the commonwealth of oceana-第52章

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　in　root　and　branch；　in　the　root　by　her　agrarian；　and　in　branch　by　the　Senate；　inasmuch　as　no　man　was　thereto　qualified　but　by　election　of　the　people。　Which　institution　of　Lycurgus　is　mentioned　by　Aristotle；　where　he　says　that　rendering　his　citizens　emulous　（not　careless）　of　that　honor；　he　assigned　to　the　people　the　election　of　the　Senate。　Wherefore　Machiavel　in　this；　as　in　other　places；　having　his　eye　upon　the　division　of　patrician　and　plebeian　families　as　they　were　in　Rome；　has　quite　mistaken　the　orders　of　this　commonwealth；　where　there　was　no　such　thing。　Nor　did　the　quiet　of　it　derive　from　the　power　of　the　kings；　who　were　so　far　from　shielding　the　people　from　the　injury　of　the　nobility；　of　which　there　was　none　in　his　sense　but　the　Senate；　that　one　declared　end　of　the　Senate　at　the　institution　was　to　shield　the　people　from　the　kings；　who　from　that　time　had　but　single　votes。　Neither　did　it　proceed　from　the　straitness　of　the　Senate；　or　their　keeping　the　people　excluded　from　the　government；　that　they　were　quiet；　but　from　the　equality　of　their　administration；　seeing　the　Senate　（as　is　plain　by　the　oracle；　their　fundamental　law）　had　no　more　than　the　debate；　and　the　result　of　the　commonwealth　belonged　to　the　people。　　　　　〃Wherefore　when　Theopompus　and　Polydorus；　Kings　of　Lacedaemon；　would　have　kept　the　people　excluded　from　the　government　by　adding　to　the　ancient　law　this　clause；　'If　the　determination　of　the　people　be　faulty；　it　shall　be　lawful　for　the　Senate　to　resume　the　debate；'　the　people　immediately　became　unquiet；　and　resumed　that　debate；　which　ended　not　till　they　had　set　up　their　ephors；　and　caused　that　magistracy　to　be　confirmed　by　their　kings。'　For　when　Theopompus　first　ordained　that　the　ephori　or　overseers　should　be　created　at　Lacedaemon；　to　be　such　a　restraint　upon　the　kings　there　as　the　tribunes　were　upon　the　consuls　at　Rome；　the　Queen　complained　to　him；　that　by　this　means　he　transmitted　the　royal　authority　greatly　diminished　to　his　children：　〃I　leave　indeed　less；〃　answered　he；　〃but　more　lasting。〃　And　this　was　excellently　said；　for　that　power　only　is　safe　which　is　limited　from　doing　hurt。　Theopompus　therefore；　by　confining　the　kingly　power　within　the　bounds　of　the　laws；　did　recommend　it　by　so　much　to　the　people's　affection　as　he　removed　it　from　being　arbitrary。'　By　which　it　may　appear　that　a　commonwealth　for　preservation；　if　she　comes　to　be　unequal；　is　as　obnoxious　to　enmity　between　the　Senate　and　the　people　as　a　commonwealth　for　increase；　and　that　the　tranquillity　of　Lacedaemon　was　derived　from　no　other　cause　than　her　equality。　　　　　〃For　Venice；　to　say　that　she　is　quiet　　because　she　disarms　her　subjects；　is　to　forget　that　Lacedaemon　disarmed　her　helots；　and　yet　could　not　in　their　regard　be　quiet；　wherefore　if　Venice　be　defended　from　external　causes　of　commotion；　it　is　first　through　her　situation；　in　which　respect　her　subjects　have　no　hope　（and　this　indeed　may　be　attributed　to　her　fortune）；　and；　secondly；　through　her　exquisite　justice；　whence　they　have　no　will　to　invade　her。　But　this　can　be　attributed　to　no　other　cause　than　her　prudence；　which　will　appear　to　be　greater；　as　we　look　nearer；　for　the　effects　that　proceed　from　fortune；　if　there　be　any　such　thing；　are　like　their　cause；　inconstant。　But　there　never　happened　to　any　other　commonwealth　so　undisturbed　and　constant　a　tranquillity　and　peace　in　herself　as　are　in　that　of　Venice；　wherefore　this　must　proceed　from　some　other　cause　than　chance。　And　we　see　that　as　she　is　of　all　others　the　most　quiet；　so　the　most　equal　commonwealth。　