the origins of contemporary france-1-第2部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Woe　likewise　to　him　whose　too　violent　and　too　abrupt　evolution　has

badly　balanced　his　internal　economy。　　Who；　through　the　exaggeration　of

his　governing　forces；　through　the　deterioration　of　his　deep…seated

organs；　through　the　gradual　impoverishment　of　his　vital　tissues　is

condemned　to　commit　inconsiderate　acts；　to　debility；　to　impotency；

amidst　sounder　and　better…balanced　neighbors！　In　the　organization；

which　France　effected　for　herself　at　the　beginning　of　the　（19th）

century；　all　the　general　lines　of　her　contemporary　history　were

traced。　　Her　political　revolutions；　social　Utopias；　division　of

classes；　role　of　the　church；　conduct　of　the　nobility；　of　the　middle

class；　and　of　the　people；　the　development；　the　direction；　or　deviation

of　philosophy；　of　letters　and　of　the　arts。　　That　is　why；　should　we　wish

to　understand　our　present　condition　our　attention　always　reverts　to

the　terrible　and　fruitful　crisis　by　which　the　ancient　regime　produced

the　Revolution；　and　the　Revolution　the　new　regime。



Ancient　régime；　Revolution；　new　régime；　I　am　going　to　try　to

describe　these　three　conditions　with　exactitude。　　I　have　no　other

object　in　view。　　A　historian　may　be　allowed　the　privilege　of　a

naturalist；　I　have　regarded　my　subject　the　same　as　the　metamorphosis

of　an　insect。　　Moreover；　the　event　is　so　interesting　in　itself　that　it

is　worth　the　trouble　of　being　observed　for　its　own　sake；　and　no　effort

is　required　to　suppress　one's　ulterior　motives。　　Freed　from　all

prejudice；　curiosity　becomes　scientific　and　may　be　completely

concentrated　on　the　secret　forces；　which　guide　the　wonderful　process。

These　forces　are　the　situation；　the　passions；　the　ideas；　the　wills　of

each　group　of　actors；　and　which　can　be　defined　and　almost　measured。

They　are　in　full　view；　we　are　not　reduced　to　conjectures　about　them；

to　uncertain　divination；　to　vague　indications。　　By　singular　good

fortune　we　perceive　the　men　themselves；　their　exterior　and　their

interior。　　The　Frenchmen　of　the　ancient　régime　are　still　within　visual

range。　　All　of　us；　in　our　youth；　（around　1840…50）；　have　encountered　one

or　more　of　the　survivors　of　this　vanished　society。　　Many　of　their

dwellings；　with　the　furniture；　still　remain　intact。　　Their　pictures　and

engravings　enable　us　to　take　part　in　their　domestic　life；　see　how　they

dress；　observe　their　attitudes　and　follow　their　movements。　　Through

their　literature；　philosophy；　scientific　pursuits；　gazettes；　and

correspondence；　we　can　reproduce　their　feeling　and　thought；　and　even

enjoy　their　familiar　conversation。　　The　multitude　of　memoirs；　issuing

during　the　past　thirty　years　from　public　and　private　archives；　lead　us

from　one　drawing　room　to　another；　as　if　we　bore　with　us　so　many

letters　of　introduction。　　The　independent　descriptions　by　foreign

travelers；　in　their　journals　and　correspondence；　correct　and　complete

the　portraits；　which　this　society　has　traced　of　itself。　　Everything

that　it　could　state　has　been　stated；　except；



*　what　was　commonplace　and　well…known　to　contemporaries；



*　whatever　seemed　technical；　tedious　and　vulgar；



*　whatever　related　to　the　provinces；　to　the　bourgeoisie；　the

peasant；　to　the　laboring　man；　to　the　government；　and　to　the　household。



It　has　been　my　aim　to　fill　this　void；　and　make　France　known　to

