第40章

类别:其他 作者:Baron Charles De Secondat Mont字数:11076更新时间:19/01/07 15:06:43
28。BywhatmeanswemayremedyaDepopulation。Whenastateisdepopulatedbyparticularaccidents,bywars,pestilence,orfamine,therearestillresourcesleft。Themenwhoremainmaypreservethespiritofindustry;theymayseektorepairtheirmisfortunes,andcalamityitselfmaymakethembecomemoreindustrious。Thisevilisalmostincurablewhenthedepopulationispreparedbeforehandbyinteriorviceandabadgovernment。Whenthisisthecase,menperishwithaninsensibleandhabitualdisease;borninmiseryandweakness,inviolenceorundertheinfluenceofawickedadministration,theyseethemselvesdestroyed,andfrequentlywithoutperceivingthecauseoftheirdestruction。Ofthiswehaveamelancholyproofinthecountriesdesolatedbydespoticpower,orbytheexcessiveadvantagesoftheclergyoverthelaity。 Invainshallwewaitforthesuccourofchildrenyetunborntore—establishastatethusdepopulated。Thereisnottimeforthis;menintheirsolitudearewithoutcourageorindustry。Withlandsufficienttonourishanation,theyhavescarcelyenoughtonourishafamily。Thecommonpeoplehavenotevenapropertyinthemiseriesofthecountry,thatis,inthefallowswithwhichitabounds。Theclergy,theprince,thecities,thegreatmen,andsomeoftheprincipalcitizensinsensiblybecomeproprietorsofallthelandwhichliesuncultivated;thefamilieswhoareruinedhavelefttheirfields,andthelabouringmanisdestitute。 InthissituationtheyshouldtakethesamemeasuresthroughoutthewholeextentoftheempirewhichtheRomanstookinapartoftheirs; theyshouldpractiseintheirdistresswhattheseobservedinthemidstofplenty;thatis,theyshoulddistributelandtoallthefamilieswhoareinwant,andprocurethemmaterialsforclearingandcultivatingit。 Thisdistributionoughttobecontinuedsolongasthereisamantoreceiveit,andinsuchamannerasnottoloseamomentthatcanbeindustriouslyemployed。 29。OfHospitals。Amanisnotpoorbecausehehasnothing,butbecausehedoesnotwork。Themanwhowithoutanydegreeofwealthhasanemploymentisasmuchathiseaseashewhowithoutlabourhasanincomeofahundredcrownsayear。Hewhohasnosubstance,andyethasatrade,isnotpoorerthanhewho,possessingtenacresofland,isobligedtocultivateitforhissubsistence。Themechanicwhogiveshisartasaninheritancetohischildrenhasleftthemafortune,whichismultipliedinproportiontotheirnumber。Itisnotsowithhimwho,havingtenacresofland,dividesitamonghischildren。 Intradingcountries,wheremanymenhavenoothersubsistencebutfromthearts,thestateisfrequentlyobligedtosupplythenecessitiesoftheaged,thesick,andtheorphan。Awell—regulatedgovernmentdrawsthissupportfromtheartsthemselves。Itgivestosomesuchemploymentastheyarecapableofperforming;othersaretaughttowork,andthisteachingofitselfbecomesanemployment。 Thealmsgiventoanakedmaninthestreetdonotfulfiltheobligationsofthestate,whichowestoeverycitizenacertainsubsistence,apropernourishment,convenientclothing,andakindoflifenotincompatiblewithhealth。 Aurungzebe,beingaskedwhyhedidnotbuildhospitals,said,\"Iwillmakemyempiresorichthatthereshallbenoneedofhospitals。\"[118] Heoughttohavesaid,\"Iwillbeginbyrenderingmyempirerich,andthenIwillbuildhospitals。\" Therichesofthestatesupposegreatindustry。Amidstthenumerousbranchesoftradeitisimpossiblebutthatsomemustsuffer,andconsequentlythemechanicsmustbeinamomentarynecessity。 