the commonwealth of oceana-第67章

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　the　parish；　hundred；　tribe；　Senate；　or　prerogative；　divines；　physicians；　and　lawyers　not　taking　these　degrees；　exclude　themselves　from　all　such　magistracies；　offices；　and　honors。　And　whereas　lawyers　are　likest　to　exact　further　reason　for　this；　they　（growing　up　from　the　most　gainful　art　at　the　bar　to　those　magistracies　upon　the　bench　which　are　continually　appropriated　to　themselves；　and　not　only　endowed　with　the　greatest　revenues；　but　also　held　for　life）　have　the　least　reason　of　all　the　rest　to　pretend　to　any　other；　especially　in　an　equal　commonwealth；　where　accumulation　of　magistracy　or　to　take　a　person　engaged　by　his　profit　to　the　laws；　as　they　stand；　into　the　power；　which　is　legislative；　and　which　should　keep　them　to　what　they　were；　or　ought　to　he；　were　a　solecism　in　prudence。　It　is　true　that　the　legislative　power　may　have　need　of　advice　and　assistance　from　the　executive　magistracy；　or　such　as　are　learned　in　the　law；　for　which　cause　the　judges　are；　as　they　have　heretofore　been；　assistants　in　the　Senate。　Nor；　however　it　came　about；　can　I　see　any　reason　why　a　judge；　being　but　an　assistant　or　lawyer；　should　be　member　of　a　legislative　council。　　　　　〃I　deny　not　that　the　Roman　patricians　were　all　patrons；　and　that　the　whole　people　were　clients；　some　to　one　family　and　some　to　another；　by　which　means　they　had　their　causes　pleaded　and　defended　in　some　appearance　gratis；　for　the　patron　took　no　money；　though　if　he　had　a　daughter　to　marry；　his　clients　were　to　pay　her　portion；　nor　was　this　so　great　a　grievance。　But　if　the　client　accused　his　patron；　gave　testimony　or　suffrage　against　him；　it　was　a　crime　of　such　a　nature　that　any　man　might　lawfully　kill　him　as　a　traitor；　and　this；　as　being　the　nerve　of　the　optimacy；　was　a　great　cause　of　ruin　to　that　commonwealth；　for　when　the　people　would　carry　anything　that　pleased　not　the　Senate；　the　senators　were　ill　provided　if　they　could　not　intercede…that　is；　oppose　it　by　their　clients；　with　whom；　to　vote　otherwise　than　they　pleased；　was　the　highest　crime。　The　observation　of　this　bond　till　the　time　of　the　Gracchi　　that　is　to　say；　till　it　was　too　late；　or　to　no　purpose　to　break　it　　was　the　cause　why；　in　all　the　former　heats　and　disputes　that　had　happened　between　the　Senate　and　the　people；　it　never　came　to　blows；　which　indeed　was　good；　but　withal；　the　people　could　have　no　remedy；　which　was　certainly　evil。　Wherefore　I　am　of　opinion　that　a　senator　ought　not　to　be　a　patron　or　advocate；　nor　a　patron　or　advocate　to　be　a　senator；　for　if　his　practice　be　gratis　it　debauches　the　people；　and　if　it　be　mercenary　it　debauches　himself：　take　it　which　way　you　will；　when　he　should　be　making　of　laws；　he　will　be　knitting　of　nets。　　　　　〃Lycurgus；　as　I　said；　by　being　a　traveller　became　a　legislator；　but　in　times　when　prudence　was　another　thing。　Nevertheless　we　may　not　shut　out　this　part　of　education　in　a　commonwealth；　which　will　be　herself　a　traveller；　for　those　of　this　make　have　seen　the　world；　especially　because　this　is　certain　（though　it　be　not　regarded　in　our　times；　when　things　being　left　to　take　their　chance；　it　fares　with　us　accordingly）　that　no　man　can　be　a　politician　except　he　be　first　a　historian　or　a　traveller；　for　except　he　can　see　what　must　be；　or　what　may　be；　he　is　no　politician。　Now　if　he　has　no　knowledge　in　history　he　cannot　tell　what　has　been；　and　if　he　has　not　been　a　traveller；　he　cannot　tell　what　is；　but　he　that　neither　knows　what　has　been；　nor　what　is；　can　never　tell　what　must　be；　or　what　may　be。　Furthermore；　the　embassies…in…ordinary　by　our　constitution　are　the　prizes　of　young　men；　more　especially　such　as　have　been　travellers。　