第27章

类别:其他 作者:Baron Charles De Secondat Mont字数:10778更新时间:19/01/07 15:06:43
4。NewEffectsoftheFertilityandBarrennessofCountries。Thebarrennessoftheearthrendersmenindustrious,sober,inuredtohardship,courageous,andfitforwar;theyareobligedtoprocurebylabourwhattheearthrefusestobestowspontaneously。Thefertilityofacountrygivesease,effeminacy,andacertainfondnessforthepreservationoflife。IthasbeenremarkedthattheGermantroopsraisedinthoseplaceswherethepeasantsarerich,as,forinstance,inSaxony,arenotsogoodastheothers。Militarylawsmayprovideagainstthisinconveniencebyamoreseverediscipline。 5。OftheInhabitantsofIslands。Theinhabitantsofislandshaveahigherrelishforlibertythanthoseofthecontinent。Islandsarecommonlyofsmallextent;[4]onepartofthepeoplecannotbesoeasilyemployedtooppresstheother;theseaseparatesthemfromgreatempires;tyrannycannotsowellsupportitselfwithinasmallcompass: conquerorsarestoppedbythesea;andtheislanders,beingwithoutthereachoftheirarms,moreeasilypreservetheirownlaws。 6。OfCountriesraisedbytheIndustryofMan。Thosecountrieswhichtheindustryofmanhasrenderedhabitable,andwhichstandinneedofthesameindustrytoprovidefortheirsubsistence,requireamildandmoderategovernment。Thereareprincipallythreeofthisspecies:thetwofineprovincesofKiang—nanandTsekianginChina;Egypt,andHolland。 TheancientemperorsofChinawerenotconquerors。Thefirstthingtheydidtoaggrandisethemselveswaswhatgavethehighestproofoftheirwisdom。Theyraisedfrombeneaththewaterstwoofthefinestprovincesoftheempire;theseowetheirexistencetothelabourofman。AnditistheinexpressiblefertilityofthesetwoprovinceswhichhasgivenEuropesuchideasofthefelicityofthatvastcountry。Butacontinualandnecessarycaretopreservefromdestructionsoconsiderableapartoftheempiredemandedratherthemannersofawisethanofavoluptuousnation,ratherthelawfulauthorityofamonarchthanthetyrannicswayofadespoticprince。Powerwas,therefore,necessarilymoderatedinthatcountry,asitwasformerlyinEgypt,andasitisnowinHolland,whichnaturehasmadetoattendtoherself,andnottobeabandonedtonegligenceorcaprice。 Thus,inspiteoftheclimateofChina,wheretheyarenaturallyledtoaservileobedience;inspiteoftheapprehensionswhichfollowtoogreatanextentofempire,thefirstlegislatorsofthiscountrywereobligedtomakeexcellentlaws,andthegovernmentwasfrequentlyobligedtofollowthem。 7。OfhumanIndustry。Mankindbytheirindustry,andbytheinfluenceofgoodlaws,haverenderedtheearthmoreproperfortheirabode。Weseeriversflowwheretherehavebeenlakesandmarshes:thisisabenefitwhichnaturehasnotbestowed;butitisabenefitmaintainedandsuppliedbynature。WhenthePersians[5]weremastersofAsia,theypermittedthosewhoconveyedaspringtoanyplacewhichhadnotbeenwateredbeforetoenjoythebenefitforfivegenerations;andasanumberofrivuletsflowedfromMountTaurus,theysparednoexpenseindirectingthecourseoftheirstreams。Atthisday,withoutknowinghowtheycamethither,theyarefoundinthefieldsandgardens。 Thus,asdestructivenationsproduceevilsmoredurablethanthemselves,theactionsofanindustriouspeoplearethesourceofblessingswhichlastwhentheyarenomore。 8。ThegeneralRelationofLaws。Thelawshaveaverygreatrelationtothemannerinwhichtheseveralnationsprocuretheirsubsistence。