the commonwealth of oceana-第11章

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othing　else　but　the　national　conscience。　And　if　the　conviction　of　a　man's　private　conscience　produces　his　private　religion；　the　conviction　of　the　national　conscience　must　produce　a　national　religion。　Whether　this　be　well　reasoned；　as　also　whether　these　two　may　stand　together；　will　best　be　shown　by　the　examples　of　the　ancient　commonwealths　taken　in　their　order。　　　　　In　that　of　Israel　the　government　of　the　national　religion　appertained　not　to　the　priests　and　Levites；　otherwise　than　as　they　happened　to　be　of　the　Sanhedrim；　or　Senate；　to　which　they　had　no　right　at　all　but　by　election。　It　is　in　this　capacity　therefore　that　the　people　are　commanded；　under　pain　of　death；　〃to　hearken　to　them；　and　to　do　according　to　the　sentence　of　the　law　which　they　should　teach；〃　but　in　Israel　the　law　ecclesiastical　and　civil　was　the　same；　therefore　the　Sanhedrim；　having　the　power　of　one；　had　the　power　of　both。　But　as　the　national　religion　appertained　to　the　jurisdiction　of　the　Sanhedrim；　so　the　liberty　of　conscience　appertained；　from　the　same　date；　and　by　the　same　right；　to　the　prophets　and　their　disciples；　as　where　it　is　said；　〃I　will　raise　up　a　prophet；　and　whoever　will　not　hearken　to　my　words　which　he　shall　speak　in　my　name；　I　will　require　it　of　him。〃　The　words　relate　to　prophetic　right；　which　was　above　all　the　orders　of　this　commonwealth；　whence　Elijah　not　only　refused　to　obey　the　King；　but　destroyed　his　messengers　with　fire。　And　whereas　it　was　not　lawful　by　the　national　religion　to　sacrifice　in　any　other　place　than　the　Temple；　a　prophet　was　his　own　temple；　and　might　sacrifice　where　he　would；　as　Elijah　did　in　Mount　Carmel。　By　this　right　John　the　Baptist　and　our　Saviour；　to　whom　it　more　particularly　related；　had　their　disciples；　and　taught　the　people；　whence　is　derived　our　present　right　of　gathered　congregations；　wherefore　the　Christian　religion　grew　up　according　to　the　orders　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Israel；　and　not　against　them。　Nor　was　liberty　of　conscience　infringed　by　this　government；　till　the　civil　liberty　of　the　same　was　lost；　as　under　Herod；　Pilate；　and　Tiberius；　a　three…piled　tyranny。　　　　　To　proceed；　Athens　preserved　her　religion；　by　the　testimony　of　Paul；　with　great　superstition：　if　Alcibiades；　that　atheistical　fellow　had　not　showed　them　a　pair　of　heels；　they　had　shaven　off　his　head　for　shaving　their　Mercuries；　and　making　their　gods　look　ridiculously　upon　them　without　beards。　Nevertheless；　if　Paul　reasoned　with　them；　they　loved　news；　for　which　he　was　the　more　welcome；　and　if　he　converted　Dionysius　the　Areopagite；　that　is；　one　of　the　senators；　there　followed　neither　any　hurt　to　him；　nor　loss　of　honor　to　Dionysius。　And　for　Rome；　if　Cicero；　in　his　most　excellent　book　〃De　Natura　Deorum；〃　overthrew　the　national　religion　of　that　commonwealth；　he　was　never　the　further　from　being　consul。　But　there　is　a　meanness　and　poorness　in　modern　prudence；　not　only　to　the　damage　of　civil　government；　but　of　religion　itself；　for　to　make　a　man　in　matter　of　religion；　which　admits　not　of　sensible　demonstration　（jurare　in　verba　magistri）；　engage　to　believe　no　otherwise　than　is　believed　by　my　lord　bishop；　or　Goodman　Presbyter　is　a　pedantism　that　has　made　the　sword　to　be　a　rod　in　the　hands　of　schoolmasters；　by　which　means；　whereas　the　Christian　religion　is　the　furthest　of　any　from　countenancing　war；　there　never　was　a　war　of　religion　but　since　Christianity；　for　which　we　are　beholden　to　the　Pope；　for　the　Pope　not　giving　liberty　of　conscience　to　princes　and　commonwealths；　they　cannot　give　that　to　their　subjects　which　they　have　not　themselves；　whence　both　princes　and　subjects；　either　through　his　instigation　or　their　own　disputes；　have　introduced　that　execrable　custom；　never　known　in　the　world　before；　of　fighting　for　religion；　and　denying　the　magistrate　to　have　any　jurisdiction　concerning　it；　whereas　the　magistrate's　losing　the　power　of　religion　loses　the　liberty　of　conscience；　which　in　that　case　has　nothing　to　protect　it。　