the hunchback of notre dame-第37部分

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t　authority；　unity；　the　impenetrable；　the　absolute；　Gregory　VII。；　always　the　priest；　never　the　man；　everywhere　caste；　never　the　people。

But　the　Crusades　arrive。　　They　are　a　great　popular　movement；　and　every　great　popular　movement；　whatever　may　be　its　cause　and　object；　always　sets　free　the　spirit　of　liberty　from　its　final　precipitate。　　New　things　spring　into　life　every　day。　　Here　opens　the　stormy　period　of　the　Jacqueries；　Pragueries；　and　Leagues。　　Authority　wavers；　unity　is　divided。　Feudalism　demands　to　share　with　theocracy；　while　awaiting　the　inevitable　arrival　of　the　people；　who　will　assume　the　part　of　the　lion：　~Quia　nominor　leo~。　　Seignory　pierces　through　sacerdotalism；　the　commonality；　through　seignory。　　The　face　of　Europe　is　changed。　　Well！　the　face　of　architecture　is　changed　also。　　Like　civilization；　it　has　turned　a　page；　and　the　new　spirit　of　the　time　finds　her　ready　to　write　at　its　dictation。　It　returns　from　the　crusades　with　the　pointed　arch；　like　the　nations　with　liberty。

Then；　while　Rome　is　undergoing　gradual　dismemberment；　Romanesque　architecture　dies。　　The　hieroglyph　deserts　the　cathedral；　and　betakes　itself　to　blazoning　the　donjon　keep；　in　order　to　lend　prestige　to　feudalism。　　The　cathedral　itself；　that　edifice　formerly　so　dogmatic；　invaded　henceforth　by　the　bourgeoisie；　by　the　community；　by　liberty；　escapes　the　priest　and　falls　into　the　power　of　the　artist。　　The　artist　builds　it　after　his　own　fashion。　　Farewell　to　mystery；　myth；　law。　　Fancy　and　caprice；　welcome。　　Provided　the　priest　has　his　basilica　and　his　altar；　he　has　nothing　to　say。　　The　four　walls　belong　to　the　artist。　　The　architectural　book　belongs　no　longer　to　the　priest；　to　religion；　to　Rome；　it　is　the　property　of　poetry；　of　imagination；　of　the　people。　　Hence　the　rapid　and　innumerable　transformations　of　that　architecture　which　owns　but　three　centuries；　so　striking　after　the　stagnant　immobility　of　the　Romanesque　architecture；　which　owns　six　or　seven。　Nevertheless；　art　marches　on　with　giant　strides。　　Popular　genius　amid　originality　accomplish　the　task　which　the　bishops　formerly　fulfilled。　　Each　race　writes　its　line　upon　the　book；　as　it　passes；　it　erases　the　ancient　Romanesque　hieroglyphs　on　the　frontispieces　of　cathedrals；　and　at　the　most　one　only　sees　dogma　cropping　out　here　and　there；　beneath　the　new　symbol　which　it　has　deposited。　　The　popular　drapery　hardly　permits　the　religious　skeleton　to　be　suspected。　　One　cannot　even　form　an　idea　of　the　liberties　which　the　architects　then　take；　even　toward　the　Church。　　There　are　capitals　knitted　of　nuns　and　monks；　shamelessly　coupled；　as　on　the　hall　of　chimney　pieces　in　the　Palais　de　Justice；　in　Paris。　　There　is　Noah's　adventure　carved　to　the　last　detail；　as　under　the　great　portal　of　Bourges。　There　is　a　bacchanalian　monk；　with　ass's　ears　and　glass　in　hand；　laughing　in　the　face　of　a　whole　community；　as　on　the　lavatory　of　the　Abbey　of　Bocherville。　　There　exists　at　that　epoch；　for　thought　written　in　stone；　a　privilege　exactly　comparable　to　our　present　liberty　of　the　press。　　It　is　the　liberty　of　architecture。

This　liberty　goes　very　far。　　Sometimes　a　portal；　a　fa？ade；　an　entire　church；　presents　a　symbolical　sense　absolutely　foreign　to　worship；　or　even　hostile　to　the　Church。　　In　the　thirteenth　century；　Guillaume　de　Paris；　and　Nicholas　Flamel；　in　the　fifteenth；　wrote　such　seditious　pages。　　Saint…Jacques　de　la　Boucherie　was　a　whole　church　of　the　opposition。

