the spirit of laws-第66节

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spect　for　these　eunuchs；　and　partly　on　their　contempt　of　the　fair　sex。

Thus　they　are　trusted　with　the　magistracy；　because　they　have　no　family；　and　permitted　to　marry；　because　they　are　magistrates。

Then　it　is　that　the　sense　which　remains　would　fain　supply　that　which　they　have　lost；　and　the　enterprises　of　despair　become　a　kind　of　enjoyment。　So；　in　Milton；　that　spirit　who　has　nothing　left　but　desires；　enraged　at　his　degradation；　would　make　use　of　his　impotency　itself。

We　see　in　the　history　of　China　a　great　number　of　laws　to　deprive　eunuchs　of　all　civil　and　military　employments；　but　they　always　returned　to　them　again。　It　seems　as　if　the　eunuchs　of　the　east　were　a　necessary　evil。

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1。　Justinian；　Institutes；　i。

2。　Excepting　a　few　cannibals。

3。　I　mean　slavery　in　a　strict　sense；　as　formerly　among　the　Romans；　and　at　present　in　our　colonies。

4。　Biblioth。　Ang。；　xiii；　part　II；　art。　3。

5。　See　Solis；　History　of　the　Conquest　of　Mexico；　and　Garcilasso　de　la　Vega；　History　of　the　Conquest　of　Peru。

6。　Labat；　New　Voyage　to　the　Isles　of　America；　iv；　p。　114；　1728；　12mo。

7。　Present　State　of　Russia。

8。　Dampier；　Voyages；　iii。

9。　Politics；　i。　5。

10。　As　may　be　seen　in　the　mines　of　Hartz；　in　Lower　Saxony；　and　in　those　of　Hungary。

11。　De　Moribus　Germanorum；　25。

12。　Tacitus；　De　Moribus　Germanorum；　20；　says　the　master　is　not　to　be　distinguished　from　the　slave　by　any　delicacy　of　living。

13。　Sir　John　Chardin；　Travels　to　Persia。

14。　Sir　John　Chardin；　ii；　in　his　description　of　the　market　of　Izagour。

15。　Book　i；　tit。　32；　§　5。

16。　The　revolt　of　the　Mamelukes　was　a　different　case；　this　was　a　body　of　the　militia　who　usurped　the　empire。

17。　Law　of　the　Visigoths；　iii；　tit。　1；　§　1。

18。　Ibid。；　v；　tit。　7；　§　20。

19。　Ibid。；　v；　tit。　2；　§　9。

20。　Law　of　the　Alemans；　5；　§　3。

21。　Ibid。；　§　5；　per　virtutem。

22。　〃Sicily；〃　says　Florus；　〃suffered　more　in　the　Servile　than　in　the　Punic　war。〃　　iii。　19。

23。　See　the　whole　title　of　the　senat。　cons。　Sillan。；　ff。

24。　Leg。　Si　quis；　§　12；　ff。　de　senat。　cons。　Sillan。

25。　When　Antony　commanded　Eros　to　kill　him；　it　was　the　same　as　commanding　him　to　kill　himself；　because；　if　he　had　obeyed；　he　would　have　been　punished　as　the　murderer　of　his　master。

26。　Leg。　i；　§　22；　ff。　de　senat。　cons。　Sillan。

27。　Leg。　i；　§　31；　ff。　ibid。；　xxix；　tit。　5。

28。　Xiphilin；　In　Claudio。

29。　See　Leg。　3；　in　Cod。；　De　Patria　potestate；　by　the　Emperor　Alexander。

30。　Exod。；　21。　20；　21。

31。　Plutarch；　On　Superstition。

32。　See　the　constitution　of　Antoninus　Pius；　Institutes；　i；　tit。　7。

33。　Laws；　Book　ix。

34。　This　was　frequently　the　spirit　of　the　laws　of　those　nations　who　came　out　of　Germany；　as　may　be　seen　by　their　codes。

