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第14章

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great philosophers; your murderers will have no word but

philosophy on their lips!〃



The hush was complete and universal when the pupil of Voltaire

the prince of the academic sceptics; hot La Harpecried with a

sarcastic laugh; 〃Do not flatter me; O prophet; by exemption from

the fate of my companions。  Shall _I_ have no part to play in

this drama of your fantasies。〃



At this question; Cazotte's countenance lost its unnatural

expression of awe and sternness; the sardonic humour most common

to it came back and played in his brightening eyes。



〃Yes; La Harpe; the most wonderful part of all!  YOU will

becomea Christian!〃



This was too much for the audience that a moment before seemed

grave and thoughtful; and they burst into an immoderate fit of

laughter; while Cazotte; as if exhausted by his predictions; sank

back in his chair; and breathed hard and heavily。



〃Nay; said Madame de G; 〃you who have predicted such grave

things concerning us; must prophesy something also about

yourself。〃



A convulsive tremor shook the involuntary prophet;it passed;

and left his countenance elevated by an expression of resignation

and calm。  〃Madame;〃 said he; after a long pause; 〃during the

siege of Jerusalem; we are told by its historian that a man; for

seven successive days; went round the ramparts; exclaiming; 'Woe

to thee; Jerusalem;woe to myself!'〃



〃Well; Cazotte; well?〃



〃And on the seventh day; while he thus spoke; a stone from the

machines of the Romans dashed him into atoms!〃



With these words; Cazotte rose; and the guests; awed in spite of

themselves; shortly afterwards broke up and retired。





CHAPTER 1。VII。



Qui donc t'a donne la mission s'annoncer au peuple que la

divinite n'existe pas?  Quel avantage trouves…tu a persuader a

l'homme qu'une force aveugle preside a ses destinees et frappe au

hasard le crime et la vertu?Robespierre; 〃Discours;〃 Mai 7;

1794。



(Who then invested you with the mission to announce to the people

that there is no God?  What advantage find you in persuading man

that nothing but blind force presides over his destinies; and

strikes haphazard both crime and virtue?)



It was some time before midnight when the stranger returned home。

His apartments were situated in one of those vast abodes which

may be called an epitome of Paris itself;the cellars rented by

mechanics; scarcely removed a step from paupers; often by

outcasts and fugitives from the law; often by some daring writer;

who; after scattering amongst the people doctrines the most

subversive of order; or the most libellous on the characters of

priest; minister; and king; retired amongst the rats; to escape

the persecution that attends the virtuous; the ground…floor

occupied by shops; the entresol by artists; the principal stories

by nobles; and the garrets by journeymen or grisettes。



As the stranger passed up the stairs; a young man of a form and

countenance singularly unprepossessing emerged from a door in the

entresol; and brushed beside him。  His glance was furtive;

sinister; savage; and yet timorous; the man's face was of an

ashen paleness; and the features worked convulsively。  The

stranger paused; and observed him with thoughtful looks; as he

hurried down the stairs。  While he thus stood; he heard a groan

from the room which the young man had just quitted; the latter

had pulled to the door with hasty vehemence; but some fragment;

probably of fuel; had prevented its closing; and it now stood

slightly ajar; the stranger pushed it open and entered。  He

passed a small anteroom; meanly furnished; and stood in a

bedchamber of meagre and sordid discomfort。  Stretched on the

bed; and writhing in pain; lay an old man; a single candle lit

the room; and threw its feeble ray over the furrowed and

death…like face of the sick person。  No attendant was by; he

seemed left alone; to breathe his last。  〃Water;〃 he moaned

feebly;〃water:I parch;I burn!〃  The intruder approached the

bed; bent over him; and took his hand。  〃Oh; bless thee; Jean;

bless thee!〃 said the sufferer; 〃hast thou brought back the

physician already?  Sir; I am poor; but I can pay you well。  I

would not die yet; for that young man's sake。〃  And he sat

upright in his bed; and fixed his dim eyes anxiously on his

visitor。



〃What are your symptoms; your disease?〃



〃Fire; fire; fire in the heart; the entrails:  I burn!〃



〃How long is it since you have taken food?〃



〃Food! only this broth。  There is the basin; all I have taken

these six hours。  I had scarce drunk it ere these pains began。〃



The stranger looked at the basin; some portion of the contents

was yet left there。



〃Who administered this to you?〃



〃Who?  Jean!  Who else should?  I have no servant;none!  I am

poor; very poor; sir。  But no! you physicians do not care for the

poor。  I AM RICH! can you cure me?〃



〃Yes; if Heaven permit。  Wait but a few moments。〃



The old man was fast sinking under the rapid effects of poison。

The stranger repaired to his own apartments; and returned in a

few moments with some preparation that had the instant result of

an antidote。  The pain ceased; the blue and livid colour receded

from the lips; the old man fell into a profound sleep。  The

stranger drew the curtains round the bed; took up the light; and

inspected the apartment。  The walls of both rooms were hung with

drawings of masterly excellence。  A portfolio was filled with

sketches of equal skill;but these last were mostly subjects

that appalled the eye and revolted the taste:  they displayed the

human figure in every variety of suffering;the rack; the wheel;

the gibbet; all that cruelty has invented to sharpen the pangs of

death seemed yet more dreadful from the passionate gusto and

earnest force of the designer。  And some of the countenances of

those thus delineated were sufficiently removed from the ideal to

show that they were portraits; in a large; bold; irregular hand

was written beneath these drawings; 〃The Future of the

Aristocrats。〃  In a corner of the room; and close by an old

bureau; was a small bundle; over which; as if to hide it; a cloak

was thrown carelessly。  Several shelves were filled with books;

these were almost entirely the works of the philosophers of the

time;the philosophers of the material school; especially the

Encyclopedistes; whom Robespierre afterwards so singularly

attacked when the coward deemed it unsafe to leave his reign

without a God。



(〃Cette secte (les Encyclopedistes) propagea avec beaucoup de

zele l'opinion du materialisme; qui prevalut parmi les grands et

parmi les beaux esprits; on lui doit en partie cette espece de

philosophie pratique qui; reduisant l'Egoisme en systeme regarde

la societe humaine comme une guerre de ruse; le succes comme la

regle du juste et de l'injuste; la probite comme une affaire de

gout; ou de bienseance; le monde comme le patrimoine des fripons

adroits。〃〃Discours de Robespierre;〃 Mai 7; 1794。  (This sect

(the Encyclopaedists) propagate with much zeal the doctrine of

materialism; which prevails among the great and the wits; we owe

to it partly that kind of practical philosophy which; reducing

Egotism to a system; looks upon society as a war of cunning;

success the rule of right and wrong; honesty as an affair of

taste or decency:  and the world as the patrimony of clever

scoundrels。))



A volume lay on a table;it was one of Voltaire; and the page

was opened at his argumentative assertion of the existence of the

Supreme Being。  (〃Histoire de Jenni。〃)  The margin was covered

with pencilled notes; in the stiff but tremulous hand of old age;

all in attempt to refute or to ridicule the logic of the sage of

Ferney:  Voltaire did not go far enough for the annotator!  The

clock struck two; when the sound of steps was heard without。  The

stranger silently seated himself on the farther side of the bed;

and its drapery screened him; as he sat; fro

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