what is property-第73节

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dgment；　and　content　ourselves　with　placing　before　the　clergy　the　teachings　of　history。

＇1＇　　｛GREEK；　　？n　　n　　‘｝；greater　property。　　The　Vulgate　translates　it　avaritia。




When　Lycurgus　undertook　to　make　laws　for　Sparta；　in　what　condition　did　he　find　this　republic？　　On　this　point　all　historians　agree。　　The　people　and　the　nobles　were　at　war。　　The　city　was　in　a　confused　state；　and　divided　by　two　parties；the　party　of　the　poor；　and　the　party　of　the　rich。　　Hardly　escaped　from　the　barbarism　of　the　heroic　ages；　society　was　rapidly　declining。　　The　proletariat　made　war　upon　property；　which；　in　its　turn；　oppressed　the　proletariat。　　What　did　Lycurgus　do？　　His　first　measure　was　one　of　general　security；　at　the　very　idea　of　which　our　legislators　would　tremble。　　He　abolished　all　debts；　then；　employing　by　turns　persuasion　and　force；　he　induced　the　nobles　to　renounce　their　privileges；　and　re…established　equality。

Lycurgus；　in　a　word；　hunted　property　out　of　Lacedaemon；　seeing　no　other　way　to　harmonize　liberty；　equality；　and　law。　　I　certainly　should　not　wish　France　to　follow　the　example　of　Sparta；　but　it　is　remarkable　that　the　most　ancient　of　Greek　legislators；　thoroughly　acquainted　with　the　nature　and　needs　of　the　people；　more　capable　than　any　one　else　of　appreciating　the　legitimacy　of　the　obligations　which　he；　in　the　exercise　of　his　absolute　authority；　cancelled；　who　had　compared　the　legislative　systems　of　his　time；　and　whose　wisdom　an　oracle　had　proclaimed；　it　is　remarkable；　I　say；　that　Lycurgus　should　have　judged　the　right　of　property　incompatible　with　free　institutions；　and　should　have　thought　it　his　duty　to　preface　his　legislation　by　a　coup　d'etat　which　destroyed　all　distinctions　of　fortune。

Lycurgus　understood　perfectly　that　the　luxury；　the　love　of　enjoyments；　and　the　inequality　of　fortunes；　which　property　engenders；　are　the　bane　of　society；　unfortunately　the　means　which　he　employed　to　preserve　his　republic　were　suggested　to　him　by　false　notions　of　political　economy；　and　by　a　superficial　knowledge　of　the　human　heart。　　Accordingly；　property；　which　this　legislator　wrongly　confounded　with　wealth；　reentered　the　city　together　with　the　swarm　of　evils　which　he　was　endeavoring　to　banish；　and　this　time　Sparta　was　hopelessly　corrupted。


〃The　introduction　of　wealth；〃　says　M。　Pastoret；　〃was　one　of　the　principal　causes　of　the　misfortunes　which　they　experienced。　　Against　these；　however；　the　laws　had　taken　extraordinary　precautions；　the　best　among　which　was　the　inculcation　of　morals　which　tended　to　suppress　desire。〃


The　best　of　all　precautions　would　have　been　the　anticipation　of　desire　by　satisfaction。　　Possession　is　the　sovereign　remedy　for　cupidity；　a　remedy　which　would　have　been　the　less　perilous　to　Sparta　because　fortunes　there　were　almost　equal；　and　conditions　were　nearly　alike。　　As　a　general　thing；　fasting　and　abstinence　are　bad　teachers　of　moderation。

〃There　was　a　law；〃　says　M。　Pastoret　again；　〃to　prohibit　the　rich　from　wearing　better　clothing　than　the　poor；　from　eating　more　delicate　food；　and　from　owning　elegant　furniture；　vases；　carpets；　fine　houses；〃　&c。　　Lycurgus　hoped；　then；　to　maintain　equality　by　rendering　wealth　useless。　　How　much　wiser　he　would　have　been　if；　in　accordance　with　his　military　discipline；　he　had　organized　industry　and　taught　the　people　to　procure　by　their　own　labor　the　things　which　he　tried　in　vain　to　deprive　them　of。　　In　that　case；　enjoying　happy　thoughts　and　pleasant　feelings；　the　citizen　would　have　known　no　other　desire　than　that　with　which　the　legislator　endeavored　to　inspire　him；love　of　honor　and　glory；　the　triumphs　of　talent　and　virtue。

〃Gold　and　all　kinds　of　ornaments　were　forbidden　the　women。〃　　Absurd。　　After　the　death　of　Lycurgus；　his　institutions　became　corrupted；　and　four　centuries　before　the　Christian　era　not　a　vestige　remained　of　the　former　simplicity。　　Luxury　and　the　thirst　for　gold　were　early　developed　among　the　Spartans　in　a　degree　as　intense　as　might　have　been　expected　from　their　enforced　poverty　and　their　inexperience　in　the　arts。　　Historians　have　accused　Pausanias；　Lysander；　Agesilaus；　and　others　of　having　corrupted　the　morals　of　their　country　by　the　introduction　of　wealth　obtained　in　war。　　It　is　a　slander。　　The　morals　of　the　Spartans　necessarily　grew　corrupt　as　soon　as　the　Lacedaemonian　poverty　came　in　contact　with　Persian　luxury　and　Athenian　elegance。　　Lycurgus；　then；　made　a　fatal　mistake　in　attempting　to　inspire　generosity　and　modesty　by　enforcing　vain　and　proud　simplicity。