Wheneverthishappens,thestateisobligedtolendthemareadyassistance,whetheritbetopreventthesufferingsofthepeople,ortoavoidarebellion。Inthiscasehospitals,orsomeequivalentregulations,arenecessarytopreventthismisery。 Butwhenthenationispoor,privatepovertyspringsfromthegeneralcalamity,andis,ifImaysoexpressmyself,thegeneralcalamityitself。Allthehospitalsintheworldcannotcurethisprivatepoverty; onthecontrary,thespiritofindolence,whichitconstantlyinspires,increasesthegeneral,andconsequentlytheprivate,misery。 HenryVIII,[119]resolvingtoreformtheChurchofEngland,ruinedthemonks,ofthemselvesalazysetofpeople,thatencouragedlazinessinothers,because,astheypractisedhospitality,aninfinitenumberofidlepersons,gentlemenandcitizens,spenttheirlivesinrunningfromconventtoconvent。Hedemolishedeventhehospitals,inwhichthelowerpeoplefoundsubsistence,asthegentlemendidtheirsinthemonasteries。Sincethesechanges,thespiritoftradeandindustryhasbeenestablishedinEngland。 AtRome,thehospitalsplaceeveryoneathiseaseexceptthosewholabour,exceptthosewhoareindustrious,exceptthosewhohaveland,exceptthosewhoareengagedintrade。Ihaveobservedthatwealthynationshaveneedofhospitals,becausefortunesubjectsthemtoathousandaccidents;butitisplainthattransientassistancesaremuchbetterthanperpetualfoundations。Theevilismomentary;itisnecessary,therefore,thatthesuccourshouldbeofthesamenature,andthatitbeappliedtoparticularaccidents。 ______ 1。Dryden,Lucr。 2。TheGaramantes。 3。Booki。8。 4。Paterestquemnupti?demonstrant。 5。Forthisreason,amongnationsthathaveslaves,thechildalmostalwaysfollowsthestationorconditionofthemother。 6。FatherDuHalde,i,p。165。 7。Ibid,ii,p。121。 8。Aristotle,Politics,vi。4。 9。Ibid。,iii。5。 10。ThomasGage,ANewSurveyoftheWestIndies,p。345,3rded。 11。Ibid。,p。97,3rded。 12。Bookxvi。4。 13。SeeKempfer,whogivesacomputationofthepeopleofMeaco。 14。CollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,i,p。347。 15。Japaniscomposedofanumberofisles,wheretherearemanybanks,andtheseaisthereextremelyfulloffish。 16。Chinaaboundsinrivers。 17。SeeFatherDuHalde,ii,pp。139,142。ff。 18。Thegreatestnumberoftheproprietorsofland,saysBishopBurnet,findingmoreprofitinsellingtheirwoolthantheircorn,inclosedtheirestates;thecommons,readytoperishwithhunger,roseupinarms;theyinsistedonadivisionofthelands;theyoungkingevenwroteonthissubject。Andproclamationsweremadeagainstthosewhoinclosedtheirlands。——AbridgmentoftheHistoryoftheReformation,pp。44。83。 19。Dampier,Voyages,ii,p。41。 20。Ibid。,p。167。 21。SeetheCollectionofVoyagesthatContributedtotheEstablishmentoftheEastIndiaCompany,v,partI,pp。182,188。 22。Invalour,discipline,andmilitaryexercises。 23。TheGauls,whowereinthesamecircumstances,actedinthesamemanner。 24。Laws,v。 25。Republic,v。 26。Politics,vii。16。 27。Ibid。 28。Ibid。,iii。5。 29。Sixtypoundssterling。 30。Bookvi。12。 31。Bookvii,p。496。 32。IhavetreatedofthisintheConsiderationsontheCausesoftheRiseandDeclensionoftheRomanGrandeur,13。 33。Booklvi。 34。Bookii。 35。IntheyearofRome277。 36。SeewhatwasdoneinthisrespectinLivy,xlv;theEpitomeofLivy,lix;AulusGellius,i。6;ValeriusMaximus,ii。9。 37。ItisinAulusGellius,i。6。 38。SeewhatIhavesaidinBookv。