第4章

类别:其他 作者:Baron Charles De Secondat Mont字数:11038更新时间:19/01/07 15:06:43
Itisanessentialpointtofixthenumberofcitizenswhoaretoformthepublicassemblies;otherwiseitwouldbeuncertainwhetherthewhole,oronlyapartofthepeople,hadgiventheirvotes。AtSpartathenumberwasfixedattenthousand。ButRome,designedbyProvidencetorisefromtheweakestbeginningstothehighestpitchofgrandeur; Rome,doomedtoexperienceallthevicissitudesoffortune;Rome,whohadsometimesallherinhabitantswithoutherwalls,andsometimesallItalyandaconsiderablepartoftheworldwithinthem;Rome,Isay,neverfixedthenumber[3]andthiswasoneoftheprincipalcausesofherruin。 Thepeople,inwhomthesupremepowerresides,oughttohavethemanagementofeverythingwithintheirreach:thatwhichexceedstheirabilitiesmustbeconductedbytheirministers。 Buttheycannotproperlybesaidtohavetheirministers,withoutthepowerofnominatingthem:itis,therefore,afundamentalmaximinthisgovernment,thatthepeopleshouldchoosetheirministers——thatis,theirmagistrates。 Theyhaveoccasion,aswellasmonarchs,andevenmoreso,tobedirectedbyacouncilorsenate。Buttohaveaproperconfidenceinthese,theyshouldhavethechoosingofthemembers;whethertheelectionbemadebythemselves,asatAthens,orbysomemagistratedeputedforthatpurpose,asoncertainoccasionswascustomaryatRome。 Thepeopleareextremelywellqualifiedforchoosingthosewhomtheyaretoentrustwithpartoftheirauthority。Theyhaveonlytobedeterminedbythingstowhichtheycannotbestrangers,andbyfactsthatareobvioustosense。Theycantellwhenapersonhasfoughtmanybattles,andbeencrownedwithsuccess;theyare,therefore,capableofelectingageneral。Theycantellwhenajudgeisassiduousinhisoffice,givesgeneralsatisfaction,andhasneverbeenchargedwithbribery:thisissufficientforchoosingapr?tor。Theyarestruckwiththemagnificenceorrichesofafellow—citizen;nomoreisrequisiteforelectinganedile。Thesearefactsofwhichtheycanhavebetterinformationinapublicforumthanamonarchinhispalace。Butaretheycapableofconductinganintricateaffair,ofseizingandimprovingtheopportunityandcriticalmomentofaction?No;thissurpassestheirabilities。 Shouldwedoubtthepeople’snaturalcapacity,inrespecttothediscernmentofmerit,weneedonlycastaneyeontheseriesofsurprisingelectionsmadebytheAtheniansandRomans;whichnoonesurelywillattributetohazard。 WeknowthatthoughthepeopleofRomeassumedtherightofraisingplebeianstopublicoffices,yettheyneverwouldexertthispower;andthoughatAthensthemagistrateswereallowed,bythelawofAristides,tobeelectedfromallthedifferentclassesofinhabitants,thereneverwasacase,saysXenophon,[4]whenthecommonpeoplepetitionedforemploymentswhichcouldendangereithertheirsecurityortheirglory。 Asmostcitizenshavesufficientabilitytochoose,thoughunqualifiedtobechosen,sothepeople,thoughcapableofcallingotherstoanaccountfortheiradministration,areincapableofconductingtheadministrationthemselves。 Thepublicbusinessmustbecarriedonwithacertainmotion,neithertooquicknortooslow。Butthemotionofthepeopleisalwayseithertooremissortooviolent。Sometimeswithahundredthousandarmstheyoverturnallbeforethem;andsometimeswithahundredthousandfeettheycreeplikeinsects。 Inapopularstatetheinhabitantsaredividedintocertainclasses。