Thereshouldbeacodeoflawsofamuchlargerextentforanationattachedtotradeandnavigationthanforpeoplewhoarecontentwithcultivatingtheearth。Thereshouldbeamuchgreaterforthelatterthanforthosewhosubsistbytheirflocksandherds。Theremustbeastillgreaterforthesethanforsuchaslivebyhunting。 9。OftheSoilofAmerica。ThecauseoftherebeingsuchanumberofsavagenationsinAmericaisthefertilityoftheearth,whichspontaneouslyproducesmanyfruitscapableofaffordingthemnourishment。Ifthewomencultivateaspotoflandaroundtheircottages,themaizegrowsuppresently;andhuntingandfishingputthemeninastateofcompleteabundance。Besides,blackcattle,ascows,buffaloes,&c。,thrivetherebetterthancarnivorousbeasts。ThelatterhavealwaysreignedinAfrica。 Weshouldnot,Ibelieve,havealltheseadvantagesinEuropeifthelandwasleftuncultivated;itwouldscarcelyproduceanythingbesidesforestsofoaksandotherbarrentrees。 10。OfPopulationintheRelationitbearstotheMannerofprocuringSubsistence。Letusseeinwhatproportioncountriesarepeopledwheretheinhabitantsdonotcultivatetheearth。Astheproduceofuncultivatedlandistothatoflandimprovedbyculture,sothenumberofsavagesinonecountryistothatofhusbandmeninanother:andwhenthepeoplewhocultivatethelandcultivatealsothearts,thisisalsoinsuchproportionsaswouldrequireaminutedetail。 Theycanscarcelyformagreatnation。Iftheyareherdsmenandshepherds,theyhaveneedofanextensivecountrytofurnishsubsistenceforasmallnumber;iftheylivebyhunting,theirnumbermustbestillless,andinordertofindthemeansoflifetheymustconstituteaverysmallnation。 Theircountrycommonlyaboundswithforests,which,astheinhabitantshavenottheartofdrainingoffthewaters,arefilledwithbogs;hereeachtroopcantonthemselves,andformapettynation。 11。OfsavageandbarbarousNations。Thereisthisdifferencebetweensavageandbarbarousnations:theformeraredispersedclans,whichforsomeparticularreasoncannotbejoinedinabody;andthelatterarecommonlysmallnations,capableofbeingunited。Thesavagesaregenerallyhunters;thebarbariansareherdsmenandshepherds。 ThisappearsplaininthenorthofAsia。ThepeopleofSiberiacannotliveinbodies,becausetheyareunabletofindsubsistence;theTartarsmayliveinbodiesforsometime,becausetheirherdsandflocksmayforatimebereassembled。Alltheclansmaythenbereunited,andthisiseffectedwhenonechiefhassubduedmanyothers;afterwhichtheymaydotwothings——eitherseparate,orsetoutwithadesigntomakeagreatconquestinsomesouthernempire。 12。OftheLawofNationsamongPeoplewhodonotcultivatetheEarth。 Asthesepeopledonotliveincircumscribedterritories,manycausesofstrifearisebetweenthem;theyquarrelaboutwastelandasweaboutinheritances。Thustheyfindfrequentoccasionsforwar,indisputesinrelationeithertotheirhunting,theirfishing,thepasturefortheircattle,ortheviolentseizingoftheirslaves;andastheyarenotpossessedoflandedproperty,theyhavemanythingstoregulatebythelawofnations,andbutfewtodecidebythecivillaw。 13。OftheCivilLawsofthoseNationswhodonotcultivatetheEarth。 Thedivisionoflandsiswhatprincipallyincreasesthecivilcode。 Amongnationswheretheyhavenotmadethisdivisionthereareveryfewcivillaws。 Theinstitutionsofthesepeoplemaybecalledmannersratherthanlaws。 