the origins of contemporary france-5-第77节

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it　often　ran　the　purchaser　in　debt　；　he　knew　that　his　acquisition

would　bring　him　more　consideration　than　crowns。　On　the　other　hand；　to

obtain　possession　of　it；　he　had　to　secure　the　good…will　of　the　body　of

which　he　became　a　member；　or　of　the　patron　who　bestowed　the　office。

That　is　to　say；　he　must　be　regarded　by　his　future　colleagues　as

acceptable；　or　by　the　patron　as　a　guest；　invited；　and　feasible　friend；

in　other　words；　provide　sponsors　for　himself；　furnish　guarantees；

prove　that　he　was　well…off　and　well…educated；　that　his　ways　and

manners　qualified　him　for　the　post；　and　that；　in　the　society　he　was

about　to　enter；　he　would　not　turn　out　unsuitable。　To　maintain　one's

self　in　office　at　court　one　was　obliged　to　possess　the　tone　of

Versailles；　quite　different　from　that　of　Paris　and　the　provinces。＇13＇

To　maintain　one's　self　in　a　high　parliamentary　position；　one　was

expected　to　possess　local　alliances；　moral　authority；　the　traditions

and　deportment　handed　down　from　father　to　son　in　the　old　magistrate

families；　and　which　a　mere　advocate；　an　ordinary　pleader；　could　not

arrive　at。＇14＇　　In　short；　on　this　staircase；　each　distinct　story

imposed　on　its　inmates　a　sort　of　distinct　costume；　more　or　less

costly；　embroidered　and　gilded；　I　mean　a　sum　of　outward　and　inward

habits　and　connections；　all　obligatory　and　indispensable；　comprising

title；　particle　and　name：　the　announcement　of　any　bourgeois　name　by　a

lackey　in　the　ante…chamber　would　be　considered　a　discord；

consequently；　one　had　one's　self　ennobled　in　the　current　coin；　or

assumed　a　noble　name　gratis。　Caron；　son　of　a　watchmaker；　became

Beaumarchais；　Nicolas；　a　foundling；　called　himself　M。　de　Champfort；

Danton；　in　public　documents；　signed　himself　d'Anton；　in　the　same　way；

a　man　without　a　dress…coat　hires　or　borrows　one；　no　matter　how；　on

going　out　to　dine；　all　this　was　tolerated　and　accepted　as　a　sign　of

good　behavior　and　of　final　conformity　with　custom；　as　in　testimony　of

respect　for　the　usages　of　good　society。



Through　this　visible　separation　of　stories；　people　had　acquired　the

habit　of　remaining　in　the　condition　in　which　they　were　placed；　they

were　not　irritated　by　being　obliged　to　stay　in　it　；　the　soldier　who

enlisted　did　not　aspire　to　become　an　officer；　the　young　officer　of　the

lower　noblesse　and　of　small　means　did　not　aspire　to　the　post　of

colonel　or　lieutenant…general；　a　limited　perspective　kept　hopes　and

the　imagination　from　fruitlessly　launching　forth　into　a　boundless

future：　ambition；　humbled　to　the　ground　at　the　start；　walked　instead

of　flying；　it　recognized　at　the　outset　that　the　summits　were　beyond

its　reach；　to　be　able　to　mount　upward　one　or　two　steps　was　enough。　…

In　general；　a　man　obtained　promotion　on　the　spot；　in　his　town；

corporation　or　parliament。　The　assistant…counselor　who　pleaded　his

first　case　in　the　court　of　Grenoble　or　of　Rennes　calculated　that；　in

twenty　years；　he　would　become　first　judge　at　Grenoble　or　at　Rennes；

rest　twenty　years　or　more　in　office；　and　he　aimed　at　nothing　better。

Alongside　of　the　counselor　of　a　（court）　presidency；　or　of　an

〃election〃　magistrate；　of　a　clerk　in　the　salt…tax　bureau；　or　in　the

frontier　custom…house；　or　in　the　bureau　of　〃rivers　and　forests；〃

alongside　of　a　clerk　in　the　treasury　or　ministry　of　foreign　affairs；

or　of　a　lawyer　or　prosecuting　attorney；　there　was　always　some　son；

son…in…law　or　nephew；　fitted　by　domestic　training；　by　a　technical

apprenticeship；　by　moral　adaptation；　not　only　to　perform　the　duties　of

the　office；　but　to　be　contented　in　it；　pretend　to　nothing　beyond　it；

not　to　look　above　himself　with　regret　or　envy；　satisfied　with　the

society　around　him；　and　feel；　moreover；　that　elsewhere　he　would　be　out

of　his　element　and　uncomfortable。



Life；　thus　restricted　and　circumscribed；　was　more　cheerful　then　than

at　the　present　day；　souls；　less　disturbed　and　less　strained；　less

exhausted　and　less　burdened　with　cares；　were　healthier。　The　Frenchman；

exempt　from　modern　preoccupations；　followed　amiable　and　social

instincts；　inclined　to　take　things　easily；　and　of　a　playful

disposition　owing　to　his　natural　talent　for　amusing　himself　by　amusing

others；　in　mutual　enjoyment　of　each　other's　company　and　without

calculation；　through　easy　and　considerate　intercourse；　smiling　or

laughing；　in　short；　in　a　constant　flow　of　inspiration；　good…humor　and

gayety。＇15＇　It　is　probable　that；　if　the　Revolution　had　not　intervened；

