Page:Montesquieu - The spirit of laws.djvu/252

200 necessary that the conquered people should be capable of enjoying the privileges of sovereignty, as was settled in the very beginning among the Romans. The conquest ought to be limited to the number of citizens fixt for the democracy.

If a democratical republic subdues a nation in order to govern them as subjects, it exposes its own liberty, because it intrusts too great a power to the officers sent into the conquered provinces.

How great would have been the danger of the republic of Carthage, had Hannibal made himself master of Rome? What would he not have done in his own country, had he been victorious, he who caused so many revolutions after his defeat ?

Hanno could never have dissuaded the senate from sending succours to Hannibal, had he used no other argument than his own jealousy. The Carthaginian senate, whose wisdom is so highly extolled by Aristotle (and which has been evidently proved by the prosperity of that republic) could never have been determined by other than sensible reasons. They must have been stupid not to see, that an army at the distance of three hundred leagues would necessarily be exposed to losses that ought to be repaired.

Hanno's party insisted that Hannibal should be delivered up to the Romans. They could not at that time be afraid of the Romans; they were therefore afraid of Hannibal.

It was impossible, some will say, for them to imagine that Hannibal had been so successful. But how was it possible for them to doubt of it? Could Rh