35。　Demosthenes；　Orat。　contra　Midian；　p。　610；　Frankfort；　1604。

36。　Tacitus；　Annals；　xiii。　27。

37。　Freinshemius；　Supplement；　dec。　2；　v。

38。　Exod。；　21。

39。　Tacitus；　Annals；　xiii。　27。

40。　Augustus's　speech　in　Dio；　lvi。

41。　It　was　formerly　the　same　in　China。　The　two　Mahometan　Arabs　who　travelled　thither　in　the　ninth　century　use　the　word　eunuch　whenever　they　speak　of　a　governor　of　the　city。

42。　Volume　iii；　p。　91。

43。　Ibid。；　p。　94。




Book　XVI。　How　the　Laws　of　Domestic　Slavery　Bear　a　Relation　to　the　Nature　of　the　Climate

1。　Of　domestic　Servitude。　Slaves　are　established　for　the　family；　but　they　are　not　a　part　of　it。　Thus　I　distinguish　their　servitude　from　that　which　the　women　in　some　countries　suffer；　and　which　I　shall　properly　call　domestic　servitude。

2。　That　in　the　Countries　of　the　South　there　is　a　natural　Inequality　between　the　two　Sexes。　Women；　in　hot　climates；　are　marriageable　at　eight；　nine；　or　ten　years　of　age；＇1＇　thus；　in　those　countries；　infancy　and　marriage　generally　go　together。　They　are　old　at　twenty：　their　reason　therefore　never　accompanies　their　beauty。　When　beauty　demands　the　empire；　the　want　of　reason　forbids　the　claim；　when　reason　is　obtained；　beauty　is　no　more。　These　women　ought　then　to　be　in　a　state　of　dependence；　for　reason　cannot　procure　in　old　age　that　empire　which　even　youth　and　beauty　could　not　give。　It　is　therefore　extremely　natural　that　in　these　places　a　man；　when　no　law　opposes　it；　should　leave　one　wife　to　take　another；　and　that　polygamy　should　be　introduced。

In　temperate　climates；　where　the　charms　of　women　are　best　preserved；　where　they　arrive　later　at　maturity；　and　have　children　at　a　more　advanced　season　of　life；　the　old　age　of　their　husbands　in　some　degree　follows　theirs；　and　as　they　have　more　reason　and　knowledge　at　the　time　of　marriage；　if　it　be　only　on　account　of　their　having　continued　longer　in　life；　it　must　naturally　introduce　a　kind　of　equality　between　the　two　sexes；　and；　in　consequence　of　this；　the　law　of　having　only　one　wife。

In　cold　countries　the　almost　necessary　custom　of　drinking　strong　liquors　establishes　intemperance　amongst　men。　Women；　who　in　this　respect　have　a　natural　restraint；　because　they　are　always　on　the　defensive；　have　therefore　the　advantage　of　reason　over　them。

Nature；　which　has　distinguished　men　by　their　reason　and　bodily　strength；　has　set　no　other　bounds　to　their　power　than　those　of　this　strength　and　reason。　It　has　given　charms　to　women；　and　ordained　that　their　ascendancy　over　man　shall　end　with　these　charms：　but　in　hot　countries；　these　are　found　only　at　the　beginning；　and　never　in　the　progress　of　life。

Thus　the　law　which　permits　only　one　wife　is　physically　conformable　to　the　climate　of　Europe；　and　not　to　that　of　Asia。　This　is　the　reason　why　Mahometanism　was　so　easily　established　in　Asia；　and　with　such　difficulty　extended　in　Europe；　why　Christianity　is　maintained　in　Europe；　and　has　been　destroyed　in　Asia；　and；　in　fine；　why　the　Mahometans　have　made　such　progress　in　China；　and　the　Christians　so　little。　Human　reasons；　however；　are　subordinate　to　that　Supreme　Cause　who　does　whatever　He　pleases；　and　renders　everything　subservient　to　His　will。

Some　particular　reasons　induced　Valentinian＇2＇　to　permit　polygamy　in　the　empire。　That　law；　so　improper　for　our　climates；　was　abrogated　by　Theodosius；　Arcadius；　and　Honorius。＇3＇

