The Abbé de Bourzeis began to govern France towards the year 1645, under the name of Cardinal1 Richelieu, and made the “Political Testament2,” in which he would enlist3 the nobility into the cavalry4 for three years, make chambers5 of accounts and parliaments pay the poll-tax, and deprive the king of the produce of the excise6. He asserts, above all, that to enter a country with fifty thousand men, it is essential to economy that a hundred thousand should be raised. He affirms that “Provence alone has more fine seaports7 than Spain and Italy together.”
The Abbé de Bourzeis had not travelled. As to the rest, his work abounds8 with anachronisms and errors; and as he makes Cardinal Richelieu sign in a manner in which he never signed, so he makes him speak as he had never spoken. Moreover, he fills a whole chapter with saying that reason should guide a state, and in endeavoring to prove this discovery. This work of obscurities, this bastard9 of the Abbé de Bourzeis, has long passed for the legitimate10 offspring of the Cardinal Richelieu; and all academicians, in their speeches of reception, fail not to praise extravagantly11 this political masterpiece.
The Sieur Gatien de Courtilz, seeing the success of the “Testament Politique” of Richelieu, published at The Hague the “Testament de Colbert,” with a fine letter of M. Colbert to the king. It is clear that if this minister made such a testament, it must have been suppressed; yet this book has been quoted by several authors.
Another ignoramus, of whose name we are ignorant, failed not to produce the “Testament de Louis,” still worse, if possible, than that of Colbert. An abbé of Chevremont also made Charles, duke of Lorraine, form a testament. We have had the political testaments12 of Cardinal Alberoni, Marshal Belle-Isle, and finally that of Mandrin.
M. de Boisguillebert, author of the “Détail de la France,” published in 1695, produced the impracticable project of the royal tithe13, under the name of the marshal de Vauban.
A madman, named La Jonchere, wanting bread, wrote, in 1720, a “Project of Finance,” in four volumes; and some fools have quoted this production as a work of La Jonchere, the treasurer14-general, imagining that a treasurer could not write a bad book on finance.
But it must be confessed that very wise men, perhaps very worthy15 to govern, have written on the administration of states in France, Spain, and England. Their books have done much good; not that they have corrected ministers who were in place when these books appeared, for a minister does not and cannot correct himself. He has attained16 his growth, and more instruction, more counsel, he has not time to listen to. The current of affairs carries him away; but good books form young people, destined17 for their places; and princes and statesmen of a succeeding generation are instructed.
The strength and weakness of all governments has been narrowly examined in latter times. Tell me, then, you who have travelled, who have read and have seen, in what state, under what sort of government, would you be born? I conceive that a great landed lord in France would have no objection to be born in Germany: he would be a sovereign instead of a subject. A peer of France would be very glad to have the privileges of the English peerage: he would be a legislator. The gownsman and financier would find himself better off in France than elsewhere. But what country would a wise freeman choose — a man of small fortune, without prejudices?
A rather learned member of the council of Pondicherry came into Europe, by land, with a brahmin, more learned than the generality of them. “How do you find the government of the Great Mogul?” said the counsellor. “Abominable,” answered the brahmin; “how can you expect a state to be happily governed by Tartars? Our rajahs, our omras, and our nabobs are very contented18, but the citizens are by no means so; and millions of citizens are something.”
The counsellor and the brahmin traversed all Upper Asia, reasoning on their way. “I reflect,” said the brahmin, “that there is not a republic in all this vast part of the world.” “There was formerly19 that of Tyre,” said the counsellor, “but it lasted not long; there was another towards Arabia Petr?a, in a little nook called Palestine — if we can honor with the name of republic a horde20 of thieves and usurers, sometimes governed by judges, sometimes by a sort of kings, sometimes by high priests; who became slaves seven or eight times, and were finally driven from the country which they had usurped21.”
“I fancy,” said the brahmin, “that we should find very few republics on earth. Men are seldom worthy to govern themselves. This happiness should only belong to little people, who conceal22 themselves in islands, or between mountains, like rabbits who steal away from carnivorous animals, but at length are discovered and devoured23.”
When the travellers arrived in Asia Minor24, the counsellor said to the brahmin, “Would you believe that there was a republic formed in a corner of Italy, which lasted more than five hundred years, and which possessed25 this Asia Minor, Asia, Africa, Greece, the Gauls, Spain, and the whole of Italy?” “It was therefore soon turned into a monarchy26?” said the brahmin. “You have guessed it,” said the other; “but this monarchy has fallen, and every day we make fine dissertations27 to discover the causes of its decay and fall.” “You take much useless pains,” said the Indian: “this empire has fallen because it existed. All must fall. I hope that the same will happen to the empire of the Great Mogul.” “Apropos,” said the European, “do you believe that more honor is required in a despotic state, and more virtue28 in a republic?” The term “honor” being first explained to the Indian, he replied, that honor was more necessary in a republic, and that there is more need of virtue in a monarchical29 state. “For,” said he, “a man who pretends to be elected by the people, will not be so, if he is dishonored; while at court he can easily obtain a place, according to the maxim30 of a great prince, that to succeed, a courtier should have neither honor nor a will of his own. With respect to virtue, it is prodigiously31 required in a court, in order to dare to tell the truth. The virtuous32 man is much more at his ease in a republic, having nobody to flatter.”
“Do you believe,” said the European, “that laws and religions can be formed for climates, the same as furs are required at Moscow, and gauze stuffs at Delhi?” “Yes, doubtless,” said the brahmin; “all laws which concern physics are calculated for the meridian33 which we inhabit; a German requires only one wife, and a Persian must have two or three.
“Rites of religion are of the same nature. If I were a Christian34, how would you have me say mass in my province, where there is neither bread nor wine? With regard to dogmas, it is another thing; climate has nothing to do with them. Did not your religion commence in Asia, from whence it was driven? does it not exist towards the Baltic Sea, where it was unknown?”
“In what state, under what dominion35, would you like to live?” said the counsellor. “Under any but my own,” said his companion, “and I have found many Siamese, Tonquinese, Persians, and Turks who have said the same.” “But, once more,” said the European, “what state would you choose?” The brahmin answered, “That in which the laws alone are obeyed.” “That is an odd answer,” said the counsellor. “It is not the worse for that,” said the brahmin. “Where is this country?” said the counsellor. The brahmin: “We must seek it.”
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1
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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enlist
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| vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍 | |
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4
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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6
excise
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| n.(国产)货物税；vt.切除，删去 | |
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seaports
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| n.海港( seaport的名词复数 ) | |
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8
abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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9
bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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10
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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12
testaments
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| n.遗嘱( testament的名词复数 )；实际的证明 | |
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13
tithe
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| n.十分之一税；v.课什一税，缴什一税 | |
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14
treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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15
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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16
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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18
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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usurped
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| 篡夺，霸占( usurp的过去式和过去分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权 | |
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22
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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23
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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25
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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26
monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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27
dissertations
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| 专题论文，学位论文( dissertation的名词复数 ) | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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monarchical
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| adj. 国王的，帝王的，君主的，拥护君主制的 =monarchic | |
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30
maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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31
prodigiously
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| adv.异常地，惊人地，巨大地 | |
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32
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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33
meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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34
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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35
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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