the origins of contemporary france-5-第36部分

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sovereignty；＇15＇　so　many　prerogatives；　honorific　or　serviceable；

maintained　by　the　law　and　by　the　tribunals。　On　this　side；　the　meshes

of　the　monarchical　netting　had　not　been　well　knit　or　remained　loose；

and　the　same　elsewhere；　with　openings　more　or　less　wide；　in　the　five

provincial　governments　（états）；　in　the　Pyrenees　districts；　in　Alsace；

at　Strasbourg；　but　especially　in　Languedoc　and　in　Brittany；　where　the

pact　of　incorporation；　through　a　sort　of　bilateral　contract；

associated　together　on　the　same　parchment　and　under　the　same　seal　the

franchises　of　the　province　and　the　sovereignty　of　the　King。



Add　to　these　original　lacunae　the　hole　made　by　the　Prince　himself　in

his　net　already　woven：　he　had　with　his　own　hand　torn　away　its　meshes；

and　by　thousands。　Extravagant　to　excess　and　always　needy；　he　converted

everything　into　money；　even　his　own　rights；　and；　in　the　military

order；　in　the　civil　order；　in　commerce　and　in　industry；　in　the

administration；　in　the　judicature；　and　in　the　finances。　From　one　end

of　the　territory　to　the　other；　he　had　sold　innumerable　offices；

imposts；　dignities；　honors；　monopolies；　exemptions；　survivorships；

expectancies　…　in　brief；　privileges　which；　once　conferred　for　a　money

consideration；　became　legal　property；＇16＇　often　hereditary　and

transmissible　by　the　individual　or　the　corporation　which　had　paid　for

them。　In　this　way　the　King　alienated　a　portion　of　his　royalty　for　the

benefit　of　the　buyer。　Now；　in　1789；　he　had　alienated　a　great　many　of

these　portions；　accordingly；　his　present　authority　was　everywhere

restricted　by　the　use　he　had　previously　made　of　it。　…　Sovereignty；

thus；　in　his　hands　had　suffered　from　the　double　effect　of　its　historic

origins　and　its　historic　exercise；　the　public　power　had　not　become；　or

had　ceased　to　be；　omnipotence。　On　the　one　hand　it　had　not　reached　its

plenitude；　and　on　the　other　hand　it　had　deprived　itself　of　a　portion

of　its　own　completeness。



The　philosophers　wished　to　find　a　solution　for　this　double　weakness；

innate　and　acquired　They　had　therefore　transported　sovereignty　out　of

history　into　the　ideal　and　abstract　world；　with　an　imaginary　city　of

mankind　reduced　to　the　minimum　of　a　human　being　Here　men；　infinitely

simplified；　all　alike；　equal；　separate　from　their　surroundings　and

from　their　past；　veritable　puppets；　were　all　lifting　their　hands　in

common　rectangular　motion　to　vote　unanimously　for　the　contrat　social。

In　this　contract　〃all　classes　are　reduced　to　one；＇17＇　the　complete

surrender　of　each　associate；　with　all　his　rights；　to　the　community；

each　giving　himself　up　entirely；　just　as　he　actually　is；　himself　and

all　his　forces；　of　which　whatever　he　possesses　forms　a　part；〃　each

becoming　with　respect　to　himself　and　every　act　of　his　private　life　a

delegate　of　the　State；　a　responsible　clerk；　in　short；　a　functionary；　a

functionary　of　the　people；　henceforth　the　unique；　the　absolute；　and

the　universal　sovereign。　A　terrible　principle；　proclaimed　and　applied

for　ten　years；　below　by　the　mob　and　above　by　the　government！　Popular

opinion　had　adopted　it；　accordingly　the　passage　from　the　sovereignty

of　the　King　to　the　sovereignty　of　the　people　was　easy；　smooth；＇18＇　and

to　the　novice　in　reasoning；　the　old…fashioned　taxable　and　workable

subject；　to　whom　the　principle　conferred　a　portion　of　the　sovereignty；

the　temptation　was　too　great。



　At　once；　according　to　their　custom；　the　jurists　put　themselves　at　the

service　of　the　new　reign。　And　no　dogma　was　better　suited　their　to

authoritative　instinct；　no　axiom　furnished　them　so　convenient　a

fulcrum　on　which　to　set　up　and　turn　their　logical　wheel。　This　wheel；

which　they　had　latterly　managed　with　care　and　caution　under　the

ancient　Régime；　had　suddenly　in　their　hands　turned　with　frightful

speed　and　effect　in　order　to　convert　the　rigid；　universal；　and　applied

laws；　the　intermittent　processes；　the　theoretical　pretensions；　and　the

worst　precedents　of　the　monarchy　into　practice。　This　meant



*　the　use　of　extraordinary　commissions；

*　accusations　of　lésé　majesté；

*　the　suppression　of　legal　formalities；

*　the　persecution　of　religious　beliefs　and　of　personal　opinions；

