the origins of contemporary france-5-第39部分

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Dalmatians；　Bonapartes　of　Sirmium　or　of　Scutari；　they　too；　of　a　new

race　or　of　intact　energy；　adventurers　and　children　of　their　own　deeds；

the　last　Diocletian；　like　Napoleon；　a　restorer　and　an　innovator。

Around　them；　as　around　Napoleon；　to　aid　them　in　their　civil

undertakings；　is　a　crowd　of　expert　administrators　and　eminent

jurisconsults；　all　practitioners；　statesmen；　and　businessmen；　and　yet

men　of　culture；　logicians；　and　philosophers。　They　were　imbued　with　the

double　governmental　and　humanitarian　view；　which　for　three　centuries

Greek　speculation　and　Roman　practice　had　introduced　into　minds　and

imaginations。　This　view；　at　once　leveling　and　authoritative；　tending

to　exaggerate　the　attributes　of　the　State　and　the　supreme　power　of　the

prince；＇33＇　was　nevertheless　inclined



*　to　put　natural　right　in　the　place　of　positive　law；＇34＇

*　to　preferring　equity　and　logic　to　antiquity　and　to　custom；

*　to　reinstate　the　dignity　of　man　among　the　qualities　of　mankind；

*　to　enhance　the　condition　of　the　slave；　of　the　provincial；　of　the

debtor；　of　the　bastard；　of　woman；　of　the　child；　and

*　to　recover　for　the　human　community　all　its　inferior　members；　foreign

or　degraded；　which　the　ancient　constitution　of　the　family　and　of　the

city　had　excluded　from　it。



Therefore　Napoleon　could　find　the　outlines　of　his　construction　in　the

political；　legislative；　and　judicial　organizations　extending　from

Diocletian　to　Constantine；　and　beyond　these　down　to　Theodosius。　At　the

base；　popular　sovereignty；＇35＇　the　powers　of　the　people　delegated

unconditionally　to　one　man。　This　omnipotence　conferred；　theoretically

or　apparently；　through　the　free　choice　of　citizens；　but　really　through

the　will　of　the　army。　No　protection　against　the　Prince's　arbitrary

edict；　except　a　no　less　arbitrary　rescript　from　the　same　hand。　His

successor　designated；　adopted；　and　qualified　by　himself。　A　senate　for

show；　a　council　of　state　for　administration；　all　local　powers

conferred　from　above；　cities　under　tutelage。　All　subjects　endowed　with

the　showy　title　of　citizen；　and　all　citizens　reduced　to　the　humble

condition　of　taxpayers　and　of　people　under　control。　An　administration

of　a　hundred　thousand　officials　taking　all　services　into　its　hands；

comprising　public　instruction；　public　succor；　and　public　supplies　of

food；　together　with　systems　of　worship。　This　was　at　first　pagan　cults；

and　after　Constantine；　the　Christian　cult。　All　these　services　were

classified；　ranked；　co…coordinated；　carefully　defined　in　such　a　way　as

not　to　encroach　on　each　other；　and　carefully　combined　in　such　a　way　as

to　complete　each　other。　An　immense　hierarchy　of　transferable

functionaries　was　kept　at　work　from　above　on　one　hundred　and　eighty

square　leagues　of　territory；　thirty　populations　of　different　race　and

language…Syrians；　Egyptians；　Numidians；　Spaniards；　Gauls；　Britons；

Germans；　Greeks；　Italians　…　subject　to　the　same　uniform　Régime。　The

territory　was　divided　like　a　checker…board；　on　arithmetical　and

geometrical　principles；　into　one　hundred　or　one　hundred　and　twenty

small　provinces；　old　nations　or　States　dismembered　and　purposely　cut

up　so　as　to　put　an　end　forever　to　natural；　spontaneous；　and　viable

groups。　A　minute　and　verified　census　taking　place　every　fifteen　years

