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