Rousseau_contrat-social

clothes; where they clothe themselves only for adornment, what is
striking is more thought of than what is useful; clothes themselves are
then a luxury. At Naples, you may see daily walking in the Pausilippeum
men in gold-embroidered upper garments and nothing else. It is the same
with buildings; magnificence is the sole consideration where there is
nothing to fear from the air. In Paris and London, you desire to be
lodged warmly and comfortably; in Madrid, you have superb salons, but
not a window that closes, and you go to bed in a mere hole.
In hot countries foods are much more substantial and succulent; and the
third difference cannot but have an influence on the second. Why are so
many vegetables eaten in Italy? Because there they are good, nutritious
and excellent in taste. In France, where they are nourished only on
water, they are far from nutritious and are thought nothing of at table.
They take up all the same no less ground, and cost at least as much
pains to cultivate. It is a proved fact that the wheat of Barbary, in
other respects inferior to that of France, yields much more flour, and
that the wheat of France in turn yields more than that of northern
countries; from which it may be inferred that a like gradation in the
same direction, from equator to pole, is found generally. But is it not
an obvious disadvantage for an equal product to contain less
nourishment?
To all these points may be added another, which at once depends on and
strengthens them. Hot countries need inhabitants less than cold
countries, and can support more of them. There is thus a double surplus,
which is all to the advantage of despotism. The greater the territory
occupied by a fixed number of inhabitants, the more difficult revolt
becomes, because rapid or secret concerted action is impossible, and the
government can easily unmask projects and cut communications; but the
more a numerous people is gathered together, the less can the government
usurp the Sovereign’s place: the people’s leaders can deliberate as
safely in their houses as the prince in council, and the crowd gathers
as rapidly in the squares as the prince’s troops in their quarters. The
advantage of tyrannical government therefore lies in acting at great
distances. With the help of the rallying-points it establishes, its
strength, like that of the lever,[26] grows with distance. The strength
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