Thought　was　then　free　only　in　this　manner；　hence　it　never　wrote　itself　out　completely　except　on　the　books　called　edifices。　Thought；　under　the　form　of　edifice；　could　have　beheld　itself　burned　in　the　public　square　by　the　hands　of　the　executioner；　in　its　manuscript　form；　if　it　had　been　sufficiently　imprudent　to　risk　itself　thus；　thought；　as　the　door　of　a　church；　would　have　been　a　spectator　of　the　punishment　of　thought　as　a　book。　　Having　thus　only　this　resource；　masonry；　in　order　to　make　its　way　to　the　light；　flung　itself　upon　it　from　all　quarters。　Hence　the　immense　quantity　of　cathedrals　which　have　covered　Europea　number　so　prodigious　that　one　can　hardly　believe　it　even　after　having　verified　it。　　All　the　material　forces；　all　the　intellectual　forces　of　society　converged　towards　the　same　point：　architecture。　　In　this　manner；　under　the　pretext　of　building　churches　to　God；　art　was　developed　in　its　magnificent　proportions。

Then　whoever　was　born　a　poet　became　an　architect。　Genius；　scattered　in　the　masses；　repressed　in　every　quarter

under　feudalism　as　under　a　~testudo~　of　brazen　bucklers；　finding　no　issue　except　in　the　direction　of　architecture；gushed　forth　through　that　art；　and　its　Iliads　assumed　the　form　of　cathedrals。　　All　other　arts　obeyed；　and　placed　themselves　under　the　discipline　of　architecture。　　They　were　the　workmen　of　the　great　work。　　The　architect；　the　poet；　the　master；　summed　up　in　his　person　the　sculpture　which　carved　his　fa？ades；　painting　which　illuminated　his　windows；　music　which　set　his　bells　to　pealing；　and　breathed　into　his　organs。　　There　was　nothing　down　to　poor　poetry；properly　speaking；　that　which　persisted　in　vegetating　in　manuscripts；which　was　not　forced；　in　order　to　make　something　of　itself；　to　come　and　frame　itself　in　the　edifice　in　the　shape　of　a　hymn　or　of　prose；　the　same　part；　after　all；　which　the　tragedies　of　AEschylus　had　played　in　the　sacerdotal　festivals　of　Greece；　Genesis；　in　the　temple　of　Solomon。

Thus；　down　to　the　time　of　Gutenberg；　architecture　is　the　principal　writing；　the　universal　writing。　　In　that　granite　book；　begun　by　the　Orient；　continued　by　Greek　and　Roman　antiquity；　the　Middle　Ages　wrote　the　last　page。　　Moreover；　this　phenomenon　of　an　architecture　of　the　people　following　an　architecture　of　caste；　which　we　have　just　been　observing　in　the　Middle　Ages；　is　reproduced　with　every　analogous　movement　in　the　human　intelligence　at　the　other　great　epochs　of　history。　　Thus；　in　order　to　enunciate　here　only　summarily；　a　law　which　it　would　require　volumes　to　develop：　in　the　high　Orient；　the　cradle　of　primitive　times；　after　Hindoo　architecture　came　Phoenician　architecture；　that　opulent　mother　of　Arabian　architecture；　in　antiquity；　after　Egyptian　architecture；　of　which　Etruscan　style　and　cyclopean　monuments　are　but　one　variety；　came　Greek　architecture　（of　which　the　Roman　style　is　only　a　continuation）；　surcharged　with　the　Carthaginian　dome；　in　modern　times；　after　Romanesque　architecture　came　Gothic　architecture。　　And　by　separating　there　three　series　into　their　component　parts；　we　shall　find　in　the　three　eldest　sisters；　Hindoo　architecture；　Egyptian　architecture；　Romanesque　architecture；　the　same　symbol；　that　is　to　say；　theocracy；　caste；　unity；　dogma；　myth；　God：　and　for　the　three　younger　sisters；　Phoenician　architecture；　Greek　architecture；　Gothic　architecture；　whatever；　nevertheless；　may　be　the　diversity　of　form　inherent　in　their　nature；　the　same　signification　also；　that　is　to　say；　liberty；　the　people；　man。