Amongsuchnationsasthesetheoldmen,whorememberthingspast,havegreatauthority;theycannottherebedistinguishedbywealth,butbywisdomandvalour。 Thesepeoplewanderanddispersethemselvesinpasturegroundsorinforests。Marriagecannottherehavethesecuritywhichithasamongus,whereitisfixedbythehabitation,andwherethewifecontinuesinonehouse;theymaythenmoreeasilychangetheirwives,possessmany,andsometimesmixindifferentlylikebrutes。 Nationsofherdsmenandshepherdscannotleavetheircattle,whicharetheirsubsistence;neithercantheyseparatethemselvesfromtheirwives,wholookafterthem。Allthisought,then,togotogether,especiallyaslivinggenerallyinaflatopencountry,wheretherearefewplacesofconsiderablestrength,theirwives,theirchildren,theirflocks,maybecomethepreyoftheirenemies。 Thelawsregulatethedivisionofplunder,andgive,likeourSaliclaws,aparticularattentiontotheft。 14。OfthepoliticalStateofthePeoplewhodonotcultivatetheLand。 Thesepeopleenjoygreatliberty;forastheydonotcultivatetheearth,theyarenotfixed:theyarewanderersandvagabonds;andifachiefshoulddeprivethemoftheirliberty,theywouldimmediatelygoandseekitunderanother,orretireintothewoods,andtherelivewiththeirfamilies。Thelibertyofthemanissogreatamongthesepeoplethatitnecessarilydrawsafteritthatofthecitizen。 15。OfPeoplewhoknowtheUseofMoney。Aristippus,beingcastaway,swamandgotsafelytothenextshore,where,beholdinggeometricalfigurestracedinthesand,hewasseizedwithatransportofjoy,judgingthathewasamongGreeks,andnotinanationofbarbarians。 Shouldyoueverhappentobecastbysomeadventureamonganunknownpeople;uponseeingapieceofmoneyyoumaybeassuredthatyouhavearrivedinacivilisedcountry。 Thecultureoflandsrequirestheuseofmoney。Thisculturesupposesmanyinventionsandmanydegreesofknowledge;andwealwaysseeingenuity,thearts,andasenseofwantmakingtheirprogresswithanequalpace。Allthisconducestotheestablishmentofasignofvalue。 Torrentsanderuptionshavemadethediscoverythatmetalsarecontainedinthebowelsoftheearth。[6]Whenoncetheyhavebeenseparated,theyhaveeasilybeenappliedtotheirproperuse。 16。OfCivilLawsamongPeoplewhoknownottheUseofMoney。Whenapeoplehavenottheuseofmoney,theyareseldomacquaintedwithanyotherinjusticethanthatwhicharisesfromviolence;andtheweak,byuniting,defendthemselvesfromitseffects。Theyhavenothingtherebutpoliticalregulations。Butwheremoneyisestablished,theyaresubjecttothatinjusticewhichproceedsfromcraft——aninjusticethatmaybeexercisedinathousandways。Hencetheyareforcedtohavegoodcivillaws,whichspringupwiththenewpracticesofiniquity。 Incountrieswheretheyhavenospecie,therobbertakesonlybaremovables,whichhavenomutualresemblance。Butwheretheymakeuseofmoney,therobbertakesthesigns,andthesealwaysresembleeachother。 Intheformernothingcanbeconcealed,becausetherobbertakesalongwithhimtheproofsofhisconviction;butinthelatteritisquitethecontrary。 17。OfpoliticalLawsamongNationswhohavenottheUseofMoney。Thegreatestsecurityofthelibertiesofapeoplewhodonotcultivatetheearthistheirnotknowingtheuseofmoney。