the spirit of laws-第87章

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　cities；　were　instances　of　tyranny。　There　are　means　that　may　be　made　use　of　to　prevent　crimes；　these　are　punishments：　there　are　those　for　changing　our　customs；　these　are　examples。

The　facility　and　ease　with　which　that　nation　has　been　polished　plainly　shows　that　this　prince　had　a　worse　opinion　of　his　people　than　they　deserved；　and　that　they　were　not　brutes；　though　he　was　pleased　to　call　them　so。　The　violent　measures　which　he　employed　were　needless；　he　would　have　attained　his　end　as　well　by　milder　methods。

He　himself　experienced　the　facility　of　bringing　about　these　alterations。　The　women　were　shut　up；　and　in　some　measure　slaves；　he　called　them　to　court；　he　sent　them　silks　and　fine　stuffs；　and　made　them　dress　like　the　German　ladies。　This　sex　immediately　relished　a　manner　of　life　which　so　greatly　flattered　their　taste；　their　vanity；　and　their　passions；　and　by　their　means　it　was　relished　by　the　men。

What　rendered　the　change　the　more　easy　was　that　their　manners　at　that　time　were　foreign　to　the　climate；　and　had　been　introduced　among　them　by　conquest　and　by　a　mixture　of　nations。　Peter　I；　in　giving　the　manners　and　customs　of　Europe　to　a　European　nation；　found　a　facility　which　he　did　not　himself　expect。　The　empire　of　the　climate　is　the　first；　the　most　powerful；　of　all　empires。　He　had　then　no　occasion　for　laws　to　change　the　manners　and　customs　of　his　country；　it　would　have　been　sufficient　to　have　introduced　other　manners　and　other　customs。

Nations　are　in　general　very　tenacious　of　their　customs；　to　take　them　away　by　violence　is　to　render　them　unhappy：　we　should　not　therefore　change　them；　but　engage　the　people　to　make　the　change　themselves。

All　punishment　which　is　not　derived　from　necessity　is　tyrannical。　The　law　is　not　a　mere　act　of　power；　things　in　their　own　nature　indifferent　are　not　within　its　province。

15。　The　Influence　of　domestic　Government　on　the　political。　This　alteration　in　the　manners　of　women　will　doubtless　have　a　great　influence　on　the　government　of　Muscovy。　One　naturally　follows　the　other：　the　despotic　power　of　the　prince　is　connected　with　the　servitude　of　women；　the　liberty　of　women　with　the　spirit　of　monarchy。

16。　How　some　Legislators　have　confounded　the　Principles　which　govern　Mankind。　Manners　and　customs　are　those　habits　which　are　not　established　by　legislators；　either　because　they　were　not　able　or　were　not　willing　to　establish　them。

There　is　this　difference　between　laws　and　manners；　that　the　laws　are　most　adapted　to　regulate　the　actions　of　the　subject；　and　manners　to　regulate　the　actions　of　the　man。　There　is　this　difference　between　manners　and　customs；　that　the　former　principally　relate　to　the　interior　conduct；　the　latter　to　the　exterior。

These　things　have　been　sometimes　confounded。＇16＇　Lycurgus　made　the　same　code　for　the　laws；　manners；　and　customs；　and　the　legislators　of　China　have　done　the　same。

We　ought　not　to　be　surprised　that　the　legislators　of　China　and　Sparta　should　confound　the　laws；　manners；　and　customs；　the　reason　is；　their　manners　represent　their　laws；　and　their　customs　their　manners。

The　principal　object　which　the　legislators　of　China　had　in　view　was　to　make　their　subjects　live　in　peace　and　tranquillity。　They　would　have　people　filled　with　a　veneration　for　one　another；　that　each　should　be　every　moment　sensible　of　his　dependence　on　society；　and　of　the　obligations　he　owed　to　his　fellow…citizens。　They　therefore　gave　rules　of　the　most　extensive　civility。

Thus　the　inhabitants　of　the　villages　of　China＇17＇　practise　amongst　themselves　the　same　ceremonies　as　those　observed　by　persons　of　an　exalted　station；　a　very　proper　method　of　inspiring　mild　and　gentle　dispositions；　of　maintaining　peace　and　good　order；　and　of　banishing　all　the　vices　which　spring　from　an　asperity　of　temper。　In　effect；　would　not　the　freeing　them　from　the　rules　of　civility　be　to　search　out　a　method　for　them　to　indulge　their　own　humours？

Civility　is　in　this　respect　of　more　value　than　politeness。　Politeness　flatters　the　vices　of　others；　and　civility　prevents　ours　from　being　brought　to　light。　It　is　a　barrier　which　men　have　placed　within　themselves　to　prevent　the　corruption　of　each　other。

