32。Amongothers,DeLange’saccount。
33。OftheFamilyofSourniama,EdifyingLetters,coll。xviii。
34。SeeinFatherDuHaldehowthemissionariesavailedthemselvesoftheauthorityofCanhitosilencethemandarins,whoconstantlydeclaredthatbythelawsofthecountrynoforeignworshipcouldbeestablishedintheempire。
35。SeeLettrespersanes,210。
36。SeetheorderofTsongtoufortillingtheland,intheEdifyingLetters,coll。xxi。
BookIX。OfLawsintheRelationTheyBeartoaDefensiveForce1。InwhatMannerRepublicsprovidefortheirSafety。Ifarepublicbesmall,itisdestroyedbyaforeignforce;ifitbelarge,itisruinedbyaninternalimperfection。
Tothistwofoldinconveniencedemocraciesandaristocraciesareequallyliable,whethertheybegoodorbad。Theevilisintheverythingitself,andnoformcanredressit。
Itis,therefore,veryprobablethatmankindwouldhavebeen,atlength,obligedtoliveconstantlyunderthegovernmentofasingleperson,hadtheynotcontrivedakindofconstitutionthathasalltheinternaladvantagesofarepublican,togetherwiththeexternalforceofamonarchical,government。Imeanaconfederaterepublic。
Thisformofgovernmentisaconventionbywhichseveralpettystatesagreetobecomemembersofalargerone,whichtheyintendtoestablish。
Itisakindofassemblageofsocieties,thatconstituteanewone,capableofincreasingbymeansoffurtherassociations,tilltheyarriveatsuchadegreeofpowerastobeabletoprovideforthesecurityofthewholebody。
ItwastheseassociationsthatsolongcontributedtotheprosperityofGreece。BythesetheRomansattackedthewholeglobe,andbythesealonethewholeglobewithstoodthem;forwhenRomehadarrivedatherhighestpitchofgrandeur,itwastheassociationsbeyondtheDanubeandtheRhine——associationsformedbytheterrorofherarms——thatenabledthebarbarianstoresisther。
HenceitproceedsthatHolland,[1]Germany,andtheSwisscantonsareconsideredinEuropeasperpetualrepublics。
Theassociationsofcitieswereformerlymorenecessarythaninourtimes。Aweak,defencelesstownwasexposedtogreaterdanger。Byconquestitwasdeprivednotonlyoftheexecutiveandlegislativepower,asatpresent,butmoreoverofallhumanproperty。[2]
Arepublicofthiskind,abletowithstandanexternalforce,maysupportitselfwithoutanyinternalcorruption;theformofthissocietypreventsallmannerofinconveniences。
Ifasinglemembershouldattempttousurpthesupremepower,hecouldnotbesupposedtohaveanequalauthorityandcreditinalltheconfederatestates。Werehetohavetoogreataninfluenceoverone,thiswouldalarmtherest;werehetosubdueapart,thatwhichwouldstillremainfreemightopposehimwithforcesindependentofthosewhichhehadusurped,andoverpowerhimbeforehecouldbesettledinhisusurpation。
Shouldapopularinsurrectionhappeninoneoftheconfederatestates,theothersareabletoquellit。Shouldabusescreepintoonepart,theyarereformedbythosethatremainsound。Thestatemaybedestroyedononeside,andnotontheother;theconfederacymaybedissolved,andtheconfederatespreservetheirsovereignty。
Asthisgovernmentiscomposedofpettyrepublics,itenjoystheinternalhappinessofeach;andwithregardtoitsexternalsituation,bymeansoftheassociation,itpossessesalltheadvantagesoflargemonarchies。
2。ThataconfederateGovernmentoughttobecomposedofStatesofthesameNature,especiallyoftherepublicanKind。TheCanaanitesweredestroyedbyreasonthattheywerepettymonarchies,thathadnounionorconfederacyfortheircommondefence;and,indeed,aconfederacyisnotagreeabletothenatureofpettymonarchies。
AstheconfederaterepublicofGermanyconsistsoffreecities,andofpettystatessubjecttodifferentprinces,experienceshowsusthatitismuchmoreimperfectthanthatofHollandandSwitzerland。
Thespiritofmonarchyiswarandenlargementofdominion:peaceandmoderationarethespiritofarepublic。Thesetwokindsofgovernmentcannotnaturallysubsistinaconfederaterepublic。