19。 39。C?sar,aftertheCivilWar,havingmadeasurveyoftheRomancitizens,foundtherewerenomorethanonehundredandfiftythousandheadsoffamilies。——Florus,EpitomeofLivy,dec。12。 40。SeeDio,xliii。,andXiphilinusinAugust。 41。Dio,lib。xliii。;Suetonius,LifeofC?sar,22;Appian,OntheCivilWar,ii。 42。Eusebius,Chronicle。 43。Dio,liv。16。 44。IntheyearofRome736。 45。Juliasrogationes。——Annals,iii。25。 46。IntheyearofRome762。——Dio,lvi。i。 47。Ihaveabridgedthisspeech,whichisoftediouslength;itistobefoundinDio,lvi。 48。MarcusPapiusMutilusandQ。Popp?usSabinus。——Dio,lvi。 49。Ibid。 50。Ulpian,Fragment,tit。14,distinguishesveryrightlybetweentheJulianandthePapianlaw。 51。JamesGodfreyhasmadeacollectionofthese。 52。The35thiscitedinLeg。19,ff。deritunuptiarum。 53。Bookii。15。 54。DionysiusHalicarnassus。 55。ThedeputiesofRome,whoweresenttosearchintothelawsofGreece,wenttoAthens,andtothecitiesofItaly。 56。AulusGellius,ii。15。 57。Suetonius,LifeofAugustus,44。 58。Tacitus,ii。51:Utnumerusliberorumincandidatispr?polleret,quodlexjubebat。 59。AulusGellius,ii。15。 60。Tacitus,Annals,xv。19。 61。SeeLeg。6,§5,DeDecurion。 62。SeeLeg。2,ff。deminorib。 63。Leg。i,§3,Leg。2,ff。devacationeetexcusat。munerum。 64。Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。29,§3。 65。Plutarch,Numa。 66。SeetheUlpian,Fragment。,tit。14,15,16,17,18,whichcomposeoneofthemostvaluablepiecesoftheancientcivillawoftheRomans。 67。Sozomenus,i。9。Theycouldreceivefromtheirrelatives。——Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。16,§i。 68。Sozomenus,i。9;andLeg。unic。,Cod。Theod。deinfirm,poenisc?lib。etorbit。 69。OftheLoveofFatherstowardstheirChildren。 70。SeeamoreparticularaccountofthisinUlpian。Fragment。,tit。15,16。 71。Ibid。,tit。16,§1。 72。Ibid。,tit。14。ItseemsthefirstJulianlawsallowedthreeyears。 ——SpeechofAugustus,inDio,lvi;Suetonius,LifeofAugustus,34。 OtherJulianlawsgrantedbutoneyear:thePapianlawgavetwo。—— Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。14。Theselawswerenotagreeabletothepeople; Augustus,therefore,softenedorstrengthenedthemastheyweremoreorlessdisposedtocomplywiththem。 73。Thiswasthe35thheadofthePapianlaw。——Leg。19,ff。deritunuptiarum。 74。SeeDio,liv,year736;Suetonius,inOctavio,34。 75。Dio,liv;andinthesameDio,thespeechofAugustus,lvi。 76。Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。16,andLeg。27,Cod。denuptiis。 77。Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。16,§3。 78。SeeSuetonius,LifeofClaudius,23。 79。Ibid。,23,andUlpian,Fragment。,tit。16,§3。 80。Dio,liv;Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。13。 81。Augustus’sspeech,inDio,lvi。 82。Ulpian,Fragment。,13,andtheLeg。44。ff。deritunuptiarum。 83。Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。13and16。 84。SeeLeg。1,Cod。denat。lib。 85。Nov。117。 86。Leg。37。§7,ff。deoperib。libertorum,§7;Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。16,§2。 87。Ulpian,Fragment。,tit。16,§2。 88。Seebookxxvi。13。 89。Exceptincertaincases。SeetheUlpian,Fragment。,tit。18,andtheonlylawinCod。deCaduc。tollend。 90。RelatumdemoderandaPapiaPopp?a。——Tacitus,Annals,iii。25。 91。Hereducedthemtothefourthpart。——Suetonius,LifeofNero,10。 92。SeePliny,Panegyric。 93。