雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2-第77部分

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t　to　his　apartments；　and　there；　exhausted　with　fatigue；　overwhelmed　with　sleep；　what　did　he　do？　He　took　a　death　sentence　and　passed　the　night　in　revising　a　criminal　suit；　considering　it　something　to　hold　his　own　against　Europe；　but　that　it　was　a　still　greater　matter　to　rescue　a　man　from　the　executioner。　He　obstinately　maintained　his　opinion　against　his　keeper　of　the　seals；　he　disputed　the　ground　with　the　guillotine　foot　by　foot　against　the　crown　attorneys；　those　chatterers　of　the　law；　as　he　called　them。　Sometimes　the　pile　of　sentences　covered　his　table；　he　examined　them　all；　it　was　anguish　to　him　to　abandon　these　miserable；　condemned　heads。　One　day；　he　said　to　the　same　witness　to　whom　we　have　recently　referred：　〃I　won　seven　last　night。〃
　　During　the　early　years　of　his　reign；　the　death　penalty　was　as　good　as　abolished；　and　the　erection　of　a　scaffold　was　a　violence　mitted　against　the　King。
　　The　Greve　having　disappeared　with　the　elder　branch；　a　bourgeois　place　of　execution　was　instituted　under　the　name　of　the　Barriere…Saint…Jacques；　〃practical　men〃　felt　the　necessity　of　a　quasi…legitimate　guillotine；　and　this　was　one　of　the　victories　of　Casimir　Perier；　who　represented　the　narrow　sides　of　the　bourgeoisie；　over　Louis　Philippe；　who　represented　its　liberal　sides。
　　Louis　Philippe　annotated　Beccaria　with　his　own　hand。
　　After　the　Fieschi　machine；　he　exclaimed：　〃What　a　pity　that　I　was　not　wounded！
　　Then　I　might　have　pardoned！〃　On　another　occasion；　alluding　to　the　resistance　offered　by　his　ministry；　he　wrote　in　connection　with　a　political　criminal；　who　is　one　of　the　most　generous　figures　of　our　day：
　　〃His　pardon　is　granted；　it　only　remains　for　me　to　obtain　it。〃
　　Louis　Philippe　was　as　gentle　as　Louis　IX。　and　as　kindly　as　Henri　IV。
　　Now；　to　our　mind；　in　history；　where　kindness　is　the　rarest　of　pearls；　the　man　who　is　kindly　almost　takes　precedence　of　the　man　who　is　great。
　　Louis　Philippe　having　been　severely　judged　by　some；　harshly；　perhaps；　by　others；　it　is　quite　natural　that　a　man；　himself　a　phantom　at　the　present　day；　who　knew　that　king；　should　e　and　testify　in　his　favor　before　history；　this　deposition；　whatever　else　it　may　be；　is　evidently　and　above　all　things；　entirely　disinterested；　an　epitaph　penned　by　a　dead　man　is　sincere；　one　shade　may　console　another　shade；　the　sharing　of　the　same　shadows　confers　the　right　to　praise　it；　it　is　not　greatly　to　be　feared　that　it　will　ever　be　said　of　two　tombs　in　exile：
　　〃This　one　flattered　the　other。〃


BOOK　FIRST。A　FEW　PAGES　OF　HISTORY
CHAPTER　IV　
　　CRACKS　BENEATH　THE　FOUNDATION
　　　At　the　moment　when　the　drama　which　we　are　narrating　is　on　the　point　of　penetrating　into　the　depths　of　one　of　the　tragic　clouds　which　envelop　the　beginning　of　Louis　Philippe's　reign；　it　was　necessary　that　there　should　be　no　equivoque；　and　it　became　requisite　that　this　book　should　offer　some　explanation　with　regard　to　this　king。
　　Louis　Philippe　had　entered　into　possession　of　his　royal　authority　without　violence；　without　any　direct　action　on　his　part；　by　virtue　of　a　revolutionary　change；　evidently　quite　distinct　from　the　real　aim　of　the　Revolution；　but　in　which　he；　the　Duc　d'Orleans；　exercised　no　personal　initiative。
　　He　had　been　born　a　Prince；　and　he　believed　himself　to　have　been　elected　King。