Thusweobserve,intheRomanhistory,thatwhentheVeienteshadchosenaking,theywereimmediatelyabandonedbyalltheotherpettyrepublicsofTuscany。GreecewasundoneassoonasthekingsofMacedonobtainedaseatamongtheAmphyktyons。
TheconfederaterepublicofGermany,composedofprincesandfreetowns,subsistsbymeansofachief,whois,insomerespects,themagistrateoftheunion,inothers,themonarch。
3。OtherRequisitesinaconfederateRepublic。IntherepublicofHollandoneprovincecannotconcludeanalliancewithouttheconsentoftheothers。Thislaw,whichisanexcellentone,andevennecessaryinaconfederaterepublic,iswantingintheGermanicconstitution,whereitwouldpreventthemisfortunesthatmayhappentothewholeconfederacy,throughtheimprudence,ambition,oravariceofasinglemember。A
republicunitedbyapoliticalconfederacyhasgivenitselfentirelyup,andhasnothingmoretoresign。
Itisdifficultfortheunitedstatestobeallofequalpowerandextent。TheLycian[3]republicwasanassociationoftwenty—threetowns;
thelargeoneshadthreevotesinthecommoncouncil,themiddlingonestwo,andthesmalltownsone。TheDutchrepublicconsistsofsevenprovincesofdifferentextentofterritory,whichhaveeachonevoice。
ThecitiesofLycia[4]contributedtotheexpensesofthestate,accordingtotheproportionofsuffrages。TheprovincesoftheUnitedNetherlandscannotfollowthisproportion;theymustbedirectedbythatoftheirpower。
InLycia[5]thejudgesandtownmagistrateswereelectedbythecommoncouncil,andaccordingtotheproportionalreadymentioned。IntherepublicofHollandtheyarenotchosenbythecommoncouncil,buteachtownnamesitsmagistrates。WereItogiveamodelofanexcellentconfederaterepublic,IshouldpitchuponthatofLycia。
4。InwhatMannerdespoticGovernmentsprovidefortheirSecurity。Asrepublicsprovidefortheirsecuritybyuniting,despoticgovernmentsdoitbyseparating,andbykeepingthemselves,asitwere,single。Theysacrificeapartofthecountry;andbyravaginganddesolatingthefrontierstheyrendertheheartoftheempireinaccessible。
Itisareceivedaxiomingeometrythatthegreatertheextentofbodies,themoretheircircumferenceisrelativelysmall。Thispractice,therefore,oflayingthefrontierswasteismoretolerableinlargethaninmiddlingstates。
Adespoticgovernmentdoesallthemischieftoitselfthatcouldbecommittedbyacruelenemy,whosearmsitwereunabletoresist。
Itpreservesitselflikewisebyanotherkindofseparation,whichisbyputtingthemostdistantprovincesintothehandsofagreatvassal。TheMogul,thekingofPersia,andtheemperorsofChinahavetheirfeudatories;andtheTurkshavefoundtheiraccountinputtingtheTartars,theMoldavians,theWallachians,andformerlytheTransylvanians,betweenthemselvesandtheirenemies。
5。InwhatManneraMonarchicalGovernmentprovidesforitsSecurity。A
monarchyneverdestroysitselflikeadespoticgovernment。Butakingdomofamoderateextentisliabletosuddeninvasions:itmustthereforehavefortressestodefenditsfrontiers;andtroopstogarrisonthosefortresses。Theleastspotofgroundisdisputedwithmilitaryskillandresolution。Despoticstatesmakeincursionsagainstoneanother;itismonarchiesonlythatwagewar。
Fortressesareproperformonarchies;despoticgovernmentsareafraidofthem。Theydarenotentrusttheirofficerswithsuchacommand,asnoneofthemhaveanyaffectionfortheprinceorhisgovernment。
6。OfthedefensiveForceofStatesingeneral。Topreserveastateinitsdueforce,itmusthavesuchanextentastoadmitofaproportionbetweentheceleritywithwhichitmaybeinvaded,andthatwithwhichitmaydefeattheinvasion。Asaninvadermayappearoneveryside,itisrequisitethatthestateshouldbeabletomakeoneverysideitsdefence;consequentlyitshouldbeofamoderateextent,proportionedtothedegreeofvelocitythatnaturehasgiventoman,toenablehimtomovefromoneplacetoanother。
FranceandSpainareexactlyofaproperextent。Theyhavesoeasyacommunicationfortheirforcesastobeabletoconveythemimmediatelytowhatparttheyhaveamind;thearmiesuniteandpasswithrapidityfromonefrontiertoanother,withoutanyapprehensionofsuchdifficultiesasrequiretimetoremove。
