the commonwealth of oceana-第13章

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en　to　distrain　for　it；　that　in　the　time　of　Honorius　they　sacked　Rome；　and　possessed　themselves　of　Italy。　And　such　was　the　transition　of　ancient　into　modern　prudence；　or　that　breach；　which　being　followed　in　every　part　of　the　Roman　Empire　with　inundations　of　Vandals；　Huns；　Lombards；　Franks；　Saxons；　overwhelmed　ancient　languages；　learning；　prudence；　manners；　cities；　changing　the　names　of　rivers；　countries；　seas；　mountains；　and　men；　Camillus；　Caesar；　and　Pompey；　being　come　to　Edmund；　Richard；　and　Geoffrey。　　　　　To　open　the　groundwork　or　balance　of　these　new　politicians：　〃Feudum；〃　says　Calvin　the　lawyer；　〃is　a　Gothic　word　of　divers　significations；　for　it　is　taken　either　for　war；　or　for　a　possession　of　conquered　lands；　distributed　by　the　victor　to　such　of　his　captains　and　soldiers　as　had　merited　in　his　wars；　upon　condition　to　acknowledge　him　to　be　their　perpetual　lord；　and　themselves　to　be　his　subjects。〃　　　　　Of　these　there　were　three　kinds　or　orders：　the　first　of　nobility　distinguished　by　the　titles　of　dukes；　marquises；　earls；　and　these　being　gratified　with　the　cities；　castles；　and　villages　of　the　conquered　Italians；　their　feuds　participated　of　royal　dignity；　and　were　called　regalia；　by　which　they　had　right　to　coin　money；　create　magistrates；　take　toll；　customs；　confiscations；　and　the　like。　　　　　Feuds　of　the　second　order　were　such　as；　with　the　consent　of　the　King；　were　bestowed　by　these　feudatory　princes　upon　men　of　inferior　quality；　called　their　barons；　on　condition　that　next　to　the　King　they　should　defend　the　dignities　and　fortunes　of　their　lords　in　arms。　　　　　The　lowest　order　of　feuds　were　such；　as　being　conferred　by　those　of　the　second　order　upon　private　men；　whether　noble　not　noble；　obliged　them　in　the　like　duty　to　their　superiors；　the　were　called　vavasors。　And　this　is　the　Gothic　balance；　by　which　all　the　kingdoms　this　day　in　Christendom　were　at　first　erected；　for　which　cause；　if　I　had　time；　I　should　open　in　this　place　the　Empire　of　Germany；　and　the　Kingdoms　of　France；　Spain；　and　Poland；　but　so　much　as　has　been　said　being　sufficient　for　the　discovery　of　the　principles　of　modern　prudence　in　general；　I　shall　divide　the　remainder　of　my　discourse；　which　is　more　particular；　into　three　parts：　　　　　The　first；　showing　the　constitution　of　the　late　monarchy　of　Oceana；　　　　　The　second；　the　dissolution　of　the　same；　and　　　　　The　third；　the　generation　of　the　present　commonwealth。

　　　　The　constitution　of　the　late　monarchy　of　Oceana　is　to　be　considered　in　relation　to　the　different　nations　by　whom　it　has　been　successively　subdued　and　governed。　The　first　of　these　were　the　Romans；　the　second　the　Teutons；　the　third　the　Scandians；　and　the　fourth　the　Neustrians。　　　　　The　government　of　the　Romans；　who　held　it　as　a　province；　I　shall　omit；　because　I　am　to　speak　of　their　provincial　government　in　another　place；　only　it　is　to　be　remembered　here；　that　if　we　have　given　over　running　up　and　down　naked；　and　with　dappled　hides；　learned　to　write　and　read；　and　to　be　instructed　with　good　arts；　for　all　these　we　are　beholden　to　the　Romans；　either　immediately　or　mediately　by　the　Teutons；　for　that　the　Teutons　had　the　arts　from　no　other　hand　is　plain　enough　by　their　language；　which　has　yet　no　word　to　signify　either　writing　or　reading；　but　what　is　derived　from　the　Latin。　Furthermore；　by　the　help　of　these　arts　so　learned；　we　have　been　capable　of　that　religion　which　we　have　long　since　received；　wherefore　it　seems　to　me　that　we　ought　not　to　detract　from　the　memory　of　the　Romans；　by　whose　means　we　are；　as　it　were；　of　beasts　become　men；　and　by　whose　means　we　might　yet　of　obscure　and　ignorant　men　（if　we　thought　not　too　well　of　ourselves）　become　a　wise　and　a　great　people。　　　　　