Itisinthemannerofmakingthisdivisionthatgreatlegislatorshavesignalisedthemselves;anditisonthisthedurationandprosperityofdemocracyhaveeverdepended。 ServiusTulliusfollowedthespiritofaristocracyinthedistributionofhisclasses。WefindinLivy[5]andinDionysiusHalicarnassus,[6]inwhatmannerhelodgedtherightofsuffrageinthehandsoftheprincipalcitizens。HehaddividedthepeopleofRomeinto193 centuries,whichformedsixclasses;andrankingtherich,whowereinsmallernumbers,inthefirstcenturies,andthoseinmiddlingcircumstances,whoweremorenumerous,inthenext,heflungtheindigentmultitudeintothelast;andaseachcenturyhadbutonevote[7]itwaspropertyratherthannumbersthatdecidedtheelection。 SolondividedthepeopleofAthensintofourclasses。Inthishewasdirectedbythespiritofdemocracy,hisintentionnotbeingtofixthosewhoweretochoose,butsuchaswereeligible:therefore,leavingtoeverycitizentherightofelection,hemade[8]thejudgeseligiblefromeachofthosefourclasses;butthemagistratesheorderedtobechosenonlyoutofthefirstthree,consistingofpersonsofeasyfortunes。[9] Asthedivisionofthosewhohavearightofsuffrageisafundamentallawinrepublics,sothemannerofgivingthissuffrageisanotherfundamental。 Thesuffragebylotisnaturaltodemocracy;asthatbychoiceistoaristocracy。[10] Thesuffragebylotisamethodofelectingthatoffendsnoone,butanimateseachcitizenwiththepleasinghopeofservinghiscountry。 Yetasthismethodisinitselfdefective,ithasbeentheendeavourofthemosteminentlegislatorstoregulateandamendit。 SolonmadealawatAthensthatmilitaryemploymentsshouldbeconferredbychoice;butthatsenatorsandjudgesshouldbeelectedbylot。 Thesamelegislatorordainedthatcivilmagistracies,attendedwithgreatexpense,shouldbegivenbychoice;andtheothersbylot。 Inorder,however,toamendthesuffragebylot,hemadearulethatnonebutthosewhopresentedthemselvesshouldbeelected;thatthepersonelectedshouldbeexaminedbyjudges[11]andthateveryoneshouldhavearighttoaccusehimifhewereunworthyoftheoffice:[12] thisparticipatedatthesametimeofthesuffragebylot,andofthatbychoice。Whenthetimeoftheirmagistracyhadexpired,theywereobligedtosubmittoanotherjudgmentinregardtotheirconduct。 Personsutterlyunqualifiedmusthavebeenextremelybackwardingivingintheirnamestobedrawnbylot。 Thelawwhichdeterminesthemannerofgivingsuffrageislikewisefundamentalinademocracy。Itisaquestionofsomeimportancewhetherthesuffragesoughttobepublicorsecret。Ciceroobserves[13]thatthelaws[14]whichrenderedthemsecrettowardsthecloseoftherepublicwerethecauseofitsdecline。Butasthisisdifferentlypractisedindifferentrepublics,Ishallofferheremythoughtsconcerningthissubject。 Thepeople’ssuffragesoughtdoubtlesstobepublic[15]andthisshouldbeconsideredasafundamentallawofdemocracy。Thelowerclassoughttobedirectedbythoseofhigherrank,andrestrainedwithinboundsbythegravityofeminentpersonages。Hence,byrenderingthesuffragessecretintheRomanrepublic,allwaslost;itwasnolongerpossibletodirectapopulacethatsoughtitsowndestruction。Butwhenthebodyofthenoblesaretovoteinanaristocracy[16]orinademocracythesenate[17]asthebusinessisthenonlytopreventintrigues,thesuffragescannotbetoosecret。 Intriguinginasenateisdangerous;itisdangerousalsoinabodyofnobles;butnotsoamongthepeople,whosenatureistoactthroughpassion。