Severusextendedeventotwenty—fiveyearsforthemales,andtotwentyforthefemales,thetimefixedbythePapianlaw,asweseebycomparingUlpian,Fragment。,tit。16,withwhatTertulliansays,Apol。,4。 94。P。Scipio,thecensor,complains,inhisspeechtothepeople,oftheabuseswhichwerealreadyintroduced,thattheyreceivedthesameprivilegesforadoptedasfornaturalchildren。——AulusGellius,v。19。 95。SeetheLeg。31,ff。deritunuptiarum。 96。AugustusinthePapianlawgavethemtheprivilegeofmothers。SeeDio,lvi。Numahadgrantedthemtheancientprivilegeofwomenwhohadthreechildren,thatis,ofhavingnoguardian。——Plutarch,Numa。 97。ThiswasgrantedthembyClaudius。——Dio,lx。 98。Leg。apudeum,ff。demanumissionib。§1。 99。Dio,lvi。 100。See,inCicero,Offices,i,hissentimentsonthespiritofspeculation。 101。Nazarius,inpanegyricoConstantini,321。 102。SeeLeg。1,2,3,Cod。Theod。debonismaternis,materniquegeneris,&c。,andLeg。unic。,Cod。Theod。debonisqu?filiisfamil。 acquiruntur。 103。Sozomenus,i。9。 104。Leg。2,3,Cod。Theod。dejur。liber。 105。Leg。Sancimus,Cod。denuptiis。 106。Nov。127,cap。iii;Nov。118,cap。v。 107。Leg。54ff。decondit。etdemonst。 108。Leg。5,§4,dejurepatronatus。 109。Paulus,Sentences,iii。tit。4,§15。 110。AntiquitiesofRome,ii。 111。Ibid。 112。Bookix。 113。DeLeg。,iii。19。 114。DeMoribusGermanorum,19。 115。ThereisnotitleonthissubjectintheDigest;thetitleoftheCodesaysnothingofit,anymorethantheNovels。 116。Mahometancountriessurrounditalmostoneveryside。 117。Theedictof1666infavourofmarriages。 118。SeeSirJohnChardin,TravelsthroughPersia,viii。 119。SeeBurnet,HistoryoftheReformation。 BookXXIV。OfLawsinrelationtoReligionConsideredinItself,andinitsDoctrines1。OfReligioninGeneral。Asamidstseveraldegreesofdarknesswemayformajudgmentofthosewhicharetheleastthick,andamongprecipiceswhicharetheleastdeep,sowemaysearchamongfalsereligionsforthosethataremostconformabletothewelfareofsociety;forthosewhich,thoughtheyhavenottheeffectofleadingmentothefelicityofanotherlife,maycontributemosttotheirhappinessinthis。 Ishallexamine,therefore,theseveralreligionsoftheworld,inrelationonlytothegoodtheyproduceincivilsociety,whetherIspeakofthatwhichhasitsrootinheaven,orofthosewhichspringfromtheearth。 AsinthisworkIamnotadivinebutapoliticalwriter,Imayhereadvancethingswhicharenototherwisetruethanastheycorrespondwithaworldlymannerofthinking,notasconsideredintheirrelationtotruthsofamoresublimenature。 Withregardtothetruereligion,apersonoftheleastdegreeofimpartialitymustseethatIhaveneverpretendedtomakeitsinterestssubmittothoseofapoliticalnature,butrathertounitethem;now,inordertounite,itisnecessarythatweshouldknowthem。 TheChristianreligion,whichordainsthatmenshouldloveeachother,would,withoutdoubt,haveeverynationblestwiththebestcivil,thebestpoliticallaws;becausethese,nexttothisreligion,arethegreatestgoodthatmencangiveandreceive。 2。AParadoxofM。Bayle’s。M。Baylehaspretendedtoprove[1]thatitisbettertobeanAtheistthananIdolater;thatis,inotherwords,thatitislessdangeroustohavenoreligionatallthanabadone。\"I hadrather,\"saidhe,\"itshouldbesaidofmethatIhadnoexistencethanthatIamavillain。\"Thisisonlyasophismfoundedonthis,thatitisofnoimportancetothehumanracetobelievethatacertainmanexists,whereasitisextremelyusefulforthemtobelievetheexistenceofaGod。