Whatisgainedbyhunting,fishing,orkeepingherdsofcattlecannotbeassembledinsuchgreatquantity,norbesufficientlypreserved,foronemantofindhimselfinaconditiontocorruptmanyothers:butwhen,insteadofthis,amanhasasignofriches,hemayobtainalargequantityofthesesigns,anddistributethemashepleases。 Thepeoplewhohavenomoneyhavebutfewwants;andthesearesuppliedwithease,andinanequalmanner。Equalityisthenunavoidable;andhenceitproceedsthattheirchiefsarenotdespotic。 Ifwhattravellerstellusbetrue,theconstitutionofanationofLouisiana,calledtheNatches,isanexceptiontothis。Theirchiefdisposesofthegoodsofallhissubjects,andobligesthemtoworkandtoil,accordingtohispleasure。[7]Hehasapowerlikethatofthegrandsignior,andtheycannotevenrefusehimtheirheads。Whenthepresumptiveheirenterstheworld,theydevoteallthesuckingchildrentohisserviceduringhislife。OnewouldimaginethatthisisthegreatSesostris。HeistreatedinhiscottagewithasmuchceremonyasanemperorofJapanorChina。 18。OfthePowerofSuperstition。Theprejudicesofsuperstitionaresuperiortoallothers,andhavethestrongestinfluenceonthehumanmind。Thus,thoughthesavagenationshavenaturallynoknowledgeofdespotictyranny,stilltheyfeeltheweightofit。Theyadorethesun; andiftheirchiefhadnotimaginedthathewasthebrotherofthisgloriousluminary,theywouldhavethoughthimawretchlikethemselves。 19。OftheLibertyoftheArabsandtheServitudeoftheTartars。TheArabsandTartarsarenationsofherdsmenandshepherds。TheArabsfindthemselvesinthatsituationofwhichwehavebeenspeaking,andarethereforefree;whilsttheTartars(themostsingularpeopleonearth) areinvolvedinapoliticalslavery。[8]Ihavealreadygivenreasonsforthis[9]andshallnowassignsomeothers。 Theyhavenotowns,noforests,andbutfewmarshes;theirriversaregenerallyfrozen,andtheydwellinalevelcountryofanimmenseextent。Theyhavepasturefortheirherdsandflocks,andconsequentlyproperty;buttheyhavenokindofretreat,orplaceofsafety。Akhanisnosoonerovercomethantheycutoffhishead;hischildrenaretreatedinthesamemanner,[10]andallhissubjectsbelongtotheconqueror。Thesearenotcondemnedtoacivilslavery,forinthatcasetheywouldbeaburdentoasimplepeople,whohavenolandstocultivate,andnoneedofanydomesticservice。Theythereforeaddtothebulkofthenation;butinsteadofcivilservitude,apoliticalslaverymustnaturallybeintroducedamongthem。 Itisapparentthatinacountrywheretheseveralclansmakecontinualwar,andareperpetuallyconqueringeachother;inacountrywhere,bythedeathofthechief,thebodypoliticofthevanquishedclanisalwaysdestroyed,thenationingeneralcanenjoybutlittlefreedom; forthereisnotasinglepartythatmustnothavebeenoftensubdued。 Aconqueredpeoplemaypreservesomedegreeoflibertywhen,bythestrengthoftheirsituation,theyareinastatethatwilladmitofcapitulatingaftertheirdefeat。ButtheTartars,alwaysdefenceless,beingonceovercome,canneverbeabletoobtainconditions。 Ihavesaid,inchapter2,thattheinhabitantsofcultivatedplainsareseldomfree。CircumstanceshaveoccurredtoputtheTartars,whodwellinuncultivatedplains,inthesamesituation。 20。OftheLawofNationsaspractisedbytheTartars。TheTartarsappeartobemildandhumaneamongthemselves;andyettheyaremostcruelconquerors:whentheytakecitiestheyputtheinhabitantstothesword,andimaginethattheyacthumanelyiftheyonlysellthepeople,ordistributethemamongtheirsoldiers。 