the origins of contemporary france-1-第9章

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Hainaut；　in　Artois；　in　Picardy；　Alsace；　and　Lorraine；　the　dues　de

poursoin　ou　de　sauvement　（care　or　safety　within　the　walls　of　a　town）；

paid　to　him　for　providing　general　protection。　　The　dues　of　de　guet　et

de　garde　（watch　and　guard）；　claimed　by　him　for　military　protection；　of

afforage；　are　exacted　of　those　who　sell　beer；　wine　and　other

beverages；　whole…sale　or　retail。　　The　dues　of　fouage；　dues　on　fires；　in

money　or　grain；　which；　according　to　many　common…law　systems；　he　levies

on　each　fireside；　house　or　family。　　The　dues　of　pulvérage；　quite　common

in　Dauphiny…and　Provence；　are　levied　on　passing　flocks　of　sheep。　　Those

of　the　lods　et　ventes　（lord's　due）；　an　almost　universal　tax；　consist

of　the　deduction　of　a　sixth；　often　of　a　fifth　or　even　a　fourth；　of　the

price　of　every　piece　of　ground　sold；　and　of　every　lease　exceeding　nine

years。　　The　dues　for　redemption　or　relief　are　equivalent　to　one　year's

income；　aid　that　he　receives　from　collateral　heirs；　and　often　from

direct　heirs。　　Finally；　a　rarer　due；　but　the　most　burdensome　of　all；　is

that　of　acapte　ou　de　plaid…a…merci；　which　is　a　double　rent；　or　a

year's　yield　of　fruits；　payable　as　well　on　the　death　of　the　seignior

as　on　that　of　the　copyholder。　　These　are　veritable　taxes；　on　land；　on

movables；　personal；　for　licenses；　for　traffic；　for　mutations；　for

successions；　established　formerly　on　the　condition　of　performing　a

public　service　which　he　is　no　longer　obliged　to　perform。



Other　dues　are　also　ancient　taxes；　but　he　still　performs　the

service　for　which　they　are　a　quittance。　　The　king；　in　fact；　suppresses

many　of　the　tolls；　twelve　hundred　in　1724；　and　the　suppression　is　kept

up。　　A　good　many　still　remain　to　the　profit　of　the　seignior；　…　on

bridges；　on　highways；　on　fords；　on　boats　ascending　　　or　descending；

several　being　very　lucrative；　one　of　them　producing　90；000　livres＇25＇。

He　pays　for　the　expense　of　keeping　up　bridge；　road；　ford　and　towpath。

In　like　manner；　on　condition　of　maintaining　the　market…place　and　of

providing　scales　and　weights　gratis；　he　levies　a　tax　on　provisions　and

on　merchandise　brought　to　his　fair　or　to　his　market。　　…　At　Angoulême　a

forty…eighth　of　the　grain　sold；　at　Combourg　near　Saint…Malo；　so　much

per　head　of　cattle；　elsewhere　so　much　on　wine；　eatables　and　fish＇26＇

Having　formerly　built　the　oven；　the　winepress；　the　mill　and　the

slaughterhouse；　he　obliges　the　inhabitants　to　use　these　or　pay　for

their　support；　and　he　demolishes　all　constructions；　which　might　enter

into　competition　with　him＇27＇。　　These；　again；　are　evidently　monopolies

and　octrois　going　back　to　the　time　when　he　was　in　possession　of　public

authority。



Not　only　did　he　then　possess　the　public　authority　but　also

possessed　the　soil　and　the　men　on　it。　　Proprietor　of　men；　he　is　so

still；　at　least　in　many　respects　and　in　many　provinces。　　〃In　Champagne

proper；　in　the　Sénonais；　in　la　Marche；　in　the　Bourbonnais；　in　the

Nivernais；　in　Burgundy；　in　Franche…Comté；　there　are　none；　or　very　few

domains；　no　signs　remaining　of　ancient　servitude　。　　。　　。　　。　　A　good　many

personal　serfs；　or　so　constituted　through　their　own　gratitude；　or　that

of　their　progenitors；　are　still　found。〃＇28＇　　There；　man　is　a　serf；

sometimes　by　virtue　of　his　birth；　and　again　through　a　territorial

condition。　　Whether　in　servitude；　or　as　mortmains；　or　as　cotters；　one

way　or　another；　1；500；000　individuals；　it　is　said；　wore　about　their

necks　a　remnant　of　the　feudal　collar；　this　is　not　surprising　since；　on

the　other　side　of　the　Rhine；　almost　all　the　peasantry　still　wear　it。

The　seignior；　formerly　master　and　proprietor　of　all　their　goods　and

chattels　and　of　all　their　labor；　can　still　exact　of　them　from　ten　to

twelve　corvées　per　annum　and　a　fixed　annual　tax。　　In　the　barony　of

Choiseul　near　Chaumont　in　Champagne；　〃the　inhabitants　are　required　to

plow　his　lands；　to　sow　and　reap　them　for　his　account　and　to　put　the

products　into　his　barns。　　Each　plot　of　ground；　each　house；　every　head