ItisextremelyhappyforFrancethatthecapitalstandsneartothedifferentfrontiersinproportiontotheirweakness;andtheprincehasabetterviewofeachpartofhiscountryaccordingasitismoreexposed。
Butwhenavastempire,likePersia,isattacked,itisseveralmonthsbeforethetroopsareassembledinabody;andthentheyarenotabletomakesuchforcedmarches,forthatspaceoftime,astheycouldforfifteendays。Shouldthearmyonthefrontiersbedefeated,itissoondispersed,becausethereisnoneighbouringplaceofretreat。Thevictor,meetingwithnoresistance,advanceswithallexpedition,sitsdownbeforethecapital,andlayssiegetoit,whenthereisscarcelytimesufficienttosummonthegovernorsoftheprovincestoitsrelief。
Thosewhoforeseeanapproachingrevolutionhastenitbytheirdisobedience。Formenwhosefidelityisentirelyowingtothedangerofpunishmentareeasilycorruptedassoonasitbecomesdistant;theiraimistheirownprivateinterest。Theempireissubverted,thecapitaltaken,andtheconquerordisputestheseveralprovinceswiththegovernors。
Therealpowerofaprincedoesnotconsistsomuchinthefacilityhemeetswithinmakingconquestsasinthedifficultyanenemyfindsinattackinghim,and,ifImaysospeak,intheimmutabilityofhiscondition。Buttheincreaseofterritoryobligesagovernmenttolayitselfmoreopentoanenemy。
Asmonarchsthereforeoughttobeenduedwithwisdominordertoincreasetheirpower,theyoughtlikewisetohaveanequalshareofprudencetoconfineitwithinbounds。Uponremovingtheinconveniencesoftoosmallaterritory,theyshouldhavetheireyeconstantlyontheinconvenienceswhichattenditsextent。
7。AReflection。Theenemiesofagreatprince,whosereignwasprotractedtoanunusuallength,haveveryoftenaccusedhim,rather,I
believe,fromtheirownfearsthanuponanysolidfoundation,ofhavingformedandcarriedonaprojectofuniversalmonarchy。Hadheattainedhisaim,nothingwouldhavebeenmorefataltohissubjects,tohimself,tohisfamily,andtoallEurope。Heaven,thatknowsourtrueinterests,favouredhimmorebypreventingthesuccessofhisarmsthanitcouldhavedonebycrowninghimwithvictories。InsteadofraisinghimtobetheonlysovereigninEurope,itmadehimhappierbyrenderinghimthemostpowerful。
Thesubjectsofthisprince,whointravellingabroadareneveraffectedbutwithwhattheyhaveleftathome;whoonquittingtheirownhabitationslookupongloryastheirchiefobject,andindistantcountriesasanobstacletotheirreturn;whodisgustyouevenbytheirgoodqualities,becausetheyaretaintedwithsomuchvanity;whoarecapableofsupportingwounds,perils,andfatigues,butnotofforegoingtheirpleasures;whoaresupremelyfondofgaiety,andcomfortthemselvesforthelossofabattlebyasonguponthegeneral:thosesubjects,Isay,wouldneverhavethesolidityrequisiteforanenterpriseofthiskind,whichifdefeatedinonecountrywouldbeunsuccessfuleverywhereelse;andifonceunsuccessful,wouldbesoforever。
8。AparticularCaseinwhichthedefensiveForceofaStateisinferiortotheoffensive。ItwasasayingoftheLordofCoucytoKingCharlesV
thattheEnglishareneverweaker,normoreeasilyovercome,thanintheirowncountry。ThesamewasobservedoftheRomans;thesameoftheCarthaginians;andthesamewillhappentoeverypowerthatsendsarmiestodistantcountries,inordertoreunitebydisciplineandmilitaryforcethosewhoaredividedamongthemselvesbypoliticalorcivilinterests。Thestatefindsitselfweakenedbythedisorderthatstillcontinues,andmoresobytheremedy。
TheLordofCoucy’smaximisanexceptiontothegeneralrule,whichdisapprovesofwarsagainstdistantcountries。Andthisexceptionconfirmslikewisetherulebecauseittakesplaceonlywithregardtothosebywhomsuchwarsareundertaken。
9。OftherelativeForceofStates。Allgrandeur,force,andpowerarerelative。Carethereforemustbetakenthatinendeavouringtoincreasetherealgrandeur,therelativebenotdiminished。