　　He　had　not　served　this　mandate　on　himself；　he　had　not　taken　it；　it　had　been　offered　to　him；　and　he　had　accepted　it；　convinced；　wrongly；　to　be　sure；　but　convinced　nevertheless；　that　the　offer　was　in　accordance　with　right　and　that　the　acceptance　of　it　was　in　accordance　with　duty。　Hence　his　possession　was　in　good　faith。
　　Now；　we　say　it　in　good　conscience；　Louis　Philippe　being　in　possession　in　perfect　good　faith；　and　the　democracy　being　in　good　faith　in　its　attack；　the　amount　of　terror　discharged　by　the　social　conflicts　weighs　neither　on　the　King　nor　on　the　democracy。
　　A　clash　of　principles　resembles　a　clash　of　elements。
　　The　ocean　defends　the　water；　the　hurricane　defends　the　air；　the　King　defends　Royalty；　the　democracy　defends　the　people；　the　relative；　which　is　the　monarchy；　resists　the　absolute；　which　is　the　republic；　society　bleeds　in　this　conflict；　but　that　which　constitutes　its　suffering　to…day　will　constitute　its　safety　later　on；　and；　in　any　case；　those　who　bat　are　not　to　be　blamed；　one　of　the　two　parties　is　evidently　mistaken；　the　right　is　not；　like　the　Colossus　of　Rhodes；　on　two　shores　at　once；　with　one　foot　on　the　republic；　and　one　in　Royalty；　it　is　indivisible；　and　all　on　one　side；　but　those　who　are　in　error　are　so　sincerely；　a　blind　man　is　no　more　a　criminal　than　a　Vendean　is　a　ruffian。　Let　us；　then；　impute　to　the　fatality　of　things　alone　these　formidable　collisions。
　　Whatever　the　nature　of　these　tempests　may　be；　human　irresponsibility　is　mingled　with　them。
　　Let　us　plete　this　exposition。
　　The　government　of　1840　led　a　hard　life　immediately。
　　Born　yesterday；　it　was　obliged　to　fight　to…day。
　　Hardly　installed；　it　was　already　everywhere　conscious　of　vague　movements　of　traction　on　the　apparatus　of　July　so　recently　laid；　and　so　lacking　in　solidity。
　　Resistance　was　born　on　the　morrow；　perhaps　even；　it　was　born　on　the　preceding　evening。
　　From　month　to　month　the　hostility　increased；　and　from　being　concealed　it　became　patent。
　　The　Revolution　of　July；　which　gained　but　little　acceptance　outside　of　France　by　kings；　had　been　diversely　interpreted　in　France；　as　we　have　said。
　　God　delivers　over　to　men　his　visible　will　in　events；　an　obscure　text　written　in　a　mysterious　tongue。
　　Men　immediately　make　translations　of　it；　translations　hasty；　incorrect；　full　of　errors；　of　gaps；　and　of　nonsense。
　　Very　few　minds　prehend　the　divine　language。　The　most　sagacious；　the　calmest；　the　most　profound；　decipher　slowly；　and　when　they　arrive　with　their　text；　the　task　has　long　been　pleted；　there　are　already　twenty　translations　on　the　public　place。　From　each　remaining　springs　a　party；　and　from　each　misinterpretation　a　faction；　and　each　party　thinks　that　it　alone　has　the　true　text；　and　each　faction　thinks　that　it　possesses　the　light。
　　Power　itself　is　often　a　faction。
　　There　are；　in　revolutions；　swimmers　who　go　against　the　current；　they　are　the　old　parties。
　　For　the　old　parties　who　clung　to　heredity　by　the　grace　of　God；　think　that　revolutions；　having　sprung　from　the　right　to　revolt；　one　has　the　right　to　revolt　against　them。
　　Error。
　　For　in　these　revolutions；　the　one　who　revolts　is　not　the　people；　it　is　the　king。　Revolution　is　precisely　the　contrary　of　revolt。
　　Every　revolution；　being　a　normal　oute；　contains　within　itself　its　legitimacy；　which　false　revolutionists　sometimes　dishonor；　but　which　remains　even　when　soiled；　which　survives　even　when　stained　with　blood。
　　Revolutions　spring　not　from　an　accident；　but　from　necessity。　A　revolution　is　a　return　from　the　fictitious　to　the　real。