Wherefore　they　of　these　inclinations；　having　leave　of　the　censors；　owe　them　an　account　of　their　time；　and　cannot　choose　but　lay　it　out　with　some　ambition　of　praise　or　reward；　where　both　are　open；　whence　you　will　have　eyes　abroad；　and　better　choice　of　public　ministers；　your　gallants　showing　themselves　not　more　to　the　ladies　at　their　balls　than　to　your　commonwealth　at　her　Academy　when　they　return　from　their　travels。　　　　　〃But　this　commonwealth　being　constituted　more　especially　of　two　elements；　arms　and　councils；　drives　by　a　natural　instinct　at　courage　and　wisdom；　which　he　who　has　attained　is　arrived　at　the　perfection　of　human　nature。　It　is　true　that　these　virtues　must　have　some　natural　root　in　him　that　is　capable　of　them；　but　this　amounts　not　to　so　great　a　matter　as　some　will　have　it。　For　if　poverty　makes　an　industrious；　a　moderate　estate　a　temperate；　and　a　lavish　fortune　a　wanton　man；　and　this　be　the　common　course　of　things；　wisdom　then　is　rather　of　necessity　than　inclination。　And　that　an　army　which　was　meditating　upon　flight；　has　been　brought　by　despair　to　win　the　field；　is　so　far　from　being　strange；　that　like　causes　will　evermore　produce　like　effects。　Wherefore　this　commonwealth　drives　her　citizens　like　wedges；　there　is　no　way　with　them　but　thorough；　nor　end　but　that　glory　whereof　man　is　capable　by　art　or　nature。　That　the　genius　of　the　Roman　families　commonly　preserved　itself　throughout　the　line　（as　to　instance　in　some；　the　Manlii　were　still　severe；　the　Publicolae　lovers；　and　the　Appii　haters　of　the　people）　is　attributed　by　Machiavel　to　their　education；　nor；　if　interest　might　add　to　the　reason　why　the　genius　of　a　patrician　was　one　thing；　and　that　of　a　plebeian　another；　is　the　like　so　apparent　between　different　nations；　who；　according　to　their　different　educations；　have　yet　as　different　manners。　It　was　anciently　noted；　and　long　confirmed　by　the　actions　of　the　French；　that　in　their　first　assaults　their　courage　was　more　than　that　of　men；　and　for　the　rest　less　than　that　of　women；　which　nevertheless；　through　the　amendment　of　their　discipline；　we　see　now　to　be　otherwise。　I　will　not　say　but　that　some　man　or　nation　upon　an　equal　improvement　of　this　kind　may　be　lighter　than　some　other；　but　certainly　education　is　the　scale　without　which　no　man　or　nation　can　truly　know　his　or　her　own　weight　or　value。　By　our　histories　we　can　tell　when　one　Marpesian　would　have　beaten　ten　Oceaners；　and　when　one　Oceaner　would　have　beaten　ten　Marpesians。　Marc　Antony　was　a　Roman；　but　how　did　that　appear　in　the　embraces　of　Cleopatra？　You　must　have　some　other　education　for　your　youth；　or　they；　like　that　passage；　will　show　better　in　romance　than　true　story。　　　　　〃The　custom　of　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome　in　distributing　her　magistracies　without　respect　of　age；　happened　to　do　well　in　Corvinus　and　Scipio；　for　which　cause　Machiavel　（with　whom　that　which　was　done　by　Rome；　and　that　which　is　well　done；　are　for　the　most　part　all　one）　commends　this　course。　Yet　how　much　it　did　worse　at　other　times；　is　obvious　in　Pompey　and　Caesar；　examples　by　which　Boccalini　illustrates　the　prudence　of　Venice　in　her　contrary　practice；　affirming　it　to　have　been　no　small　step　to　the　ruin　of　the　Roman　liberty；　that　these　（having　tasted　in　their　youth　of　the　supreme　honors）　had　no　greater　in　their　age　to　hope　for；　but　by　perpetuating　of　the　same　in　themselves；　which　came　to　blood　and　ended　in　tyranny。　The　opinion　of　Verulamius　is　safe：　'The　errors；'　says　he；　'of　young　men　are　the　ruin　of　business；　whereas　the　errors　of　old　men　amount　but　to　this；　that　more　might　have　been　done；　or　sooner。'　But　though　their　wisdom　be　little；　their　courage　is　great；　wherefo