Fromtheideaofhisnon—existenceimmediatelyfollowsthatofourindependence;or,ifwecannotconceivethisidea,thatofdisobedience。Tosaythatreligionisnotarestrainingmotive,becauseitdoesnotalwaysrestrain,isequallyabsurdastosaythatthecivillawsarenotarestrainingmotive。Itisafalsewayofreasoningagainstreligiontocollect,inalargework,alongdetailoftheevilsithasproducedifwedonotgiveatthesametimeanenumerationoftheadvantageswhichhaveflowedfromit。WereItorelatealltheevilsthathavearisenintheworldfromcivillaws,frommonarchy,andfromrepublicangovernment,Imighttelloffrightfulthings。Wereitofnoadvantageforsubjectstohavereligion,itwouldstillbeofsome,ifprinceshadit,andiftheywhitenedwithfoamtheonlyreinwhichcanrestrainthosewhofearnothumanlaws。 Aprincewholovesandfearsreligionisalion,whostoopstothehandthatstrokes,ortothevoicethatappeaseshim。Hewhofearsandhatesreligionislikethesavagebeastthatgrowlsandbitesthechainwhichpreventshisflyingonthepassenger。Hewhohasnoreligionatallisthatterribleanimalwhoperceiveshislibertyonlywhenhetearsinpiecesandwhenhedevours。 Thequestionisnottoknowwhetheritwouldbebetterthatacertainmanoracertainpeoplehadnoreligionthantoabusewhattheyhave,buttoknowwhatistheleastevil,thatreligionbesometimesabused,orthattherebenosuchrestraintasreligiononmankind。 TodiminishthehorrorofAtheism,theylaytoomuchtothechargeofidolatry。Itisfarfrombeingtruethatwhentheancientsraisedaltarstoaparticularvice,theyintendedtoshowthattheylovedthevice; thissignified,onthecontrary,thattheyhatedit。WhentheLaced?monianserectedatempletoFear,itwasnottoshowthatthiswarlikenationdesiredthathewouldinthemidstofbattlepossesstheheartsoftheLaced?monians。Theyhaddeitiestowhomtheyprayednottoinspirethemwithguilt;andotherswhomtheybesoughttoshieldthemfromit。 3。ThatamoderateGovernmentismostagreeabletotheChristianReligion,andadespoticGovernmenttotheMahometan。TheChristianreligionisastrangertomeredespoticpower。ThemildnesssofrequentlyrecommendedintheGospelisincompatiblewiththedespoticragewithwhichaprincepunisheshissubjects,andexerciseshimselfincruelty。 Asthisreligionforbidsthepluralityofwives,itsprincesarelessconfined,lessconcealedfromtheirsubjects,andconsequentlyhavemorehumanity:theyaremoredisposedtobedirectedbylaws,andmorecapableofperceivingthattheycannotdowhatevertheyplease。 WhiletheMahometanprincesincessantlygiveorreceivedeath,thereligionoftheChristiansrenderstheirprinceslesstimid,andconsequentlylesscruel。Theprinceconfidesinhissubjects,andthesubjectsintheprince。Howadmirablethereligionwhich,whileitonlyseemstohaveinviewthefelicityoftheotherlife,continuesthehappinessofthis! ItistheChristianreligionthat,inspiteoftheextentoftheempireandtheinfluenceoftheclimate,hashindereddespoticpowerfrombeingestablishedinEthiopia,andhascarriedintotheheartofAfricathemannersandlawsofEurope。 TheheirtotheempireofEthiopia[2]enjoysaprincipalityandgivestoothersubjectsanexampleofloveandobedience。NotfarthencemayweseetheMahometanshuttingupthechildrenoftheKingofSennar,atwhosedeaththecouncilsendstomurderthem,infavouroftheprincewhomountsthethrone。 