the commonwealth of oceana-第20章

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ness　gives　the　upper　hand　of　all　antiquity；　being　one）　have　no　such　thing？　And　there　can　be　no　reason　why　they　have　it　not；　seeing　it　is　in　the　sovereign　power　at　any　time　to　establish　such　an　order；　but　that　they　need　it　not；　wherefore　no　wonder　if　Aristotle；　who　pretends　to　be　a　good　commonwealths　man；　has　long　since　derided　Phaleas；　to　whom　it　was　attributed　by　the　Greeks；　for　his　invention。　　　　　〃Secondly；　that　an　agrarian　is　dangerous　to　a　commonwealth　is　affirmed　upon　no　slight　authority　seeing　Machiavel　is　positive　that　it　was　the　dissension　which　happened　about　the　agrarian　that　caused　the　destruction　of　Rome；　nor　do　I　think　that　it　did　much　better　in　Lacedaemon；　as　I　shall　show　anon。　　　　　〃Thirdly；　that　it　is　insufficient　to　keep　out　monarchy　cannot　without　impiety　be　denied；　the　holy　Scriptures　bearing　witness　that　the　Commonwealth　of　Israel；　notwithstanding　her　agrarian；　submitted　her　neck　to　the　arbitrary　yoke　of　her　princes。　　　　　〃Fourthly；　therefore；　to　come　to　my　next　assertion；　that　it　is　destructive　to　families：　this　also　is　so　apparent；　that　it　needs　pity　rather　than　proof。　Why　alas；　do　you　bind　a　nobility　（which　no　generation　shall　deny　to　have　been　the　first　that　freely　sacrificed　their　blood　to　the　ancient　liberties　of　this　people）　on　an　unholy　altar？　Why　are　the　people　taught　that　their　liberty；　which；　except　our　noble　ancestors　had　been　born；　must　have　long　since　been　buried；　cannot　now　be　born　except　we　be　buried？　A　commonwealth　should　have　the　innocence　of　the　dove。　Let　us　leave　this　purchase　of　her　birth　to　the　serpent；　which　eats　itself　out　of　the　womb　of　its　mother。　　　　　〃Fifthly　but　it　may　be　said；　perhaps；　that　we　are　fallen　from　our　first　love；　become　proud　and　idle。　It　is　certain；　my　lords；　that　the　hand　of　God　is　not　upon　us　for　nothing。　But　take　heed　how　you　admit　of　such　assaults　and　sallies　upon　men's　estates；　as　may　slacken　the　nerve　of　labor；　and　give　others　also　reason　to　believe　that　their　sweat　is　vain；　or　else；　whatsoever　be　pretended；　your　agrarian　（which　is　my　fifth　assertion）　must　indeed　destroy　industry。　For；　that　so　it　did　in　Lacedaemon　is　most　apparent；　as　also　that　it　could　do　no　otherwise；　where　every　man　having　his　forty　quarters　of　barley；　with　wine　proportionable；　supplied　him　out　of　his　own　lot　by　his　laborer　or　helot；　and　being　confined　in　that　to　the　scantling　above　which　he　might　not　live；　there　was　not　any　such　thing　as　a　trade；　or　other　art；　except　that　of　war；　in　exercise。　Wherefore　a　Spartan；　if　he　were　not　in　arms；　must　sit　and　play　with　his　Angers；　whence　ensued　perpetual　war；　and；　the　estate　of　the　city　being　as　little　capable　of　increase　as　that　of　the　citizens；　her　inevitable　ruin。　Now　what　better　ends　you　can　propose　to　yourselves　in　the　like　ways；　I　do　not　so　well　see　as　I　perceive　that　there　may　be　worse；　for　Lacedaemon　yet　was　free　from　civil　war：　but　if　you　employ　your　citizens　no　better　than　she　did；　I　cannot　promise　you　that　you　shall　fare　so　well；　because　they　are　still　desirous　of　war　that　hope　that　it　may　be　profitable　to　them；　and　the　strongest　security　you　can　give　of　peace；　is　to　make　it　gainful。　Otherwise　men　will　rather　choose　that　whereby　they　may　break　your　laws；　than　that　whereby　your　laws　may　break　them。　Which　I　speak　not　so　much　in　relation　to　the　nobility　or　such　as　would　be　holding；　as　to　the　people　or　them　that　would　be　getting；　the　passion　in　these　being　so　much　the　stronger；　as　a　man's　felicity　is　weaker　in　the　fruition　of　things；　than　in　their　prosecution　and　increase。　　　　　〃Truly；　my　lords；　it　is　my　fear；　that　by　taking　of　more　hands；　and　the　best　from　industry；　you　will　farther　endamage　it；　than　can　be　repaired　by　laying　on　a　few；　and　the　worst；　while　the　nobility　must　be　forced　to　send　their　sons　to　the　plough；　and；　as　if　this　were　not　enough；　to　marry　their　daughters　also　to　farmers。　　　　　