the spirit of laws-第52章

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　that　celebrated　capital　to　visit　the　ruins；　and　thus　the　eye；　after　recreating　itself　with　the　view　of　flowery　meads；　is　pleased　with　the　wild　prospect　of　rocks　and　mountains。

The　patrician　families　were　at　all　times　possessed　of　great　privileges。　These　distinctions；　which　were　considerable　under　the　kings；　became　much　more　important　after　their　expulsion。　Hence　arose　the　jealousy　of　the　plebeians；　who　wanted　to　reduce　them。　The　contest　struck　at　the　constitution；　without　weakening　the　government；　for　it　was　very　indifferent　as　to　what　family　were　the　magistrates；　provided　the　magistracy　preserved　its　authority。

An　elective　monarchy；　like　that　of　Rome；　necessarily　supposes　a　powerful　aristocratic　body　to　support　it；　without　which　it　changes　immediately　into　tyranny　or　into　a　popular　state。　But　a　popular　state　has　no　need　of　this　distinction　of　families　to　maintain　itself。　To　this　it　was　owing　that　the　patricians；　who　were　a　necessary　part　of　the　constitution　under　the　regal　government；　became　a　superfluous　branch　under　the　consuls；　the　people　could　suppress　them　without　hurting　themselves；　and　change　the　constitution　without　corrupting　it。

After　Servius　Tullius　had　reduced　the　patricians；　it　was　natural　that　Rome　should　fall　from　the　regal　hands　into　those　of　the　people。　But　the　people　had　no　occasion　to　be　afraid　of　relapsing　under　a　regal　power　by　reducing　the　patricians。

A　state　may　alter　in　two　different　ways；　either　by　the　amendment　or　by　the　corruption　of　the　constitution。　If　it　has　preserved　its　principles　and　the　constitution　changes；　this　is　owing　to　its　amendment；　if　upon　changing　the　constitution　its　principles　are　lost；　this　is　because　it　has　been　corrupted。

The　government　of　Rome；　after　the　expulsion　of　the　kings；　should　naturally　have　been　a　democracy。　The　people　had　already　the　legislative　power　in　their　hands；　it　was　their　unanimous　consent　that　had　expelled　the　Tarquins；　and　if　they　had　not　continued　steady　to　those　principles；　the　Tarquins　might　easily　have　been　restored。　To　pretend　that　their　design　in　expelling　them　was　to　render　themselves　slaves　to　a　few　families　is　quite　absurd。　The　situation　therefore　of　things　required　that　Rome　should　have　formed　a　democracy；　and　yet　this　did　not　happen。　There　was　a　necessity　that　the　power　of　the　principal　families　should　be　tempered；　and　that　the　laws　should　have　a　bias　to　democracy。

The　prosperity　of　states　is　frequently　greater　in　the　insensible　transition　from　one　constitution　to　another　than　in　either　of　those　constitutions。　Then　it　is　that　all　the　springs　of　government　are　upon　the　stretch；　that　the　citizens　assert　their　claims；　that　friendships　or　enmities　are　formed　amongst　the　jarring　parties；　and　that　there　is　a　noble　emulation　between　those　who　defend　the　ancient　and　those　who　are　strenuous　in　promoting　the　new　constitution。

14。　In　what　Manner　the　Distribution　of　the　three　Powers　began　to　change　after　the　Expulsion　of　the　Kings。　There　were　four　things　that　greatly　prejudiced　the　liberty　of　Rome。　The　patricians　had　engrossed　to　themselves　all　public　employments　whatever；　an　exorbitant　power　was　annexed　to　the　consulate；　the　people　were　often　insulted；　and；　in　fine；　they　had　scarcely　any　influence　at　all　left　in　the　public　suffrages。　These　four　abuses　were　redressed　by　the　people。

1st。　It　was　regulated　that　the　plebeians　might　aspire　to　some　magistracies；　and　by　degrees　they　were　rendered　capable　of　them　all；　except　that　of　Inter…rex。

2nd。　The　consulate　was　dissolved　into　several　other　magistracies；＇32＇　pr？tors　were　created；　on　whom　the　power　was　conferred　of　trying　private　causes；　qu？stors＇33＇　were　nominated　for　determining　those　of　a　criminal　nature；　？diles　were　established　for　the　civil　administration；　treasurers＇34＇　were　made　for　the　management　of　the　public　money；　and；　in　fine；　by　the　creation　of　censors　the　consuls　were　divested　of　that　part　of　the　legislative　power　which　regulates　the　morals　of　the　citizens　and　the　transient　polity　of　the　different　bodies　of　the　state。　The　chief　privileges　left　them　were　to　preside　in　the　great　meetings＇35＇　of　the　people；　to　assemble　the　senate；　and　to　command　the　armies。