Letussetbeforeoureyes,ontheonehand,thecontinualmassacresofthekingsandgeneralsoftheGreeksandRomans,and,ontheother,thedestructionofpeopleandcitiesbythosefamousconquerorsTimurBegandJenghizKhan,whoravagedAsia,andweshallseethatweowetoChristianity,ingovernment,acertainpoliticallaw;andinwar,acertainlawofnations——benefitswhichhumannaturecanneversufficientlyacknowledge。 Itisowingtothislawofnationsthatamongusvictoryleavesthesegreatadvantagestotheconquered,life,liberty,laws,wealth,andalwaysreligion,whentheconquerorisnotblindtohisowninterest。 WemaytrulysaythatthepeopleofEuropearenotatpresentmoredisunitedthanthepeopleandthearmies,oreventhearmiesamongthemselveswere,undertheRomanempirewhenithadbecomeadespoticandmilitarygovernment。Ontheonehand,thearmiesengagedinwaragainsteachother,and,ontheother,theypillagedthecities,anddividedorconfiscatedthelands。 4。ConsequencesfromtheCharacteroftheChristianReligion,andthatoftheMahometan。FromthecharactersoftheChristianandMahometanreligions,weought,withoutanyfurtherexamination,toembracetheoneandrejecttheother:foritismucheasiertoprovethatreligionoughttohumanisethemannersofmenthanthatanyparticularreligionistrue。 Itisamisfortunetohumannaturewhenreligionisgivenbyaconqueror。TheMahometanreligion,whichspeaksonlybythesword,actsstilluponmenwiththatdestructivespiritwithwhichitwasfounded。 ThehistoryofSabbaco,[3]oneofthepastoralkingsofEgypt,isveryextraordinary。ThetutelargodofThebes,appearingtohiminadream,orderedhimtoputtodeathallthepriestsofEgypt。Hejudgedthatthegodsweredispleasedathisbeingonthethrone,sincetheycommandedhimtocommitanactioncontrarytotheirordinarypleasure;andthereforeheretiredintoEthiopia。 5。ThattheCatholicReligionismostagreeabletoaMonarchy,andtheProtestanttoaRepublic。Whenareligionisintroducedandfixedinastate,itiscommonlysuchasismostsuitabletotheplanofgovernmentthereestablished;forthosewhoreceiveit,andthosewhoarethecauseofitsbeingreceived,havescarcelyanyotherideaofpolicythanthatofthestateinwhichtheywereborn。 WhentheChristianreligion,twocenturiesago,becameunhappilydividedintoCatholicandProtestant,thepeopleofthenorthembracedtheProtestant,andthoseofthesouthadheredstilltotheCatholic。 Thereasonisplain:thepeopleofthenorthhave,andwillforeverhave,aspiritoflibertyandindependence,whichthepeopleofthesouthhavenot;andthereforeareligionwhichhasnovisibleheadismoreagreeabletotheindependenceoftheclimatethanthatwhichhasone。 InthecountriesthemselveswheretheProtestantreligionbecameestablished,therevolutionsweremadepursuanttotheseveralplansofpoliticalgovernment。Lutherhavinggreatprincesonhissidewouldneverhavebeenabletomakethemrelishanecclesiasticalauthoritythathadnoexteriorpre—eminence;whileCalvin,havingtodowithpeoplewholivedunderrepublicangovernments,orwithobscurecitizensinmonarchies,mightverywellavoidestablishingdignitiesandpreferments。 Eachofthesetworeligionswasbelievedtobeperfect;theCalvinistjudginghismostconformabletowhatChristhadsaid,andtheLutherantowhattheApostleshadpractised。 6。AnotherofM。Bayle’sParadoxes。M。Bayle,afterhavingabusedallreligions,endeavourstosullyChristianity:heboldlyassertsthattrueChristianscannotformagovernmentofanyduration。Whynot?Citizensofthisprofessionbeinginfinitelyenlightenedwithrespecttothevariousdutiesoflife,andhavingthewarmestzealtofulfilthem,mustbeperfectlysensibleoftherightsofnaturaldefence。