the origins of contemporary france-5-第94章

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master；　along　with　the　profits　he　can　make　out　of　the　vanquished。＇61＇

All　that　he　now　cares　for　is　rapid　promotion；　and　in　any　way；　noble　or

ignoble；　at　first；　of　course；　on　the　main　road；　that　is　in　straining

himself　and　risking　his　life；　but　likewise　on　a　new　road；　in　an

affectation　of　zeal；　in　practicing　and　professing　blind　obedience；　in

abandoning　all　political　ideas；　in　devoting　himself　no　longer　to

France；　but　to　the　sovereign：　sympathy　for　his　comrades　gives　way　to

harsh　rivalry；　soldierly　friendships；　under　the　anticipation　of

advancement；　die　out。　A　vacancy　due　to　death　is　for　the　benefit　of

survivors　and　they　know　it。　〃At　Talavera；〃　says　Stendhal；　〃two

officers　stood　together　at　their　battery；　while　a　ball　comes　and　the

captain　falls。　'Good；'　says　the　lieutenant；　'now　Fran？ois　is　dead　and

I　shall　be　captain。'　'Not　yet；'　says　Fran？ois；　who　was　only　stunned

and　who　gets　up　on　his　feet。　These　two　men　were　neither　unfriendly　nor

inimical；　only　the　lieutenant　wanted　to　rise　a　step　higher　in　rank。〃

And　this　shrewd　observer　adds：　〃Such　was　the　furious　egoism　then

styled　love　of　glory　and　which；　under　this　title；　the　Emperor　had

communicated　to　the　French。〃



On　this　slope　the　slide　is　rapid　and　abject。　Each；　at　first；　thinks　of

himself；　the　individual　makes　of　himself　a　center。　The　example；

moreover；　comes　from　above。　Is　it　for　France　or　for　himself　that

Napoleon　works？＇62＇　So　many　immense　enterprises；　the　conquest　of

Spain；　the　expedition　into　Russia；　the　installation　of　his　brothers

and　relations　on　new　thrones；　the　constant　partition　and　rearrangement

of　Europe；　all　those　incessant　and　more　and　more　distant　wars；　is　it

for　the　public　good　and　common　safety　that　he　accumulates　them？　What

does　he　himself　desire　if　not　to　push　his　fortunes　still　farther？　…　He

is　too　much　ambitious　（trop　ambitionnaire）；　say　his　own　soldiers；＇63＇

and　yet　they　follow　him　to　the　last。　〃We　have　always　marched　along

with　him；〃　replied　the　old　grenadiers；＇64＇　who　had　traversed　Poland　to

penetrate　into　Russia；　〃we　couldn't　abandon　him　this　time　and　leave

him　alone　by　himself。〃　…　But　others　who　see　him　nearer　by；　those　who

stand　first　and　next　to　him；　do　as　he　does；　and；　however　high　these

have　mounted；　they　want　to　mount　still　higher；　or；　otherwise；　　to　keep

their　places；　or；　at　least；　provide　for　themselves　and　hold　on　to

something　substantial。　Masséna　has　accumulated　forty　millions　and

Talleyrand　sixty；＇65＇　in　case　of　a　political　crash　the　money　remains。

Soult　tried　to　have　himself　elected　king　of　Portugal；＇66＇　and

Bernadotte　finds　means　to　have　himself　elected　king　of　Sweden。　After

Leipsic；　Murat　bargains　with　the　allies；　and；　to　retain　his　Neapolitan

kingdom；　he　agrees　to　furnish　a　contingent　against　France；　before　the

battle　of　Leipsic；　Bernadotte　is　with　the　allies　and　fights　with　them

against　France。　In　1814；　Bernadotte　and　Joseph；　each　caring　for

himself；　the　former　by　intrigues　and　with　the　intriguers　of　the

interior；　also　by　feeling　his　way　with　the　foreign　sovereigns　while

the　latter；　in　the　absence　of　Napoleon；　by　〃singular　efforts〃　and

〃assiduities〃　beforehand　with　Marie　Louise　thinks　of　taking　the　place

of　the　falling　emperor。＇67＇　　Prince　Eugene　alone；　or　almost　alone；

among　the　great　personalities　of　the　reign；　is　really　loyal；　his

loyalty　remaining　always　intact　exempt　from　concealed　motives　and

above　suspicion。　Everywhere　else；　the　coming　crash　or　sinister　rumors

are　heard　or　anticipated；　alarm　descends　from　high　places；　spreads

through　the　army　and　echoes　along　the　lines　of　the　lowest　ranks。　In

1815；　the　soldier　has　full　confidence　in　himself　and　in　Napoleon；　〃but

he　is　moody；　distrustful　of　his　other　leaders。　。　。　。　Every　march

incomprehensible　to　him　makes　him　uneasy　and　he　thinks　himself

betrayed。〃＇68＇　　At　Waterloo；　dragoons　that　pass　him　with　their　swords

drawn　and　old　corporals　shout　to　the　Emperor　that　Soult　and　Vandamme；