3rd。　The　sacred　laws　appointed　tribunes；　who　had　a　power　of　checking　the　encroachments　of　the　patricians；　and　prevented　not　only　private　but　likewise　public　injuries。

In　fine；　the　plebeians　increased　their　influence　in　the　general　assemblies。　The　people　of　Rome　were　divided　in　three　different　manners　　by　centuries；　by　curi？；　and　by　tribes；　and　whenever　they　gave　their　votes；　they　were　convened　in　one　of　those　three　ways。

In　the　first　the　patricians；　the　leading　men；　the　rich　and　the　senate；　which　was　very　nearly　the　same　thing；　had　almost　the　whole　authority；　in　the　second　they　had　less；　and　less　still　in　the　third。

The　division　into　centuries　was　a　division　rather　of　estates　and　fortunes　than　of　persons　The　whole　people　were　distributed　into　a　hundred　and　ninety…three　centuries；＇36＇　which　had　each　a　single　vote。　The　patricians　and　leading　men　composed　the　first　ninety…eight　centuries；　and　the　other　ninety…five　consisted　of　the　remainder　of　the　citizens。　In　this　division　therefore　the　patricians　were　masters　of　the　suffrages。

In　the　division　into　curi？；＇37＇　the　patricians　had　not　the　same　advantages；　some；　however；　they　had；　for　it　was　necessary　to　consult　the　augurs；　who　were　under　the　direction　of　the　patricians；　and　no　proposal　could　be　made　there　to　the　people　unless　it　had　been　previously　laid　before　the　senate；　and　approved　of　by　a　senatus…consultum。　But；　in　the　division　into　tribes　they　had　nothing　to　do　either　with　the　augurs　or　with　the　decrees　of　the　senate；　and　the　patricians　were　excluded。

Now　the　people　endeavoured　constantly　to　have　those　meetings　by　curi？　which　had　been　customary　by　centuries；　and　by　tribes；　those　they　used　to　have　before　by　curi？；　by　which　means　the　direction　of　public　affairs　soon　devolved　from　the　patricians　to　the　plebeians。

Thus　when　the　plebeians　obtained　the　power　of　trying　the　patricians　　a　power　which　commenced　in　the　affair　of　Coriolanus；＇38＇　they　insisted　upon　assembling　by　tribes；＇39＇　and　not　by　centuries；　and　when　the　new　magistracies＇40＇　of　tribunes　and　？diles　were　established　in　favour　of　the　people；　the　latter　obtained　that　they　should　meet　by　curi？　in　order　to　nominate　them；　and　after　their　power　was　quite　settled；　they　gained＇41＇　so　far　their　point　as　to　assemble　by　tribes　to　proceed　to　this　nomination。

15。　In　what　Manner　Rome；　in　the　flourishing　State　of　that　Republic；　suddenly　lost　its　Liberty。　In　the　heat　of　the　contests　between　the　patricians　and　the　plebeians；　the　latter　insisted　upon　having　fixed　laws；　to　the　end　that　the　public　judgments　should　no　longer　be　the　effect　of　capricious　will　or　arbitrary　power。　The　senate；　after　a　great　deal　of　resistance；　acquiesced；　and　decemvirs　were　nominated　to　compose　those　laws。　It　was　thought　proper　to　grant　them　an　extraordinary　power；　because　they　were　to　give　laws　to　parties　whose　views　and　interest　it　was　almost　impossible　to　unite。　The　nomination　of　all　magistrates　was　suspended；　and　the　decemvirs　were　chosen　in　the　comitia　sole　administrators　of　the　republic。　Thus　they　found　themselves　invested　with　the　consular　and　the　tribunition　power。　By　one　they　had　the　privilege　of　assembling　the　senate；　by　the　other　that　of　convening　the　people；　but　they　assembled　neither　senate　nor　people。　Ten　men　only　of　the　republic　had　the　whole　legislative；　the　whole　executive；　and　the　whole　judiciary　power。　Rome　saw　herself　enslaved　by　as　cruel　a　tyranny　as　that　of　Tarquin。　When　Tarquin　trampled　on　the　liberty　of　that　city；　she　was　seized　with　indignation　at　the　power　he　had　usurped；　when　the　decemvirs　exercised　every　act　of　oppression；　she　was　astonished　at　the　extraordinary　power　she　had　granted。

What　a　strange　system　of　tyranny　　a　tyranny　carried　on　by　men　who　had　obtained　the　political　and　military　power；　merely　from　their　knowledge　in　civil　affairs；　and　who　at　that　very　juncture　stood　in　need　of　the　courage　of　those　citizens　to　protect　them　abroad　who　so　tamely　submitted　to　domestic　oppression！

The　spectacle　of　Virginia's　death；　whom　her　father　immolated　to　chastity　and　liberty；　put　an　end　to　the　power　of　the　decemvirs