TheyhavedestroyedAsia,fromIndiaeventotheMediterranean;andallthecountrywhichformstheeastofPersiatheyhaverenderedadesert。 Thelawofnationsisowing,Ithink,tothefollowingcause。Thesepeoplehavingnotowns,alltheirwarsarecarriedonwitheagernessandimpetuosity。Theyfightwhenevertheyhopetoconquer;andwhentheyhavenosuchhope,theyjointhestrongerarmy。Withsuchcustoms,itiscontrarytothelawofnationsthatacityincapableofrepellingtheirattackshouldstoptheirprogress。Theyregardnotcitiesasanassociationofinhabitants,butasplacesmadetobiddefiancetotheirpower。Theybesiegethemwithoutmilitaryskill,andexposethemselvesgreatlyintheattack;andthereforerevengethemselvesonallthosewhohavespilledtheirblood。 21。TheCivilLawoftheTartars。FatherDuHaldesaysthatamongsttheTartarstheyoungestofthemalesisalwaystheheir,byreasonthatassoonastheelderbrothersarecapableofleadingapastorallifetheyleavethehousewithacertainnumberofcattle,giventhembytheirfather,andbuildanewhabitation。Thelastofthemales,whocontinuesathomewiththefather,isthenhisnaturalheir。 IhaveheardthatalikecustomwasalsoobservedinsomesmalldistrictsofEngland;andwefinditstillinBrittany,intheduchyofRohan,whereitobtainswithregardtoignobletenures。ThisisdoubtlessapastorallawconveyedthitherbysomeofthepeopleofBritain,orestablishedbysomeGermannation。ByC?sarandTacitusweareinformedthatthelattercultivatedbutlittleland。 22。OfaCivilLawoftheGermanNations。IshallhereexplainhowthatparticularpassageoftheSaliclawwhichiscommonlydistinguishedbytheterm\"theSaliclaw\"relatestotheinstitutionsofapeoplewhodonotcultivatetheearth,oratleastwhocultivateitbutverylittle。 TheSaliclawordains[11]that,whenamanhasleftchildrenbehindhim,themalesshallsucceedtotheSaliclandinpreferencetothefemales。 TounderstandthenatureofthoseSaliclands,thereneedsnomorethantosearchintotheusagesorcustomsoftheFrankswithregardtolandsbeforetheyleftGermany。 Mr。EchardhasveryplainlyprovedthatthewordSalicisderivedfromSala,whichsignifiesahouse;andthereforethattheSaliclandwasthelandbelongingtothehouse。Ishallproceedfurther,andexamineintothenatureofthehouse,andofthelandbelongingtothehouse,amongtheGermans。 \"Theydwellnotintowns,\"saysTacitus,\"norcantheybeartohavetheirhabitationscontiguoustothoseofothers;everyoneleavesaspaceorsmallpieceofgroundabouthishouse,whichisenclosed。\"[12] Tacitusisveryexactinthisaccount,formanylawsoftheBarbariancodeshavedifferentdecreesagainstthosewhothrewdownthisenclosure,aswellasagainstsuchasbrokeintothehouse。[13] WelearnfromTacitusandC?sarthatthelandscultivatedbytheGermansweregiventhemonlyforthespaceofayear,afterwhichtheyagainbecamepublic。Theyhadnootherpatrimonybutthehouseandapieceoflandwithintheenclosurethatsurroundedit。[14]Itwasthisparticularpatrimonywhichbelongedtothemales。And,indeed,howcoulditbelongtothedaughters?Theyweretopassintoanotherhabitation。 TheSaliclandwasthenwithinthatenclosurewhichbelongedtoaGermanhouse;thiswastheonlypropertytheyhad。TheFranks,aftertheirconquests,acquirednewpossessions,andcontinuedtocallthemSaliclands。 WhentheFrankslivedinGermanytheirwealthconsistedofslaves,flocks,horses,arms,&c。