the origins of contemporary france-4-第37节

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a　certain　point；　that　point　reached；　the　sentiments　were　left　free。

No　matter　how　comprehensive　this　tyranny　may　have　been；　it　affected

only　one　class　of　men；　the　others；　outside　the　net；　remained　free。

When　it　wounded　all　at　once　all　sensitive　chords；　it　did　so　only　to　a

limited　minority；　unable　to　defend　themselves。　　As　far　as　the

majority；　able　to　protect　itself；　their　main　sensibilities　were

respected；　especially　the　most　sensitive；　this　one　or　that　one；　as　the

case　might　be；　now　the　conscience　which　binds　man　to　his　religion；　now

that　amour…propre　on　which　honor　depends；　and　now　the　habits　which

make　man　cling　to　customs；　hereditary　usages　and　outward　observances。

As　far　as　the　others　were　concerned；　those　which　relate　to　property；

personal　welfare；　and　social　position；　it　proceeded　cautiously　and

with　moderation。　　In　this　way　the　discretion　of　the　ruler　lessened　the

resistance　of　the　subject；　and　a　daring　enterprise；　even　mischievous；

was　not　outrageous；　it　might　be　carried　out；　nothing　was　required　but

a　force　in　hand　equal　to　the　resistance　it　provoked。



Again；　and　on　the　other　hand；　the　tyrant　possessed　this　force。　　Very

many　and　very　strong　arms　stood　behind　the　prince　ready　to　cooperate

with　him　and　countervail　any　resistance。　　…　Behind　Philip　II。　　or

Louis　XIV。　　ready　to　drive　the　dissidents　out　or　at　least　to　consent

to　their　oppression；　stood　the　Catholic　majority；　as　fanatical　or　as

illiberal　as　their　king。　　Behind　Philip　II。；　Louis　XIV。；　Frederick

II。；　and　Peter　the　Great；　stood　the　entire　nation；　equally　violent；

rallied　around　the　sovereign　through　his　consecrated　title　and

uncontested　right；　through　tradition　and　custom；　through　a　rigid

sentiment　of　duty　and　the　vague　idea　of　public　security。　　…　Peter　the

Great　counted　among　his　auxiliaries　every　eminent　and　cultivated　man

in　the　country；　Cromwell　had　his　disciplined　and　twenty…times

victorious　army；　the　caliph　or　sultan　brought　along　with　him　his

military　and　privileged　population。　　…　Aided　by　cohorts　of　this　stamp；

it　was　easy　to　raise　a　heavy　mass；　and　even　maintain　it　in　a　fixed

position。　　Once　the　operation　was　concluded　there　followed　a　sort　of

equilibrium；　the　mass；　kept　in　the　air　by　a　permanent　counterbalance；

only　required　a　little　daily　effort　to　prevent　it　from　falling。



It　is　just　the　opposite　with　the　Jacobin　enterprise。　　When　it　is　put

into　operation；　the　theory；　more　exacting；　adds　an　extra　weight　to　the

uplifted　mass；　and；　finally；　a　burden　of　almost　infinite　weight。　　…　At

first；　the　Jacobin　confined　his　attacks　to　royalty；　to　nobility；　to

the　Church；　to　parliaments；　to　privileges；　to　ecclesiastical　and

feudal　possessions；　in　short；　to　medieval　foundations。　　Then　he

attacks　yet　more　ancient　and　more　solid　foundations；　positive

religion；　property　and　the　family。　　…　For　four　years　he　has　been

satisfied　with　demolition　and　now　he　wants　to　construct。　　His　object

is　not　merely　to　do　away　with　a　positive　faith　and　suppress　social

inequality；　to　proscribe　revealed　dogmas；　hereditary　beliefs；　an

established　cult；　the　supremacy　of　rank　and　superiority　of　fortunes；

wealth；　leisure；　refinement　and　elegance；　but　he　wants；　in　addition　to

all　this；　to　re…fashion　the　citizen。　　He　wants　to　create　new

sentiments；　impose　natural　religion　on　the　individual；　civic

education；　uniform　ways　and　habits；　Jacobin　conduct；　Spartan　virtue；

in　short；　nothing　is　to　be　left　in　a　human　being　that　is　not

prescribed；　enforced　and　constrained。　　…　Henceforth；　there　is　opposed

to　the　Revolution；　not　alone　the　partisans　of　the　ancient　régime　…

priests；　nobles；　parliamentarians；　royalists；　and　Catholics　…　but；

again；　every　person　imbued　with　European　civilization；　every　member　of

a　regular　family；　any　possessor　of　a　capital；　large　or　small；　every

kind　or　degree　of　proprietor；　farmer；　manufacturer；　merchant；　artisan

or　farmer；　even　most　of　the　revolutionaries。　　Nearly　all　the

revolutionaries　count　on　escaping　the　constraints　they　impose；　and　who

only　like　the　strait　jacket　when　it　is　on　another's　back。　　…　The

influence　of　resistant　wills　at　this　moment　becomes　incalculable：　it

would　be　easier　to　raise　a　mountain；　and；　just　at　this　moment；　the

Jacobins　have　deprived　themselves　of　every　moral　force　through　which　a

political　engineer　acts　on　human　wills。



Unlike　Philip　II。　　and　Louis　XIV。　　they　are　not　supported　by　the

intolerance　of　a　vast　majority；　for；　instead　of　fifteen　or　twenty

