the spirit of laws-第158节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


only　the　first　words　of　this　thirteenth　article；　ordaining　that　the　precepts　shall　be　observed；　which　cannot　be　understood　of　those　he　had　just　abolished　by　the　same　law。　We　have　another　constitution　by　the　same　prince；＇24＇　which　is　in　relation　to　his　decree；　and　corrects　in　the　same　manner　every　article　of　the　abuses　of　the　precepts。

True　it　is　that　Baluzius；　finding　this　constitution　without　date　and　without　the　name　of　the　place　where　it　was　given；　attributes　it　to　Clotharius　I。　But　I　say　it　belongs　to　Clotharius　II；　for　three　reasons：　1。　It　says　that　the　king　will　preserve　the　immunities　granted　to　the　churches　by　his　father　and　grandfather。＇25＇　What　immunities　could　the　churches　receive　from　Childeric；　grandfather　of　Clotharius　I；　who　was　not　a　Christian；　and　who　lived　even　before　the　foundation　of　the　monarchy？　But　if　we　attribute　this　decree　to　Clotharius　II；　we　shall　find　his　grandfather　to　have　been　this　very　Clotharius　I；　who　made　immense　donations　to　the　church　with　a　view　of　expiating　the　murder　of　his　son　Cramne；　whom　he　had　ordered　to　be　burned；　together　with　his　wife　and　children。

2。　The　abuses　redressed　by　this　constitution　were　still　subsisting　after　the　death　of　Clotharius　I　and　were　even　carried　to　their　highest　extravagance　during　the　weak　reign　of　Gontram；　the　cruel　administration　of　Chilperic；　and　the　execrable　regencies　of　Fredegunda　and　Brunehault。　Now；　can　we　imagine　that　the　nation　would　have　borne　with　grievances　so　solemnly　proscribed；　without　complaining　of　their　continual　repetition？　Can　we　imagine　she　would　not　have　taken　the　same　step　as　she　did　afterwards　under　Childeric　II；＇26＇　when；　upon　a　repetition　of　the　old　grievances；　she　pressed　him　to　ordain　that　law　and　customs　in　regard　to　judicial　proceedings　should　be　complied　with　as　formerly。＇27＇

In　fine；　as　this　constitution　was　made　to　redress　grievances；　it　cannot　relate　to　Clotharius　I；　since　there　were　no　complaints　of　that　kind　in　his　reign；　and　his　authority　was　perfectly　established　throughout　the　kingdom；　especially　at　the　time　in　which　they　place　this　constitution；　whereas　it　agrees　extremely　well　with　the　events　that　happened　during　the　reign　of　Clotharius　II；　which　produced　a　revolution　in　the　political　state　of　the　kingdom。　History　must　be　illustrated　by　the　laws；　and　the　laws　by　history。

3。　Authority　of　the　Mayors　of　the　Palace。　I　noticed　that　Clotharius　II　had　promised　not　to　deprive　Warnacharius　of　his　mayor's　place　during　life；　a　revolution　productive　of　another　effect。　Before　that　time　the　mayor　was　the　king's　officer；　but　now　he　became　the　officer　of　the　people；　he　was　chosen　before　by　the　king；　and　now　by　the　nation。　Before　the　revolution　Protarius　had　been　made　mayor　by　Theodoric；　and　Landeric　by　Fredegunda；＇28＇　but　after　that　the　mayors＇29＇　were　chosen　by　the　nation。＇30＇

We　must　not　therefore　confound；　as　some　authors　have　done；　these　mayors　of　the　palace　with　such　as　were　possessed　of　this　dignity　before　the　death　of　Brunehault；　the　king's　mayors　with　those　of　the　kingdom。　We　see　by　the　law　of　the　Burgundians　that　among　them　the　office　of　mayor　was　not　one　of　the　most　respectable　in　the　state；＇31＇　nor　was　it　one　of　the　most　eminent　under　the　first　Kings　of　the　Franks。＇32＇

Clotharius　removed　the　apprehensions　of　those　who　were　possessed　of　employments　and　fiefs；　and　when；　after　the　death　of　Warnacharius；＇33＇　he　asked　the　lords　assembled　at　Troyes；　who　is　it　they　would　put　in　his　place；　they　cried　out　they　would　choose　no　one；　but　suing　for　his　favour　committed　themselves　entirely　into　his　hands。

Dagobert　reunited　the　whole　monarchy　in　the　same　manner　as　his　father；　the　nation　had　a　thorough　confidence　in　him；　and　appointed　no　mayor。　This　prince；　finding　himself　at　liberty　and　elated　by　his　victories；　resumed　Brunehault's　plan。　But　he　succeeded　so　ill　that　the　vassals　of　Austrasia　let　themselves　be　beaten　by　the　Sclavonians；　and　returned　home；　so　that　the　marches　of　Austrasia　were　left　to　prey　to　the　barbarians。＇34＇

He　determined　then　to　make　an　offer　to　the　Austrasians　of　resigning　that　country；　together　with　a　provincial　treasure；　to　his　son　Sigebert；　and　to　put　the　government　of　the　kingdom　and　of　the　palace　into　the　hands　of　Cunibert；　Bishop　of　Cologne；　and　of　the　Duke　Adalgisus。　Fredegarius　does　not　enter　into　the　particulars　of　the　conventions　then　made；　but　the　king　confirmed　them　all　by　charters；　and　Austrasia　was　immediately　secured　from　danger。＇35＇

Dagobert；　finding　himself　near　his　end；　recommended　his　wife　Nentechildis　and　his　son　Clovis　to　the　care　of　？ga。　The　vassals　of　Neustria　and　Burgundy　chose　this　young　prince　for　their　king。＇36＇　？ga　and　Nentechildis　had　the　government　of　the　palace；＇37＇　they　restored　whatever　Dagobert　had　taken；＇38＇　and　complaints　ceased　in　Neustria　and　Burgundy；　as　they　had　ceased　in　Austrasia。