Thehabitationandthesmallportionoflandadjoiningitwerenaturallygiventothemalechildrenwhoweretodwellthere。Butafterwards,whentheFrankshadbyconquestacquiredlargetractsofland,theythoughtithardthatthedaughtersandtheirchildrenshouldbeincapableofenjoyinganypartofthem。Henceitwasthattheyintroducedacustomofpermittingthefathertosettletheestateafterhisdeathuponhisdaughter,andherchildren。Theysilencedthelaw;anditappearsthatthesesettlementswerefrequent,sincetheywereenteredintheformularies。[15] AmongtheseformulariesIfindoneofasingularnature。[16]A grandfatherordainedbywillthathisgrandchildrenshouldsharehisinheritancewithhissonsanddaughters。WhatthenbecameoftheSaliclaw?Inthosetimeseitheritwouldnotbeobserved,orthecontinualuseofnominatingthedaughterstoaninheritancehadmadethemconsidertheirabilitytosucceedasacaseauthorisedbycustom。 TheSaliclawhadnotinviewapreferenceofonesextotheother,muchlesshaditaregardtotheperpetuityofafamily,aname,orthetransmissionofland。ThesethingsdidnotenterintotheheadsoftheGermans;itwaspurelyaneconomicallaw,whichmadethehouseandthelanddependentthereontothemaleswhoshoulddwellinit,andtowhomitconsequentlywasofmostservice。 WeneedhereonlytranscribethetitleoftheAllodialLandsoftheSaliclaw;thatfamoustextofwhichsomanyhavetalked,andwhichsofewhaveread。 \"1。Ifamandieswithoutissue,hisfatherormothershallsucceedhim。 2。Ifhehasneitherfathernormother,hisbrotherorsistershallsucceedhim。3。Ifhehasneitherbrothernorsister,thesisterofhismothershallsucceedhim。4。Ifhismotherhasnosister,thesisterofhisfathershallsucceedhim。5。Ifhisfatherhasnosister,thenearestrelativebythemalesideshallsucceed。6。NotanypartoftheSaliclandshallpasstothefemales;butitshallbelongtothemales; thatis,themalechildrenshallsucceedtheirfather。\"[17] Itisplainthatthefirstfivearticlesrelatetotheinheritanceofamanwhodieswithoutissue;andthesixthtothesuccessionofhimwhohaschildren。 Whenamandieswithoutchildren,thelawordainsthatneitherofthetwosexesshallhavethepreferencetotheother,exceptincertaincases。Inthefirsttwodegreesofsuccession,theadvantagesofthemalesandfemaleswerethesame;inthethirdandfourth,thefemaleshadthepreference;andthemalesinthefifth。 Tacituspointsoutthesourceoftheseextravagances。\"Thesister’schildren,\"sayshe,\"areasdeartotheiruncleastotheirownfather。 Therearemenwhoregardthisdegreeofkindredasmorestrict,andevenmoreholy。Theypreferitwhentheyreceivehostages。\"[18]HenceitproceedsthatourearliesthistoriansspeakinsuchstrongtermsoftheloveofthekingsoftheFranksfortheirsistersandtheirsisters’ children。[19]And,indeed,ifthechildrenofthesisterwereconsideredinherbrother’shouseashisownchildren,itwasnaturalforthesetoregardtheirauntastheirmother。 Thesisterofthemotherwaspreferredtothefather’ssister;thisisexplainedbyothertextsoftheSaliclaw。Whenawomanbecameawidow,[20]shefellundertheguardianshipofherhusband’srelatives; thelawpreferredtothisguardianshiptherelativesbythefemalesbeforethosebythemales。Indeed,awomanwhoenteredintoafamilyjoiningherselfwiththoseofherownsex,becamemoreunitedtoherrelativesbythefemalethanbythemale。