Incountrieswheretheyhavenoshareinthegovernment,weoftenseethemasmuchinflamedonaccountofanactorasevertheycouldbeforthewelfareofthestate。Themisfortuneofarepubliciswhenintriguesareatanend;whichhappenswhenthepeoplearegainedbybriberyandcorruption:inthiscasetheygrowindifferenttopublicaffairs,andavaricebecomestheirpredominantpassion。Unconcernedaboutthegovernmentandeverythingbelongingtoit,theyquietlywaitfortheirhire。 Itislikewiseafundamentallawindemocracies,thatthepeopleshouldhavethesolepowertoenactlaws。Andyetthereareathousandoccasionsonwhichitisnecessarythesenateshouldhavethepowerofdecreeing;nay,itisfrequentlypropertomakesometrialofalawbeforeitisestablished。TheconstitutionsofRomeandAthenswereexcellent。Thedecreesofthesenate[18]hadtheforceoflawsforthespaceofayear,butdidnotbecomeperpetualtilltheywereratifiedbytheconsentofthepeople。 3。OftheLawsinrelationtotheNatureofAristocracy。Inanaristocracythesupremepowerislodgedinthehandsofacertainnumberofpersons。Theseareinvestedbothwiththelegislativeandexecutiveauthority;andtherestofthepeopleare,inrespecttothem,thesameasthesubjectsofamonarchyinregardtothesovereign。 Theydonotvoteherebylot,forthiswouldbeproductiveofinconveniencesonly。Andindeed,inagovernmentwherethemostmortifyingdistinctionsarealreadyestablished,thoughtheyweretobechosenbylot,stilltheywouldnotceasetobeodious;itisthenoblemantheyenvy,andnotthemagistrate。 Whenthenobilityarenumerous,theremustbeasenatetoregulatetheaffairswhichthebodyofthenoblesareincapableofdeciding,andtoprepareothersfortheirdecision。Inthiscaseitmaybesaidthatthearistocracyisinsomemeasureinthesenate,thedemocracyinthebodyofthenobles,andthepeopleareacipher。 Itwouldbeaveryhappythinginanaristocracyifthepeople,insomemeasure,couldberaisedfromtheirstateofannihilation。ThusatGenoa,thebankofSt。Georgebeingadministeredbythepeople[19]givesthemacertaininfluenceinthegovernment,whencetheirwholeprosperityisderived。 Thesenatorsoughtbynomeanstohavetherightofnamingtheirownmembers;forthiswouldbetheonlywaytoperpetuateabuses。AtRome,whichinitsearlyyearswasakindofaristocracy,thesenatedidnotfillupthevacantplacesintheirownbody;thenewmemberswerenominatedbythecensors。[20] Inarepublic,thesuddenriseofaprivatecitizentoexorbitantpowerproducesmonarchy,orsomethingmorethanmonarchy。Inthelatterthelawshaveprovidedfor,orinsomemeasureadaptedthemselvesto,theconstitution;andtheprincipleofgovernmentchecksthemonarch:butinarepublic,whereaprivatecitizenhasobtainedanexorbitantpower,[21]theabuseofthispowerismuchgreater,becausethelawsforesawitnot,andconsequentlymadenoprovisionagainstit。 Thereisanexceptiontothisrule,whentheconstitutionissuchastohaveimmediateneedofamagistrateinvestedwithextraordinarypower。 SuchwasRomewithherdictators,suchisVenicewithherstateinquisitors;theseareformidablemagistrates,whorestore,asitwerebyviolence,thestatetoitsliberty。Buthowcomesitthatthesemagistraciesaresoverydifferentinthesetworepublics?ItisbecauseRomesupportedtheremainsofheraristocracyagainstthepeople; whereasVeniceemploysherstateinquisitorstomaintainheraristocracyagainstthenobles。TheconsequencewasthatatRomethedictatorshipcouldbeonlyofshortduration,asthepeopleactedthroughpassionandnotwithdesign。