orthodox　against　one　heretic；　they　count　in　their　church　scarcely　more

than　one　orthodox　against　fifteen　or　twenty　heretics。＇21＇　…　They　are

not；　like　legitimate　sovereigns；　supported　by　the　stubborn　loyalty　of

an　entire　population；　following　in　the　steps　of　its　chieftain　out　of

the　prestige　of　hereditary　right　and　through　habits　of　ancient　fealty。

On　the　contrary；　their　reign　is　only　a　day　old　and　they　themselves　are

interlopers。　　At　first　installed　by　a　coup　d'état　and　afterwards　by

the　semblance　of　an　election；　they　have　extorted　or　obtained　by　trick

the　suffrages　through　which　they　act。　　They　are　so　familiar　with　fraud

and　violence　that；　in　their　own　Assembly；　the　ruling　minority　has

seized　and　held　on　to　power　by　violence　and　fraud；　putting　down　the

majority　by　riots；　and　the　departments　by　force　of　arms。　　To　give

their　brutalities　the　semblance　of　right；　they　improvise　two　pompous

demonstrations；　first；　the　sudden　manufacture　of　a　paper　constitution；

which　molders　away　in　their　archives；　and　next；　the　scandalous　farce

of　a　hollow　and　compulsory　plebiscite。　　…　A　dozen　leaders　of　the　party

concentrate　unlimited　authority　in　their　own　hands；　but；　as　admitted

by　them；　their　authority　is　derivative；　it　is　the　Convention　which

makes　them　its　delegates；　their　precarious　title　has　to　be　renewed

monthly；　a　turn　of　the　majority　may　sweep　them　and　their　work　away　to…

morrow；　an　insurrection　of　the　people；　whom　they　have　familiarized

with　insurrection；　may　to…morrow　sweep　them　away；　their　work　and　their

majority。　　…　They　maintain　only　a　disputed；　limited　and　transient

ascendancy　over　their　adherents。　　They　are　not　military　chieftains

like　Cromwell　and　Napoleon；　generals　of　an　army　obeyed　without　a

murmur；　but　common　stump…speakers　at　the　mercy　of　an　audience　that

sits　in　judgment　on　them。　　There　is　no　discipline　in　this　public；

every　Jacobin　remains　independent　by　virtue　of　his　principles；　if　he

accepts　leaders；　it　is　with　a　reservation　of　their　worth　to　him；

selecting　them　as　he　pleases；　he　is　free　to　change　them　when　he

pleases；　his　trust　in　them　is　intermittent；　his　loyalty　provisional；

and；　as　his　adhesion　depends　on　a　mere　preference；　he　always　reserves

the　right　to　discard　the　favorite　of　to…day　as　he　has　discarded　the

favorite　of　yesterday。　　In　this　audience；　there　is　no　such　thing　as

subordination；　the　lowest　demagogue；　any　noisy　subaltern；　a　Hébert　or

Jacques　Roux；　aspiring　to　step　out　of　the　ranks；　overbidding　the

charlatans　in　office　in　order　to　obtain　their　places。　　Even　with　a

complete　and　lasting　ascendancy　over　an　organized　band　of　docile

supporters；　the　Jacobin　leaders　would　be　feeble　for　lack　of　reliable

and　competent　instruments；　for　they　have　but　very　few　partisans　other

than　those　of　doubtful　probity　and　of　notorious　incapacity。　　…

Cromwell　had　around　him；　to　carry　out　the　puritan　program；　the　moral

élite　of　the　nation；　an　army　of　rigorists；　with　narrow　consciences；

but　much　more　strict　towards　themselves　than　towards　others；　men　who

never　drank　and　who　never　swore；　who　never　indulged　for　a　moment　in

sensuality　or　idleness；　who　forbade　themselves　every　act　of　omission

or　commission　about　which　they　held　any　scruples；　the　most　honest；　the

most　temperate；　the　most　laborious　and　the　most　persevering　of

mankind；＇22＇　the　only　ones　capable　of　laying　the　foundations　of　that

practical　morality　on　which　England　and　the　United　States　still

subsist　at　the　present　day。　　…　Around　Peter　the　Great；　in　carrying　out

his　European　program；　stood　the　intellectual　élite　of　the　country；　an

imported　staff　of　men　of　ability　associated　with　natives　of　moderate

ability；　every　well…taught　resident　foreigner　and　indigenous　Russian；

the　only　ones　able　to　organize　schools　and　public　institutions；　to　set

up　a　vast　central　and　regular　system　of　administration；　to　assign　rank

according　to　service　and　merit；　in　short；　to　erect　on　the　snow　and　mud

of　a　shapeless　barbarism　a　conservatory　of　civilization　which；

transplanted　like　an　exotic　tree；　grows　and　gradually　becomes

acclimated。　　…　Around　Couthon；　Saint…Just；　Billaud；　Collot；　and

Robespierre；　with　the　exception　of　certain　men　devoted；　not　to

Utopianism　but　the　country；　and　who；　like　Carnot；　conform　to　the

system　in　order　to　save　France；　there　are　but　a　few　sectarians　to

carry　out　the　Jacobin　program。　　These　are　men　so　short…sighted　as　not

to　clearly　comprehend　its　fallacies；　or　sufficiently　fanatical　to

accept　its　horrors；　a　lot　of　social　outcasts　and　self…constituted

statesmen；　i