the ancien regime-第17章

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Theoriesprinciplesby　them　if　men　do　not　live；　by　them　men　are；

at　least；　stirred　into　life；　at　the　sight　of　something　more　noble

than　themselves。　　Only　by　great　ideas；　right　or　wrong；　could　such　a

world　as　that　which　Le　Sage　painted；　be　roused　out　of　its　slough　of

foul　self…satisfaction；　and　equally　foul　self…discontent。



For　mankind　is　ruled　and　guided；　in　the　long　run；　not　by　practical

considerations；　not　by　self…interest；　not　by　compromises；　but　by

theories　and　principles；　and　those　of　the　most　abstruse；　delicate；

supernatural；　and　literally　unspeakable　kind；　which；　whether　they　be

according　to　reason　or　not；　are　so　little　according　to　logicthat

is；　to　speakable　reasonthat　they　cannot　be　put　into　speech。　　Men

act；　whether　singly　or　in　masses；　by　impulses　and　instincts　for

which　they　give　reasons　quite　incompetent；　often　quite　irrelevant；

but　which　they　have　caught　from　each　other；　as　they　catch　fever　or

small…pox；　as　unconsciously；　and　yet　as　practically　and　potently；

just　as　the　nineteenth　century　has　caught　from　the　philosophers　of

the　eighteenth　most　practical　rules　of　conduct；　without　even　（in

most　cases）　having　read　a　word　of　their　works。



And　what　has　this　century　caught　from　these　philosophers？　　One　rule

it　has　learnt；　and　that　a　most　practical　oneto　appeal　in　all

cases；　as　much　as　possible；　to　〃Reason　and　the　Laws　of　Nature。〃

That；　at　least；　the　philosophers　tried　to　do。　　Often　they　failed。

Their　conceptions　of　reason　and　of　the　laws　of　nature　being　often

incorrect；　they　appealed　to　unreason　and　to　laws　which　were　not

those　of　nature。　　〃The　fixed　idea　of　them　all　was；〃　says　M。　de

Tocqueville；　〃to　substitute　simple　and　elementary　rules；　deduced

from　reason　and　natural　law；　for　the　complicated　traditional　customs

which　governed　the　society　of　their　time。〃　　They　were　often　rash；

hasty；　in　the　application　of　their　method。　　They　ignored　whole

classes　of　facts；　which；　though　spiritual　and　not　physical；　are　just

as　much　facts；　and　facts　for　science；　as　those　which　concern　a　stone

or　a　fungus。　　They　mistook　for　merely　complicated　traditional

customs；　many　most　sacred　institutions　which　were　just　as　much

founded　on　reason　and　natural　law；　as　any　theories　of　their　own。

But　who　shall　say　that　their　method　was　not　correct？　　That　it　was

not　the　only　method？　　They　appealed　to　reason。　　Would　you　have　had

them　appeal　to　unreason？　　They　appealed　to　natural　law。　　Would　you

have　had　them　appeal　to　unnatural　law？law　according　to　which　God

did　not　make　this　world？　　Alas！　that　had　been　done　too　often

already。　　Solomon　saw　it　done　in　his　time；　and　called　it　folly；　to

which　he　prophesied　no　good　end。　　Rabelais　saw　it　done　in　his　time；

and　wrote　his　chapters　on　the　〃Children　of　Physis　and　the　Children

of　Antiphysis。〃　　But；　born　in　an　evil　generation；　which　was　already；

even　in　1500；　ripening　for　the　revolution　of　1789；　he　was　sensual

and；　I　fear；　cowardly　enough　to　hide　his　light；　not　under　a　bushel；

but　under　a　dunghill；　till　men　took　him　for　a　jester　of　jests；　and

his　great　wisdom　was　lost　to　the　worse　and　more　foolish　generations

which　followed　him；　and　thought　they　understood　him。



But　as　for　appealing　to　natural　law　for　that　which　is　good　for　men；

and　to　reason　for　the　power　of　discerning　that　same　goodif　man

cannot　find　truth　by　that　method；　by　what　method　shall　he　find　it？



And　thus　it　happened　that；　though　these　philosophers　and

encyclopaedists　were　not　men　of　science；　they　were　at　least　the

heralds　and　the　coadjutors　of　science。



We　may　call　them；　and　justly；　dreamers；　theorists；　fanatics。　　But　we

must　recollect　that　one　thing　they　meant　to　do；　and　did。　　They

recalled　men　to　facts；　they　bid　them　ask　of　everything　they　saw

What　are　the　facts　of　the　case？　　Till　we　know　the　facts；　argument　is

worse　than　useless。



Now　the　habit　of　asking　for　the　facts　of　the　case　must　deliver　men

more　or　less　from　that　evil　spirit　which　the　old　Romans　called