Itwasnecessarythatamagistracyofthiskindshouldbeexercisedwithlustreandpomp,thebusinessbeingtointimidate,andnottopunish,themultitude。Itwasalsoproperthatthedictatorshouldbecreatedonlyforsomeparticularaffair,andforthisonlyshouldhaveanunlimitedauthority,ashewasalwayscreateduponsomesuddenemergency。Onthecontrary,atVenicetheyhaveoccasionforapermanentmagistracy;forhereitisthatschemesmaybesetonfoot,continued,suspended,andresumed;thattheambitionofasinglepersonbecomesthatofafamily,andtheambitionofonefamilythatofmany。 Theyhaveoccasionforasecretmagistracy,thecrimestheypunishbeinghatchedinsecrecyandsilence。Thismagistracymusthaveageneralinquisition,fortheirbusinessisnottoremedyknowndisorders,buttopreventtheunknown。Inaword,thelatterisdesignedtopunishsuspectedcrimes;whereastheformerusedrathermenacesthanpunishmentevenforcrimesthatwereopenlyavowed。 Inallmagistracies,thegreatnessofthepowermustbecompensatedbythebrevityoftheduration。Thismostlegislatorshavefixedtoayear; alongerspacewouldbedangerous,andashorterwouldbecontrarytothenatureofgovernment。Forwhoisitthatinthemanagementevenofhisdomesticaffairswouldbethusconfined?AtRagusa[22]thechiefmagistrateoftherepublicischangedeverymonth,theotherofficerseveryweek,andthegovernorofthecastleeveryday。Butthiscantakeplaceonlyinasmallrepublicenvironed[23]byformidablepowers,whomighteasilycorruptsuchpettyandinsignificantmagistrates。 Thebestaristocracyisthatinwhichthosewhohavenoshareinthelegislaturearesofewandinconsiderablethatthegoverningpartyhavenointerestinoppressingthem。Thuswhen[24]AntipatermadealawatAthensthatwhosoeverwasnotworthtwothousanddrachmsshouldhavenopowertovote,heformedbythismethodthebestaristocracypossible; becausethiswassosmallasumastoexcludeveryfew,andnotoneofanyrankorconsiderationinthecity。 Aristocraticfamiliesoughttherefore,asmuchaspossible,tolevelthemselvesinappearancewiththepeople。Themoreanaristocracybordersondemocracy,theneareritapproachesperfection:and,inproportionasitdrawstowardsmonarchy,themoreisitimperfect。 Butthemostimperfectofallisthatinwhichthepartofthepeoplethatobeysisinastateofcivilservitudetothosewhocommand,asthearistocracyofPoland,wherethepeasantsareslavestothenobility。 4。OftheRelationofLawstotheNatureofMonarchicalGovernment。Theintermediate,subordinate,anddependentpowersconstitutethenatureofmonarchicalgovernment;Imeanofthatinwhichasinglepersongovernsbyfundamentallaws。Isaidtheintermediate,subordinate,anddependentpowers。Andindeed,inmonarchiestheprinceisthesourceofallpower,politicalandcivil。Thesefundamentallawsnecessarilysupposetheintermediatechannelsthroughwhichthepowerflows:foriftherebeonlythemomentaryandcapriciouswillofasinglepersontogovernthestate,nothingcanbefixed,andofcoursethereisnofundamentallaw。 Themostnatural,intermediate,andsubordinatepoweristhatofthenobility。Thisinsomemeasureseemstobeessentialtoamonarchy,whosefundamentalmaximis:nomonarch,nonobility;nonobility,nomonarch;buttheremaybeadespoticprince。 TherearemenwhohaveendeavouredinsomecountriesinEuropetosuppressthejurisdictionofthenobility,notperceivingthattheyweredrivingattheverythingthatwasdonebytheparliamentofEngland。 