Lycurgus；　whose　institutions　were　severe；　had　no　regard　to　civility；　in　forming　the　external　behaviour　he　had　a　view　to　that　warlike　spirit　with　which　he　would　fain　inspire　his　people。　A　people　who　were　in　a　continual　state　of　discipline　and　instruction；　and　who　were　endued　with　equal　simplicity　and　rigour；　atoned　by　their　virtues　for　their　want　of　complaisance。

17。　Of　the　peculiar　Quality　of　the　Chinese　Government。　The　legislators　of　China　went　further。＇18＇　They　confounded　their　religion；　laws；　manners；　and　customs；　all　these　were　morality；　all　these　were　virtue。　The　precepts　relating　to　these　four　points　were　what　they　called　rites；　and　it　was　in　the　exact　observance　of　these　that　the　Chinese　government　triumphed。　They　spent　their　whole　youth　in　learning　them；　their　whole　life　in　the　practice。　They　were　taught　by　their　men　of　letters；　they　were　inculcated　by　the　magistrates；　and　as　they　included　all　the　ordinary　actions　of　life；　when　they　found　the　means　of　making　them　strictly　observed；　China　was　well　governed。

Two　things　have　contributed　to　the　ease　with　which　these　rites　are　engraved　on　the　hearts　and　minds　of　the　Chinese；　one；　the　difficulty　of　writing；　which　during　the　greatest　part　of　their　lives　wholly　employs　their　attention；＇19＇　because　it　is　necessary　to　prepare　them　to　read　and　understand　the　books　in　which　they　are　comprised；　the　other；　that　the　ritual　precepts　having　nothing　in　them　that　is　spiritual；　but　being　merely　rules　of　common　practice；　are　more　adapted　to　convince　and　strike　the　mind　than　things　merely　intellectual。

Those　princes　who；　instead　of　ruling　by　these　rites；　governed　by　the　force　of　punishments；　wanted　to　accomplish　that　by　punishments　which　it　is　not　in　their　power　to　produce；　that　is；　to　give　habits　of　morality。　By　punishments；　a　subject　is　very　justly　cut　off　from　society；　who；　having　lost　the　purity　of　his　manners；　violates　the　laws；　but　if　all　the　world　were　to　lose　their　moral　habits；　would　these　reestablish　them？　Punishments　may　be　justly　inflicted　to　put　a　stop　to　many　of　the　consequences　of　the　general　evil；　but　they　will　not　remove　the　evil　itself。　Thus　when　the　principles　of　the　Chinese　government　were　discarded；　and　morality　was　banished；　the　state　fell　into　anarchy；　and　revolutions　succeeded。

18。　A　Consequence　drawn　from　the　preceding　Chapter。　Hence　it　follows　that　the　laws　of　China　are　not　destroyed　by　conquest。　Their　customs；　manners；　laws；　and　religion　being　the　same　thing；　they　cannot　change　all　these　at　once；　and　as　it　will　happen　that　either　the　conqueror　or　the　conquered　must　change；　in　China　it　has　always　been　the　conqueror。　For　the　manners　of　the　conquering　nation　not　being　their　customs；　nor　their　customs　their　laws；　nor　their　laws　their　religion；　it　has　been　more　easy　for　them　to　conform　by　degrees　to　the　vanquished　people　than　the　latter　to　them。

There　still　follows　hence　a　very　unhappy　consequence；　which　is　that　it　is　almost　impossible　for　Christianity　ever　to　be　established　in　China。＇20＇　The　vows　of　virginity；　the　assembling　of　women　in　churches；　their　necessary　communication　with　the　ministers　of　religion；　their　participation　in　the　sacraments；　auricular　confession；　extreme　unction；　the　marriage　of　only　one　wife　　all　these　overturn　the　manners　and　customs　of　the　country；　and　with　the　same　blow　strike　at　their　religion　and　laws。

The　Christian　religion；　by　the　establishment　of　charity；　by　a　public　worship；　by　a　participation　of　the　same　sacraments；　seems　to　demand　that　all　should　be　united；　while　the　rites　of　China　seem　to　ordain　that　all　should　be　separated。

And　as　we　have　seen　that　this　separation＇21＇　depends；　in　general；　on　the　spirit　of　despotism；　this　will　show　us　the　reason　why　monarchies；　and　indeed　all　moderate　governments；　are　more　consistent　with　the　Christian　religion。＇22＇

19。　How　this　Union　of　Religion；　Laws；　Manners；　and　Customs　among　the　Chinese　was　effected。　The　principal　object　of　government　which　the　Chinese　legislators　had　in　view　was　the　peace　and　tranquillity　of　the　empire；　and　subordination　appeared　to　them　as　the　most　proper　means　to　m