DuringthereignofLouisXIVFrancewasatitshighestpitchofrelativegrandeur。Germanyhadnotyetproducedsuchpowerfulprincesashavesinceappearedinthatcountry。Italywasinthesamecase。EnglandandScotlandwerenotyetformedintooneunitedkingdom。AragonwasnotjoinedtoCastile:thedistantbranchesoftheSpanishmonarchywereweakenedbyit,andweakeneditintheirturn;andMuscovywasaslittleknowninEuropeasCrimTartary。
10。OftheWeaknessofneighbouringStates。Whensoeverastateliescontiguoustoanotherthathappenstobeinitsdecline,theformeroughttotakeparticularcarenottoprecipitatetheruinofthelatter,becausethisisthehappiestsituationimaginable;nothingbeingsoconvenientasforoneprincetobenearanother,whoreceivesforhimalltherebuffsandinsultsoffortune。Anditseldomhappensthatbysubduingsuchastatetherealpoweroftheconquerorisasmuchincreasedastherelativeisdiminished。
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1。Itiscomposedofaboutfiftydifferentrepublics,alldifferentfromoneanother。——M。Janisson,StateoftheUnitedProvinces。
2。Civilliberty,goods,wives,children,temples,andevenburying—places。
3。Strabo,xiv。
4。Ibid。
5。Ibid。
BookX。OfLawsintheRelationTheyBeartoOffensiveForce1。OfoffensiveForce。Offensiveforceisregulatedbythelawofnations,whichisthepoliticallawofeachcountryconsideredinitsrelationtoeveryother。
2。OfWar。Thelifeofgovernmentsislikethatofman。Thelatterhasarighttokillincaseofnaturaldefence:theformerhavearighttowagewarfortheirownpreservation。
InthecaseofnaturaldefenceIhavearighttokill,becausemylifeisinrespecttomewhatthelifeofmyantagonististohim:inthesamemannerastatewageswarbecauseitspreservationislikethatofanyotherbeing。
Withindividualstherightofnaturaldefencedoesnotimplyanecessityofattacking。Insteadofattackingtheyneedonlyhaverecoursetopropertribunals。Theycannotthereforeexercisethisrightofdefencebutinsuddencases,whenimmediatedeathwouldbetheconsequenceofwaitingfortheassistanceofthelaw。Butwithstatestherightofnaturaldefencecarriesalongwithitsometimesthenecessityofattacking;asforinstance,whenonenationseesthatacontinuanceofpeacewillenableanothertodestroyher,andthattoattackthatnationinstantlyistheonlywaytopreventherowndestruction。
Thenceitfollowsthatpettystateshaveoftenerarighttodeclarewarthangreatones,becausetheyareoftenerinthecaseofbeingafraidofdestruction。
Therightofwar,therefore,isderivedfromnecessityandstrictjustice。Ifthosewhodirecttheconscienceorcouncilsofprincesdonotabidebythismaxim,theconsequenceisdreadful:whentheyproceedonarbitraryprinciplesofglory,convenience,andutility,torrentsofbloodmustoverspreadtheearth。
But,aboveall,letthemnotpleadsuchanidlepretextasthegloryoftheprince:hisgloryisnothingbutpride;itisapassion,andnotalegitimateright。
Itistruethefameofhispowermightincreasethestrengthofhisgovernment;butitmightbeequallyincreasedbythereputationofhisjustice。
3。OftheRightofConquest。Fromtherightofwarcomesthatofconquest;whichistheconsequenceofthatright,andoughtthereforetofollowitsspirit。
Therighttheconquerorhasoveraconqueredpeopleisdirectedbyfoursortsoflaws:thelawofnature,whichmakeseverythingtendtothepreservationofthespecies;thelawofnaturalreason,whichteachesustodotootherswhatwewouldhavedonetoourselves;thelawthatformspoliticalsocieties,whosedurationnaturehasnotlimited;and,infine,thelawderivedfromthenatureofthethingitself。Conquestisanacquisition,andcarrieswithitthespiritofpreservationanduse,notofdestruction。
Theinhabitantsofaconqueredcountryaretreatedbytheconquerorinoneofthefourfollowingways:Eitherhecontinuestorulethemaccordingtotheirownlaws,andassumestohimselfonlytheexerciseofthepoliticalandcivilgovernment;orhegivesthemnewpoliticalandcivilgovernment;orhedestroysanddispersesthesociety;or,infine,heexterminatesthepeople。
Thefirstwayisconformabletothelawofnationsnowfollowed;thefourthismoreagreeabletothelawofnationsfollowedbytheRomans:
inrespecttowhichIleavethereadertojudgehowfarwehaveimprovedupontheancients。Wemustgiveduecommendationstoourmodernrefinementsinreason,religion,philosophy,andmanners。
Theauthorsofourpubliclaw,guidedbyancienthistories,withoutconfiningthemselvestocasesofstrictnecessity,havefallenintoverygreaterrors。Theyhaveadoptedtyrannicalandarbitraryprinciples,bysupposingtheconquerorstobeinvestedwithIknownotwhatrighttokill:thencetheyhavedrawnconsequencesasterribleastheveryprinciple,andestablishedmaximswhichtheconquerorsthemselves,whenpossessedoftheleastgrainofsense,neverpresumedtofollow。Itisaplaincasethatwhentheconquestiscompleted,theconquerorhasnolongerarighttokill,becausehehasnolongerthepleaofnaturaldefenceandself—preservation。
Whathasledthemintothismistakeis,thattheyimaginedaconquerorhadarighttodestroythestate;whencetheyinferredthathehadarighttodestroythementhatcomposeit:awrongconsequencefromafalseprinciple。Forfromthedestructionofthestateitdoesnotatallfollowthatthepeoplewhocomposeitoughttobealsodestroyed。
Thestateistheassociationofmen,andnotthementhemselves;thecitizenmayperish,andthemanremain。
Fromtherightofkillinginthecaseofconquest,politicianshavedrawnthatofreducingtoslavery——aconsequenceasill—groundedastheprinciple。
Thereisnosuchthingasarightofreducingpeopletoslavery,savewhenitbecomesnecessaryforthepreservationoftheconquest。
Preservation,andnotservitude,istheendofconquest;thoughservitudemayhappensometimestobeanecessarymeansofpreservation。
Eveninthatcaseitiscontrarytothenatureofthingsthattheslaveryshouldbeperpetual。Thepeopleenslavedoughttoberenderedcapableofbecomingsubjects。Slaveryinconquestsisanaccidentalthing。Whenaftertheexpirationofacertainspaceoftimeallthepartsoftheconqueringstateareconnectedwiththeconquerednation,bycustom,marriages,laws,associations,andbyacertainconformityofdisposition,thereoughttobeanendoftheslavery。Fortherightsoftheconquerorarefoundedentirelyontheoppositionbetweenthetwonationsinthoseveryarticles,whenceprejudicesarise,andthewantofmutualconfidence。
Aconqueror,therefore,whoreducestheconqueredpeopletoslavery,oughtalwaystoreservetohimselfthemeans(formeanstherearewithoutnumber)ofrestoringthemtotheirliberty。
Thesearefarfrombeingvagueanduncertainnotions。Thusourancestorsacted,thoseancestorswhoconqueredtheRomanempire。Thelawstheymadeintheheatandtransportofpassionandintheinsolenceofvictoryweregraduallysoftened;thoselawswereatfirstsevere,butwereafterwardsrenderedimpartial。TheBurgundians,Goths,andLombardswouldhavetheRomanscontinueaconqueredpeople;butthelawsofEuric,Gundebald,andRotharismadetheRomansandbarbariansfellow—citizens。[1]
Charlemagne,totametheSaxons,deprivedthemoftheirlibertyandproperty。LouistheDebonnairemadethemafreepeople,[2]andthiswasoneofthemostprudentregulationsduringhiswholereign。Timeandservitudehadsoftenedtheirmanners,andtheyeverafteradheredtohimwiththegreatestfidelity。
4。SomeAdvantagesofaconqueredPeople。Insteadofinferringsuchdestructiveconsequencesfromtherightofconquest,muchbetterwouldithavebeenforpoliticianstomentiontheadvantageswhichthisveryrightmaysometimesgivetoaconqueredpeople——advantageswhichwouldbemoresensiblyandmoreuniversallyexperiencedwereourlawofnationsexactlyfollowed,andestablishedineverypartoftheglobe。
Conqueredcountriesare,generallyspeaking,degeneratedfromtheiroriginalinstitution。Corruptionhascreptin,theexecutionofthelawshasbeenneglected,andthegovernmenthasgrownoppressive。Whocanquestionbutsuchastatewouldbeagainer,andderivesomeadvantagesfromtheveryconquestitself,ifitdidnotprovedestructive?Whenagovernmenthasarrivedatthatdegreeofcorruptionastobeincapableofreformingitself,itwouldnotlosemuchbybeingnewlymoulded。A