〃Sixthly；　but　I　do　not　see　（to　come　to　the　last　point）　how　it　is　possible　that　this　thing　should　be　brought　about；　to　your　good　I　mean；　though　it　may　to　the　destruction　of　many。　For　that　the　agrarian　of　Israel；　or　that　of　Lacedaemon；　might　stand；　is　no　such　miracle；　the　lands；　without　any　consideration　of　the　former　proprietor；　being　surveyed　and　cast　into　equal　lots；　which　could　neither　be　bought；　nor　sold；　nor　multiplied：　so　that　they　knew　whereabout　to　have　a　man。　But　in　this　nation　no　such　division　can　be　introduced；　the　lands　being　already　in　the　hands　of　proprietors；　and　such　whose　estates　lie　very　rarely　together；　but　mixed　one　with　another　being　also　of　tenures　in　nature　so　different；　that　as　there　is　no　experience　that　an　agrarian　was　ever　introduced　in　such　a　case；　so　there　is　no　appearance　how　or　reason　why　it　should：　but　that　which　is　against　reason　and　experience　is　impossible。〃

　　　　The　case　of　my　Lord　Philautus　was　the　most　concerned　in　the　whole　nation；　for　he　had　four　younger　brothers；　his　father　being　yet　living；　to　whom　he　was　heir　of　？0；000　a　year。　Wherefore　being　a　man　both　of　good　parts　and　esteem；　his　words　wrought　both　upon　men's　reason　and　passions；　and　had　borne　a　stroke　at　the　head　of　the　business；　if　my　Lord　Archon　had　not　interposed　the　buckler　in　this　oration：

　〃MY　LORDS；　THE　LEGISLATORS　OF　OCEANA：　　　　　〃My　Lord　Philautus　has　made　a　thing　which　is　easy　to　seem　hard；　if　the　thanks　were　due　to　his　eloquence；　it　would　be　worthy　of　less　praise　than　that　he　owes　it　to　his　merit；　and　the　love　he　has　most　deservedly　purchased　of　all　men：　nor　is　it　rationally　to　be　feared　that　he　who　is　so　much　beforehand　in　his　private；　should　be　in　arrear　in　his　public；　capacity。　Wherefore；　my　lord's　tenderness　throughout　his　speech　arising　from　no　other　principle　than　his　solicitude　lest　the　agrarian　should　be　hurtful　to　his　country；　it　is　no　less　than　my　duty　to　give　the　best　satisfaction　I　am　able　to　so　good　a　patriot；　taking　every　one　of　his　doubts　in　the　order　proposed。　And；　　　　　〃First；　whereas　my　lord；　upon　observation　of　the　modern　commonwealths；　is　of　opinion　that　an　agrarian　is　not　necessary：　it　must　be　confessed　that　at　the　first　sight　of　them　there　is　some　appearance　favoring　his　assertion；　but　upon　accidents　of　no　precedent　to　us。　For　the　commonwealths　of　Switzerland　and　Holland；　I　mean　of　those　leagues；　being　situated　in　countries　not　alluring　the　inhabitants　to　wantonness；　but　obliging　them　to　universal　industry；　have　an　implicit　agrarian　in　the　nature　of　them：　and　being　not　obnoxious　to　a　growing　nobility　（which；　as　long　as　their　former　monarchies　had　spread　the　wing　over　them；　could　either　not　at　all　be　hatched；　or　was　soon　broken）　are　of　no　example　to　us；　whose　experience　in　this　point　has　been　to　the　contrary。　But　what　if　even　in　these　governments　there　be　indeed　an　explicit　agrarian？　For　when　the　law　commands　an　equal　or　near　equal　distribution　of　a　man's　estate　in　land　among　his　children；　as　it　is　done　in　those　countries；　a　nobility　cannot　grow；　and　so　there　needs　no　agrarian；　or　rather　there　is　one。　And　for　the　growth　of　the　nobility　in　Venice　（if　so　it　be；　for　Machiavel　observes　in　that　republic；　as　a　cause　of　it；　a　great　mediocrity　of　estates）　it　is　not　a　point　that　she　is　to　fear；　but　might　study；　seeing　she　consists　of　nothing　else　but　nobility；　by　which；　whatever　their　estates　suck　from　the　people；　especially　if　it　comes　equally；　is　digested　into　the　better　blood　of　that　commonwealth；　which　is　all；　or　the　greatest；　benefit　they　can　have　by　accumulation。　For　how　unequal　soever　you　will　have　them　to　be　in　their　incomes；　they　have　officers　of　the　pomp；　to　bring　them　equal　in　expenses；　or　at　least　in　the　ostentation　or　show　of　them。　