3。　That　a　Plurality　of　Wives　greatly　depends　on　the　Means　of　supporting　them。　Though　in　countries　where　polygamy　is　once　established　the　number　of　wives　is　principally　determined　by　the　opulence　of　the　husband；　yet　it　cannot　be　said　that　opulence　established　polygamy　in　those　states；　since　poverty　may　produce　the　same　effect；　as　I　shall　prove　when　I　come　to　speak　of　the　savages。

Polygamy；　in　powerful　nations；　is　less　a　luxury　in　itself　than　the　occasion　of　great　luxury。　In　hot　climates　they　have　few　wants；　and　it　costs　little　to　maintain　a　wife　and　children；＇4＇　they　may　therefore　have　a　great　number　of　wives。

4。　That　the　Law　of　Polygamy　is　an　affair　that　depends　on　Calculation。　According　to　the　calculations　made　in　several　parts　of　Europe；　there　are　here　born　more　boys　than　girls；＇5＇　on　the　contrary；　by　the　accounts　we　have　of　Asia；　there　are　there　born　more　girls　than　boys。＇6＇　The　law　which　in　Europe　allows　only　one　wife；　and　that　in　Asia　which　permits　many；　have　therefore　a　certain　relation　to　the　climate。

In　the　cold　climates　of　Asia　there　are　born；　as　in　Europe；　more　males　than　females；　and　hence；　say　the　Lamas；＇7＇　is　derived　the　reason　of　that　law　which　amongst　them　permits　a　woman　to　have　many　husbands。＇8＇

But　it　is　difficult　for　me　to　believe　that　there　are　many　countries　where　the　disproportion　can　be　great　enough　for　any　exigency　to　justify　the　introducing　either　the　law　in　favour　of　many　wives　or　that　of　many　husbands。　This　would　only　imply　that　a　majority　of　women；　or　even　a　majority　of　men；　is　more　conformable　to　nature　in　certain　countries　than　in　others。

I　confess　that　if　what　history　tells　us　be　true；　that　at　Bantam　there　are　ten　women　to　one　man；＇9＇　this　must　be　a　case　particularly　favourable　to　polygamy。

In　all　this　I　only　give　their　reasons；　but　do　not　justify　their　customs。

5。　The　Reason　of　a　Law　of　Malabar。　In　the　tribe　of　the　Naires；　on　the　coast　of　Malabar；　the　men　can　have　only　one　wife；　while　a　woman；　on　the　contrary；　may　have　many　husbands。＇10＇　The　origin　of　this　custom　is　not　I　believe　difficult　to　discover。　The　Naires　are　the　tribe　of　nobles；　who　are　the　soldiers　of　all　those　nations。　In　Europe　soldiers　are　forbidden　to　marry；　in　Malabar；　where　the　climate　requires　greater　indulgence；　they　are　satisfied　with　rendering　marriage　as　little　burdensome　to　them　as　possible：　they　give　one　wife　amongst　many　men；　which　consequently　diminishes　the　attachment　to　a　family；　and　the　cares　of　housekeeping；　and　leaves　them　in　the　free　possession　of　a　military　spirit。

6。　Of　Polygamy　considered　in　itself。　With　regard　to　polygamy　in　general；　independently　of　the　circumstances　which　may　render　it　tolerable；　it　is　not　of　the　least　service　to　mankind；　nor　to　either　of　the　two　sexes；　whether　it　be　that　which　abuses　or　that　which　is　abused。　Neither　is　it　of　service　to　the　children；　for　one　of　its　greatest　inconveniences　is；　that　the　father　and　mother　cannot　have　the　same　affection　for　their　offspring；　a　father　cannot　love　twenty　children　with　the　same　tenderness　as　a　mother　can　love　two。　It　is　much　worse　when　a　wife　has　many　husbands；　for　then　paternal　love　only　is　held　by　this　opinion；　that　a　father　may　believe；