the commonwealth of oceana-第26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！


et　worse；　forasmuch　as　the　puppies　are　once　drowned；　whereas　the　children　are　left　perpetually　drowning。　Really；　my　lords；　it　is　a　flinty　custom！　and　all　this　for　his　cruel　ambition；　that　would　raise　himself　a　pillar　a　golden　pillar　for　his　monument；　though　he　has　children；　his　own　reviving　flesh；　and　a　kind　of　immortality。　And　this　is　that　interest　of　a　family；　for　which　we　are　to　think　ill　of　a　government　that　will　not　endure　it。　But　quiet　ourselves；　the　land　through　which　the　river　Nilus　wanders　in　one　stream；　is　barren；　but　where　it　parts　into　seven；　it　multiplies　its　fertile　shores　by　distributing；　yet　keeping　and　improving；　such　a　propriety　and　nutrition；　as　is　a　prudent　agrarian　to　a　well…ordered　commonwealth。　　　　　〃Nor　（to　come　to　the　fifth　assertion）　is　a　political　body　rendered　any　fitter　for　industry　by　having　one　gouty　and　another　withered　leg；　than　a　natural。　It　tends　not　to　the　improvement　of　merchandise　that　there　be　some　who　have　no　need　of　their　trading；　and　others　that　are　not　able　to　follow　it。　If　confinement　discourages　industry；　an　estate　in　money　is　not　confined；　and　lest　industry　should　want　whereupon　to　work；　land　is　not　engrossed　or　entailed　upon　any　man；　but　remains　at　its　devotion。　I　wonder　whence　the　computation　can　arise；　that　this　should　discourage　industry。　Two　thousand　pounds　a　year　a　man　may　enjoy　in　Oceana；　as　much　in　Panopea；　？00　in　Marpesia；　there　be　other　plantations；　and　the　commonwealth　will　have　more。　Who　knows　how　far　the　arms　of　our　agrarian　may　extend　themselves？　and　whether　he　that　might　have　left　a　pillar；　may　not　leave　a　temple　of　many　pillars　to　his　more　pious　memory？　Where　there　is　some　measure　in　riches；　a　man　may　be　rich；　but　if　you　will　have　them　to　be　infinite；　there　will　be　no　end　of　starving　himself；　and　wanting　what　he　has：　and　what　pains　does　such　a　one　take　to　be　poor　Furthermore；　if　a　man　shall　think　that　there　may　be　an　industry　less　greasy　or　more　noble；　and　so　cast　his　thoughts　upon　the　commonwealth；　he　will　have　leisure　for　her　and　she　riches　and　honors　for　him；　his　sweat　shall　smell　like　Alexander's。　My　Lord　Philautus　is　a　young　man　who；　enjoying　his　？0；000　a　year；　may　keep　a　noble　house　in　the　old　way；　and　have　homely　guests；　and　having　but　two；　by　the　means　proposed；　may　take　the　upper　hand　of　his　great　ancestors；　with　reverence　to　whom；　I　may　say；　there　has　not　been　one　of　them　would　have　disputed　his　place　with　a　Roman　consul。　　　　　〃My　lord；　do　not　break　my　heart；　the　nobility　shall　go　to　no　other　ploughs　than　those　which　we　call　our　consuls。　But；　says　he；　it　having　been　so　with　Lacedaemon；　that　neither　the　city　nor　the　citizens　were　capable　of　increase；　a　blow　was　given　by　that　agrarian；　which　ruined　both。　And　what　are　we　concerned　with　that　agrarian；　or　that　blow　while　our　citizens　and　our　city　（and　that　by　our　agrarian）　are　both　capable　of　increase？　The　Spartan；　if　he　made　a　conquest；　had　no　citizens　to　hold　it；　the　Oceaner　will　have　enow。　The　Spartan　could　have　no　trade；　the　Oceaner　may　have　all。　