the commonwealth of oceana-第45章

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ntry　also；　as　the　French　do　by　the　word　noblesse。　　　　　〃Now　to　treat　of　the　nobility　in　such　sort　as　may　be　less　obnoxious　to　mistake；　it　will　be　convenient；　and　answerable　to　the　present　occasion；　that　I　divide　my　discourse　into　four　parts：　　　　　〃The　first　treating　of　nobility；　and　the　kinds　of　it；　　　　　〃The　second；　of　their　capacity　of　the　Senate；　　　　　〃The　third。　of　the　divers　kinds　of　senates；　　　　　〃The　fourth；　of　the　Senate；　according　to　the　foregoing　orders。　　　　　〃Nobility　may　be　defined　divers　ways；　for　it　is　either　ancient　riches；　or　ancient　virtue；　or　a　title　conferred　by　a　prince　or　a　commonwealth。　　　　　〃Nobility　of　the　first　kind　may　be　subdivided　into　two　others；　such　as　hold　an　overbalance　in　dominion　or　property　to　the　whole　people；　or　such　as　hold　not　an　overbalance。　in　the　former　case；　a　nobility　（such　was　the　Gothic；　of　which　sufficient　has　been　spoken）　is　incompatible　with　popular　government；　for　to　popular　government　it　is　essential　that　power　should　be　in　the　people；　but　the　overbalance　of　a　nobility　in　dominion　draws　the　power　to　themselves。　Wherefore　in　this　sense　it　is　that　Machiavel　is　to　be　understood；　where　he　says；　that　these　are　pernicious　in　a　commonwealth；　and　of　France；　Spain；　and　Italy；　that　they　are　nations　which　for　this　cause　are　the　corruption　of　the　world：　for　otherwise　nobility　may；　according　to　his　definition　（which　is；　'that　they　are　such　as　live　upon　their　own　revenues　in　plenty；　without　engagement　either　to　the　tilling　of　their　lands；　or　other　work　for　their　livelihood　'）；　hold　an　underbalance　to　the　people；　in　which　case　they　are　not　only　safe；　but　necessary　to　the　natural　mixture　of　a　well…ordered　commonwealth。　　　　　〃For　how　else　can　you　have　a　commonwealth　that　is　not　altogether　mechanic？　or　what　comparison　is　there　of　such　commonwealths　as　are；　or　come　nearest　to　mechanic　　for　example；　Athens；　Switzerland；　Holland；　to　Lacedaemon；　Rome；　and　Venice；　plumed　with　their　aristocracies？　Your　mechanics；　till　they　have　first　feathered　their　nests；　like　the　fowls　of　the　air　whose　whole　employment　is　to　seek　their　food；　are　so　busied　in　their　private　concernments　that　they　have　neither　leisure　to　study　the　public；　nor　are　safely　to　be　trusted　with　it；　because　a　man　is　not　faithfully　embarked　in　this　kind　of　ship；　if　he　has　no　share　in　the　freight。　But　if　his　share　be　such　as　gives　him　leisure　by　his　private　advantage　to　reflect　upon　that　of　the　public；　what　other　name　is　there　for　this　sort　of　men；　being　a　leur　aise；　but　（as　Machiavel　you　see　calls　them）　nobility？　Especially　when　their　families　come　to　be　such　as　are　noted　for　their　services　done　to　the　commonwealth；　and　so　take　into　their　ancient　riches　ancient　virtue；　which　is　the　second　definition　of　nobility；　but　such　a　one　as　is　scarce　possible　in　nature　without　the　former。　'For　as　the　baggage；'　says　Verulamius；　'is　to　an　army；　so　are　riches　to　virtue；　they　cannot　be　spared　nor　left　behind；　though　they　be　impediments；　such　as　not　only　hinder　the　march；　but　sometimes　through　the　care　of　them　lose　or　disturb　the　victory。'　Of　this　latter　sort　is　the　nobility　of　Oceana；　the　best　of　all　others　because　they；　having　no　stamp　whence　to　derive　their　price；　can　have　it　no　otherwise　than　by　their　intrinsic　value。　The　third　definition　of　nobility；　is　a　title；　honor；　or　distinction　from　the　people；　conferred　or　allowed　by　the　prince　or　the　commonwealth。　