The　Romans　having　governed　Oceana　provincially；　the　Teutons　were　the　first　that　introduced　the　form　of　the　late　monarchy。　To　these　succeeded　the　Scandians；　of　whom　（because　their　reign　was　short；　as　also　because　they　made　little　alteration　in　the　government　as　to　the　form）　I　shall　take　no　notice。　But　the　Teutons　going　to　work　upon　the　Gothic　balance；　divided　the　whole　nation　into　three　sorts　of　feuds；　that　of　ealdorman；　that　of　king's　thane；　and　that　of　middle　thane。　　　　　When　the　kingdom　was　first　divided　into　precincts　will　be　as　hard　to　show　as　when　it　began　first　to　be　governed。　It　being　impossible　that　there　should　be　any　government　without　some　division。　The　division　that　was　in　use　with　the　Teutons　was　by　counties；　and　every　county　had　either　its　ealdorman　or　high　reeve。　The　title　of　ealdorman　came　in　time　to　eorl；　or　erl；　and　that　of　high　reeve　to　high　sheriff。　　　　　Earl　of　the　shire　or　county　denoted　the　king's　thane；　or　tenant　by　grand　sergeantry　or　knight's　service；　in　chief　or　in　capite；　his　possessions　were　sometimes　the　whole　territory　from　whence　he　had　his　denomination；　that　is；　the　whole　county；　sometimes　more　than　one　county；　and　sometimes　less；　the　remaining　part　being　in　the　crown。　He　had　also　sometimes　a　third；　or　some　other　customary　part　of　the　profits　of　certain　cities；　boroughs；　or　other　places　within　his　earldom。　For　an　example　of　the　possessions　of　earls　in　ancient　times；　Ethelred　had　to　him　and　his　heirs　the　whole　Kingdom　of　Mercia；　containing　three　or　four　counties；　and　there　were　others　that　had　little　less。　　　　　King's　thane　was　also　an　honorary　title；　to　which　he　was　qualified　that　had　five　hides　of　land　held　immediately　of　the　King　by　service　of　personal　attendance；　insomuch　that　if　a　churl　or　countryman　had　thriven　to　this　proportion；　having　a　church；　a　kitchen；　a　bell…house　（that　is；　a　hall　with　a　bell　in　it　to　call　his　family　to　dinner）；　a　borough…gate　with　a　seat　（that　is；　a　porch）　of　his　own；　and　any　distinct　office　in　the　King's　court；　then　was　he　the　King's　thane。　But　the　proportion　of　a　hide…land；　otherwise　called　caruca；　or　a　plough…land；　is　difficult　to　be　understood；　because　it　was　not　certain；　nevertheless　it　is　generally　conceived　to　be　so　much　as　may　be　managed　with　one　plough；　and　would　yield　the　maintenance　of　the　same；　with　the　appurtenances　in　all　kinds。　　　　　The　middle　thane　was　feudal；　but　not　honorary；　he　was　also　called　a　vavasor；　and　his　lands　a　vavasory；　which　held　of　some　mesne　lord；　and　not　immediately　of　the　King。　　　　　Possessions　and　their　tenures；　being　of　this　nature；　show　the　balance　of　the　Teuton　monarchy；　wherein　the　riches　of　earls　were　so　vast　that　to　arise　from　the　balance　of　their　dominion　to　their　power；　they　were　not　only　called　reguli；　or　little　kings；　but　were　such　indeed；　their　jurisdiction　being　of　two　sorts；　either　that　which　was　exercised　by　them　in　the　court　of　their　countries；　or　in　the　high　court　of　the　kingdom。　　　　　In　the　territory　denominating　an　earl；　if　it　were　all　his　own；　the　courts　held；　and　the　profits　of　that　jurisdiction　were　to　his　own　use　and　benefit。　But　if　he　had　but　some　part　of　his　county；　then　his　jurisdiction　and　courts；　saving　perhaps　in　those　possessions　that　were　his　own；　were　held　by　him　to　the　King's　use　and　benefit；　that　is；　he　commonly　supplied　the　office　which　the　sheriffs　regularly　executed　in　counties　that　had　no　earls；　and　whence　they　came　to　be　called　viscounts。　The　court　of　the　county　that　had　an　earl　was　held　by　the　earl　and　the　bishop　of　the　diocese；　after　the　manner　of　the　sheriffs'　turns　to　this　day；　by　w