The　agrarian　in　Laconia；　that　it　might　bind　on　knapsacks；　forbidding　all　other　arts　but　that　of　war；　could　not　make　an　army　of　above　30；000　citizens。　The　agrarian　in　Oceana；　without　interruption　of　traffic；　provides　us　in　the　fifth　part　of　the　youth　an　annual　source　or　fresh　spring　of　100；000；　besides　our　provincial　auxiliaries；　out　of　which　to　draw　marching　armies；　and　as　many　elders；　not　feeble；　but　men　most　of　them　in　the　flower　of　their　age；　and　in　arms　for　the　defence　of　our　territories。　The　agrarian　in　Laconia　banished　money；　this　multiplies　it；　that　allowed　a　matter　of　twenty　or　thirty　acres　to　a　man；　this　2；000　or　3；000；　there　is　no　comparison　between　them。　And　yet　I　differ　so　much　from　my　lord；　or　his　opinion　that　the　agrarian　was　the　ruin　of　Lacedaemon；　that　I　hold　it　no　less　than　demonstrable　to　have　been　her　main　support。　For　if；　banishing　all　other　diversions；　it　could　not　make　an　army　of　above　30；000；　then；　letting　in　all　other　diversions；　it　must　have　broken　that　army。　Wherefore　Lysander；　bringing　in　the　golden　spoils　of　Athens；　irrevocably　ruined　that　commonwealth；　and　is　a　warning　to　us；　that　in　giving　encouragement　to　industry；　we　also　remember　that　covetousness　is　the　root　of　all　evil。　And　our　agrarian　can　never　be　the　cause　of　those　seditions　threatened　by　my　lord；　but　is　the　proper　cure　of　them；　as　Lucan　notes　well　in　the　state　of　Rome　before　the　civil　wars；　which　happened　through　the　want　of　such　an　antidote。　　　　　〃Why　then　are　we　mistaken；　as　if　we　intended　not　equal　advantages　in　our　commonwealth　to　either　sex；　because　we　would　not　have　women's　fortunes　consist　in　that　metal　which　exposes　them　to　cutpurses？　If　a　man　cuts　my　purse　I　may　have　him　by　the　heels　or　by　the　neck　for　it；　whereas　a　man　may　cut　a　woman's　purse；　and　have　her　for　his　pains　in　fetters。　How　brutish；　and　much　more　than　brutish；　is　that　commonwealth　which　prefers　the　earth　before　the　fruits　of　the　womb？　If　the　people　be　her　treasure；　the　staff　by　which　she　is　sustained　and　comforted；　with　what　justice　can　she　suffer　them；　by　whom　she　is　most　enriched；　to　be　for　that　cause　the　most　impoverished？　And　yet　we　see　the　gifts　of　God；　and　the　bounties　of　heaven　in　fruitful　families；　through　this　wretched　custom　of　marrying　for　money；　become　their　insupportable　grief　and　poverty。　Nor　falls　this　so　heavy　upon　the　lower　sort；　being　better　able　to　shift　for　themselves；　as　upon　the　nobility　or　gentry。　For　what　avails　it　in　this　case；　from　whence　their　veins　have　derived　their　blood；　while　they　shall　see　the　tallow　of　a　chandler　sooner　converted　into　that　beauty　which　is　required　in　a　bride？　I　appeal；　whether　my　Lord　Philautus　or　myself　be　the　advocate　of　nobility；　against　which；　in　the　case　proposed　by　me；　there　would　be　nothing　to　hold　the　balance。　And　why　is　a　woman；　if　she　may　have　but　？；500；　undone？　If　she　be　unmarried；　what　nobleman　allows　his　daughter　in　that　case　a　greater　revenue　than　so　much　money　may　command？　And　if　she　marry；　no　nobleman　can　give　his　daughter　a　greater　portion　than　she　has。　Who　is　hurt　in　this　case？　　nay；　who　is　not　benefited？　