the origins of contemporary france-1-第135章

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on　seeing　the　list　of　deserters；　for　eight　years　amounting　to　60；000。〃



＇7＇　Archives　nationales；　H；　554。　　（Letter　of　M。　de　Bertrand；

intendant　of　Rennes；　August　17；　1785）。



＇8＇　Mercier；　XI；　121。



＇9＇　Now　we　know　better。　　The　most　healthy　bread　is　the　one　in　which

some　bran　is　left；　such　bran　is　not　only　good　for　the　digestion　but

contains　vitamins　and　minerals　as　well。　　（SR）。



＇10＇　De　Vaublanc；　149。



＇11＇　De　Ségur；　I；　20　（1767）。



＇12＇　Augeard；　〃Mémoires；〃　165。



＇13＇　Horace　Walpole；　September　5；　1789。



＇14＇　Laboulaye；　〃De　l'Administration　fran？aise　sous　Louis　XVI。〃

（Revue　des　Cours　littéraires；　IV；　743）。　　…　　Albert　Babeau；　I；　111。

（Doléances　et　veux　des　corporations　de　Troyes）。



＇15＇　De　Tocqueville；　158。



＇16＇　Ibid。　　304。　　（The　words　of　Burke。）



＇17＇　Travels　in　France；　I。　　240；　263。



＇18＇　What　an　impression　this　view　must　have　made　on　Lenin　who

sought；　between　1906　and　1909　in　Paris；　the　means　and　ways　with　which

to　re…create　the　French　revolution　in　Russia。　　（SR。）



＇19＇　Beugnot；　I。　　115；　116。



＇20＇　Archives　nationales；　procès…verbaux　and　cahiers　of　the　States…

General；　vol。　　XIII；　p。　　405。　　（Letter　of　the　Marquis　de　Fodoas；

commandant　of　Armagnac；　to　M。　Necker；　may　29；　1789。）



＇21＇　Ibid。　　Vol。　　CL；　p。　　174。　　（　Letter　from　the　intendant　of　Tours　of

March　25；　1789。）



＇22＇　〃Lenin　deviated　from　Marx　not　in　preaching　the　necessity　for

violent　proletarian　revolution；　but　by　advocating　the　creation　of　an

elite　party　of　professional　revolutionaries　to　hasten　this　end；　and　by

arguing　for　the　dictatorship　of　this　party　rather　than　the　working

class　as　a　whole。〃　The　Guinness　Encyclopedia　page　269。　　（SR。）



＇23＇　Archives　nationales；　H；　784。　　（Letters　of　M。　de　Langeron；

military　commandant　at　Besan？on；　October　16　and　18；　1789）。　　The

consultation　is　annexed。



＇24＇　Arthur　Young；　I；　344。













CHAPTER　V。　　SUMMARY。



I。　　Suicide　of　the　Ancient　Regime。



　　These　two　forces；　radical　dogma　and　brute　force；　are　the

successors　and　executors　of　the　Ancient　regime；　and；　on　contemplating

the　way　in　which　this　regime　engendered；　brought　forth；　nourished；

installed　and　stimulated　them　we　cannot　avoid　considering　its　history

as　one　long　suicide；　like　that　of　a　man　who；　having　mounted　to　the　top

of　an　immense　ladder；　cuts　away　from　under　his　feet　the　support　which

has　kept　him　up。　　…　　　In　a　case　of　this　kind　good　intentions　are　not

sufficient；　to　be　liberal　and　even　generous；　to　enter　upon　a　few　semi…

reforms；　is　of　no　avail。　　On　the　contrary；　through　both　their　qualities

and　defects；　through　both　their　virtues　and　their　vices；　the

privileged　wrought　their　own　destruction；　their　merits　contributing　to

their　ruin　as　well　as　their　faults。　　…　　Founders　of　society；　formerly

entitled　to　their　advantages　through　their　services；　they　have

preserved　their　rank　without　fulfilling　their　duties；　their　position

in　the　local　as　in　the　central　government　is　a　sinecure；　and　their

privileges　have　become　abuses。　　At　their　head；　a　king；　creating　France

by　devoting　himself　to　her　as　if　his　own　property；　ended　by

sacrificing　her　as　if　his　own　property；　the　public　purse　is　his

private　purse；　while　passions；　vanities；　personal　weaknesses；

luxurious　habits；　family　solicitudes；　the　intrigues　of　a　mistress　and

the　caprices　of　a　wife；　govern　a　state　of　twenty…six　millions　of　men

with　an　arbitrariness；　a　heedlessness；　a　prodigality；　a　lack　of　skill；

an　absence　of　consistency　that　would　scarcely　be　overlooked　in　the

management　of　a　private　domain。　　…　　The　king　and　the　privileged　excel

in　one　direction；　in　manners；　in　good　taste；　in　fashion；　in　the　talent

for　representation　and　in　entertaining　and　receiving；　in　the　gift　of

graceful　conversation；　in　finesse　and　in　gaiety；　in　the　art　of

converting　life　into　a　brilliant　and　ingenious　festivity；　regarding

the　world　as　a　drawing　room　of　refined　idlers　in　which　it　suffices　to