And　so　unless　the　advantage　of　an　estate　consists　more　in　the　measure　than　in　the　use　of　it；　the　authority　of　Venice　does　but　enforce　our　agrarian；　nor　shall　a　man　evade　or　elude　the　prudence　of　it；　by　the　authority　of　any　other　commonwealth。　　　　　〃For　if　a　commonwealth　has　been　introduced　at　once；　as　those　of　Israel　and　Lacedaemon；　you　are　certain　to　find　her　underlaid　with　this　as　the　main　foundation；　nor；　if　she　is　obliged　more　to　fortune　than　prudence；　has　she　raised　her　head　without　musing　upon　this　matter；　as　appears　by　that　of　Athens；　which　through　her　defect　in　this　point；　says　Aristotle；　introduced　her　ostracism；　as　most　of　the　democracies　of　Greece。　But；　not　to　restrain　a　fundamental　of　such　latitude　to　any　one　kind　of　government；　do　we　not　yet　see　that　if　there　be　a　sole　landlord　of　a　vast　territory；　he　is　the　Turk？　that　if　a　few　landlords　overbalance　a　populous　country；　they　have　store　of　servants？　that　if　a　people　be　in　an　equal　balance；　they　can　have　no　lords？　that　no　government　can　otherwise　be　erected；　than　upon　some　one　of　these　foundations？　that　no　one　of　these　foundations　（each　being　else　apt　to　change　into　some　other）　can　give　any　security　to　the　government；　unless　it　be　fixed？　that　through　the　want　of　this　fixation；　potent　monarchy　and　commonwealths　have　fallen　upon　the　heads　of　the　people；　and　accompanied　their　own　sad　ruins　with　vast　effusions　of　innocent　blood？　Let　the　fame；　as　was　the　merit　of　the　ancient　nobility　of　this　nation；　be　equal　to　or　above　what　has　been　already　said；　or　can　be　spoken；　yet　have　we　seen　not　only　their　glory　but　that　of　a　throne；　the　most　indulgent　to　and　least　invasive　for　so　many　ages　upon　the　liberty　of　a　people　that　the　world　has　known；　through　the　mere　want　of　fixing　her　foot　by　a　proportionable　agrarian　upon　her　proper　foundation；　to　have　fallen　with　such　horror　as　has　been　a　spectacle　of　astonishment　to　the　whole　earth。　And　were　it　well　argued　from　one　calamity；　that　we　ought　not　to　prevent　another？　Nor　is　Aristotle　so　good　a　commonwealths　man　for　deriding　the　invention　of　Phaleas　as　in　recollecting　himself；　where　he　says　that　democracies；　when　a　less　part　of　their　citizens　overtop　the　rest　in　wealth；　degenerate　into　oligarchies　and　principalities；　and；　which　comes　nearer　to　the　present　purpose；　that　the　greater　part　of　the　nobility　of　Tarentum　coming　accidentally　to　be　ruined；　the　government　of　the　few　came　by　consequence　to　be　changed　into　that　of　the　many。　　　　　〃These　things　considered；　I　cannot　see　how　an　agrarian；　as　to　the　fixation　or　security　of　a　government；　can　be　less　than　necessary。　And　if　a　cure　be　necessary；　it　excuses　not　the　patient；　his　disease　being　otherwise　desperate；　that　it　is　dangerous；　which　was　the　case　of　Rome；　not　so　stated　by　Machiavel；　where　he　says；　that　the　strife　about　the　agrarian　caused　the　destruction　of　that　commonwealth。　As　if　when　a　senator　was　not　rich　（as　Crassus　held）　except　he　could　pay　an　army；　that　commonwealth　could　expect　nothing　but　ruin　whether　in　strife　about　the　agrarian；　or　without　it。　'Of　late；'　says　Livy；　'riches　have　introduced　avarice；　and　voluptuous　pleasures　abounding　have　through　lust　and　luxury　begot　a　desire　of　lasting　and　destroying　all　good　orders。'　if　the　greatest　security　of　a　commonwealth　consists　in　being　provided　with　the　proper　antidote　against　this　poison；　her　greatest　danger；　must　be　from　the　absence　of　an　agrarian；　which　is　the　whole　truth　of　the　Roman　example。　For　the　Laconic；　I　shall　reserve　the　further　explication　of　it；　as　my　lord　also　did；　to　another　place；　and　first　see　whether　an　agrarian　proportioned　to　a　popular　government　be　sufficient　to　keep　out　monarchy。　My　lord　is　for　the　negative；　and　fortified　by　the　people　of　Israel　electing　a　king。　To　which　I　say　that　the　action　of　the　peo