the spirit of laws-第71章

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e　very　law　which　condemns　him；　it　has　been　a　continual　protection　to　him；　he　cannot；　therefore；　object　to　it。　But　it　is　not　so　with　the　slave。　The　law　of　slavery　can　never　be　beneficial　to　him；　it　is　in　all　cases　against　him；　without　ever　being　for　his　advantage；　and　therefore　this　law　is　contrary　to　the　fundamental　principle　of　all　societies。

If　it　be　pretended　that　it　has　been　beneficial　to　him；　as　his　master　has　provided　for　his　subsistence；　slavery；　at　this　rate；　should　be　limited　to　those　who　are　incapable　of　earning　their　livelihood。　But　who　will　take　up　with　such　slaves？　As　to　infants；　nature；　who　has　supplied　their　mothers　with　milk；　had　provided　for　their　sustenance；　and　the　remainder　of　their　childhood　approaches　so　near　the　age　in　which　they　are　most　capable　of　being　of　service　that　he　who　supports　them　cannot　be　said　to　give　them　an　equivalent　which　can　entitle　him　to　be　their　master。

Nor　is　slavery　less　opposed　to　the　civil　law　than　to　that　of　nature。　What　civil　law　can　restrain　a　slave　from　running　away；　since　he　is　not　a　member　of　society；　and　consequently　has　no　interest　in　any　civil　institutions？　He　can　be　retained　only　by　a　family　law；　that　is；　by　the　master's　authority。

3。　Another　Origin　of　the　Right　of　Slavery。　I　would　as　soon　say　that　the　right　of　slavery　proceeds　from　the　contempt　of　one　nation　for　another；　founded　on　a　difference　in　customs。

Lopez　de　Gama＇4＇　relates　that　the　Spaniards　found　near　St。　Martha　several　basketsful　of　crabs；　snails；　grasshoppers；　and　locusts；　which　proved　to　be　the　ordinary　provision　of　the　natives。　This　the　conquerors　turned　to　a　heavy　charge　against　the　conquered。　The　author　owns　that　this；　with　their　smoking　and　trimming　their　beards　in　a　different　manner；　gave　rise　to　the　law　by　which　the　Americans　became　slaves　to　the　Spaniards。

Knowledge　humanises　mankind；　and　reason　inclines　to　mildness；　but　prejudices　eradicate　every　tender　disposition。

4。　Another　Origin　of　the　Right　of　Slavery。　I　would　as　soon　say　that　religion　gives　its　professors　a　right　to　enslave　those　who　dissent　from　it；　in　order　to　render　its　propagation　more　easy。

This　was　the　notion　that　encouraged　the　ravagers　of　America　in　their　iniquity。＇5＇　Under　the　influence　of　this　idea　they　founded　their　right　of　enslaving　so　many　nations；　for　these　robbers；　who　would　absolutely　be　both　robbers　and　Christians；　were　superlatively　devout。

Louis　XII＇6＇　was　extremely　uneasy　at　a　law　by　which　all　the　negroes　of　his　colonies　were　to　be　made　slaves；　but　it　being　strongly　urged　to　him　as　the　readiest　means　for　their　conversion；　he　acquiesced　without　further　scruple。

5。　Of　the　Slavery　of　the　Negroes。　Were　I　to　vindicate　our　right　to　make　slaves　of　the　negroes；　these　should　be　my　arguments：

The　Europeans；　having　extirpated　the　Americans；　were　obliged　to　make　slaves　of　the　Africans；　for　clearing　such　vast　tracts　of　land。

Sugar　would　be　too　dear　if　the　plants　which　produce　it　were　cultivated　by　any　other　than　slaves。

These　creatures　are　all　over　black；　and　with　such　a　flat　nose　that　they　can　scarcely　be　pitied。

It　is　hardly　to　be　believed　that　God；　who　is　a　wise　Being；　should　place　a　soul；　especially　a　good　soul；　in　such　a　black　ugly　body。

It　is　so　natural　to　look　upon　colour　as　the　criterion　of　human　nature；　that　the　Asiatics；　among　whom　eunuchs　are　employed；　always　deprive　the　blacks　of　their　resemblance　to　us　by　a　more　opprobrious　distinction。

The　colour　of　the　skin　may　be　determined　by　that　of　the　hair；　which；　among　the　Egyptians；　the　best　philosophers　in　the　world；　was　of　such　importance　that　they　put　to　death　all　the　red…haired　men　who　fell　into　their　hands。

The　negroes　prefer　a　glass　necklace　to　that　gold　which　polite　nations　so　highly　value。　Can　there　be　a　greater　proof　of　their　wanting　common　sense？

It　is　impossible　for　us　to　suppose　these　creatures　to　be　men；　because；　allowing　them　to　be　men；　a　suspicion　would　follow　that　we　ourselves　are　not　Christians。

Weak　minds　exaggerate　too　much　the　wrong　done　to　the　Africans。　For　were　the　case　as　they　state　it；　would　the　European　powers；　who　make　so　many　needless　conventions　among　themselves；　have　failed　to　enter　into　a　general　one；　in　behalf　of　humanity　and　compassion？