be　amiable　and　witty；　whilst；　actually；　it　is　an　arena　where　one　must

be　strong　for　combats；　and　a　laboratory　in　which　one　must　work　in

order　to　be　useful。　　…　　　Through　the　habit；　perfection　and　sway　of

polished　intercourse　they　stamped　on　the　French　intellect　a　classic

form；　which；　combined　with　recent　scientific　acquisitions；　produced

the　philosophy　of　the　eighteenth　century；　the　disrepute　of　tradition；

the　ambition　of　recasting　all　human　institutions　according　to　the　sole

dictates　of　Reason；　the　appliance　of　mathematical　methods　to　politics

and　morals；　the　catechism　of　the　Rights　of　Man；　and　other　dogmas　of

anarchical　and　despotic　character　in　the　CONTRAT　SOCIAL。　　…　　　Once

this　chimera　is　born　they　welcome　it　as　a　drawing　room　fancy；　they　use

the　little　monster　as　a　plaything；　as　yet　innocent　and　decked　with

ribbons　like　a　pastoral　lambkin；　they　never　dream　of　its　becoming　a

raging；　formidable　brute；　they　nourish　it；　and　caress　it；　and　then；

opening　their　doors；　they　let　it　descend　into　the　streets。　　…　　　Here

among　the　middle　class　which　the　government　has　rendered　ill…disposed

by　compromising　its　fortunes；　which　the　privileged　have　offended　by

restricting　its　ambition；　which　is　wounded　by　inequality　through

injured　self…esteem；　the　revolutionary　theory　gains　rapid　accessions；

a　sudden　asperity；　and；　in　a　few　years；　it　finds　itself　undisputed

master　of　public　opinion。　　…　　At　this　moment　and　at　its　summons；

another　colossal　monster　rises　up；　a　monster　with　millions　of　heads；　a

blind；　startled　animal；　an　entire　people　pressed　down；　exasperated　and

suddenly　loosened　against　the　government　whose　exactions　have

despoiled　it；　against　the　privileged　whose　rights　have　reduced　it　to

starvation；　without；　in　these　rural　districts　abandoned　by　their

natural　protectors；　encountering　any　surviving　authority；　without；　in

these　provinces　subject　to　the　yoke　of　universal　centralization；

encountering　a　single　independent　group　and　without　the　possibility　of

forming；　in　this　society　broken　up　by　despotism；　any　centers　of

enterprise　and　resistance；　without　finding；　in　this　upper　class

disarmed　by　its　very　humanity；　a　policy　devoid　of　illusion　and　capable

of　action。　　Without　which　all　these　good　intentions　and　fine　intellects

shall　be　unable　to　protect　themselves　against　the　two　enemies　of　all

liberty　and　of　all　order；　against　the　contagion　of　the　democratic

nightmare　which　disturbs　the　ablest　heads　and　against　the　irruptions

of　the　popular　brutality　which　perverts　the　best　of　laws。　　At　the

moment　of　opening　the　States…General　the　course　of　ideas　and　events　is

not　only　fixed　but；　again；　apparent。　　Beforehand　and　unconsciously；

each　generation　bears　（Page　400/296）within　itself　its　past　and　its

future；　and　to　this　one；　long　before　the　end；　one　might　have　been　able

to　foretell　its　fate；　and；　if　both　details　as　well　as　the　entire

action　could　have　been　foreseen；　one　would　readily　have　accepted　the

following　fiction　made　up　by　a　converted　Laharpe＇1＇　when；　at　the　end

of　the　Directory；　he　arranged　his　souvenirs：



II。



〃It　seems　to　me；〃　he　says；　〃as　if　it　were　but　yesterday；　and　yet　it

is　at　the　beginning　of　the　year　1788。　　We　were　dining　with　one　of　our

fellow　members　of　the　Academy；　a　grand　seignior　and　a　man　of

intelligence。　　The　company　was　numerous　and　of　every　profession；

courtiers；　advocates；　men　of　letters　and　academicians；　all　had　feasted

luxuriously　according　to　custom。　　At　the　dessert　the　wines　of　Malvoisie

and　of　Constance　contributed　to　the　social　gaiety　a　sort　of　freedom

not　always　kept　within　decorous　limits。　　At　that　time　society　had


reached　the　point　at　which　everything　may　be　expressed　that　excites

laughter。　　Champfort　had　read　to　us　his　impious　and　libertine　stories；

and　great　ladies　had　listened　to　these　without　recourse　to　their　fans。

Hence　a　deluge　of　witticisms　against　religion；　one　quoting　a　tirade

from　'La　Pucelle；'　another　bringing　forward　certain　philosophical

stanzas　by　Diderot。　　。　　。　　。　　and　with　unbounded　applause。