After　the　death　of　？ga；　Queen　Nentechildis　engaged　the　lords　of　Burgundy　to　choose　Floachatus　for　their　mayor。＇39＇　The　latter　dispatched　letters　to　the　bishops　and　chief　lords　of　the　kingdom　of　Burgundy；　by　which　he　promised　to　preserve　their　honours　and　dignities　for　ever；　that　is；　during　life。＇40＇　He　confirmed　his　word　by　oath。　This　is　the　period　at　which　the　author　of　the　Treatise　on　the　Mayors　of　the　Palace　fixes　the　administration　of　the　kingdom　by　those　officers。＇41＇

Fredegarius；　being　a　Burgundian；　has　entered　into　a　more　minute　detail　as　to　what　concerns　the　Mayors　of　Burgundy　at　the　time　of　the　revolution　of　which　we　are　speaking；　than　with　regard　to　the　mayors　of　Austrasia　and　Neustria。　But　the　conventions　made　in　Burgundy　were；　for　the　very　same　reasons；　agreed　to　in　Neustria　and　Austrasia。

The　nation　thought　it　safer　to　lodge　the　power　in　the　hands　of　a　mayor　whom　she　chose　herself；　and　to　whom　she　might　prescribe　conditions；　than　in　those　of　a　king　whose　power　was　hereditary。

4。　Of　the　Genius　of　the　Nation　in　regard　to　the　Mayors。　A　government　in　which　a　nation　that　had　an　hereditary　king　chose　a　person　to　exercise　the　regal　authority　seems　very　extraordinary；　but；　independently　of　the　circumstances　of　the　times；　I　apprehend　that　the　notions　of　the　Franks　in　this　respect　were　derived　from　a　remote　source。

The　Franks　were　descended　from　the　Germans；　of　whom　Tacitus　says＇42＇　that　in　the　choice　of　their　king　they　were　determined　by　his　noble　extraction；　and　in　that　of　their　leader；　by　his　valour。　This　gives　us　an　idea　of　the　kings　of　the　first　race；　and　of　the　mayors　of　the　palace；　the　former　were　hereditary；　the　latter　elective。

No　doubt　but　those　princes　who　stood　up　in　the　national　assembly　and　offered　themselves　as　the　conductors　of　a　public　enterprise　to　such　as　were　willing　to　follow　them；　united　generally　in　their　own　person　both　the　power　of　the　mayor　and　the　king's　authority。　By　the　splendour　of　their　descent　they　had　attained　the　regal　dignity；　and　their　military　abilities　having　recommended　them　to　the　command　of　armies；　they　rose　to　the　power　of　mayor。　By　the　regal　dignity；　our　first　kings　presided　in　the　courts　and　assemblies；　and　enacted　laws　with　the　national　consent；　by　the　dignity　of　duke　or　leader；　they　undertook　expeditions　and　commanded　the　armies。

In　order　to　be　acquainted　with　the　genius　of　the　primitive　Franks　in　this　respect；　we　have　only　to　cast　an　eye　on　the　conduct　of　Argobastes；＇43＇　a　Frank　by　nation；　on　whom　Valentinian　had　conferred　the　command　of　the　army。　He　confined　the　emperor　to　his　own　palace；　where　he　would　suffer　nobody　to　speak　to　him；　concerning　either　civil　or　military　affairs。　Argobastes　did　at　that　time　what　was　afterwards　practised　by　the　Pepins。

5。　In　what　Manner　the　Mayors　obtained　the　Command　of　the　Armies。　So　long　as　the　kings　commanded　their　armies　in　person；　the　nation　never　thought　of　choosing　a　leader。　Clovis　and　his　four　sons　were　at　the　head　of　the　Franks；　and　led　them　on　through　a　series　of　victories。　Theobald；　son　of　Theodobert；　a　young；　weak；　and　sickly　prince；　was　the　first　of　our　kings　who　confined　himself　to　his　palace。＇44＇　He　refused　to　undertake　an　expedition　into　Italy　against　Narses；　and　had　the　mortification　of　seeing　the　Franks　choose　for　themselves　two　chiefs；　who　led　them　against　the　enemy。＇45＇　Of　the　four　sons　of　Clotharius　I；　Gontram　was　the　least　fond　of　commanding　his　armies；＇46＇　the　other　kings　followed　this　example；　and；　in　order　to　entrust　the　command　without　danger　into　other　hands；　they　conferred　it　upon　several　chiefs　or　dukes。＇47＇

Innumerable　were　the　inconveniences　which　thence　arose；　all　discipline　was　lost；　no　one　would　any　longer　obey。　The　armies　were　dreadful　only　to　their　own　country；　they　were　laden　with　spoils　before　they　had　reached　the　enemy。　Of　these　miseries　we　have　a　very　lively　picture　in　Gregory　of　Tours。＇48＇　〃How　shall　we　be　able　to　obtain　a　victory；〃　said　Gontram；＇49＇　〃we　who　do　not　so　much　as　keep　what　our　ancestors　acquired？　Our　nation　is　no　longer　the　same。〃　。。。　Strange　that　it　should　be　on　the　decline　so　early　as　the　reign　of　Clovis'　grandchildren！

It　was　therefore　natural　they　should　determine　at　last　upon　an　only　duke；　a　duke　invested　with　an　authority　over　this　prodigious　multitude　of　feudal　lords　and　vassals　who　had　now　become　strangers　to　their　own　engagements；　a　duke　who　was　to　establish　the　military　discipline；　and　to　put　himself　at　the　he