〃Fama；〃　from　her　whom　Virgil　described　in　the　AEneid　as　the　ugliest；

the　falsest；　and　the　cruellest　of　monsters。



From　〃Fama；〃　from　rumours；　hearsays；　exaggerations；　scandals；

superstitions；　public　opinionswhether　from　the　ancient　public

opinion　that　the　sun　went　round　the　earth；　or　the　equally　public

opinion；　that　those　who　dared　to　differ　from　public　opinion　were

hateful　to　the　deity；　and　therefore　worthy　of　deathfrom　all　these

blasts　of　Fame's　lying　trumpet　they　helped　to　deliver　men；　and　they

therefore　helped　to　insure　something　like　peace　and　personal

security　for　those　quiet；　modest；　and　generally　virtuous　men；　who；

as　students　of　physical　science；　devoted　their　lives；　during　the

eighteenth　century；　to　asking　of　natureWhat　are　the　facts　of　the

case？



It　was　no　coincidence；　but　a　connection　of　cause　and　effect；　that

during　the　century　of　philosopher　sound　physical　science　throve；　as

she　had　never　thriven　before；　that　in　zoology　and　botany；　chemistry

and　medicine；　geology　and　astronomy；　man　after　man；　both　of　the

middle　and　the　noble　classes；　laid　down　on　more　and　more　sound；

because　more　and　more　extended　foundations；　that　physical　science

which　will　endure　as　an　everlasting　heritage　to　mankind；　endure；

even　though　a　second　Byzantine　period　should　reduce　it　to　a　timid

and　traditional　pedantry；　or　a　second　irruption　of　barbarians　sweep

it　away　for　awhile；　to　revive　again　（as　classic　philosophy　revived

in　the　fifteenth　century）　among　new　and　more　energetic　races；　when

the　kingdom　of　God　shall　have　been　taken　away　from　us；　and　given　to

a　nation　bringing　forth　the　fruits　thereof。



An　eternal　heritage；　I　say；　for　the　human　race；　which　once　gained；

can　never　be　lost；　which　stands；　and　will　stand；　marches；　and　will

march；　proving　its　growth；　its　health；　its　progressive　force；　its

certainty　of　final　victory；　by　those　very　changes；　disputes；

mistakes；　which　the　ignorant　and　the　bigoted　hold　up　to　scorn；　as

proofs　of　its　uncertainty　and　its　rottenness；　because　they　never

have　dared　or　cared　to　ask　boldlyWhat　are　the　facts　of　the　case？

and　have　never　discovered　either　the　acuteness；　the　patience；　the

calm　justice；　necessary　for　ascertaining　the　facts；　or　their　awful

and　divine　certainty　when　once　ascertained。



＇But　these　philosophers　（it　will　be　said）　hated　all　religion。



Before　that　question　can　be　fairly　discussed；　it　is　surely　right　to

consider　what　form　of　religion　that　was　which　they　found　working

round　them　in　France；　and　on　the　greater　part　of　the　Continent。　　The

quality　thereof　may　have　surely　had　something　to　do　（as　they

themselves　asserted）　with　that　〃sort　of　rage〃　with　which　（to　use　M。

de　Tocqueville's　words）　〃the　Christian　religion　was　attacked　in

France。〃



M。　de　Tocqueville　is　of　opinion　（and　his　opinion　is　likely　to　be

just）　that　〃the　Church　was　not　more　open　to　attack　in　France　than

elsewhere；　that　the　corruptions　and　abuses　which　had　been　allowed　to

creep　into　it　were　less；　on　the　contrary；　there　than　in　most

Catholic　countries。　　The　Church　of　France　was　infinitely　more

tolerant　than　it　ever　had　been　previously；　and　than　it　still　was

among　other　nations。　　Consequently；　the　peculiar　causes　of　this

phenomenon〃　（the　hatred　which　it　aroused）　〃must　be　looked　for　less

in　the　condition　of　religion　than　in　that　of　society。〃



〃We　no　longer；〃　he　says；　shortly　after；　〃ask　in　what　the　Church　of

that　day　erred　as　a　religious　institution；　but　how　far　it　stood

opposed　to　the　political　revolution　which　was　at　hand。〃　　And　he　goes

on　to　show　how　the　principles　of　her　ecclesiastical　government；　and

her　political　position；　were　such　that　the　philosophes　must　needs

have　been　her　enemies。　　But　he　mentions　another　fact　which　seems　to

me　to　belong　neither　to　the　category　of　religion　nor　to　that　of

politics；　a　fact　which；　if　he　had　done　us　the　honour　to　enlarge　upon

it；　might　have　led　him　and　his　readers　to　a　more　true　understanding

of　the　disrepute　into　which　Christianity　had　fallen　in　France。



〃The　ecclesia