〃Lycurgus　was　not　frightened　at　idleness！　　A　Lacedemonian；　happening　to　be　in　Athens　（where　idleness　was　forbidden）　during　the　punishment　of　a　citizen　who　had　been　found　guilty；　asked　to　see　the　Athenian　thus　condemned　for　having　exercised　the　rights　of　a　free　man。　。　。　。　　It　was　one　of　the　principles　of　Lycurguss；　acted　upon　for　several　centuries；　that　free　men　should　not　follow　lucrative　professions。　。　。　。　　The　women　disdained　domestic　labor；　they　did　not　spin　their　wool　themselves；　as　did　the　other　Greeks　＇they　did　not；　then；　read　Homer！＇；　they　left　their　slaves　to　make　their　clothing　for　them。〃Pastoret：　　History　of　Legislation。


Could　any　thing　be　more　contradictory？　　Lycurgus　proscribed　property　among　the　citizens；　and　founded　the　means　of　subsistence　on　the　worst　form　of　property；on　property　obtained　by　force。　　What　wonder；　after　that；　that　a　lazy　city；　where　no　industry　was　carried　on；　became　a　den　of　avarice？　　The　Spartans　succumbed　the　more　easily　to　the　allurements　of　luxury　and　Asiatic　voluptuousness；　being　placed　entirely　at　their　mercy　by　their　own　coarseness。　　The　same　thing　happened　to　the　Romans；　when　military　success　took　them　out　of　Italy；a　thing　which　the　author　of　the　prosopopoeia　of　Fabricius　could　not　explain。　　It　is　not　the　cultivation　of　the　arts　which　corrupts　morals；　but　their　degradation；　induced　by　inactive　and　luxurious　opulence。　　The　instinct　of　property　is　to　make　the　industry　of　Daedalus；　as　well　as　the　talent　of　Phidias；　subservient　to　its　own　fantastic　whims　and　disgraceful　pleasures。　　Property；　not　wealth；　ruined　the　Spartans。

When　Solon　appeared；　the　anarchy　caused　by　property　was　at　its　height　in　the　Athenian　republic。　　〃The　inhabitants　of　Attica　were　divided　among　themselves　as　to　the　form　of　government。　　Those　who　lived　on　the　mountains　（the　poor）　preferred　the　popular　form；　those　of　the　plain　（the　middle　class）；　the　oligarchs；　those　by　the　sea　coast；　a　mixture　of　oligarchy　and　democracy。　　Other　dissensions　were　arising　from　the　inequality　of　fortunes。　　The　mutual　antagonism　of　the　rich　and　poor　had　become　so　violent；　that　the　one…man　power　seemed　the　only　safe…guard　against　the　revolution　with　which　the　republic　was　threatened。〃　　（Pastoret：　　History　of　Legislation。）

Quarrels　between　the　rich　and　the　poor；　which　seldom　occur　in　monarchies；　because　a　well　established　power　suppresses　dissensions；　seem　to　be　the　life　of　popular　governments。　　Aristotle　had　noticed　this。　　The　oppression　of　wealth　submitted　to　agrarian　laws；　or　to　excessive　taxation；　the　hatred　of　the　lower　classes　for　the　upper　class；　which　is　exposed　always　to　libellous　charges　made　in　hopes　of　confiscation；these　were　the　features　of　the　Athenian　government　which　were　especially　revolting　to　Aristotle；　and　which　caused　him　to　favor　a　limited　monarchy。　　Aristotle；　if　he　had　lived　in　our　day；　would　have　supported　the　constitutional　government。　　But；　with　all　deference　to　the　Stagirite；　a　government　which　sacrifices　the　life　of　the　proletaire　to　that　of　the　proprietor　is　quite　as　irrational　as　one　which　supports　the　former　by　robbing　the　latter；　neither　of　them　deserve　the　support　of　a　free　man；　much　less　of　a　philosopher。

Solon　followed　the　example　of　Lycurgus。　　He　celebrated　his　legislative　inauguration　by　the　abolition　of　debts；that　is；　by　bankruptcy。　　In　other　words；　Solon　wound　up　the　governmental　machine　for　a　longer　or　shorter　time　depending　upon　the　rate　of　interest。　　Consequently；　when　the　spring　relaxed　and　the　chain　became　unwound；　the　republic　had　either　to　perish；　or　to　recover　itself　by　a　second　bankruptcy。　　This　singular　policy　was　pursued　by　all　the　ancients。　　After　the　captivity　of　Babylon；　Nehemiah；　the　chief　of　the　Jewish　nation；　abolished　debts；　Lycurgus　abolished　debts；　Solon　abolished　debts；　the　Roman　people；　after　the　expulsion　of　the　kings　until　the　accession　of　the　Caesars；　struggled　with　the　Senate　for　the　abolition　of　debts。　　Afterwards；　towards　the　end　of　the　republic；　and　long　after　the　establishment　of　the　empire；　agriculture　being　abandoned；　and　the　provinces　becoming　depopulated　in　consequence　of　the　excessive　rates　of　interest；　the　emperors　freely　granted　the　lands　to　whoever　would　cultivate　them；that　is；　they　abolished　debts。　　No　one；　except　Lycurgus；　who　went　to　the　other　extreme；　ever　perceived　that　the　great　point　was；　not　to　release　debtors　by　a　coup　d'etat；　but　to　prevent　the　contraction　of　debts　in　future。

On　the　contrary；　the　most　democratic　governments　were　always　exclusively　based　upon　individual　property；　so　that　the　social　element　of　all　these　republics　was　war　between　the　citizens。

Solon　decreed　that　a　census　should　be　taken　of　all　fortunes；　regulated　political　rights　by　the　result；　granted　to　the　larger　proprietors　more　influence；　established　the　bala