the spirit of laws-第97章

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　to　their　swiftness。　Slowness　is　frequently　the　cause　of　much　greater　slowness。　When　it　becomes　necessary　to　follow　the　coast；　and　to　be　incessantly　in　a　different　position；　when　they　must　wait　for　a　fair　wind　to　get　out　of　a　gulf；　and　for　another　to　proceed；　a　good　sailor　takes　the　advantage　of　every　favourable　moment；　while　the　other　still　continues　in　a　difficult　situation；　and　waits　many　days　for　another　change。

The　slowness　of　the　Indian　vessels；　which　in　an　equal　time　could　make　but　the　third　of　the　way　of　those　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　may　be　explained　by　what　we　every　day　see　in　our　modern　navigation。　The　Indian　vessels；　which　were　built　with　a　kind　of　sea…rushes；　drew　less　water　than　those　of　Greece　and　Rome；　which　were　of　wood　and　joined　with　iron。

We　may　compare　these　Indian　vessels　to　those　at　present　made　use　of　in　ports　of　little　depth　of　water。　Such　are　those　of　Venice；　and　even　of　all　Italy　in　general。＇24＇　of　the　Baltic；　and　of　the　province　of　Holland。＇25＇　Their　ships；　which　ought　to　be　able　to　go　in　and　out　of　port；　are　built　round　and　broad　at　the　bottom；　while　those　of　other　nations；　who　have　good　harbours；　are　formed　to　sink　deep　into　the　water。　This　mechanism　renders　these　last…mentioned　vessels　able　to　sail　much　nearer　the　wind；　while　the　first　can　hardly　sail；　except　the　wind　be　nearly　in　the　poop。　A　ship　that　sinks　deep　into　the　water　sails　towards　the　same　side　with　almost　every　wind；　this　proceeds　from　the　resistance　which　the　vessel；　while　driven　by　the　wind；　meets　with　from　the　water；　from　which　it　receives　a　strong　support；　and　from　the　length　of　the　vessel　which　presents　its　side　to　the　wind；　while；　from　the　form　of　the　helm；　the　prow　is　turned　to　the　point　proposed；　so　that　she　can　sail　very　near　the　wind；　or；　in　other　words；　very　near　the　point　whence　the　wind　blows。　But　when　the　hull　is　round　and　broad　at　the　bottom；　and　consequently　draws　little　water；　it　no　longer　finds　this　steady　support；　the　wind　drives　the　vessel；　which　is　incapable　of　resistance；　and　can　run　them　but　with　a　small　variation　from　the　point　opposite　to　the　wind。　Whence　it　follows　that　broad…bottomed　vessels　are　longer　in　performing　voyages。

1。　They　lose　much　time　in　waiting　for　the　wind；　especially　if　they　are　obliged　frequently　to　change　their　course；　2。　They　sail　much　slower；　because　not　having　a　proper　support　from　a　depth　of　water；　they　cannot　carry　so　much　sail。　If　this　be　the　case　at　a　time　when　the　arts　are　everywhere　known；　at　a　time　when　art　corrects　the　defects　of　nature；　and　even　of　art　itself；　if　at　this　time；　I　say；　we　find　this　difference；　how　great　must　that　have　been　in　the　navigation　of　the　ancients？

I　cannot　yet　leave　this　subject。　The　Indian　vessels　were　small；　and　those　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　if　we　except　those　machines　built　for　ostentation；　much　less　than　ours。　Now；　the　smaller　the　vessel　the　greater　danger　it　encounters　from　foul　weather。　A　tempest　that　would　swallow　up　a　small　vessel　would　only　make　a　large　one　roll。　The　more　one　body　surpasses　another　in　size；　the　more　its　surface　is　relatively　small。　Whence　it　follows　that　in　a　small　ship　there　is　a　less　proportion；　that　is；　a　greater　difference　in　respect　to　the　surface　of　the　vessel；　compared　with　the　weight　or　lading　she　can　carry；　than　in　a　large　one。　We　know　that　it　is　a　pretty　general　practice　to　make　the　weight　of　the　lading　equal　to　that　of　half　the　water　the　vessel　could　contain。　Suppose　a　vessel　will　contain　eight　hundred　tons；　her　lading　then　must　be　four　hundred；　and　that　of　a　vessel　which　would　hold　but　four　hundred　tons　of　water　would　be　two　hundred　tons。　Thus　the　largeness　of　the　first　ship　will　be　to　the　weight　she　carries　as　8　to　4；　and　that　of　the　second　as　4　to　2。　Let　us　suppose；　then；　that　the　surface　of　the　greater　is　to　the　surface　of　the　smaller　as　8　to　6；　the　surface　of　the　latter　will　be　to　her　weight　as　6　to　2；＇26＇　while　the　surface　of　the　former　will　be　to　her　weight　only　as　8　to　4。　Therefore　as　the　winds　and　waves　act　only　upon　the　surface；　the　large　vessel　will；　by　her　weight；　resist　their　impetuosity　much　more　than　the　small。