Her　body　consists　of　one　order；　and　her　Senate　is　like　a　rolling　stone；　as　was　said；　which　never　did；　nor；　while　it　continues　upon　that　rotation；　never　shall　gather　the　moss　of　a　divided　or　ambitious　interest；　much　less　such　a　one　as　that　which　grasped　the　people　of　Rome　in　the　talons　of　their　own　eagles。　And　if　Machiavel；　averse　from　doing　this　commonwealth　right；　had　considered　her　orders；　as　his　reader　shall　easily　perceive　he　never　did；　he　must　have　been　so　far　from　attributing　the　prudence　of　them　to　chance；　that　he　would　have　touched　up　his　admirable　work　to　that　perfection　which；　as　to　the　civil　part；　has　no　pattern　in　the　universal　world　but　this　of　Venice。　　　　　〃Rome；　secure　by　her　potent　and　victorious　arms　from　all　external　causes　of　commotion；　was　either　beholden　for　her　peace　at　home　to　her　enemies　abroad；　or　could　never　rest　her　head。　My　lords；　you　that　are　parents　of　a　commonwealth；　and　so　freer　agents　than　such　as　are　merely　natural；　have　a　care。　For；　as　no　man　shall　show　me　a　commonwealth　born　straight　that　ever　became　crooked；　so　no　man　shall　show　me　a　commonwealth　born　crooked　that　ever　became　straight。　Rome　was　crooked　in　her　birth；　or　rather　prodigious。　Her　twins；　the　patrician　and　plebeian　orders；　came；　as　was　shown　by　the　foregoing　story；　into　the　world；　one　body　but　two　heads；　or　rather　two　bellies；　for；　notwithstanding　the　fable　out　of　AEsop；　whereby　Menenius　Agrippa；　the　orator　that　was　sent　from　the　Senate　to　the　people　at　Mount　Aventin；　showed　the　fathers　to　be　the　belly；　and　the　people　to　be　the　arms　and　the　legs　（which　except　that；　how　slothful　soever　it　might　seem；　they　were　nourished；　not　these　only；　but　the　whole　body　must　languish　and　be　dissolved）；　it　is　plain　that　the　fathers　were　a　distinct　belly；　such　a　one　as　took　the　meat　indeed　out　of　the　people's　mouths；　but　abhorring　the　agrarian；　returned　it　not　in　the　due　and　necessary　nutrition　of　a　commonwealth。　Nevertheless；　as　the　people　that　live　about　the　cataracts　of　Nilus　are　said　not　to　hear　the　noise；　so　neither　the。　Roman　writers；　nor　Machiavel　the　most　conversant　with　them；　seem　among　so　many　of　the　tribunitian　storms　to　hear　their　natural　voice；　for　though　they　could　not　miss　of　it　so　far　as　to　attribute　them　to　the　strife　of　the　people　for　participation　in　magistracy；　or；　in　which　Machiavel　more　particularly　joins；　to　that　about　the　agrarian；　this　was　to　take　the　business　short；　and　the　remedy　for　the　disease。　　　　　〃A　people；　when　they　are　reduced　to　misery　and　despair；　become　their　own　politicians；　as　certain　beasts；　when　they　are　sick；　become　their　own　physicians；　and　are　carried　by　a　natural　instinct　to　the　desire　of　such　herbs　as　are　their　proper　cure；　but　the　people；　for　the　greater　part；　are　beneath　the　beasts　in　the　use　of　them。　Thus　the　people　of　Rome；　though　in　their　misery　they　had　recourse　by　instinct；　as　it　were；　to　the　two　main　fundamentals　of　a　commonwealth；　participation　of　magistracy　and　the　agrarian；　did　but　taste　and　spit　at　them；　not　（which　is　necessary　in　physic）　drink　down　the　potion；　and　in　that　their　healths。　For　when　they　had　obtained　participation　of　magistracy　it　was　but　lamely；　not　to　a　full　and　equal　rotation　in　all　elections；　nor　did　they　greatly　regard　it　in　what　they　had　got。　And　when　they　had　attained　to　the　agrarian；　they　neglected　it　so　far　as　to　suffer　the　law　to　grow　obsolete；　but　if　you　do　not　take　the　due　dose　of　your　medicines　（as　there　be　slight　tastes　which　a　man　may　have　of　philosophy　that　incline　to　atheism）　it　may　chance　to　be　poison；　there　being　a　like　taste　of　the　politics　that　inclines　to　confusion；　as　appears　in　the　institution　of　the　Roman　tribunes；　by　which　magistracy　and　no　more　the　people　were　so　far　from　attaini