In　the　Hindu；　Egyptian；　or　Romanesque　architecture；　one　feels　the　priest；　nothing　but　the　priest；　whether　he　calls　himself　Brahmin；　Magian；　or　Pope。　　It　is　not　the　same　in　the　architectures　of　the　people。　　They　are　richer　and　less　sacred。　In　the　Phoenician；　one　feels　the　merchant；　in　the　Greek；　the　republican；　in　the　Gothic；　the　citizen。

The　general　characteristics　of　all　theocratic　architecture　are　immutability；　horror　of　progress；　the　preservation　of　traditional　lines；　the　consecration　of　the　primitive　types；　the　constant　bending　of　all　the　forms　of　men　and　of　nature　to　the　incomprehensible　caprices　of　the　symbol。　　These　are　dark　books；　which　the　initiated　alone　understand　how　to　decipher。　Moreover；　every　form；　every　deformity　even；　has　there　a　sense　which　renders　it　inviolable。　　Do　not　ask　of　Hindoo；　Egyptian；　Romanesque　masonry　to　reform　their　design；　or　to　improve　their　statuary。　　Every　attempt　at　perfecting　is　an　impiety　to　them。　　In　these　architectures　it　seems　as　though　the　rigidity　of　the　dogma　had　spread　over　the　stone　like　a　sort　of　second　petrifaction。　　The　general　characteristics　of　popular　masonry；　on　the　contrary；　are　progress；　originality；　opulence；　perpetual　movement。　　They　are　already　sufficiently　detached　from　religion　to　think　of　their　beauty；　to　take　care　of　it；　to　correct　without　relaxation　their　parure　of　statues　or　arabesques。　　They　are　of　the　age。　　They　have　something　human；　which　they　mingle　incessantly　with　the　divine　symbol　under　which　they　still　produce。　　Hence；　edifices　comprehensible　to　every　soul；　to　every　intelligence；　to　every　imagination；　symbolical　still；　but　as　easy　to　understand　as　nature。　　Between　theocratic　architecture　and　this　there　is　the　difference　that　lies　between　a　sacred　language　and　a　vulgar　language；　between　hieroglyphics　and　art；　between　Solomon　and　Phidias。

If　the　reader　will　sum　up　what　we　have　hitherto　briefly；　very　briefly；　indicated；　neglecting　a　thousand　proofs　and　also　a　thousand　objections　of　detail；　be　will　be　led　to　this：　that　architecture　was；　down　to　the　fifteenth　century；　the　chief　register　of　humanity；　that　in　that　interval　not　a　thought　which　is　in　any　degree　complicated　made　its　appearance　in　the　world；　which　has　not　been　worked　into　an　edifice；　that　every　popular　idea；　and　every　religious　law；　has　had　its　monumental　records；　that　the　human　race　has；　in　short；　had　no　important　thought　which　it　has　not　written　in　stone。　　And　why？　Because　every　thought；　either　philosophical　or　religious；　is　interested　in　perpetuating　itself；　because　the　idea　which　has　moved　one　generation　wishes　to　move　others　also；　and　leave　a　trace。　　Now；　what　a　precarious　immortality　is　that　of　the　manuscript！　　How　much　more　solid；　durable；　unyielding；　is　a　book　of　stone！　　In　order　to　destroy　the　written　word；　a　torch　and　a　Turk　are　sufficient。　　To　demolish　the　constructed　word；　a　social　revolution；　a　terrestrial　revolution　are　required。　The　barbarians　passed　over　the　Coliseum；　the　deluge；　perhaps；　passed　over　the　Pyramids。

In　the　fifteenth　century　everything　changes。

Human　thought　discovers　a　mode　of　perpetuating　itself；　not　only　more　durable　and　more　resisting　than　architecture；　but　still　more　simple　and　easy。　　Architecture　is　dethroned。　Gutenberg's　letters　of　lead　are　about　to　supersede　Orpheus's　letters　of　stone。

　　　*The　book　is　about　to　kill　the　edifice*。

The　invention　of　printing　is　th