Abolishtheprivilegesofthelords,theclergyandcitiesinamonarchy,andyouwillsoonhaveapopularstate,orelseadespoticgovernment。 ThecourtsofaconsiderablekingdominEuropehave,formanyages,beenstrikingatthepatrimonialjurisdictionofthelordsandclergy。Wedonotpretendtocensurethesesagemagistrates;butweleaveittothepublictojudgehowfarthismayaltertheconstitution。FaramIfrombeingprejudicedinfavouroftheprivilegesoftheclergy;however,I shouldbegladiftheirjurisdictionwereoncefixed。Thequestionisnotwhethertheirjurisdictionwasjustlyestablished;butwhetheritbereallyestablished;whetheritconstitutesapartofthelawsofthecountry,andisineveryrespectinrelationtothoselaws:whetherbetweentwopowersacknowledgedindependent,theconditionsoughtnottobereciprocal;andwhetheritbenotequallythedutyofagoodsubjecttodefendtheprerogativeoftheprince,andtomaintainthelimitswhichfromtimeimmemorialhavebeenprescribedtohisauthority。 Thoughtheecclesiasticpowerbesodangerousinarepublic,yetitisextremelyproperinamonarchy,especiallyoftheabsolutekind。WhatwouldbecomeofSpainandPortugal,sincethesubversionoftheirlaws,wereitnotforthisonlybarrieragainsttheincursionsofarbitrarypower?Abarriereverusefulwhenthereisnoother:forsinceadespoticgovernmentisproductiveofthemostdreadfulcalamitiestohumannature,theveryevilthatrestrainsitisbeneficialtothesubject。 Inthesamemannerastheocean,threateningtooverflowthewholeearth,isstoppedbyweedsandpebblesthatliescatteredalongtheshore,somonarchs,whosepowerseemsunbounded,arerestrainedbythesmallestobstacles,andsuffertheirnaturalpridetobesubduedbysupplicationandprayer。 TheEnglish,tofavourtheirliberty,haveabolishedalltheintermediatepowersofwhichtheirmonarchywascomposed。Theyhaveagreatdealofreasontobejealousofthisliberty;weretheyevertobesounhappyastoloseit,theywouldbeoneofthemostservilenationsuponearth。 Mr。Law,throughignorancebothofarepublicanandmonarchicalconstitution,wasoneofthegreatestpromotersofabsolutepowereverknowninEurope。Besidestheviolentandextraordinarychangesowingtohisdirection,hewouldfainsuppressalltheintermediateranks,andabolishthepoliticalcommunities。Hewasdissolving[25]themonarchybyhischimericalreimbursements,andseemedasifheevenwantedtoredeemtheconstitution。 Itisnotenoughtohaveintermediatepowersinamonarchy;theremustbealsoadepositaryofthelaws。Thisdepositarycanonlybethejudgesofthesupremecourtsofjustice,whopromulgatethenewlaws,andrevivetheobsolete。Thenaturalignoranceofthenobility,theirindolenceandcontemptofcivilgovernment,requirethatthereshouldbeabodyinvestedwiththepowerofrevivingandexecutingthelaws,whichwouldbeotherwiseburiedinoblivion。Theprince’scouncilarenotaproperdepositary。Theyarenaturallythedepositaryofthemomentarywilloftheprince,andnotofthefundamentallaws。Besides,theprince’scounciliscontinuallychanging;itisneitherpermanentnornumerous;neitherhasitasufficientshareoftheconfidenceofthepeople;consequentlyitiscapableofsettingthemrightindifficultconjunctures,orofreducingthemtoproperobedience。 Despoticgovernments,wheretherearenofundamentallaws,havenosuchkindofdepositary。Henceitisthatreligionhasgenerallysomuchinfluenceinthosecountries,becauseitformsakindofpermanentdepositary;andifthiscannotbesaidofreligion,itmayofthecustomsthatarerespectedinsteadoflaws。 