the origins of contemporary france-2-第1章

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The　French　Revolution；　Volume　1。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
The　Origins　of　Contemporary　France；　Volume　2
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
by　Hippolyte　A。　Taine








CONTENTS：



ANARCHY



PREFACE



BOOK　FIRST。　　　Spontaneous　Anarchy。



CHAPTER　I。　　The　Beginnings　of　Anarchy



CHAPTER　II。　　Paris　up　to　the　14th　of　July



CHAPTER　III。　　Anarchy　from　July　14th　to　October　6th；　1789



CHAPTER　IV。　　PARIS



BOOK　SECOND。　　The　constituent　Assembly；　and　the　Result　of　its　Labors



CHAPTER　I。　　The　Constituent　Assembly



CHAPTER　II。　　The　Damage



CHAPTER　III。　　The　Constructions　…　The　Constitution　of　1791。



BOOK　THIRD。　　　The　Application　of　the　Constitution



CHAPTER　I。　　The　Federations



CHAPTER　II。　　Sovereignty　of　Unrestrained　Passions



CHAPTER　III。　　Development　of　the　ruling　Passion









PREFACE



This　second　part　of　〃Les　Origines　de　la　France　Contemporaine〃　will

consist　of　two　volumes。　　…　Popular　insurrections　and　the　laws　of　the

Constituent　Assembly　end　in　destroying　all　government　in　France；

this　forms　the　subject　of　the　present　volume。　　…　A　party　arises

around　an　extreme　doctrine；　grabs　control　of　the　government；　and

rules　in　conformity　with　its　doctrine。　　This　will　form　the　subject

of　the　second　volume。



A　third　volume　would　be　required　to　criticize　and　evaluate　the

source　material。　　I　lack　the　necessary　space：　I　merely　state　the

rule　that　I　have　observed。　　The　trustworthiest　testimony　will　always

be　that　of　an　eyewitness；　especially



*　When　this　witness　is　an　honorable；　attentive；　and　intelligent　man；



*　When　he　is　writing　on　the　spot；　at　the　moment；　and　under　the

dictate　of　the　facts　themselves；



*　When　it　is　obvious　that　his　sole　object　is　to　preserve　or　furnish

information；



*　When　his　work　instead　of　a　piece　of　polemics　planned　for　the　needs

of　a　cause；　or　a　passage　of　eloquence　arranged　for　popular　effect　is

a　legal　deposition；　a　secret　report；　a　confidential　dispatch；　a

private　letter；　or　a　personal　memento。



The　nearer　a　document　approaches　this　type；　the　more　it　merits

confidence；　and　supplies　superior　material。　　…　　I　have　found　many　of

this　kind　in　the　national　archives；　principally　in　the　manuscript

correspondence　of　ministers；　intendants；　sub…delegates；　magistrates；

and　other　functionaries；　of　military　commanders；　officers　in　the

army；　and　gendarmerie；　of　royal　commissioners；　and　of　the　Assembly；

of　administrators　of　departments；　districts；　and　municipalities；

besides　persons　in　private　life　who　address　the　King；　the　National

Assembly；　or　the　ministry。　　Among　these　are　men　of　every　rank；

profession；　education；　and　party。　　They　are　distributed　by　hundreds

and　thousands　over　the　whole　surface　of　the　territory。　　They　write

apart；　without　being　able　to　consult　each　other；　and　without　even

knowing　each　other。　　No　one　is　so　well　placed　for　collecting　and

transmitting　accurate　information。　　None　of　them　seek　literary

effect；　or　even　imagine　that　what　they　write　will　ever　be　published。

They　draw　up　their　statements　at　once；　under　the　direct　impression

of　local　events。　　Testimony　of　this　character；　of　the　highest　order；

and　at　first　hand；　provides　the　means　by　which　all　other　testimony

ought　to　be　verified。　　…　The　footnotes　at　the　bottom　of　the　pages

indicate　the　condition；　office；　name；　and　address　of　those　decisive

witnesses。　　For　greater　certainty　I　have　transcribed　as　often　as

possible　their　own　words。　　In　this　way　the　reader；　confronting　the

texts；　can　interpret　them　for　himself；　and　form　his　own　opinions；　he

will　have　the　same　documents　as　myself　for　arriving　at　his

conclusions；　and；　if　he　is　pleased　to　do　so；　he　may　conclude

otherwise。　　As　for　allusions；　if　he　finds　any；　he　himself　will　have

introduced　them；　and　if　he　applies　them　he　is　alone　responsible　for

them。　　To　my　mind；　the　past　has　features　of　its　own；　and　the