But　if　the　people　be　otherwise　taught；　it　concerns　them　to　look　about　them；　and　to　distinguish　between　the　shrieking　of　the　lapwing　and　the　voice　of　the　turtle。　　　　　To　come　to　civil　laws。　If　they　stand　one　way　and　the　balance　another；　it　is　the　case　of　a　government　which　of　necessity　must　be　new　modelled；　wherefore　your　lawyers；　advising　you　upon　the　like　occasions　to　fit　your　government　to　their　laws；　are　no　more　to　be　regarded　than　your　tailor　if　he　should　desire　you　to　fit　your　body　to　his　doublet。　There　is　also　danger　in　the　plausible　pretence　of　reforming　the　law；　except　the　government　be　first　good；　in　which　case　it　is　a　good　tree；　and　（trouble　not　yourselves　overmuch）　brings　not　forth　evil　fruit；　otherwise；　if　the　tree　be　evil；　you　can　never　reform　the　fruit；　or　if　a　root　that　is　naught　bring　forth　fruit　of　this　kind　that　seems　to　be　good；　take　the　more　heed；　for　it　is　the　ranker　poison。　It　was　nowise　probable；　if　Augustus　had　not　made　excellent　laws；　that　the　bowels　of　Rome　could　have　come　to　be　so　miserably　eaten　out　by　the　tyranny　of　Tiberius　and　his　successors。　The　best　rule　as　to　your　laws　in　general　is　that　they　be　few。　Rome；　by　the　testimony　of　Cicero；　Was　best　governed　under　those　of　the　twelve　tables；　and　by　that　of　Tacitus；　Plurimoe　leges；　corruptissima　respublica。　You　will　be　told　that　where　the　laws　be　few　they　leave　much　to　arbitrary　power。；　but　where　they　be　many；　they　leave　more；　the　laws　in　this　case；　according　to　Justinian　and　the　best　lawyers；　being　as　litigious　as　the　suitors。　Solon　made　few；　Lycurgus　fewer；　laws；　and　commonwealths　have　the　fewest　at　this　day　of　all　other　governments。　　　　　Now　to　conclude　this　part　with　a　word　de　judiciis；　or　of　the　constitution　or　course　of　courts；　it　is　a　discourse　not　otherwise　capable　of　being　well　managed　but　by　particular　examples；　both　the　constitution　and　course　of　courts　being　divers　in　different　governments；　but　best　beyond　compare　in　Venice；　where　they　regard　not　so　much　the　arbitrary　power　of　their　courts　as　the　constitution　of　them；　whereby　that　arbitrary　power　being　altogether　unable　to　retard　or　do　hurt　to　business；　produces　and　must　produce　the　quickest　despatch；　and　the　most　righteous　dictates　of　justice　that　are　perhaps　in　human　nature。　The　manner　I　shall　not　stand　in　this　place　to　describe；　because　it　is　exemplified　at　large　in　the　judicature　of　the　people　of　Oceana。　And　thus　much　of　ancient　prudence；　and　the　first　branch　of　this　preliminary　discourse。


THE　SECOND　PART　OF　THE　PRELIMINARIES

In　the　second　part　I　shall　endeavor　to　show　the　rise；　progress；　and　declination　of　modern　prudence。　　　　　The　date　of　this　kind　of　policy　is　to　be　computed；　as　was　shown；　from　those　inundations　of　Goths；　Vandals；　Huns；　and　Lombards　that　overwhelmed　the　Roman　Empire。　But　as　there　is　no　appearance　in　the　bulk　or　constitution　of　modern　prudence；　that　it　should　ever　have　been　able　to　come　up　and　grapple　with　the　ancient；　so　something　of　necessity　must　have　interposed　whereby　this　came　to　be　enervated；　and　that　to　receive　strength　and　encouragement。　And　this　was　the　execrable　reign　of　the　Roman　emperors　taking　rise　from　（that　felix　scelus）　the　arms　of　Caesar；　in　which　storm　the　ship　of　the　Roman　Commonwealth　was　forced　to　disburden　itself　of　that　precious　freight；　which　never　since　could　emerge　o