the origins of contemporary france-1-第90章

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of　license；　he　is　ever　the　well…bred　man；　born　and　brought　up　in　the

aristocratic　circle　in　which　full　liberty　is　allowed　but　where　good…

breeding　is　supreme；　where　every　idea　is　permitted　but　where　words　are

weighed；　where　one　has　the　privilege　of　saying　what　he　pleases；　but　on

condition　that　he　never　forgets　himself。



A　circle　of　this　kind　is　a　small　one；　comprising　only　a　select　few；

to　be　understood　by　the　multitude　requires　another　tone　of　voice。

Philosophy　demands　a　writer　whose　principal　occupation　is　a　diffusion

of　it；　who　is　unable　to　keep　it　to　himself；　who　pours　it　out　like　a

gushing　fountain；　who　offers　it　to　everybody；　daily　and　in　every　form；

in　broad　streams　and　in　small　drops；　without　exhaustion　or　weariness；

through　every　crevice　and　by　every　channel；　in　prose；　in　verse；　in

imposing　and　in　trifling　poems；　in　the　drama；　in　history；　in　novels；

in　pamphlets；　in　pleadings；　in　treatises；　in　essays；　in　dictionaries；

in　correspondence；　openly　and　in　secret；　in　order　that　it　may

penetrate　to　all　depths　and　in　every　soil；　such　was　Voltaire。　　　　…

〃I　have　accomplished　more　in　my　day；〃　he　says　somewhere；　〃than　either

Luther　or　Calvin；〃　in　which　he　is　mistaken。　　The　truth　is；　however；　he

has　something　of　their　spirit。　　Like　them　he　is　desirous　of　changing

the　prevailing　religion；　he　takes　the　attitude　of　the　founder　of　a

sect；　he　recruits　and　binds　together　proselytes；　he　writes　letters　of

exhortation；　of　direction　and　of　predication；　he　puts　watchwords　in

circulation；　he　furnishes　〃the　brethren〃　with　a　device；　his　passion

resembles　the　zeal　of　an　apostle　or　of　a　prophet。　　Such　a　spirit　is

incapable　of　reserve；　it　is　militant　and　fiery　by　nature；　it

apostrophizes；　reviles　and　improvises；　it　writes　under　the　dictation

of　impressions；　it　allows　itself　every　species　of　utterance　and；　if

need　be；　the　coarsest。　　It　thinks　by　explosions；　its　emotions　are

sudden　starts；　and　its　images　so　many　sparks；　it　lets　the　rein　go

entirely；　it　gives　itself　up　to　the　reader　and　hence　it　takes

possession　of　him。　　Resistance　is　impossible；　the　contagion　is　too

overpowering。　　A　creature　of　air　and　flame；　the　most　excitable　that

ever　lived；　composed　of　more　ethereal　and　more　throbbing　atoms　than

those　of　other　men；　none　is　there　whose　mental　machinery　is　more

delicate；　nor　whose　equilibrium　is　at　the　same　time　more　shifting　and

more　exact。　　He　may　be　compared　to　those　accurate　scales　that　are

affected　by　a　breath；　but　alongside　of　which　every　other　measuring

apparatus　is　incorrect　and　clumsy。　　　…　　　But；　in　this　delicate　balance

only　the　lightest　weights；　the　finest　specimen　must　be　placed；　on　this

condition　only　it　rigorously　weighs　all　substances；　such　is　Voltaire；

involuntarily；　through　the　demands　of　his　intellect；　and　in　his　own

behalf　as　much　as　in　that　of　his　readers。　　An　entire　philosophy；　ten

volumes　of　theology；　an　abstract　science；　a　special　library；　an

important　branch　of　erudition；　of　human　experience　and　invention；　is

thus　reduced　in　his　hands　to　a　phrase　or　to　a　stanza。　　From　the

enormous　mass　of　riven　or　compact　scorioe　he　extracts　whatever　is

essential；　a　grain　of　gold　or　of　copper　as　a　specimen　of　the　rest；

presenting　this　to　us　in　its　most　convenient　and　most　manageable　form；

in　a　simile；　in　a　metaphor；　in　an　epigram　that　becomes　a　proverb。　　In

this　no　ancient　or　modern　writer　approaches　him；　in　simplification　and

in　popularization　he　has　not　his　equal　in　the　world。　　Without

departing　from　the　usual　conversational　tone；　and　as　if　in　sport；　he

puts　into　little　portable　phrases　the　greatest　discoveries　and

hypotheses　of　the　human　mind；　the　theories　of　Descartes；　Malebranche；

Leibnitz；　Locke　and　Newton；　the　diverse　religions　of　antiquity　and　of

modern　times；　every　known　system　of　physics；　physiology；　geology；

morality；　natural　law；　and　political　economy；＇21＇　in　short；　all　the

generalized　conceptions　in　every　order　of　knowledge　to　which　humanity

