登陆注册
26488300000032

第32章

"The list being entered, the high constable shall take three copies of the same, whereof he shall presently return one to the lord high sheriff of the tribe, a second to the lord custos rotulorum, and a third to the censors; or these, through the want of such magistrates at the first muster, may be returned to the orator, to be appointed for that tribe. To the observation of all and every part of this order, the officers and deputies of the hundred are all and every of them obliged, as they will answer it to the phylarch, who has power, in case of failure in the whole or any part, to fine all or any of them so failing at discretion, or according to such laws as shall hereafter be provided in that case, but under an appeal to the Parliament." There is little in this order worthy of any further account, but that it answers to the rulers of hundreds in Israel, to the mora or military part of the tribe in Lacedaemon, and to the century in Rome. The jurymen, being two in a hundred, and so forty in a tribe, give the latitude allowed by the law for exceptions. And whereas the golden balls at this ballot begin to be marked with letters, whereof one is to be drawn immediately before it begins, this is to the end that the letter being unknown, men may be frustrated of tricks or foul play, whereas otherwise a man may bring a golden ball with him, and make as if he had drawn it out of the urn. The surveyors, when they had taken copies of these lists, had accomplished their work in the hundreds.

So a hundred is the second division of land occasioned by the second collection of the people, whose civil and military functions proper to this place are comprised in the foregoing order.

Having stated the hundreds, they met once again by twenties, where there was nothing more easy than to cast every twenty hundreds, as they lay most conveniently together, into one tribe;so the whole territory of Oceana, consisting of about 10,000parishes, came to be cast into 1,000 hundreds, and into fifty tribes. In every tribe at the place appointed for the annual rendezvous of the same, were then, or soon after begun those buildings which are now called pavilions; each of them standing with one open side upon fair columns, like the porch of some ancient temple, and looking into a field capable of the muster of some 4,000 men; before each pavilion stand three pillars sustaining urns for the ballot, that on the right hand equal in height to the brow of a horseman, being called the horse urn, that on the left hand, with bridges on either side to bring it equal in height with the brow of a footman, being called the foot urn, and the middle urn, with a bridge on the side toward the foot urn, the other side, as left for the horse, being without one; and here ended the whole work of the surveyors, who returned to the Lord Archon with this --ACCOUNT OF THE CHARGE

Imprimis: Urns, balls, and balloting-boxes for 10,000 parishes, the same being wooden-ware, ?0,000Item: Provision of the like kind for a thousand hundreds 3,000Item: Urns and balls of metal, with balloting-boxes for fifty tribes, 2,000Item: For erecting of fifty pavilions, 60,000Item: Wages for four surveyors-general at ?,000 a man 4,000Item: Wages for the rest of the surveyors, being 1,000 at ?50 a man 250,000Sum Total ?39,000

This is no great matter of charge for the building of a commonwealth, in regard that it has cost (which was pleaded by the surveyors) as much to rig a few ships. Nevertheless that proves not them to be honest, nor their account to be just; but they had their money for once, though their reckoning be plainly guilty of a crime, to cost him his neck that commits it another time, it being impossible for a commonwealth (without an exact provision that it be not abused in this kind) to subsist; for if no regard should be had of the charge (though that may go deep), yet the debauchery and corruption whereto, by negligence in accounts, it infallibly exposes its citizens, and thereby lessens the public faith, which is the nerve and ligament of government, ought to be prevented. But the surveyors being despatched, the Lord Archon was very curious in giving names to his tribes, which having caused to be written in scrolls cast into an urn, and presented to the councillors, each of them drew one, and was accordingly sent to the tribe in his lot, as orators of the same, a magistracy no otherwise instituted, than for once and pro tempore, to the end that the council upon so great an occasion might both congratulate with the tribes, and assist at the first muster in some things of necessity to be differently carried from the established administration and future course of the commonwealth.