others　outside　the　small　circle　of　the　literary　and　the　cultivated。

Owing　to　the　kindness　of　M。　Maury＇1＇　and　the　precious　indications　of

M。　Boutaric；　I　have　been　able　to　examine　a　mass　of　manuscript

documents。　　These　include　the　correspondence　of　a　large　number　of

intendants；　（the　Royal　governor　of　a　large　district）；　the　directors　of

customs　and　tax　offices；　legal　officers；　and　private　persons　of　every

kind　and　of　every　degree　during　the　thirty　last　years　of　the　ancient

regime。　　Also　included　are　the　reports　and　registers　of　the　various

departments　of　the　royal　household；　the　reports　and　registers　of　the

States　General　in　176　volumes；　the　dispatches　of　military　officers　in

1789　and　1790；　letters；　memoirs　and　detailed　statistics　preserved　in

the　one　hundred　boxes　of　the　ecclesiastical　committee；　the

correspondence；　in　94　bundles；　of　the　department　and　municipal

authorities　with　the　ministries　from　1790　to　1799；　the　reports　of　the

Councilors　of　State　on　mission　at　the　end　of　1801；　the　reports　of

prefects　under　the　Consulate；　the　Empire；　and　the　Restoration　down　to

1823。　　There　is　such　a　quantity　of　unknown　and　instructive　documents

besides　these　that　the　history　of　the　Revolution　seems；　indeed；　to　be

still　unwritten。　　In　any　event；　it　is　only　such　documents；　which　can

make　all　these　people　come　alive。　　The　lesser　nobles；　the　curates；　the

monks；　the　nuns　of　the　provinces；　the　aldermen　and　bourgeoisie　of　the

towns；　the　attorneys　and　syndics　of　the　country　villages；　the　laborers

and　artisans；　the　officers　and　the　soldiers。　　These　alone　enable　us　to

contemplate　and　appreciate　in　detail　the　various　conditions　of　their

existence；　the　interior　of　a　parsonage；　of　a　convent；　of　a　town…

council；　the　wages　of　a　workman；　the　produce　of　a　farm；　the　taxes

levied　on　a　peasant；　the　duties　of　a　tax…collector；　the　expenditure　of

a　noble　or　prelate；　the　budget；　retinue　and　ceremonial　of　a　court。

Thanks　to　such　resources；　we　are　able　to　give　precise　figures；　to　know

hour　by　hour　the　occupations　of　a　day　and；　better　still；　read　off　the

bill　of　fare　of　a　grand　dinner；　and　recompose　all　parts　of　a　full…

dress　costume。　　We　have　even；　on　the　one　hand；　samples　of　the　materials

of　the　dresses　worn　by　Marie　Antoinette；　pinned　on　paper　and

classified　by　dates。　　And　on　the　other　hand；　we　can　tell　what　clothes

were　worn　by　the　peasant；　describe　the　bread　he　ate；　specify　the　flour

it　was　made　of；　and　state　the　cost　of　a　pound　of　it　in　sous　and

deniers。＇2＇　With　such　resources　one　becomes　almost　contemporary　with

the　men　whose　history　one　writes　and；　more　than　once；　in　the　Archives；

I　have；　while　tracing　their　old　handwriting　on　the　time…stained　paper

before　me；　been　tempted　to　speak　aloud　with　them。



H。　　A。　　Taine；　August　1875。







Notes：



＇1＇。　　Taine's　friend　who　was　the　director　of　the　French　National

Archives。　　（SR。）



＇2＇。　　One　sou　equals　1/20th　of　a　franc　or　5　centimes。　　12　diniers

equaled　one　sou。　　（SR。）







BOOK　FIRST。　　THE　STRUCTURE　OF　THE　ANCIENT　SOCIETY。



CHAPTER　I。　　THE　ORIGIN　OF　PRIVILEGES。



In　1789　three　classes　of　persons；　the　Clergy；　the　Nobles　and　the

King；　occupied　the　most　prominent　position　in　the　State　with　all　the

advantages　pertaining　thereto　namely；　authority；　property；　honors；　or；

at　the　very　least；　privileges；　immunities；　favors；　pensions；