5。OftheLawsinrelationtotheNatureofadespoticGovernment。Fromthenatureofdespoticpoweritfollowsthatthesingleperson,investedwiththispower,commitstheexecutionofitalsotoasingleperson。A manwhomhissensescontinuallyinformthathehimselfiseverythingandthathissubjectsarenothing,isnaturallylazy,voluptuous,andignorant。Inconsequenceofthis,heneglectsthemanagementofpublicaffairs。Butwerehetocommittheadministrationtomany,therewouldbecontinualdisputesamongthem;eachwouldformintriguestobehisfirstslave;andhewouldbeobligedtotakethereinsintohisownhands。Itis,therefore,morenaturalforhimtoresignittoavizir,[26]andtoinvesthimwiththesamepowerashimself。Thecreationofavizirisafundamentallawofthisgovernment。 Itisrelatedofapopethathehadstartedaninfinitenumberofdifficultiesagainsthiselection,fromathoroughconvictionofhisincapacity。Atlengthhewasprevailedontoacceptofthepontificate,andresignedtheadministrationentirelytohisnephew。Hewassoonstruckwithsurprise,andsaid,\"Ishouldneverhavethoughtthatthesethingsweresoeasy。\"ThesamemaybesaidoftheprincesoftheEast,who,beingeducatedinaprisonwhereeunuchscorrupttheirheartsanddebasetheirunderstandings,andwheretheyarefrequentlykeptignorantevenoftheirhighrank,whendrawnforthinordertobeplacedonthethrone,areatfirstconfounded:butassoonastheyhavechosenavizir,andabandonedthemselvesintheirseragliotothemostbrutalpassions;pursuing,inthemidstofaprostitutedcourt,everycapriciousextravagance,theywouldneverhavedreamedthattheycouldfindmatterssoeasy。 Themoreextensivetheempire,thelargertheseraglio;andconsequentlythemorevoluptuoustheprince。Hencethemorenationssuchasovereignhastorule,thelessheattendstothecaresofgovernment;themoreimportanthisaffairs,thelesshemakesthemthesubjectofhisdeliberations。 ______ 1。CompareAristotle,Politics,vi。2。 2。Declamations,17,18。 3。SeetheConsiderationsontheCausesoftheGrandeurandDeclineoftheRomans,9。 4。Pp。691,693,ed。Wechel,1596。 5。Bk。i。 6。Bk。iv,art。15etseq。 7。SeeintheConsiderationsontheCausesoftheGrandeurandDeclineoftheRomans,9,howthisspiritofServiusTulliuswaspreservedintherepublic。 8。DionysiusHalicarnassus,EulogiumofIsocrates,ii,p。97,ed。 Wechel。Pollux,viii。10,art。130。 9。SeeAristotle’sPolitics,ii。12。 10。Ibid,iv。9。 11。SeetheorationofDemosthenes,DeFalsalegat。,andtheorationagainstTimarchus。 12。Theyusedeventodrawtwoticketsforeachplace,onewhichgavetheplace,andtheotherwhichnamedthepersonwhowastosucceed,incasethefirstwasrejected。 13。DeLeg。,i,iii。 14。Theywerecalledlegestabulares;twotabletswerepresentedtoeachcitizen,thefirstmarkedwithanA,forAntique,orIforbidit;andtheotherwithanUandanR,forUtirogas,orBeitasyoudesire。 15。AtAthensthepeopleusedtoliftuptheirhands。 16。AsatVenice。 17。ThethirtytyrantsatAthensorderedthesuffragesoftheAreopagitestobepublic,inordertomanagethemastheypleased。—— Lysias,Orat。contraAgorat。8。 18。SeeDionysiusHalicarnassus,iv,ix。 19。SeeMr。Addison,TravelstoItaly,p。16。 20。Theywerenamedatfirstbytheconsuls。 21。ThisiswhatruinedtherepublicofRome。SeeConsiderationsontheCausesoftheGrandeurandDeclineoftheRomans,14,16。 22。Tournefort,Voyages。 23。AtLuccathemagistratesarechosenonlyfortwomonths。 24。