the commonwealth of oceana-第46章

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go　home　and　admit　his　servants　to　the　government　of　his　family…to　relate：　for　neither　were　the　Lacedaemonians　servants；　nor；　further；　capable　of　the　government；　unless；　whereas　the　congregation　had　the　result；　be　should　have　given　them　the　debate　also；　every　one　of　these　that　attained　to　sixty　years　of　age；　and　the　major　vote　of　the　congregation；　being　equally　capable　of　the　Senate。　　　　　〃The　nobility　of　Rome；　and　their　capacity　of　the　Senate；　I　have　already　described　by　that　of　Athens　before　the　battle　of　Plataea；　saving　only　that　the　Athenian　was　never　eligible　into　the　Senate　without　the　suffrage　of　the　people　till　the　introduction　of　the　lot；　but　the　Roman　nobility　ever：　for　the　patricians　were　elected　into　the　Senate　by　the　kings；　by　the　consuls；　or　the　censors；　or　if　a　plebeian　happened　to　be　conscribed；　he　and　his　posterity　became　patricians。　Nor；　though　the　people　had　many　disputes　with　the　nobility；　did　this　ever　come　in　controversy；　which；　if　there　had　been　nothing　else；　might　in　my　judgment　have　been　enough　to　overturn　that　commonwealth。　　　　　〃The　Venetian　nobility；　but　that　they　are　richer；　and　not　military；　resemble　at　all　other　points　the　Lacedaemonian；　as　I　have　already　shown。　These　Machiavel　excepts　from　his　rule；　by　saying　that　their　estates　are　rather　personal　than　real；　or　of　any　great　revenue　in　land；　which　comes　to　our　account；　and　shows　that　a　nobility　or　party　of　the　nobility；　not　overbalancing　in　dominion；　is　not　dangerous；　but　of　necessary　use　in　every　commonwealth；　provided　it　be　rightly　ordered；　for　if　it　be　so　ordered　as　was　that　of　Rome；　though　they　do　not　overbalance　at　the　beginning；　as　they　did　not　there；　it　will　not　be　long　ere　they　do；　as　is　clear　both　in　reason　and　experience　toward　the　latter　end。　That　the　nobility　only　be　capable　of　the　Senate　is　there　only　not　dangerous；　where　there　be　no　other　citizens；　as　in　this　government　and　that　of　Lacedaemon。　　　　　〃The　nobility　of　Holland　and　Switzerland；　though　but　few；　have　privileges　not　only　distinct　from　the　people；　but　so　great　that　in　some　sovereignties　they　have　a　negative　voice；　an　example　which　I　am　far　from　commending；　being　such　as　（if　those　governments　were　not　cantonized；　divided；　and　subdivided　into　many　petty　sovereignties　that　balance　one　another；　and　in　which　the　nobility；　except　they　had　a　prince　at　the　head　of　them；　can　never　join　to　make　work）　would　be　the　most　dangerous　that　ever　was；　but　the　Gothic；　of　which　it　favors。　For　in　ancient　commonwealths　you　shall　never　find　a　nobility　to　have　had　a　negative　but　by　the　poll；　which；　the　people　being　far　more　in　number；　came　to　nothing；　whereas　these　have　it；　be　they　never　so　few　by　their　stamp　or　order。　　　　　〃Ours　of　Oceana　have　nothing　else　but　their　education　and　their　leisure　for　the　public；　furnished　by　their　ease　and　competent　riches：　and　their　intrinsic　value；　which；　according　as　it　comes　to　hold　weight　in　the　judgment　or　suffrage　of　the　people；　is　their　only　way　to　honor　and　preferment。　Wherefore　I　would　have　your　lordships　to　look　upon　your　children　as　such；　who；　if　they　come　to　shake　off　some　part　of　their　baggage；　shall　make　the　more　quick　and　glorious　march；　for　it　was　nothing　else　but　the　baggage；　sordidly　plundered　by　the　nobility　of　Rome；　that　lost　the　victory　of　the　whole　world　in　the　midst　of　her　triumph。　　　　　〃Having　followed　the　nobility　thus　close；　they　bring　us；　according　to　their　natural　course　and　divers　kinds；　to　the　divers　constitutions　of　the　Senate。　　　　　〃That　of　Israel　（as　was　shown　by　my　right　noble　Lord　Phosphorus　de　Auge；　in　the　opening　of　the　commonwealth）　consisted　of　seventy　elders；　elected　at　first　by　the　people。　