　　It　is　because　it　must　be　that　it　is。
　　None　the　less　did　the　old　legitimist　parties　assail　the　Revolution　of　1830　with　all　the　vehemence　which　arises　from　false　reasoning。　Errors　make　excellent　projectiles。
　　They　strike　it　cleverly　in　its　vulnerable　spot；　in　default　of　a　cuirass；　in　its　lack　of　logic；　they　attacked　this　revolution　in　its　royalty。
　　They　shouted　to　it：　〃Revolution；　why　this　king？〃
　　Factions　are　blind　men　who　aim　correctly。
　　This　cry　was　uttered　equally　by　the　republicans。
　　But　ing　from　them；　this　cry　was　logical。
　　What　was　blindness　in　the　legitimists　was　clearness　of　vision　in　the　democrats。
　　1830　had　bankrupted　the　people。　The　enraged　democracy　reproached　it　with　this。
　　Between　the　attack　of　the　past　and　the　attack　of　the　future；　the　establishment　of　July　struggled。
　　It　represented　the　minute　at　loggerheads　on　the　one　hand　with　the　monarchical　centuries；　on　the　other　hand　with　eternal　right。
　　In　addition；　and　beside　all　this；　as　it　was　no　longer　revolution　and　had　bee　a　monarchy；　1830　was　obliged　to　take　precedence　of　all　Europe。　To　keep　the　peace；　was　an　increase　of　plication。
　　A　harmony　established　contrary　to　sense　is　often　more　onerous　than　a　war。　From　this　secret　conflict；　always　muzzled；　but　always　growling；　was　born　armed　peace；　that　ruinous　expedient　of　civilization　which　in　the　harness　of　the　European　cabinets　is　suspicious　in　itself。　The　Royalty　of　July　reared　up；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　it　caught　it　in　the　harness　of　European　cabinets。
　　Metternich　would　gladly　have　put　it　in　kicking…straps。　Pushed　on　in　France　by　progress；　it　pushed　on　the　monarchies；　those　loiterers　in　Europe。
　　After　having　been　towed；　it　undertook　to　tow。
　　Meanwhile；　within　her；　pauperism；　the　proletariat；　salary；　education；　penal　servitude；　prostitution；　the　fate　of　the　woman；　wealth；　misery；　production；　consumption；　division；　exchange；　coin；　credit；　the　rights　of　capital；　the　rights　of　labor；　all　these　questions　were　multiplied　above　society；　a　terrible　slope。
　　Outside　of　political　parties　properly　so　called；　another　movement　became　manifest。
　　Philosophical　fermentation　replied　to　democratic　fermentation。
　　The　elect　felt　troubled　as　well　as　the　masses；　in　another　manner；　but　quite　as　much。
　　Thinkers　meditated；　while　the　soil；　that　is　to　say；　the　people；　traversed　by　revolutionary　currents；　trembled　under　them　with　indescribably　vague　epileptic　shocks。
　　These　dreamers；　some　isolated；　others　united　in　families　and　almost　in　munion；　turned　over　
social　questions　in　a　pacific　but　profound　manner；　impassive　miners；　who　tranquilly　pushed　their　galleries　into　the　depths　of　a　volcano；　hardly　disturbed　by　the　dull　motion　and　the　furnaces　of　which　they　caught　glimpses。
　　This　tranquillity　was　not　the　least　beautiful　spectacle　of　this　agitated　epoch。
　　These　men　left　to　political　parties　the　question　of　rights；　they　occupied　themselves　with　the　question　of　happiness。
　　The　well…being　of　man；　that　was　what　they　wanted　to　extract　from　society。
　　They　raised　material　questions；　questions　of　agriculture；　of　industry；　of　merce；　almost　to　the　dignity　of　a　religion。
　　In　civilization；　such　as　it　has　formed　itself；　a　little　by　the　mand　of　God；　a　great　deal　by　the　agency　of　man；　interests　bine；　unite；　and　amalgamate　in　a　manner　to　form　a　veritable　hard　rock；　in　accordance　with　a　dynamic　l