Diodorus,xviii,p。601,ed。Rhodoman。 25。Ferdinand,kingofAragon,madehimselfgrandmasteroftheorders,andthatalonechangedtheconstitution。 26。TheEasternkingsareneverwithoutvizirs,saysSirJohnChardin。 BookIII。OfthePrinciplesoftheThreeKindsofGovernment1。DifferencebetweentheNatureandPrincipleofGovernment。Havingexaminedthelawsinrelationtothenatureofeachgovernment,wemustinvestigatethosewhichrelatetoitsprinciple。 Thereisthisdifferencebetweenthenatureandprinciple[1]ofgovernment,thattheformeristhatbywhichitisconstituted,thelatterthatbywhichitismadetoact。Oneisitsparticularstructure,andtheotherthehumanpassionswhichsetitinmotion。 Now,lawsoughtnolesstorelatetotheprinciplethantothenatureofeachgovernment。Wemust,therefore,inquireintothisprinciple,whichshallbethesubjectofthisthirdbook。 2。OfthePrincipleofdifferentGovernments。Ihavealreadyobservedthatitisthenatureofarepublicangovernmentthateitherthecollectivebodyofthepeople,orparticularfamilies,shouldbepossessedofthesupremepower;ofamonarchy,thattheprinceshouldhavethispower,butintheexecutionofitshouldbedirectedbyestablishedlaws;ofadespoticgovernment,thatasinglepersonshouldruleaccordingtohisownwillandcaprice。Thisenablesmetodiscovertheirthreeprinciples;whicharethencenaturallyderived。Ishallbeginwitharepublicangovernment,andinparticularwiththatofdemocracy。 3。OfthePrincipleofDemocracy。Thereisnogreatshareofprobitynecessarytosupportamonarchicalordespoticgovernment。Theforceoflawsinone,andtheprince’sarmintheother,aresufficienttodirectandmaintainthewhole。Butinapopularstate,onespringmoreisnecessary,namely,virtue。 WhatIhavehereadvancedisconfirmedbytheunanimoustestimonyofhistorians,andisextremelyagreeabletothenatureofthings。Foritisclearthatinamonarchy,wherehewhocommandstheexecutionofthelawsgenerallythinkshimselfabovethem,thereislessneedofvirtuethaninapopulargovernment,wherethepersonentrustedwiththeexecutionofthelawsissensibleofhisbeingsubjecttotheirdirection。 Clearisitalsothatamonarchwho,throughbadadviceorindolence,ceasestoenforcetheexecutionofthelaws,mayeasilyrepairtheevil; hehasonlytofollowotheradvice;ortoshakeoffthisindolence。Butwhen,inapopulargovernment,thereisasuspensionofthelaws,asthiscanproceedonlyfromthecorruptionoftherepublic,thestateiscertainlyundone。 AverydrollspectacleitwasinthelastcenturytobeholdtheimpotenteffortsoftheEnglishtowardstheestablishmentofdemocracy。Astheywhohadashareinthedirectionofpublicaffairswerevoidofvirtue; astheirambitionwasinffamedbythesuccessofthemostdaringoftheirmembers;[2]astheprevailingpartiesweresuccessivelyanimatedbythespiritoffaction,thegovernmentwascontinuallychanging:thepeople,amazedatsomanyrevolutions,invainattemptedtoerectacommonwealth。Atlength,whenthecountryhadundergonethemostviolentshocks,theywereobligedtohaverecoursetotheverygovernmentwhichtheyhadsowantonlyproscribed。 WhenSyllathoughtofrestoringRometoherliberty,thisunhappycitywasincapableofreceivingthatblessing。Shehadonlythefeebleremainsofvirtue,whichwerecontinuallydiminishing。InsteadofbeingrousedfromherlethargybyC?sar,Tiberius,CaiusClaudius,Nero,andDomitian,sherivetedeverydayherchains;ifshestrucksomeblows,heraimwasatthetyrant,notatthetyranny。