6。　The　true　Origin　of　the　Right　of　Slavery。　It　is　time　to　inquire　into　the　true　origin　of　the　right　of　slavery。　It　ought　to　be　founded　on　the　nature　of　things；　let　us　see　if　there　be　any　cases　where　it　can　be　derived　thence。

In　all　despotic　governments　people　make　no　difficulty　in　selling　themselves；　the　political　slavery　in　some　measure　annihilates　the　civil　liberty。

According　to　Mr。　Perry；＇7＇　the　Muscovites　sell　themselves　very　readily：　their　reason　for　it　is　evident；　their　liberty　is　not　worth　keeping。

At　Achim　every　one　is　for　selling　himself。　Some　of　the　chief　lords＇8＇　have　not　less　than　a　thousand　slaves；　all　principal　merchants；　who　have　a　great　number　of　slaves　themselves；　and　these　also　are　not　without　their　slaves。　Their　masters　are　their　heirs；　and　put　them　into　trade。　In　those　states；　the　freemen　being　overpowered　by　the　government；　have　no　better　resource　than　that　of　making　themselves　slaves　to　the　tyrants　in　office。

This　is　the　true　and　rational　origin　of　that　mild　law　of　slavery　which　obtains　in　some　countries：　and　mild　it　ought　to　be；　as　founded　on　the　free　choice　a　man　makes　of　a　master；　for　his　own　benefit；　which　forms　a　mutual　convention　between　the　two　parties。

7。　Another　Origin　of　the　Right　of　Slavery。　There　is　another　origin　of　the　right　of　slavery；　and　even　of　the　most　cruel　slavery　which　is　to　be　seen　among　men。

There　are　countries　where　the　excess　of　heat　enervates　the　body；　and　renders　men　so　slothful　and　dispirited　that　nothing　but　the　fear　of　chastisement　can　oblige　them　to　perform　any　laborious　duty：　slavery　is　there　more　reconcilable　to　reason；　and　the　master　being　as　lazy　with　respect　to　his　sovereign　as　his　slave　is　with　regard　to　him；　this　adds　a　political　to　a　civil　slavery。

Aristotle＇9＇　endeavours　to　prove　that　there　are　natural　slaves；　but　what　he　says　is　far　from　proving　it。　If　there　be　any　such；　I　believe　they　are　those　of　whom　I　have　been　speaking。

But　as　all　men　are　born　equal；　slavery　must　be　accounted　unnatural；　though　in　some　countries　it　be　founded　on　natural　reason；　and　a　wide　difference　ought　to　be　made　between　such　countries；　and　those　in　which　even　natural　reason　rejects　it；　as　in　Europe；　where　it　has　been　so　happily　abolished。

Plutarch；　in　the　Life　of　Numa；　says　that　in　Saturn's　time　there　was　neither　slave　nor　master。　Christianity　has　restored　that　age　in　our　climates。

8。　Inutility　of　Slavery　among　us。　Natural　slavery；　then；　is　to　be　limited　to　some　particular　parts　of　the　world。　In　all　other　countries；　even　the　most　servile　drudgeries　may　be　performed　by　freemen。　Experience　verifies　my　assertion。　Before　Christianity　had　abolished　civil　slavery　in　Europe；　working　in　the　mines　was　judged　too　toilsome　for　any　but　slaves　or　malefactors：　at　present　there　are　men　employed　in　them　who　are　known　to　live　comfortably。＇10＇　The　magistrates　have；　by　some　small　privileges；　encouraged　this　profession：　to　an　increase　of　labour　they　have　joined　an　increase　of　gain；　and　have　gone　so　far　as　to　make　those　people　better　pleased　with　their　condition　than　with　any　other　which　they　could　have　embraced。

No　labour　is　so　heavy　but　it　may　be　brought　to　a　level　with　the　workman's　strength；　when　regulated　by　equity；　and　not　by　avarice。　The　violent　fatigues　which　slaves　are　made　to　undergo　in　other　parts　may　be　supplied　by　a　skilful　use　of　ingenious　machines。　The　Turkish　mines　in　the　Bannat　of　Temesw？r；　though　richer　than　those　of　Hungary；　did　not　yield　so　much；　because　the　working　of　them　depended　entirely　on　the　strength　of　their　slaves。

I　know　not　whether　this　article　be　dictated　by　my　understanding　or　by　my　heart。　Possibly　there　is　not　that　climate　upon　earth　where　the　most　laborious　services　might　not　with　proper　encouragement　be　performed　by　freemen。　Bad　laws　having　made　lazy　men；　they　have　been　reduced　to　slavery　because　of　their　laziness。

9。　Several　Kinds　of　Slavery。　Slavery　is　of　two　kinds；　real　and　personal。　The　real　annexes　the　slave　to　the　land；　which　Tacitus　makes＇11＇　the　condition　of　slaves　amon