preferences；　and　the　like。　　If　they　occupied　this　position　for　so　long

a　time；　it　is　because　for　so　long　a　time　they　had　deserved　it。　　They

had；　in　short；　through　an　immense　and　secular　effort；　constructed　by

degrees　the　three　principal　foundations　of　modern　society。



I。　　Services　and　Recompenses　of　the　Clergy。



Of　these　three　layered　foundations　the　most　ancient　and　deepest　was

the　work　of　the　clergy。　　For　twelve　hundred　years　and　more　they　had

labored　upon　it；　both　as　architects　and　workmen；　at　first　alone　and

then　almost　alone。　　…　In　the　beginning；　during　the　first　four

centuries；　they　constituted　religion　and　the　church。　　Let　us　ponder

over　these　two　words；　in　order　to　weigh　them　well。　　One　the　one　hand；

in　a　society　founded　on　conquest；　hard　and　cold　like　a　machine　of

brass；　forced　by　its　very　structure　to　destroy　among　its　subjects　all

courage　to　act　and　all　desire　to　live；　they　had　proclaimed　the　〃glad

tidings；〃　held　forth　the　〃kingdom　of　God；〃　preached　loving　resignation

in　the　hands　of　a　Heavenly　Father；　inspired　patience；　gentleness；

humility；　self…abnegation；　and　charity；　and　opened　the　only　issues　by

which　Man　stifling　in　the　Roman　'ergastulum'　could　again　breathe　and

see　daylight：　and　here　we　have　religion。　　On　the　other　hand；　in　a　State

gradually　undergoing　depopulation；　crumbling　away；　and　fatally

becoming　a　prey；　they　had　formed　a　living　society　governed　by　laws　and

discipline；　rallying　around　a　common　aim　and　a　common　doctrine；

sustained　by　the　devotion　of　chiefs　and　by　the　obedience　of　believes；

alone　capable　of　subsisting　beneath　the　flood　of　barbarians　which　the

empire　in　ruin　suffered　to　pour　in　through　its　breaches：　and　here　we

have　the　church。　　…　It　continues　to　build　on　these　two　first

foundations；　and　after　the　invasion；　for　over　five　hundred　years；　it

saves　what　it　can　still　save　of　human　culture。　　It　marches　in　the　van

of　the　barbarians　or　converts　them　directly　after　their　entrance；

which　is　a　wonderful　advantage。　　Let　us　judge　of　it　by　a　single　fact：

In　Great　Britain；　which　like　Gaul　had　become　Latin；　but　whereof　the

conquerors　remain　pagan　during　a　century　and　a　half；　arts；　industries；

society；　language；　all　were　destroyed；　nothing　remained　of　an　entire

people；　either　massacred　or　fugitive；　but　slaves。　　We　have　still　to

divine　their　traces；　reduced　to　the　condition　of　beasts　of　burden；

they　disappear　from　history。　　Such　might　have　been　the　fate　of　Europe

if　the　clergy　had　not　promptly　tamed　the　fierce　brutes　to　which　it

belonged。



Before　the　bishop　in　his　gilded　cope　or　before　the　monk；　the

converted　German　〃emaciated；　clad　in　skins；〃　wan；　〃dirtier　and　more

spotted　than　a　chameleon；〃＇1＇　stood　fear…stricken　as　before　a

sorcerer。　　In　his　calm　moments；　after　the　chase　or　inebriety；　the　vague

divination　of　a　mysterious　and　grandiose　future；　the　dim　conception　of

an　unknown　tribunal；　the　rudiment　of　conscience　which　he　already　had

in　his　forests　beyond　the　Rhine；　arouses　in　him　through　sudden　alarms

half…formed；　menacing　visions。　　At　the　moment　of　violating　a　sanctuary

he　asks　himself　whether　he　may　not　fall　on　its　threshold　with　vertigo

and　a　broken　neck。＇2＇　　　Convicted　through　his　own　perplexity；　he　stops

and　spares　the　farm；　the　village；　and　the　town；　which　live　under　the

priest's　protection。　　If　the　animal