of　cattle　pays　a　quit…claim；　children　may　inherit　from　their　parents

only　on　condition　of　remaining　with　them；　if　absent　at　the　time　of

their　decease　he　is　the　inheritor。〃　This　is　what　was　styled　in　the

language　of　the　day　an　estate　〃with　excellent　dues。〃　…Elsewhere　the

seignior　inherits　from　collaterals；　brothers　or　nephews；　if　they　were

not　in　community　with　the　defunct　at　the　moment　of　his　death；　which

community　is　only　valid　through　his　consent。　　In　the　Jura　and　the

Nivernais；　he　may　pursue　fugitive　serfs；　and　demand；　at　their　death；

not　only　the　property　left　by　them　on　his　domain；　but；　again；　the

pittance　acquired　by　them　elsewhere。　　At　Saint…Claude　he　acquires　this

right　over　any　person　that　passes　a　year　and　a　day　in　a　house

belonging　to　the　seigniory。　　As　to　ownership　of　the　soil　we　see　still

more　clearly　that　he　once　had　entire　possession　of　it。　　In　the　district

subject　to　his　jurisdiction　the　public　domain　remains　his　private

domain；　roads；　streets　and　open　squares　form　a　part　of　it；　he　has　the

right　to　plant　trees　in　them　and　to　take　trees　up。　　In　many　provinces；

through　a　pasturage　rent；　he　obliges　the　inhabitants　to　pay　for

permits　to　pasture　their　cattle　in　the　fields　after　the　crop；　and　in

the　open　common　lands；　（les　terres　vaines　et　vagues）。　　Unnavigable

streams　belong　to　him；　as　well　as　islets　and　accumulations　formed　in

them　and　the　fish　that　are　found　in　them。　　He　has　the　right　of　the

chase　over　the　whole　extent　of　his　jurisdiction；　this　or　that　commoner

being　sometimes　compelled　to　throw　open　to　him　his　park　enclosed　by

walls。



One　more　trait　serves　to　complete　the　picture。　　This　head　of　the

State；　a　proprietor　of　man　and　of　the　soil；　was　once　a　resident

cultivator　on　his　own　small　farm　amidst　others　of　the　same　class；　and；

by　this　title；　he　reserved　to　himself　certain　working　privileges　which

he　always　retained。　　Such　is　the　right　of　banvin；　still　widely

diffused；　consisting　of　the　privilege　of　selling　his　own　wine；　to　the

exclusion　of　all　others；　during　thirty　or　forty　days　after　gathering

the　crop。　　Such　is；　in　Touraine；　the　right　of　préage；　which　is　the

right　to　send　his　horses；　cows　and　oxen　〃to　browse　under　guard　in　his

subjects'　meadows。〃　Such　is；　finally；　the　monopoly　of　the　great　dove…

cot；　from　which　thousands　of　pigeons　issue　to　feed　at　all　times　and

seasons　and　on　all　grounds；　without　any　one　daring　to　kill　or　take

them。　　Through　another　effect　of　the　same　qualification　he　imposes

quit…claims　on　property　on　which　he　has　formerly　given　perpetual

leases；　and；　under　the　terms　cens；　censives　（quit…rents）；　carpot

（share　in　wine）；　champart　（share　in　grain）；　agrier　（a　cash　commission

on　general　produce）；　terrage　parciere　（share　of　fruits）。　　All　these

collections；　in　money　or　in　kind；　are　as　various　as　the　local

situations；　accidents　and　transactions　could　possibly　be。　　In　the

Bourbonnais　he　has　one…quarter　of　the　crop；　in　Berry　twelve　sheaves

out　of　a　hundred。　　Occasionally　his　debtor　or　tenant　is　a　community：

one　deputy　in　the　National　Assembly　owned　a　fief　of　two　hundred　casks

of　wine　on　three　thousand　pieces　of　private　property。＇29＇　Besides；

through　the　retrait　censuel　（a　species　of　right　of　redemption）；　he　can

〃retain　for　his　own　account　all　property　sold　on　the　condition　of

remunerating　the　purchaser；　but　previously　deducting　for　his　benefit

the　lord's　dues　（lods　and　ventes）。〃　The　reader；　finally；　must　take

note　that　all　these　restrictions　on　property　constitute；　for　the

seignior；　a　privileged　credit　as　well　on　the　product　as　on　the　price

of　the　ground；　and；　for　the　copyholders；　an　unprescriptive；

indivisible　and　irredeemable　debt。…Such　are　the　feudal。　　To　form　an

idea　of　them　in　their　totality　we　must　always　imagine　the　count；

bishop　or　abbot　of　the　tenth　century　as　sovereign　and　proprietor　in

his　own　canton。　　The　form　which　human　society　then　takes　grows　out　of

the　exigencies　of　near　and　constant　danger　with　a　view　to　local

defense。　　By　subordinating　all　interests　to　the　necessities　of　living；