　that　the　whole　was　an　intrigue　of　those　oriental　seraglios；　where　fraud；　treachery；　and　deceit　reign　in　silence　and　darkness；　and　where　an　old　prince；　grown　every　day　more　infirm；　is　the　first　prisoner　of　the　palace。

After　what　has　been　said；　one　would　imagine　that　human　nature　should　perpetually　rise　up　against　despotism。　But　notwithstanding　the　love　of　liberty；　so　natural　to　mankind；　notwithstanding　their　innate　detestation　of　force　and　violence；　most　nations　are　subject　to　this　very　government。　This　is　easily　accounted　for。　To　form　a　moderate　government；　it　is　necessary　to　combine　the　sev