If　the　agrarian　gives　us　the　sweat　of　our　brows　without　diminution；　if　it　prepares　our　table；　if　it　makes　our　cup　to　overflow；　and　above　all　this；　in　providing　for　our　children；　anoints　our　heads　with　that　oil　which　takes　away　the　greatest　of　worldly　cares；　what　man；　that　is　not　besotted　with　a　covetousness　as　vain　as　endless；　can　imagine　such　a　constitution　to　be　his　poverty？　Seeing　where　no　woman　can　be　considerable　for　her　portion；　no　portion　will　be　considerable　with　a　woman；　and　so　his　children　will　not　only　find　better　preferments　without　his　brokage；　but　more　freedom　of　their　own　affections。　〃We　are　wonderful　severe　in　laws；　that　they　shall　not　marry　without　our　consent；　as　if　it　were　care　and　tenderness　over　them；　but　is　it　not　lest　we　should　not　have　the　other　？；000　with　this　son；　or　the　other　？00　a　year　more　in　jointure　for　that　daughter？　These；　when　we　are　crossed　in　them；　are　the　sins　for　which　we　water　our　couch　with　tears；　but　not　of　penitence。　Seeing　whereas　it　is　a　mischief　beyond　any　that　we　can　do　to　our　enemies；　we　persist　to　make　nothing　of　breaking　the　affection　of　our　children。　But　there　is　in　this　agrarian　a　homage　to　pure　and　spotless　love；　the　consequence　whereof　I　will　not　give　for　all　your　romances。　An　alderman　makes　not　his　daughter　a　countess　till　he　has　given　her　？0；000；　nor　a　romance　a　considerable　mistress　till　she　be　a　princess；　these　are　characters　of　bastard　love。　But　if　our　agrarian　excludes　ambition　and　covetousness；　we　shall　at　length　have　the　care　of　our　own　breed；　in　which　we　have　been　curious　as　to　our　dogs　and　horses。　The　marriage…bed　will　be　truly　legitimate；　and　the　race　of　the　commonwealth　not　spurious。　〃But　（impar　magnanimis　ausis；　imparque　dolori）　I　am　hurled　from　all　my　hopes　by　my　lord's　last　assertion　of　impossibility；　that　the　root　from　whence　we　imagine　these　fruits　should　be　planted　or　thrive　in　this　soil。　And　why？　Because　of　the　mixture　of　estates　and　variety　of　tenures。　Nevertheless；　there　is　yet　extant　in　the　Exchequer　an　old　survey　of　the　whole　nation；　wherefore　such　a　thing　is　not　impossible。　Now　if　a　new　survey　were　taken　at　the　present　rates；　and　the　law　made　that　no　man　should　hold　hereafter　above　so　much　land　as　is　valued　therein　at　？；000　a　year；　it　would　amount　to　a　good　and　sufficient　agrarian。　It　is　true　that　there　would　remain　some　difficulty　in　the　different　kind　of　rents；　and　that　it　is　a　matter　requiring　not　only　more　leisure　than　we　have；　but　an　authority　which　may　be　better　able　to　bow　men　to　a　more　general　consent　than　is　to　be　wrought　out　of　them　by　such　as　are　in　our　capacity。　Wherefore　as　to　the　manner；　it　is　necessary　that　we　refer　it　to　the　Parliament；　but　as　to　the　matter；　they　cannot　otherwise　fix　their　government　upon　the　right　balance。　　　　　〃I　shall　conclude　with　a　few　words　to　some　parts　of　the　order；　which　my　lord　has　omitted。　As　first　to　the　consequences　of　the　agrarian　to　be　settled　in　Marpesia；　which　irreparably　breaks　the　aristocracy　of　that　nation；　being　of　such　a　nature；　as　standing；　it　is　not　possible　that　you　should　govern。　For　while　the　people　of　that　country　are　little　better　than　the　cattle　of　the　nobility；　you　must　not　wonder　if；　according　as　these　can　make　t