lect06-第7部分

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lower　social　standing；　but　from　his　having　no　standing　whatever；






there　being　no　other　order　of　society　open　to　receive　him　when　he






has　descended　from　his　own。　It　was　true　that　the　Fuidhir；　though






he　had　lost　the　manifold　protection　of　his　family　and　tribe；　was






not　actually　exposed　to　violent　wrong。　From　that　he　was　protected






by　the　new　Chief　to　whom　he　had　attached　himself；　but　between　him






and　this　Chief　there　was　nothing。　The　principle　would　always　be






that　he　was　at　the　mercy　of　the　Chief。　At　the　utmost；　some　usages






favourable　to　him　might　establish　themselves　through　lapse　of






time；　but　they　would　have　none　of　the　obligatory　force　belonging






to　the　rules　which　defined　the　rights　of　the　Chief　in　respect　of






his　Saer…stock　and　Daerstock　tenants。　We　can　see　that　several　of






the　duties　corresponding　to　these　rights　were　of　a　kind　to　invite






abuse；　much　more　certainly　would　obligations　analogous　to　them；






but　wholly　imposed　by　the　pleasure　of　the　Chief；　become　cruelly






oppressive。　The　'refections'　of　the　Brehon　law　would；　by　a






miserable　degradation；　become　（to　borrow　the　language　of　Spenser






and　Davis）　coin　and　livery；　cuttings；　cosherings；　and　spendings；






in　the　case　of　the　Fuidhirs。　Meanwhile　there　were　causes　at　work；






powerfully　and　for　long　periods　of　time；　to　increase　the　numbers






of　this　class。　Even　those　Irishmen　who　believe　that　in　the






distant　past　there　was　once　a　tolerably　well…ordered　Ireland






admit　that　for　many　centuries　their　country　was　racked　with






perpetual　disturbance。　Danish　piracies；　intestine　feuds；






Anglo…Norman　attempts　at　conquest　never　consistently　carried　out






or　thoroughly　completed；　the　very　existence　of　the　Pale；　and






above　all　the　policy　directed　from　it　of　playing　off　against　one






another　the　Chiefs　beyond　its　borders；　are　allowed　by　all　to　have






distracted　the　island　with　civil　war；　how　ever　the　responsibility






for　it　is　to　be　apportioned。　But　the　process　is　one　which　must






have　broken　up　tribes　far　and　wide；　and　broken　tribes　imply　a






multitude　of　broken　men。　Even　in　brief　intervals　of　peace　the






violent　habits　produced　by　constant　disorder　would　bring　about






the　frequent　expulsion　by　families　of　members　for　whom　they






refused　to　remain　responsible；　and　in　the　commoner　eventuality　of






war　whole　fragments　would　be　from　time　to　time　torn　away　from






tribes　and　their　atoms　scattered　in　every　part　of　Ireland。　it　is






therefore；　a　conjecture　possessing　a　very　high　degree　of






plausibility；　that　the　tenantry　of　the　Irish　Chiefs　whose






sufferings　provoked　the　indignation　of　Spenser　and　Davis






consisted　largely　of　Fuidhirs。






　　　　The　explanation　may；　however；　be　carried　beyond　this　point。






You　will　bear　in　mind　the　passage　quoted　by　me　from　Hunter's






'Orissa；'　which　shows　how　a　tenantry　enjoying　hereditary　rights






is　injured；　even　under　a　Government　which　sternly　compels　peace






and　order；　by　a　large　immigration　of　cultivators　dependent　on　the






landlord　or　Zemnindar。　They　narrow　the　available　waste　land　by






their　appropriations；　and；　though　they　do　not　compete　directly






for　the　anciently　cultivated　land　with　the　tenants　enjoying






hereditary　rights；　they　greatly　raise　in　the　long　run　the






standard　of　rent；　at　the　same　time　that　they　arm　the　landlord






with　those　powers　of　exacting　it　which　in　ancient　Ireland






consisted　in　the　strong　hand　of　the　Chief　himself；　and　which






consist；　in　modern　India；　in　the　money　which　puts　in　motion　the






arm　of　the　law。　I　have　no　doubt　whatever　that　a　great






multiplication　of　Fuidhir　tenants　would　always　seriously　alter






for　the　worse　the　position　of　the　tenants　by　Saer…stock　and　I






Dear…stock　tenure。