The orators being arrived, every one as soon as might be, at the rendezvous of his tribe, gave notice to the hundreds, and summoned the muster which appeared for the most part upon good horses, and already indifferently well armed; as to instance in one for all, the tribe of Nubia, where Hermes de Caduceo, lord orator of the same, after a short salutation and a hearty welcome, applied himself to his business, which began with --The eighth order requiring "That the lord high sheriff as commander-in-chief, and the lord custos rotulorum as muster-master of the tribe (or the orator for the first muster), upon reception of the lists of their hundreds, returned to them by the high constables of the same, presently cause them to be cast up, dividing the horse from the foot, and listing the horse by their names in troops, each troop containing about 100 in number, to be inscribed First, Second, or Third troop, etc., according to the order agreed upon by the said magistrates; which done, they shall list the foot in like manner, and inscribe the companies in like order. These lists upon the eve of the muster shall be delivered to certain trumpeters and drummers, whereof there shall be fifteen of each sort (as well for the present as otherwise to be hereafter mentioned) stipendiated by the tribe.

同类推荐
  • 农说

    农说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 蛾眉拳谱

    蛾眉拳谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 鲸背吟集

    鲸背吟集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 非相

    非相

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 华岳寺

    华岳寺

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 心态是健康的良药

    心态是健康的良药

    有什么样的心态,就有什么样的人生。现代人们口中常说的一句话是“心态决定一切”,其实,你的心态同样也决定着你的身体健康。所谓健康就是在身体上、心理上,社会活动中完全处于良好的状态,而不仅是单纯的没有疾病状态。其实很多时候只是心态问题导致身体或心理上的疾病。因此,只有净化心灵,让心灵的天空清净、明朗,你就可以拥有健康。
  • 帝位

    帝位

    天地玄黄,穿越宇宙洪荒,问道苍茫乱六道轮回。回首过往,往事成空天地之间再无敌手。他昭若我为天帝当镇世间一切敌。且看少年陈凡的天帝之路。
  • 重生之王爷追妻忙

    重生之王爷追妻忙

    她,月凌雪,月府的嫡长女,风华正茂,却被灰尘蒙了双眼,妹妹陷害,夫君信之,棍仗胎儿,受尽侮辱含恨而死。一朝重生,誓不与人为善,继母伪善,妹妹陷害,渣男阴谋再现。她美眸含笑,双手染毒,将她们打入万丈深渊。但是谁来告诉她,她身边这个天真无邪的小傻瓜,什么时候变成了一只腹黑的狐狸?
  • 核武器科技知识(下)

    核武器科技知识(下)

    不论什么武器,都是用于攻击的工具,具有威慑和防御的作用,自古具有巨大的神秘性,是广大军事爱好者的最爱。
  • 开创新界

    开创新界

    通往某个平行时空的“传送门”。企鹅527383765
  • 我的爱恋之校园爱情

    我的爱恋之校园爱情

    唐筱筱一个简单纯洁的女孩,和姐姐唐玉玉来到学校,和男主发生了一段奇缘、、、、、、
  • 幻途

    幻途

    带领美女军团,崛起当世,以无敌的姿态,横扫天地!傲世神鼎炼地溶天,旷世神兵造化乾坤,生死绝境踏破巅峰!纯情圣女,霸道女皇,诱惑妖姬,绝色姐妹花,且看他如何搅动乾坤,霸道崛起成就无双霸业,将美女一一征服!
  • 弃后归来

    弃后归来

    一个冷宫弃后,浴火重生,重临凤座的故事。
  • 黄甲

    黄甲

    神土,一块充满奇幻色彩的大陆,而神族,则是这块大陆上唯一的霸主。一个失忆的少年,能否带领这些被镇压奴役的人族奋起反抗,攻伐天下?一段史诗般的传奇。
  • 俏皮王妃:王爷,快交钱

    俏皮王妃:王爷,快交钱

    “你确定你没有见过我?”男人背靠着墙邪笑。“……我们见过?”她疑惑的蹲在墙角。“不信?需要我帮你想起来!”没等她拒绝,男人便欺身堵在墙角与她四目相对……她是二十一世纪知名的外科医生,一次车祸让她魂穿到一个不为人知的神秘王朝。呜呜~人家还有许多事情没有做啊!这些都不算什么,可家里有朵绿茶,还三番五次的陷害她,尼玛,老虎不发威你当我是病猫啊!还好她还有个帅哥哥护着她。可当她遇见他,帅哥哥也不护着她了。让她做饭,行;让她洗衣服,行;让她跟着去打猎,也行;让她做王妃,她瞪了他一眼,默默的回房间收拾东西,趁他不在,偷偷跑回家找哥哥去。想让她做王妃,哼,要看他有没有那个本事了