portrait　here　presented　resembles　only　the　France　of　the　past。　　I

have　drawn　it　without　concerning　myself　with　the　discussions　of　the

day；　I　have　written　as　if　my　subject　were　the　revolutions　of

Florence　or　Athens。　　This　is　history；　and　nothing　more；　and；　if　I

may　fully　express　myself；　I　esteem　my　vocation　of　historian　too

highly　to　make　a　cloak　of　it　for　the　concealment　of　another。

（December　1877）。



_________________________________________________________________



　BOOK　FIRST。　　　SPONTANEOUS　ANARCHY。



CHAPTER　I。　　THE　BEGINNINGS　OF　ANARCHY。



I。



Dearth　the　first　cause。　　…　Bad　crops。　　The　winter　of　1788　and　1789。

…　High　price　and　poor　quality　of　bread。　　…　In　the　provinces。　　…　At

Paris。



　During　the　night　of　July　14…15；　1789；　the　Duc　de　la　Rochefoucauld…

Liancourt　caused　Louis　XVI　to　be　aroused　to　inform　him　of　the　taking

of　the　Bastille。　　〃It　is　a　revolt；　then？〃　exclaimed　the　King。

〃Sire！〃　replied　the　Duke；　〃it　is　a　revolution！〃　The　event　was　even

more　serious。　　Not　only　had　power　slipped　from　the　hands　of　the

King；　but　also　it　had　not　fallen　into　those　of　the　Assembly。　　It　now

lay　on　the　ground；　ready　to　the　hands　of　the　unchained　populace；　the

violent　and　over…excited　crowd；　the　mobs；　which　picked　it　up　like

some　weapon　that　had　been　thrown　away　in　the　street。　　In　fact；　there

was　no　longer　any　government；　the　artificial　structure　of　human

society　was　giving　way　entirely；　things　were　returning　to　a　state　of

nature。　　This　was　not　a　revolution；　but　a　dissolution。



Two　causes　excite　and　maintain　the　universal　upheaval。　　The　first

one　is　food　shortages　and　dearth；　which　being　constant；　lasting　for

ten　years；　and　aggravated　by　the　very　disturbances　which　it　excites；

bids　fair　to　inflame　the　popular　passions　to　madness；　and　change　the

whole　course　of　the　Revolution　into　a　series　of　spasmodic　stumbles。



When　a　stream　is　brimful；　a　slight　rise　suffices　to　cause　an

overflow。　　So　was　it　with　the　extreme　distress　of　the　eighteenth

century。　　A　poor　man；　who　finds　it　difficult　to　live　when　bread　is

cheap；　sees　death　staring　him　in　the　face　when　it　is　dear。　　In　this

state　of　suffering　the　animal　instinct　revolts；　and　the　universal

obedience　which　constitutes　public　peace　depends　on　a　degree　more　or

less　of　dryness　or　damp；　heat　or　cold。　　In　1788；　a　year　of　severe

drought；　the　crops　had　been　poor。　　In　addition　to　this；　on　the　eve

of　the　harvest；＇1＇　a　terrible　hail…storm　burst　over　the　region

around　Paris；　from　Normandy　to　Champagne；　devastating　sixty　leagues

of　the　most　fertile　territory；　and　causing　damage　to　the　amount　of

one　hundred　millions　of　francs。　　Winter　came　on；　the　severest　that

had　been　seen　since　1709。　　At　the　close　of　December　the　Seine　was

frozen　over　from　Paris　to　Havre；　while　the　thermometer　stood　at　180

below　zero。　　A　third　of　the　olive…trees　died　in　Provence；　and　the

rest　suffered　to　such　an　extent　that　they　were　considered　incapable

of　bearing　fruit　for　two　years　to　come。　　The　same　disaster　befell

Languedoc。　　In　Vivarais；　and　in　the　Cevennes；　whole　forests　of

chestnuts　had　perished；　along　with　all　the　grain　and　grass　crops　on

the　uplands。　　On　the　plain　the　Rhone　remained　in　a　state　of　overflow

for　two　months。　　After　the　spring　of　1789　the　famine　spread

everywhere；　and　it　increased　from　month　to　month　like　a　rising

flood。　　In　vain　did　the　Government　order　the　farmers；　proprietors；

and　corn…dealers　to　keep　the　markets　supplied。　　In　vain　did　it

double　the　bounty　on　imports；　resort　to　all　sorts　of　expedients；

involve　itself　in　debt；　and　expend　over　forty　millions　of　francs　to

furnish　France　with　wheat。　　In　vain　do　individuals；　princes；

noblemen；　bishops；　chapters；　and　communities　multiply　their

charities。　　The　Archbishop　of　Paris　incurring　a　debt　of　400；000

livres；　one　rich　man　distributing　40；000　francs　the　morning　after

the　hailstorm；　and　a　convent　of　Bernardines　feeding　twelve　hundred

poor　persons　for　six　weeks＇2＇。　　But　it　had　been　too　devastating。

Neither　public　measures　nor　private　charity　could　meet　th