And　this　may　be　two　ways；　either　without　any　stamp　or　privilege；　as　in　Oceana；　or　with　such　privileges　as　are　inconsiderable；　as　in　Athens　after　the　battle　of　Plataea；　whence　the　nobility　had　no　right；　as　such；　but　to　religious　offices；　or　inspection　of　the　public　games；　to　which　they　were　also　to　be　elected　by　the　people；　or　with　privileges；　and　those　considerable　ones；　as　the　nobility　in　Athens　before　the　battle　of　Plataea；　and　the　patricians　in　Rome　each　of　which　had　right；　or　claimed　it；　to　the　Senate　and　all　the　magistracies；　wherein　for　some　time　they　only　by　their　stamp　were　current。　　　　　〃But　to　begin　higher；　and　to　speak　more　at　large　of　nobility　in　their　several　capacities　of　the　Senate。　The　phylarchs；　or　princes　of　the　tribes　of　Israel；　were　the　most　renowned；　or；　as　the　Latin；　the　most　noble　of　the　congregation；　whereof　by　hereditary　right　they　had　the　leading　and　judging。　The　patriarchs；　or　princes　of　families；　according　as　they　declared　their　pedigrees；　had　the　like　right　as　to　their　families；　but　neither　in　these　nor　the　former　was　there　any　hereditary　right　to　the　Sanhedrim：　though　there　be　little　question　but　the　wise　men　and　understanding；　and　known　among　their　tribes；　which　the　people　took　or　elected　into　those　or　other　magistracies；　and　whom　Moses　made　rulers　over　them；　must　have　been　of　these；　seeing　they　could　not　choose　but　be　the　most　known　among　the　tribes；　and　were　likeliest　by　the　advantages　of　education　to　be　the　most　wise　and　understanding。　　　　　〃Solon　having　found　the　Athenians　neither　locally　nor　genealogically；　but　by　their　different　ways　of　life；　divided　into　four　tribes　　that　is；　into　the　soldiery；　the　tradesmen；　the　husbandmen；　and　the　goatherds　　instituted　a　new　distribution　of　them；　according　to　the　sense　or　valuation　of　their　estates；　into　four　classes：　the　first；　second；　and　third　consisting　of　such　as　were　proprietors　in　land；　distinguished　by　the　rate　of　their　freeholds；　with　that　stamp　upon　them；　which　making　them　capable　of　adding　honor　to　their　riches；　that　is　to　say；　of　the　Senate；　and　all　the　magistracies；　excluded　the　fourth；　being　the　body　of　the　people；　and　far　greater　in　number　than　the　former　three；　from　all　other　right；　as　to　those　capacities；　except　the　election　of　these；　who　by　this　means　became　an　hereditary　aristocracy　or　senatorian　order　of　nobility。　This　was　that　course　which　came　afterward　to　be　the　destruction　of　Rome；　and　had　now　ruined　Athens。　The　nobility；　according　to　the　inevitable　nature　of　such　a　one；　having　laid　the　plot　how　to　divest　the　people　of　the　result；　and　so　to　draw　the　whole　power　of　the　commonwealth　to　themselves；　which　in　all　likelihood　they　had　done；　if　the　people；　coming　by　mere　chance　to　be　victorious　in　the　battle　of　Plataea；　and　famous　for　defending　Greece　against　the　Persians；　had　not　returned　with　such　courage　as　irresistibly　broke　the　classes；　to　which　of　old　they　had　borne　a　white　tooth；　brought　the　nobility　to　equal　terms；　and　the　Senate　with　the　magistracies　to　be　common　to　both；　the　magistracies　by　suffrage；　and　the　Senate　（which　was　the　mischief　of　it；　as　I　shall　show　anon　in　that　constitution）　by　lot　only。〃　The　Lacedaemonians　were　in　the　manner；　and　for　the　same　cause　with　the　Venetians　at　this　day；　no　other　than　a　nobility　even　according　to　the　definition　given　of　nobility　by　Machiavel；　for　they　neither　exercised　any　trade；　nor　labored　their　lands　or　lots；　which　was　done　by　their　helots：　wherefore　some　nobility　may　be　far　from　pernicious　in　a　commonwealth　by　Machiavel's　own　testimony；　who　is　an　admirer　of　this；　though　the　servants　thereof　were　more　in　number　than　the　citizens。　To　these　servants　I　hold　the　answer　of　Lycurgus　when　he　bade　him　who　asked　why　he　did　not　admit　the　people　to　the　government　of　his　commonwealth；　to　go　home　and　admit　his　servants　to　the　government　of　his　family…to　relate：　for　neither　were　the　Laced