7。　Of　the　Commerce　of　the　Greeks。　The　first　Greeks　were　all　pirates。　Minos；　who　enjoyed　the　empire　of　the　sea；　was　only　more　successful；　perhaps；　than　others　in　piracy；　for　his　maritime　dominion　extended　no　farther　than　round　his　own　isle。　But　when　the　Greeks　became　a　great　people；　the　Athenians　obtained　the　real　dominion　of　the　sea；　because　this　trading　and　victorious　nation　gave　laws　to　the　most　potent　monarch　of　that　time；＇27＇　and　humbled　the　maritime　powers　of　Syria；　of　the　isle　of　Cyprus；　and　Phoenicia。

But　this　Athenian　lordship　of　the　sea　deserves　to　be　more　particularly　mentioned。　〃Athens；〃　says　Xenophon；＇28＇　〃rules　the　sea；　but　as　the　country　of　Attica　is　joined　to　the　continent；　it　is　ravaged　by　enemies　while　the　Athenians　are　engaged　in　distant　expeditions。　Their　leaders　suffer　their　lands　to　be　destroyed；　and　secure　their　wealth　by　sending　it　to　some　island。　The　populace；　who　are　not　possessed　of　lands；　have　no　uneasiness。　But　if　the　Athenians　inhabited　an　island；　and；　besides　this；　enjoyed　the　empire　of　the　sea；　they　would；　so　long　as　they　were　possessed　of　these　advantages；　be　able　to　annoy　others；　and　at　the　same　time　to　be　out　of　all　danger　of　being　annoyed。〃　One　would　imagine　that　Xenophon　was　speaking　of　England。

The　Athenians；　a　people　whose　heads　were　filled　with　ambitious　projects；　the　Athenians；　who　augmented　their　jealousy　instead　of　increasing　their　influence；　who　were　more　attentive　to　extend　their　maritime　empire　than　to　enjoy　it；　whose　political　government　was　such　that　the　common　people　distributed　the　public　revenues　among　themselves；　while　the　rich　were　in　a　state　of　oppression；　the　Athenians；　I　say；　did　not　carry　on　so　extensive　a　commerce　as　might　be　expected　from　the　produce　of　their　mines；　from　the　multitude　of　their　slaves；　from　the　number　of　their　seamen；　from　their　influence　over　the　cities　of　Greece；　and；　above　all；　from　the　excellent　institutions　of　Solon。　Their　trade　was　almost　wholly　confined　to　Greece　and　to　the　Euxine　Sea；　whence　they　drew　their　subsistence。

Corinth　was　admirably　situated；　it　separated　two　seas；　and　opened　and　shut　the　Peloponnesus；　it　was　the　key　of　Greece；　and　a　city　of　the　greatest　importance；　at　a　time　when　the　people　of　Greece　were　a　world；　and　the　cities　of　Greece　nations。　Its　trade　was　more　extensive　than　that　of　Athens；　having　a　port　to　receive　the　merchandise　of　Asia；　and　another　those　of　Italy；　for　the　great　difficulties　which　attended　the　doubling　Cape　Malea；　where　the　meeting　of　opposite　winds　causes　shipwrecks；＇29＇　induced　every　one　to　go　to　Corinth；　and　they　could　even　convey　their　vessels　over　land　from　one　sea　to　the　other。　Never　was　there　a　city　in　which　the　works　of　art　were　carried　to　so　high　a　degree　of　perfection。　But　here　religion　finished　the　corruption　which　their　opulence　began。　They　erected　a　temple　to　Venus；　in　which　more　than　a　thousand　courtesans　were　consecrated　to　that　deity；　from　this　seminary　came　the　greatest　part　of　those　celebrated　beauties　whose　history　Athen？us　has　presumed　to　commit　to　writing。

It　seems　that　in　Homer's　time　the　opulence　of　Greece　centred　in　Rhodes；　Corinth；　and　Orchomenus；　〃Jupiter；〃　he　says；　〃loved　the　Rhodians；　and　made　them　a　very　wealthy　nation。〃＇30＇　On　Corinth　he　bestows　the　epithet　of　rich。＇31＇　In　like　manner；　when　he　speaks　of　cities　that　have　plenty　of　gold；　he　mentions　Orchomenus；　to　which　he　joins　Thebes　in　Egypt。　Rhodes　and　Corinth　preserved　their　power；　but　Orchomenus　lost　hers。　The　situation　of　Orchomenus　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　Hellespont；　the　Propontis；　and　the　Euxine　Sea　makes　us　naturally　imagine　that　she　was　indebted　for　her　opulence　to　a　trade　along　that　maritime　coast；　which　had　given　rise　to　the　fable　of　the　golden　fleece；　and；　indeed；　the　name　of　Minyeios　has　been　given　to　Orchomenus　as　well　as　to　the　Argonauts。＇32＇　But　these　seas　becoming　afterwards　more　frequented；　the　Greeks　planted　along　the　coasts　a　greater　number　of　colonies；　which　traded　with　the　barbarous　nations；　and　at　the　same　time　preserved　an　intercourse　with　their　mother　country。　In　consequence　of　this；　Orchomenus　began　to　decline；　till　at　length　it　was　lost　in　the　crowd