who　are　at　this　moment　about　going　into　battle；　are　haranguing　their

troops　against　him　or　deserting　him；　that　General　Dhénin；　who　has

repulsed　a　charge　of　the　enemy　and　whose　thigh　is　fractured　by　a

cannon…ball；　has　just　passed　over　to　the　enemy。　The　mechanism　which；

for　fifteen　years；　has　worked　so　well；　breaks　down　of　itself　through

its　own　action；　its　cog…wheels　have　got　out　of　gear；　cracks　show

themselves　in　the　metal　which　seemed　so　sound；　the　divinations　of

popular　instinct　verify　this；　the　exaggerations　of　the　popular

imagination　expand　it　and　suddenly　the　whole　machine　rattles　down　to

the　ground。



All　this　is　due　to　Napoleon　having　introduced　into　it　the　craving　for

success　as　central　motor；　as　the　universal　main…spring；　unscrupulous

ambition；　in　short；　a　crude　egoism；　and　in　the　first　place　his　own

egoism；　＇69＇　and　this　incentive；　strained　to　excess；＇70＇　puts　the

machine　out　of　order　and　then　ruins　it。　After　him；　under　his

successors；　the　same　machinery　is　to　work　in　the　same　manner；　and

break　down　in　the　same　way；　at　the　expiration　of　a　more　or　less

extensive　period。　Thus　far；　the　longest　of　these　periods　has　lasted

less　than　twenty　years。



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Notes：





＇1＇　Most　of　the　French　provinces　down　to　the　time　of　Richelieu　still

possessed　a　special　representative　body　which　consented　to　and　levied

the　taxes；　most　of　these　bodies　were　supported　by　the　all…powerful

minister　and　replaced　by　intendants　who；　from　that　time　on；

administered；　or　rather　exhausted；　the　country；　divided　into　thirty…

two　generalities。　A　few　provinces；　however；　Brittany；　Burgundy；

Languedoc；　a　part　of　Provence；　Flanders；　Artois；　and　some　small

districts　in　the　Pyrenees　kept　their　old　representative　body　and　were

called　pays　d'état；　whilst　other　provinces　were　designated；　by　a

strange　abuse　of　language；　under　the　name　of　pays　d'élection。〃

（Translated　from〃　Madame　de　Sta？l　et　son　Temps；〃　vol。　I。；　p。　38。）　TR。



＇2＇　Cf。　on　the　antiquity　of　this　sort　of　mind；　evident　from　the

beginning　of　society　and　of　French　literature；　my　〃History　of　English

Literature；〃　vol。　I。；　and　〃La　Fontaine　et　ses　fables；〃　pp。10　to　13。



＇3＇　In　relation　to　this　sentiment；　read　La　Fontaine's　fable　of　〃The

Rat　and　the　Elephant。〃　La　Fontaine　fully　comprehended　its　social　and

psychological　bearing。　〃To　believe　one's　self　an　important　personage

is　very　common　in　France。　。　。　。　A　childish　vanity　is　peculiar　to　us。

The　Spaniards　are　vain；　but　in　another　way。　It　is　specially　a　French

weakness。〃



＇4＇　Beugnot；　〃Mémoires；〃　I。；　317。　〃This　equality　which　is　now　our

dominant　passion　is　not　the　noble　kindly　sentiment　that　affords

delight　by　honoring　one's　self　in　honoring　one's　fellow；　and　in

feeling　at　ease　in　all　social　relationships；　no；　it　is　an　aversion　to

every　kind　of　superiority；　a　fear　lest　a　prominent　position　may　be

lost；　this　equality　tends　in　no　way　to　raise　up　what　is　kept　down；　but

to　prevent　any　elevation　whatever。〃



＇5＇　　D'Haussonville；　〃l'église　romaine　et　le　Premier　Empire；〃　I。；　chs

X。　and　XI。



＇6＇　Decree　of　March　17；　1808；　on　the　organization　of　the　Israelite

cult。　　The　members　of　the　Israelite　consistories　and　the　rabbis　must

be　accepted　by　the　government　the　same　as　the　ministers　of　the　other

cults；　but　their　salary；　which　is　fixed；　must　be　provided　by　the

Israelites　of　the　conscription；　the　State　does　not　pay　this；　the　same

as　with　curés　or　pastors。　This　is　not　done　until　under　the　monarchy　of

July；　when　the　assimilation　of　the　Israelite　with　the　other　Christian

cults　is　effected。



＇7＇　〃Travels　in　France　during　the　years　1814　and　1815　〃（Edinburgh；

1806）　I。；　176。　〃The　nobility；　the　great　landed　proprietors；　the

yeomanry；　the　lesser　farmers；　all　of　the　intermediate　ranks　who　might

oppose　a　check　to　the　power　of　a　tyrannical　prince；　are　nearly

annihilated。〃　…　Ibid。；　236。　〃Scarcely　an　intermediate　rank　was　to　be

found　in　the　nation　between　the　sovereign　and　the　peasant。〃　…　Ibid。；

II。　239。　　〃The　better　c