had　attained　in　the　eighteenth　century。　　　　…　　Voltaire's　inclination

is　so　strong　that　it　carries　him　too　far；　he　belittles　great　things　by

rendering　them　accessible。　　Religion；　legend；　ancient　popular　poesy；

the　spontaneous　creations　of　instinct；　the　vague　visions　of　primitive

tunes　are　not　thus　to　be　converted　into　small　current　coin；　they　are

not　subjects　of　amusing　and　lively　conversation。　　A　piquant　witticism

is　not　an　expression　of　all　this；　but　simply　a　travesty。　　But　how

charming　to　Frenchmen；　and　to　people　of　the　world！　And　what　reader　can

abstain　from　a　book　containing　all　human　knowledge　summed　up　in

piquant　witticisms？　For　it　is　really　a　summary　of　human　knowledge；　no

important　idea；　as　far　as　I　can　see；　being　wanting　to　a　man　whose

breviary　consisted　of　the　〃Dialogues；〃　the　〃Dictionary；〃　and　the

〃Novels。〃　Read　them　over　and　over　five　or　six　times；　and　we　then　form

some　idea　of　their　vast　contents。　　Not　only　do　views　of　the　world　and

of　man　abound　in　them；　but　again　they　swarm　with　positive　and　even

technical　details；　thousands　of　little　facts　scattered　throughout；

multiplied　and　precise　details　on　astronomy；　physics；　geography；

physiology；　statistics；　and　on　the　history　of　all　nations；　the

innumerable　and　personal　experiences　of　a　man　who　has　himself　read　the

texts；　handled　the　instruments；　visited　the　countries；　taken　part　in

the　industries；　and　associated　with　the　persons；　and　who；　in　the

precision　of　his　marvelous　memory；　in　the　liveliness　of　his　ever…

blazing　imagination；　revives　or　sees；　as　with　the　eye　itself；

everything　that　he　states　and　as　he　states　it。　　It　is　a　unique　talent；

the　rarest　in　a　classic　era；　the　most　precious　of　all；　since　it

consists　in　the　display　of　actual　beings；　not　through　the　gray　veil　of

abstractions；　but　in　themselves；　as　they　are　in　nature　and　in　history；

with　their　visible　color　and　forms；　with　their　accessories　and

surroundings　in　time　and　space；　a　peasant　at　his　cart；　a　Quaker　in　his

meeting…house；　a　German　baron　in　his　castle；　Dutchmen；　Englishmen；

Spaniards；　Italians；　Frenchmen；　in　their　homes；＇22＇　a　great　lady；　a

designing　woman；　provincials；　soldiers；　prostitutes；＇23＇　and　the　rest

of　the　human　medley；　on　every　step　of　the　social　ladder；　each　an

abridgment　of　his　kind　and　in　the　passing　light　of　a　sudden　flash。



For；　the　most　striking　feature　of　this　style　is　the　prodigious

rapidity；　the　dazzling　and　bewildering　stream　of　novelties；　ideas；

images；　events；　landscapes；　narratives；　dialogues；　brief　little

pictures；　following　each　other　rapidly　as　if　in　a　magic…lantern；

withdrawn　almost　as　soon　as　presented　by　the　impatient　magician　who；

in　the　twinkling　of　an　eye；　girdles　the　world　and；　constantly

accumulating　one　on　top　of　the　other；　history；　fable；　truth　and　fancy；

the　present　time　and　times　past；　frames　his　work　now　with　a　parade　as

absurd　as　that　of　a　country　fair；　and　now　with　a　fairy　scene　more

magnificent　than　all　those　of　the　opera。　　To　amuse　and　be　amused；　〃to

diffuse　his　spirit　in　every　imaginable　mode；　like　a　glowing　furnace

into　which　all　substances　are　thrown　by　turns　to　evolve　every　species

of　flame；　sparkle　and　odor；〃　is　his　first　instinct。　　〃Life；〃　he　says

again；　〃is　an　infant　to　be　rocked　until　it　goes　to　sleep。〃　Never　was　a

mortal　more　excited　and　more　exciting；　more　incapable　of　silence　and

more　hostile　to　ennui；＇24＇　　better　endowed　for　conversation；　more

evidently　destined　to　become　the　king　of　a　sociable　century　in　which；

with　six　pretty　stories；　thirty　witticisms　and　some　confidence　in

himself；　a　man　could　obtain　a　social　passport　and　the　certainty　of

being　everywhere　welcome。　　Never　was　there　a　writer　possessing　to　so

high　a　degree　and　in　such　abundance　every　qualification　of　the

conversationalist；　the　art　of　animating　and　of　enlivening　discourse；

the　talent　for　giving　pleasure　to　people　of　society。　　Perfectly

refined　when　he　chose　to　be；　confining　himself　without　inconvenience

to　strict　decorum；　of　finished　politeness；　of　exquisite　gallantry；

deferential　without　being　servil