But　whereas　they　were　for　life；　they　ever　after　（though　without　any　divine　precept　for　it）　substituted　their　successors　by　ordination；　which　ceremony　was　most　usually　performed　by　imposition　of　hands；　and　by　this　means　a　commonwealth　of　as　popular　institution　as　can　be　found　became；　as　it　is　accounted　by　Josephus；　aristocratical。　From　this　ordination　derives　that　which　was　introduced　by　the　Apostles　into　the　Christian　Church；　for　which　cause　I　think　it　is　that　the　Presbyterians　would　have　the　government　of　the　Church　to　be　aristocratical；　though　the　Apostles；　to　the　end；　as　I　conceive；　that　they　might　give　no　occasion　to　such　a　mistake；　but　show　that　they　intended　the　government　of　the　Church　to　be　popular；　ordained　elders；　as　has　been　shown；　by　the　holding　up　of　hands　（or　free　suffrage　of　the　people）　in　every　congregation　or　ecclesia：　for　that　is　the　word　in　the　original；　being　borrowed　from　the　civil　congregations　of　the　people　in　Athens　and　Lacedaemon；　which　were　so　called；　and　the　word　for　holding　up　of　hands　in　the　text　is　also　the　very　same；　which　signified　the　suffrage　of　the　people　in　Athens；　chiroton&&ante&；　for　the　suffrage　of　the　Athenians　was　given　per　chirotonian；　says　Emmius。　　　　　〃The　Council　of　the　Bean　（as　was　shown　by　my　Lord　Navarchus　de　Paralo　in　his　full　discourse）；　being　the　proposing　Senate　of　Athens　（for　that　of　the　Areopagites　was　a　judicatory）；　consisted　of　400；　some　say　500　senators；　elected　annually；　all　at　once；　and　by　a　mere　lot　without　suffrage。　Wherefore　though　the　Senate；　to　correct　the　temerity　of　the　lot；　had　power　to　cast　out　such　as　they　should　judge　unworthy　of　that　honor；　this　related　to　manners　only；　and　was　not　sufficient　to　repair　the　commonwealth；　which　by　such　means　became　impotent；　and　forasmuch　as　her　Senate　consisted　not　of　the　natural　aristocracy；　which　in　a　commonwealth　is　the　only　spur　and　rein　of　the　people；　it　was　cast　headlong　by　the　rashness　of　her　demagogues　or　grandees　into　ruin；　while　her　Senate；　like　the　Roman　tribunes　（who　almost　always；　instead　of　governing；　were　rather　governed　by　the　multitude）；　proposed　not　to　the　result　only；　but　to　the　debate　also　of　the　people；　who　were　therefore　called　to　the　pulpits；　where　some　vomited；　and　others　drank；　poison。　　　　　〃The　Senate　of　Lacedaemon；　most　truly　discovered　by　my　Lord　Laco　de　Scytale；　consisted　but　of　thirty　for　life；　whereof　the　two　kings；　having　but　single　votes；　were　hereditary；　the　rest　elected　by　the　free　suffrage　of　the　people；　but　out　of　such　as　were　sixty　years　of　age。　These　had　the　whole　debate　of　the　commonwealth　in　themselves；　and　proposed　to　the　result　only　of　the　people。　And　now　the　riddle　which　I　have　heretofore　found　troublesome　to　unfold；　is　out；　that　is　to　say；　why　Athens　and　Lacedaemon；　consisting　each　of　the　Senate　and　the　people；　the　one　should　be　held　a　democracy；　and　the　other　an　aristocracy；　or　laudable　oligarchy；　as　it　is　termed　by　Isocrates；　for　that　word　is　not；　wherever　you　meet　it；　to　be　branded；　Seeing　it　is　used　also　by　Aristotle；　Plutarch；　and　others；　sometimes　in　a　good　sense。　The　main　difference　was　that　the　people　in　this　had　the　result　only；　and　in　that　the　debate　and　result；　too。　But　for　my　part；　where　the　people　have　the　election　of　the　Senate；　not　bound　to　a　distinct　order；　and　the　result；　which　is　the　sovereign　power；　I　hold　them　to　have　that　share　in　the　government　（the　Senate　being　not　for　life）　whereof；　with　the　safety　of　the　commonwealth；　they　are　capable　in　nature；　and　such　a　government；　for　that　cause；　to　be　democracy；　though　I　do　not　deny　but　in　Lacedaemon；　the　paucity　of　the　senators　considered；　it　m