Themoretheybelievethemselvesindebtedtoreligion,themoretheywouldthinkduetotheircountry。TheprinciplesofChristianity,deeplyengravedontheheart,wouldbeinfinitelymorepowerfulthanthefalsehonourofmonarchies,thanthehumanevirtuesofrepublics,ortheservilefearofdespoticstates。 ItisastonishingthatthisgreatmanshouldnotbeabletodistinguishbetweentheordersfortheestablishmentofChristianityandChristianityitself;andthatheshouldbeliabletobechargedwithnotknowingthespiritofhisownreligion。Whenthelegislator,insteadoflaws,hasgivencounsels,thisisbecauseheknewthatifthesecounselswereordainedaslawstheywouldbecontrarytothespiritofthelawsthemselves。 7。OftheLawsofPerfectioninReligion。Humanlaws,madetodirectthewill,oughttogiveprecepts,andnotcounsels;religion,madetoinfluencetheheart,shouldgivemanycounsels,andfewprecepts。 When,forinstance,itgivesrules,notforwhatisgood,butforwhatisbetter;nottodirecttowhatisright,buttowhatisperfect,itisexpedientthattheseshouldbecounsels,andnotlaws:forperfectioncanhavenorelationtotheuniversalityofmenorthings。Besides,ifthesewerelaws,therewouldbeanecessityforaninfinitenumberofothers,tomakepeopleobservethefirst。CelibacywasadvisedbyChristianity;whentheymadeitalawinrespecttoacertainorderofmen,itbecamenecessarytomakenewoneseveryday,inordertoobligethosementoobserveit。[4]Thelegislatorweariedhimself,andheweariedsociety,tomakemenexecutebypreceptwhatthosewholoveperfectionwouldhaveexecutedascounsel。 8。OftheConnectionbetweenthemoralLawsandthoseofReligion。InacountrysounfortunateastohaveareligionthatGodhasnotrevealed,itisnecessaryforittobeagreeabletomorality;becauseevenafalsereligionisthebestsecuritywecanhaveoftheprobityofmen。 TheprincipalpointsofreligionoftheinhabitantsofPegu[5]are,nottocommitmurder,nottosteal,toavoiduncleanliness,nottogivetheleastuneasinesstotheirneighbour,buttodohim,onthecontrary,allthegoodintheirpower。Withtheserulestheythinktheyshouldbesavedinanyreligionwhatsoever。Henceitproceedsthatthosepeople,thoughpoorandproud,behavewithgentlenessandcompassiontotheunhappy。 9。OftheEssenes。TheEssenes[6]madeavowtoobservejusticetomankind,todonoilltoanyperson,uponwhatsoeveraccount,tokeepfaithwithalltheworld,tohateinjustice,tocommandwithmodesty,alwaystosidewithtruth,andtoflyfromallunlawfulgain。 10。OftheSectofStoics。Theseveralsectsofphilosophyamongtheancientswereaspeciesofreligion。Neverwereanyprinciplesmoreworthyofhumannature,andmorepropertoformthegoodman,thanthoseoftheStoics;andifIcouldforamomentceasetothinkthatIamaChristian,IshouldnotbeabletohindermyselffromrankingthedestructionofthesectofZenoamongthemisfortunesthathavebefallenthehumanrace。 Itcarriedtoexcessonlythosethingsinwhichthereistruegreatness——thecontemptofpleasureandofpain。 Itwasthissectalonethatmadecitizens;thisalonethatmadegreatmen;thisalonegreatemperors。 Layingasideforamomentrevealedtruths,letussearchthroughallnature,andweshallnotfindanoblerobjectthantheAntoninuses;evenJulianhimself——Julian(acommendationthuswrestedfrommewillnotrendermeanaccompliceofhisapostasy)——no,therehasnotbeenaprincesincehisreignmoreworthytogovernmankind。