to　correctly　assign　land　taxes。　An　official　and　universal　language；　a

State　system　of　worship；　and；　very　soon；　a　Church　and　State　orthodoxy。

A　systematic　code　of　laws；　full　and　precise；　admirable　for　the　rule　of

private　life；　a　sort　of　moral　geometry　in　which　the　theorems；

rigorously　linked　together；　are　attached　to　the　definitions　and　axioms

of　abstract　justice。　A　scale　of　grades；　one　above　the　other；　which

everybody　may　ascend　from　the　first　to　the　last；　titles　of　nobility

more　and　more　advanced；　suited　to　more　and　more　advanced　functions；

spectabiles；　illustres；　clarissimi；　perfectissimi；　analogous　to

Napoleon's　Barons；　Counts；　Dukes；　and　Princes。　A　programme　of

promotion　once　exhibiting；　and　on　which　are　still　seen；　common

soldiers；　peasants；　a　shepherd；　a　barbarian；　the　son　of　a　cultivator

（colon）；　the　grandson　of　a　slave；　mounting　gradually　upward　to　the

highest　dignities；　becoming　patrician；　Count；　Duke；　commander　of　the

cavalry；　C？sar；　Augustus；　and　donning　the　imperial　purple；　enthroned

amid　the　most　sumptuous　magnificence　and　the　most　elaborate　ceremonial

prostrations；　a　being　called　God　during　his　lifetime；　and　after　death

adored　as　a　divinity；　and　dead　or　alive；　a　complete　divinity　on

earth。＇36＇



So　colossal　an　edifice；　so　admirably　adjusted；　so　mathematical；　could

not　wholly　perish；　its　hewn　stones　were　too　massive；　too　nicely

squared；　too　exactly　fitted；　and　the　demolisher's　hammer　could　not

reach　down　to　its　deepest　foundations。　…　This　one；　through　its　shaping

and　its　structure；　through　its　history　and　its　duration；　resembles　the

stone　edifices　which　the　same　people　at　the　same　epoch　elevated　on　the

same　soil；　the　aqueducts；　amphitheatres；　and　triumphal　arches；　the

Coliseum；　the　baths　of　Diocletian　and　of　Caracalla。



The　medieval　man；　using　their　intact　foundations　and　their　shattered

fragments；　built　here　and　there；　haphazard；　according　to　the

necessities　of　the　moment；　planting　his　Gothic　towers　between

Corinthian　columns　against　the　panels　of　walls　still　standing。＇37＇

But；　under　his　incoherent　masonry；　he　observed　the　beautiful　forms；

the　precious　marbles；　the　architectural　combinations；　the　symmetrical

taste　of　an　anterior　and　superior　art；　he　felt　that　his　own　work　was

rude。　The　new　world；　to　all　thinking　minds；　was　miserable　compared

with　the　old　one；　its　languages　seemed　a　patois　（crude　dialect）；　its

literature　mere　stammering　or　driveling；　its　law　a　mass　of　abuses　or　a

mere　routine；　its　feudality　anarchy；　and　its　social　arrangements；

disorder。　…　In　vain　had　the　medieval　man　striven　to　escape　through　all

issues；　by　the　temporal　road　and　by　the　spiritual　road；　by　the

universal　and　absolute　monarchy　of　the　German　Cesars；　and　by　the

universal　and　absolute　monarchy　of　the　Roman　pontiffs。　At　the　end　of

the　fifteenth　century　the　Emperor　still　possessed　the　golden　globe；

the　golden　crown；　the　scepter　of　Charlemagne　and　of　Otho　the　Great；

but；　after　the　death　of　Frederick　II。；　he　was　nothing　more　than　a

majesty　for　show；　the　Pope　still　wore　the　tiara；　still　held　the

pastoral　staff　and　the　keys　of　Gregory　VII。　and　of　Innocent　III。；　but；

after　the　death　of　Boniface　VIII。；　he　was　nothing　more　than　a　majesty

of　the　Church。　Both　abortive　restorations　had　merely　added　ruins　to

ruins；　while　the　phantom　of　the　ancient　empire　alone　remained　erect

