第95章 OF PUNISHMENTS AND REWARDS(3)

Exile (banishment)is when a man is for a crime condemned to depart out of the dominion of the Commonwealth,or out of a certain part thereof,and during a prefixed time,or for ever,not to return into it;and seemeth not in its own nature,without other circumstances,to be a punishment,but rather an escape,or a public commandment to avoid punishment by flight.And Cicero says there was never any such punishment ordained in the city of Rome;but calls it a refuge of men in danger.For if a man banished be nevertheless permitted to enjoy his goods,and the revenue of his lands,the mere change of air is no punishment;nor does it tend to that benefit of the Commonwealth for which all punishments are ordained,that is to say,to the forming of men's wills to the observation of the law;but many times to the damage of the Commonwealth.For a banished man is a lawful enemy of the Commonwealth that banished him,as being no more a member of the same.But if he be withal deprived of his lands,or goods,then the punishment lieth not in the exile,but is to be reckoned amongst punishments pecuniary.

All punishments of innocent subjects,be they great or little,are against the law of nature:for punishment is only for transgression of the law,and therefore there can be no punishment of the innocent.

It is therefore a violation,first,of that law of nature which forbiddeth all men,in their revenges,to look at anything but some future good:for there can arrive no good to the Commonwealth by punishing the innocent.Secondly,of that which forbiddeth ingratitude:for seeing all sovereign power is originally given by the consent of every one of the subjects,to the end they should as long as they are obedient be protected thereby,the punishment of the innocent is a rendering of evil for good.And thirdly,of the law that commandeth equity;that is to say,an equal distribution of justice,which in punishing the innocent is not observed.

But the infliction of what evil soever on an innocent man that is not a subject,if it be for the benefit of the Commonwealth,and without violation of any former covenant,is no breach of the law of nature.For all men that are not subjects are either enemies,or else they have ceased from being so by some precedent covenants.But against enemies,whom the Commonwealth judgeth capable to do them hurt,it is lawful by the original right of nature to make war;wherein the sword judgeth not,nor doth the victor make distinction of nocent and innocent as to the time past,nor has other respect of mercy than as it conduceth to the good of his own people.And upon this ground it is that also in subjects who deliberately deny the authority of the Commonwealth established,the vengeance is lawfully extended,not only to the fathers,but also to the third and fourth generation not yet in being,and consequently innocent of the fact for which they are afflicted:because the nature of this offence consisteth in the renouncing of subjection,which is a relapse into the condition of war commonly called rebellion;and they that so offend,suffer not as subjects,but as enemies.For rebellion is but war renewed.

Reward is either of gift or by contract.When by contract,it is called salary and wages;which is benefit due for service performed or promised.When of gift,it is benefit proceeding from the grace of them that bestow it,to encourage or enable men to do them service.

And therefore when the sovereign of a Commonwealth appointeth a salary to any public office,he that receiveth it is bound in justice to perform his office;otherwise,he is bound only in honour to acknowledgement and an endeavour of requital.For though men have no lawful remedy when they be commanded to quit their private business to serve the public,without reward or salary,yet they are not bound thereto by the law of nature,nor by the institution of the Commonwealth,unless the service cannot otherwise be done;because it is supposed the sovereign may make use of all their means,insomuch as the most common soldier may demand the wages of his warfare as a debt.

The benefits which a sovereign bestoweth on a subject,for fear of some power and ability he hath to do hurt to the Commonwealth,are not properly rewards:for they are not salaries,because there is in this case no contract supposed,every man being obliged already not to do the Commonwealth disservice:nor are they graces,because they be extorted by fear,which ought not to be incident to the sovereign power:but are rather sacrifices,which the sovereign,considered in his natural person,and not in the person of the Commonwealth,makes for the appeasing the discontent of him he thinks more potent than himself;and encourage not to obedience,but,on the contrary,to the continuance and increasing of further extortion.

And whereas some salaries are certain,and proceed from the public treasury;and others uncertain and casual,proceeding from the execution of the office for which the salary is ordained;the latter is in some cases hurtful to the Commonwealth,as in the case of judicature.For where the benefit of the judges,and ministers of a court of justice,ariseth for the multitude of causes that are brought to their cognizance,there must needs follow two inconveniences:one is the nourishing of suits;for the more suits,the greater benefit:

and another that depends on that,which is contention which is about jurisdiction;each court drawing to itself as many causes as it can.

But in offices of execution there are not those inconveniences,because their employment cannot be increased by any endeavour of their own.And thus much shall suffice for the nature of punishment and reward;which are,as it were,the nerves and tendons that move the limbs and joints of a Commonwealth.

Hitherto I have set forth the nature of man,whose pride and other passions have compelled him to submit himself to government;together with the great power of his governor,whom I compared to LEVIATHAN,taking that comparison out of the two last verses of the one-and-fortieth of Job;where God,having set forth the great power of Leviathan,calleth him king of the proud."There is nothing,"saith he,"on earth to be compared with him.He is made so as not to be afraid.He seeth every high thing below him;and is king of all the children of pride."But because he is mortal,and subject to decay,as all other earthly creatures are;and because there is that in heaven,though not on earth,that he should stand in fear of,and whose laws he ought to obey;I shall in the next following chapters speak of his diseases and the causes of his mortality,and of what laws of nature he is bound to obey.