Moreover,whenamankilledanother,andhadnotwherewithaltopaythepecuniarypenalty,thelawpermittedhimtodeliveruphissubstance,andhisrelativesweretosupplythedeficiency。[21]Afterthefather,mother,andbrother,thesisterofthemotherwastopay,asifthistiehadsomethinginitmosttender:nowthedegreeofkindredwhichimposestheburdensoughtalsotoconfertheadvantages。 TheSaliclawenjoinsthatafterthefather’ssister,thesuccessionshouldbeheldbythenearestrelativemale;butifthisrelativewasbeyondthefifthdegree,heshouldnotinherit。Thusafemaleofthefifthdegreemightinherittotheprejudiceofamaleofthesixth;andthismaybeseeninthelawoftheRipuarianFranks(afaithfulinterpreteroftheSaliclaw),underthetitleofAllodialLands,whereitcloselyadherestotheSaliclawonthesamesubject。[22] Ifthefatherleftissue,theSaliclawwouldhavethedaughtersexcludedfromtheinheritanceoftheSalicland,anddeterminedthatitshouldbelongtothemalechildren。 ItwouldbeeasyformetoprovethattheSaliclawdidnotabsolutelyexcludethedaughtersfromthepossessionoftheSalicland,butonlyinthecasewheretheyweredebarredbytheirbrothers。ThisappearsfromtheletteroftheSaliclaw;which,afterhavingsaidthatthewomenshallpossessnoneoftheSalicland,butonlythemales,interpretsandrestrainsitselfbyadding,\"thatis,thesonshallsucceedtotheinheritanceofthefather。\" 2。ThetextoftheSaliclawisclearedupbythelawoftheRipuarianFranks,whichhasalsoatitleonallodiallandsveryconformabletothatoftheSaliclaw。[23] 3。ThelawsofthesebarbarousnationswhoallsprangfromGermanyinterpreteachother,moreparticularlyastheyallhavenearlythesamespirit。TheSaxonlawenjoinedthefatherandmothertoleavetheirinheritancetotheirson,andnottotheirdaughter;butiftherewerenonebutdaughters,theyweretohavethewholeinheritance。[24] 4。Wehavetwoancientformularies[25]thatstatethecaseinwhich,accordingtotheSaliclaw,thedaughterswereexcludedbythemales; thatis,whentheystoodincompetitionwiththeirbrother。 5。Anotherformulary[26]provesthatthedaughtersucceededtotheprejudiceofthegrandson;shewasthereforeexcludedonlybytheson。 6。IfdaughtershadbeengenerallydebarredbytheSaliclawfromtheinheritanceofland,itwouldbeimpossibletoexplainthehistories,formularies,andcharterswhicharecontinuallymentioningthelandsandpossessionsofthefemalesunderthefirstrace。 PeoplehavebeenwronginassertingthattheSaliclandswerefiefs。[27] 1。Thisheadisdistinguishedbythetitleofallodiallands。2。Fiefsatfirstwerenothereditary,3。IftheSaliclandshadbeenfiefs,howcouldMarculfustreatthatcustomasimpiouswhichexcludedthewomenfrominheriting,whenthemalesthemselvesdidnotsucceedtofiefs?4。 ThecharterswhichhavebeencitedtoprovethattheSaliclandswerefiefsonlyshowthattheywerefreeholds。5。Fiefswerenotestablishedtillaftertheconquest,andtheSaliccustomsexistedlongbeforetheFranksleftGermany。6。ItwasnottheSaliclawthatformedtheestablishmentoffiefs,bysettingboundstothesuccessionoffemales; butitwastheestablishmentoffiefsthatprescribedlimitstothesuccessionoffemales,andtotheregulationsoftheSaliclaw。 Afterwhathasbeensaid,onewouldnotimaginethattheperpetualsuccessionofmalestothecrownofFranceshouldhavetakenitsrisefromtheSaliclaw。Andyetthisisapointindubitablycertain。Iproveitfromtheseveralcodesofthebarbarousnations。TheSaliclaw,[28]