amid　so　many　fragments。　Grand　in　its　outlines　and　decorations；　it

stood　there；　august；　dazzling；　in　a　halo；　the　unique　masterpiece　of

art　and　of　reason；　as　the　ideal　form　of　human　society。　For　ten

centuries　this　specter　haunted　the　medieval　epoch；　and　nowhere　to　such

an　extent　as　in　Italy。＇38＇



It　reappears　the　last　time　in　1800；　starting　up　in　and　taking　firm

hold　of　the　magnificent；　benighted　imagination　of　the　great

Italian；＇39＇　to　whom　the　opportunity　afforded　the　means　for　executing

the　grand　Italian　dream　of　the　Middle　Ages；　it　is　according　to　this

retrospective　vision　that　the　Diocletian　of　Ajaccio；　the　Constantine

of　the　Concordat；　the　Justinian　of　the　Civil　Code；　the　Theodosius　of

the　Tuileries　and　of　St。　Cloud　reconstructed　France。



This　does　not　mean　that　he　copies　…　he　restores；　his　conception　is　not

plagiarism；　but　a　case　of　atavism；　it　comes　to　him　through　the　nature

of　his　intellect　and　through　racial　traditions。　In　the　way　of　social

and　political　conceptions；　as　in　literature　and　in　art；　his

spontaneous　taste　is　ultra…classic。　We　detect　this　in　his　mode　of

comprehending　the　history　of　France；　State　historians；　〃encouraged　by

the　police；〃　must　make　it　to　order；　they　must　trace　it　〃from　the　end

of　Louis　XIV。　to　the　year　VIII；〃　and　their　object　must　be　to　show　how

superior　the　new　architecture　is　to　the　old　one。＇40＇　　〃The　constant

disturbance　of　the　finances　must　be　noted；　the　chaos　of　the　provincial

assemblies；　。　。　。　the　pretensions　of　the　parliaments；　the　lack　of

energy　and　order　in　the　administration；　that　parti…colored　France　with

no　unity　of　laws　or　of　administration；　being　rather　a　union　of　twenty

kingdoms　than　one　single　State；　so　that　one　breathes　on　reaching　the

epoch　in　which　people　enjoy　the　benefits　of　the　unity　of　the　laws；　of

the　administration；　and　of　the　territory。〃　In　effect；　he　breathes　；　in

thus　passing　from　the　former　to　the　latter　spectacle；　he　finds　real

intellectual　pleasure；　his　eyes；　offended　with　Gothic　disorder；　turn

with　relief　and　satisfaction　to　majestic　simplicity　and　classic

regularity；　his　eyes　are　those　of　a　Latin　architect　brought　up　in　the

〃école　de　Rome。〃



This　is　so　true　that；　outside　of　this　style；　he　admits　of　no　other。

Societies　of　a　different　type　seem　to　him　absurd。　He　misconceives

their　local　propriety　and　the　historical　reasons　for　their　existence。

He　takes　no　account　of　their　solidity。　He　is　going　to　dash　himself

against　Spain　and　against　Russia；　and　he　has　no　comprehension　whatever

of　England。＇41＇　…This　is　so　true　that；　wherever　he　places　his　hand　he

applies　his　own　social　system；　he　imposes　on　annexed　territories　and

on　vassal＇42＇　countries　the　same　uniform　arrangements；　his　own

administrative　hierarchy；　his　own　territorial　divisions　and　sub…

divisions；　his　own　conscription；　his　civil　code；　his　constitutional

and　ecclesiastical　system；　his　university；　his　system　of　equality　and

promotion；　the　entire　French　system；　and；　as　far　as　possible；　the

language；　literature；　drama；　and　even　the　spirit　of　his　France；　…　in

brief；　civilization　as　he　conceives　it；　so　that　conquest　becomes

propaganda；　and；　as　with　his　predecessors；　the　Cesars　of　Rome；　he

sometimes　really　fancies　that　the　establishment　of　his　universal

monarchy　is　a　great　benefit　to　Europe。



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