the　great　parvenus　of　the　time　and　of　the　Empire　would；　like　their

forerunners；　have　submitted　to　prevailing　necessities　and　readily

accommodated　themselves　to　the　discipline　of　the　established　Régime。

Cambacérès；　who　had　succeeded　to　his　father　as　counselor　at　the　bar　of

Montpellier；　would　have　become　president　（of　the　tribunal）　in　his

turn；　meanwhile；　he　would　have　composed　able　jurisprudential　treatises

and　invented　some　new　paté　de　becfigues；　Lebrun；　former　collaborator

with　Maupeou；　might　have　become　counselor　in　the　court　of　excise　at

Paris；　or　chief…clerk　in　the　Treasury　department；　he　would　have　kept

up　a　philosophical　salon；　with　fashionable　ladies　and　polished　men　of

letters　to　praise　his　elegant　and　faulty　translations。　Amongst　the

future　marshals；　some　of　them；　pure　plebeians；　Masséna；　Augereau；

Lannes；　Ney；　Lefebvre；　might　have　succeeded　through　brilliant　actions

and　have　become　〃officers　of　fortune；〃　while　others；　taking　in　hand

specially　difficult　services；　like　commandant　Fischer　who　undertook

the　destruction　of　Mandrin's　band；　and　again；　like　the　hero　Chevert；

and　the　veteran　Lückner；　might　have　become　lieutenant…generals。　Rough

as　these　men　were；　they　would　have　found；　even　in　the　lower　ranks；　if

not　full　employment　for　their　superior　faculties；　at　least　sufficient

food　for　their　strong　and　coarse　appetites；　they　would　have　uttered

just　the　same　oaths；　at　just　as　extravagant　suppers；　with　mistresses

of　just　the　same　caliber。＇16＇　Had　their　temperament；　character　and

genius　been　indomitable；　had　they　reared　and　pranced　to　escape　bridle

and　harness　and　been　driven　like　ordinary　men；　they　need　not　have

broken　out　of　the　traces　for　all　that；　there　were　plenty　of　openings

and　issues　for　them　on　either　side　of　the　highway　on　which　others　were

trotting　along。　Many　families　often　contained；　among　numerous

children；　some　hot…headed；　imaginative　youth；　some　independent　nature

rebellious　in　advance；　in　short；　a　refractory　spirit；　unwilling　or

incapable　of　being　disciplined；　a　regular　life；　mediocrity；　even　the

certainty　of　getting　ahead；　were　distasteful　to　him；　he　would　abandon

the　hereditary　homestead　or　purchased　office　to　the　docile　elder

brother；　son…in…law　or　nephew；　by　which　the　domain　or　the　post

remained　in　the　family；　as　for　himself；　tempted　by　illimitable

prospects；　he　would　leave　France　and　go　abroad；　Voltaire　says＇17＇　that

〃Frenchmen　were　found　everywhere；〃　in　Canada；　in　Louisiana；　as

surgeons；　fencing…masters；　riding…masters；　officers；　engineers；

adventurers　especially；　and　even　filibusters；　trappers　and

backwoodsmen；　the　supplest；　most　sympathetic　and　boldest　of　colonizers

and　civilizers；　alone　capable　of　bringing　the　natives　under

assimilation　by　assimilating　with　them；　by　adopting　their　customs　and

by　marrying　their　women；　mixing　bloods；　and　forming　new　and

intermediary　races；　like　Dumas　de　La　Pailleterie；　whose　descendants

have　furnished　original　and　superior　men　for　the　past　three

generations；　and　like　the　Canada　half…breeds　by　which　the　aboriginal

race　succeeds　in　transforming　itself　and　in　surviving。　They　were　the

first　explorers　of　the　great　lakes；　the　first　to　trace　the　Mississippi

to　its　mouth；　and　found　colonial　empires　with　Champlain　and　Lasalle　in

North　America　and　with　Dupleix　and　La　Bourdonnais　in　Hindustan。　Such

was　the　outlet　for　daring；　uncontrollable　spirits；　restive

temperaments　under　constraint　and　subject　to　the　routine　of　an　old

civilization；　souls　astray　and　unclassed　from　their　birth；　in　which

the　primitive　instincts　of　the　nomad　and　barbarian　sprouted　afresh；　in

which　insubordination　was　innate；　and　in　which　energy　and　capacity　to

take　the　initiative　remained　intact。　…　Mirabeau；　having　compromised

his　family　by　scandals；　was　on　the　point　of　being　dispatched　by　his

father　to　the　Dutch　Indies；　where　deaths　were　common；　it　might　happen

that　he　would　be　hanged　or　become　governor　of　some　large　district　in

Java　or　Sumatra；　the　venerated　and　adored　sovereign　of　five　hundred

thousand　Malays；　both　ends　being　within　the　compass　of　his　merits。　Had

Danton　been　well　advised；　instead　of　borrowing　the　money　with　which　to

buy　an　advocate's　place　in　the　Council　at　about　seventy　thousand

livres；　which　brought　him　only　three　cases　in　four　years　and　obliged

him　to　hang　on　to　the　skirts　of　his　father…in…law；　he　would　have　gone

to　Pondicherry　or　to　the　palace　of　some　indigenous　rajah　or　king　as

agent；　councilor　or　companion　of　his　pleasures；　he　might　have　become

prime…minister　to　Tippoo　Sahib；　or　other　potentate；　lived