the commonwealth of oceana-第68章

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might　have　been　done；　or　sooner。'　But　though　their　wisdom　be　little；　their　courage　is　great；　wherefore　（to　come　to　the　main　education　of　this　commonwealth）　the　militia　of　Oceana　is　the　province　of　youth。　　　　　〃The　distribution　of　this　province　by　the　essays　is　so　fully　described　in　the　order；　that　I　need　repeat　nothing；　the　order　itself　being　but　a　repetition　or　copy　of　that　original；　which　in　ancient　prudence　is　of　all　others　the　fairest；　as　that　from　whence　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome　more　particularly　derived　the　empire　of　the　world。　And　there　is　much　more　reason　in　this　age；　when　governments　are　universally　broken；　or　swerved　from　their　foundations；　and　the　people　groan　under　tyranny；　that　the　same　causes　（which　could　not　be　withstood　when　the　world　was　full　of　popular　governments）　should　have　the　like　effects。　　　　　〃The　causes　in　the　Commonwealth　of　Rome；　whereof　the　empire　of　the　world　was　not　any　miraculous；　but　a　natural　（nay；　I　may　safely　say　a　necessary）　consequence；　are　contained　in　that　part　of　her　discipline　which　was　domestic；　and　in　that　which　she　exercises　in　her　provinces　or　conquest。　Of　the　latter　I　shall　have　better　occasion　to　speak　when　we　come　to　our　provincial　orbs；　the　former　divided　the　whole　people　by　tribes；　amounting；　as　Livy　and　Cicero　show；　at　their　full　growth　to　thirty…five；　and　every　tribe　by　the　sense　or　valuation　of　estates　into　five　classes：　for　the　sixth　being　proletary；　that　is　the　nursery；　or　such　as　through　their　poverty　contributed　nothing　to　the　commonwealth　but　children；　was　not　reckoned　nor　used　in　arms。　And　this　is　the　first　point　of　the　militia；　in　which　modern　prudence　is　quite　contrary　to　the　ancient；　for　whereas　we；　excusing　the　rich　and　arming　the　poor；　become　the　vassals　of　our　servants；　they；　by　excusing　the　poor　and　arming　such　as　were　rich　enough　to　be　freemen；　became　lords　of　the　earth。　The　nobility　and　gentry　of　this　nation；　who　understand　so　little　what　it　is　to　be　the　lords　of　the　earth　that　they　have　not　been　able　to　keep　their　own　lands；　will　think　it　a　strange　education　for　their　children　to　be　common　soldiers；　and　obliged　to　all　the　duties　of　arms；　nevertheless　it　is　not　for　four　shillings　a　week；　but　to　be　capable　of　being　the　best　man　in　the　field　or　in　the　city　the　latter　part　of　which　consideration　makes　the　common　soldier　herein　a　better　man　than　the　general　of　any　monarchical　army。　　　　　〃And　whereas　it　may　be　thought　that　this　would　drink　deep　of　noble　blood；　I　dare　boldly　say；　take　the　Roman　nobility　in　the　heat　of　their　fiercest　wars；　and　you　shall　not　find　such　a　shambles　of　them　as　has　been　made　of　ours　by　mere　luxury　and　slothfulness；　which；　killing　the　body；　kill　the　soul　also：　Animasque　in　vulnere　ponunt。　Whereas　common　right　is　that　which　he　who　stands　in　the　vindication　of；　has　used　that　sword　of　justice　for　which　he　receives　the　purple　of　magistracy。　The　glory　of　a　man　on　earth　can　go　no　higher；　and　if　he　falls　he　rises　again；　and　comes　sooner　to　that　reward　which　is　so　much　higher　as　heaven　is　above　the　earth。　To　return　to　the　Roman　example：　every　class　was　divided；　as　has　been　more　than　once　shown；　into　centuries；　and　every　century　was　equally　divided　into　youth　and　elders；　the　youth　for　foreign　service；　and　the　elders　for　the　guard　of　the　territory。　In　the　first　class　were　about　eighteen　centuries　of　horse；　being　those　which；　by　the　institution　of　Servius；　were　first　called　to　the　suffrage　in　the　centurial　assemblies。　But　the　delectus；　or　levy　of　an　army；　which　is　the　present　business；　proceeded；　according　to　Polybius；　in　this　manner：　　　　　〃Upon　a　war　decreed；　the　Consuls　elected　four…and…twenty　military　tribunes　or　colonels；　whereof　ten；　being　such　as　had　merited　their　tenth　stipend；　were　younger　officers。　The　tribunes　being　chosen；　the　Consuls　appointed　a　day　to　the　tribes；　when　those　in　them　of　military　age　were　to　appear　at　the　capitol。　The　day　being　come；　and　the　youth　assembled　accordingly；　the　Consuls　ascended　their　tribunal；　and　the　younger　tribunes　were　straight　divided　into　four　parts　after　this　manner：　four　were　assigned　to　the　first　legion　（a　legion　at　the　most　consisted　of　6；000　foot　and　300　horse）；　three　to　the　second；　four　to　the　third；　and　three　to　the　fourth。　The　younger　tribunes　being　thus　distributed；　two　of　the　elder　were　assigned　to　the　first　legion；　three　to　the　second；　two　to　the　third；　and　three　to　the　fourth；　and　the　officers　of　each　legion　thus　assigned；　having　drawn　the　tribes　by　lot；　and　being　seated　according　to　their　divisions　at　a　convenient　distance　from　each　other；　the　tribe　of　the　first　lot　was　called；　whereupon　they　that　were　of　it　knowing　the　business；　and　being　prepared；　presently　bolted　out　four　of　their　number；　in　the　choice　whereof　such　care　was　taken　that　they　offered　none　that　was　not　a　citizen；　no　citizen　that　was　not　of　the　youth；　no　youth　that　was　not　of　some　one　of　the　five　classes；　nor　any　one　of　the　five　classes　that　was　not　expert　at　his　exercises。　Moreover；　they　used　such　diligence　in　matching　them　for　age　and　stature；　that　the　officers　of　the　legion；　except　they　happened　to　be　acquainted　with　the　youth　so　bolted；　were　forced　to　put　themselves　upon　fortune；　while　they　of　the　first　legion　chose　one；　they　of　the　second　the　next；　they　of　the　third　another　and　the　fourth　youth　fell　to　the　last　legion；　and　thus　was　the　election　（the　legions　and　the　tribes　varying　according　to　their　lots）　carried　on　till　the　foot　were　complete。　　　　　〃The　like　course　with　little　alteration　was　taken　by　the　horse　officers　till　the　horse　also　were　complete。　This　was　called　giving　of　names；　which　the　children　of　Israel　did　also　by　lot；　and　if　any　man　refused　to　give　his　name；　he　was　sold　for　a　slave；　or　his　estate　confiscated　to　the　commonwealth。　'When　Marcus　Curius　the　Consul　was　forced　to　make　a　sudden　levy；　and　none　of　the　youth　would　give　in　their　names；　all　the　tribes　being　put　to　the　lot；　he　commanded　the　first　name　drawn　out　of　the　urn　of　the　Pollian　tribe　（which　happened　to　come　first）　to　be　called；　but　the　youth　not　answering；　he　ordered　his　goods　to　be　sold；　which　was　conformable　to　the　law　in　Israel；　according　to　which　Saul　took　a　yoke　of　oxen；　and　hewed　them　in　pieces；　and　sent　them　throughout　the　tribes；　saying；　'Whosoever　comes　not　forth　to　battle　after　Saul　and　Samuel；　so　shall　it　be　done　to　his　oxen。'　By　which　you　may　observe　also　that　they　who　had　no　cattle　were　not　of　the　militia　in　Israel。　But　the　age　of　the　Roman　youth　by　the　Tullian　law　determined　at　thirty；　and　by　the　law　（though　it　should　seem　by　Machiavel　and　others　that　this　was　not　well　observed）　a　man　could　not　stand　for　magistracy　till　he　was　miles　emeritus；　or　had　fulfilled　the　full　term　of　his　militia；　which　was　complete　in　his　tenth　stipend　or　service；　nor　was　he　afterward　obliged　under　any　penalty　to　give　his　name；　except　the　commonwealth　were　invaded；　in　which　case　the　elders　were　as　well　obliged　as　the　youth。　The　Consul　might　also　levy　milites　evocatos；　or　soldiers；　commanded　men　out　of　such　as　had　served　their　turn；　and　this　at　his　discretion。　The　legions　being　thus　complete；　were　divided　by　two　to　each　consul；　and　in　these　no　man　had　right　to　serve　but　a　Roman　citizen；　now　because　two　legions　made　but　a　small　army；　the　Romans　added　to　every　one　of　the