*　the　right　of　condemning　publications　and　of　coercing　thought；

*　the　right　of　instruction　and　education；

*　the　rights　of　pre…emption；　of　requisition；　of　confiscation；　and　of

proscription；



in　short；　pure　and　perfect　arbitrariness。　The　result　is　visible　in　the

deeds　of　Treilhard；　of　Berlier；　of　Merlin　de　Douai；　of　Cambacérès；　in

those　of　the　Constituant　and　Legislative　Assemblies；　in　the

Convention；　under　the　Directory；　in　their　Jacobin　zeal　or　hypocrisy；

in　their　talent　for　combining　despotic　tradition　with　tyrannical

innovation；　in　their　professional　skill　in　fabricating　on　all

occasions　a　snare　of　plausible　arguments　with　which　to　properly

strangle　the　individual；　their　adversary；　to　the　profit　of　the　State；

their　eternal　master。



In　effect；　not　only　had　they　almost　strangled　their　adversary；　but

likewise；　through　an　aftereffect；　their　master：　France　which；　after

fourteen　months　of　suffocation；　was　approaching　physical　suicide。＇19＇

Such　success；　too　great；　had　obliged　them　to　stop；　they　had　abandoned

one…half　of　their　destructive　creed；　retaining　only　the　other　half；

the　effect　of　which；　less　imminent；　was　less　apparent。　If　they　no

longer　dared　paralyze　individual　acts　in　the　man；　they　persisted　in

paralyzing　in　the　individual　all　collective　acts。　…　There　must　be　no

special　associations　in　general　society；　no　corporations　within　the

State；　especially　no　spontaneous　bodies　endowed　with　the　initiative；

proprietary　and　permanent：　such　is　Article　II。　of　the　Revolutionary

Creed；　and　the　direct　consequence　of　the　previous　one　which　posits

axiomatically　the　sovereignty　of　the　people　and　the　omnipotence　of　the

State。　Rousseau；＇20＇　inventor　of　the　first；　had　like…wise　enunciated

the　second；　the　constituent　assembly　had　solemnly　decreed　it　and

applied　it　on　a　grand　scale；＇21＇　and　successive　assemblies　had　applied

it　on　a　still　grander　scale；＇22＇　it　was　a　faith　with　the　Jacobins；

and；　besides；　in　conformity　with　the　spirit　of　Roman　imperial　right

and　with　the　leading　maxim　of　French　monarchical　right。　On　this　point

the　three　known　jurisprudential　systems　were　in　accord；　while　their

convergence　brought　together　around　the　same　table　the　jurists　of　the

three　doctrines　in　a　common　task；　ex…parliamentarians　and　ex…members

of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　former　pro…scribers　and　the

proscribed；　the　purveyors　of　Sinamari　with　Treilhard　and　Merlin　de

Douai；　returned　from　Guiana；　alongside　of　Simeon；　Portalis；　and　Barbé…

Marbois。　There　was　nobody　in　this　conclave　to　maintain　the　rights　of

spontaneous　bodies；　the　theory；　on　all　three　sides；　no　matter　from

whom　it　proceeded；　refused　to　recognize　them　for　what　they　are

originally　and　essentially；　that　is　to　say；　distinct　organisms　equally

natural　with　the　State；　equally　indispensable　in　their　way；　and；

therefore；　as　legitimate　as　itself；　it　allowed　them　only　a　life　on

trust；　derived　from　above　and　from　the　center。　But；　since　the　State

created　them；　it　might　and　ought　to　treat　them　as　its　creatures；　keep

them　indefinitely　under　its　thumb；　use　them　for　its　purposes；　act

through　them　as　through　other　agencies；　and　transform　their　chiefs

into　functionaries　of　the　central　power。



III。　Brilliant　Statesman　and　Administrator。



The　Organizer。　…　Influence　of　Napoleon's　character　and　mind　on　his

internal　and　French　system。　…　Exigencies　of　his　external　and　European

r？le。　…　Suppression　of　all　centers　of　combination　and　concord。　…

Extension　of　the　public　domain　and　what　it　embraces。　…　Reasons　for

maintaining　the　private　domain。　…　The　part　of　the　individual。　…　His

reserved　enclosure。　…　Outlets　for　him　beyond　that。　…　His　talents　are

enlisted　in　the　service　of　public　power。　…　Special　aptitude　and

temporary　vigor；　lack　of　balance；　and　doubtful　future　of　the　social

body　thus　formed。



A　new　France；　not　the　chimerical；　communistic；　equalized；　and　Spartan

France　of　Robespierre　and　Saint…Just；　but　a　possible　real；　durable；

and　yet　leveled　and　uniform　France；　logically　struck　out　at　one　blow；

all　of　a　piece；　according　to　one　general　principle；　a　France；

centralized；　administrative；　and；　save　the　petty　egoistic　play　of

individuals；　managed　in　one　entire　body　from　top　to　bottom；　…　in

short；　the　France　which　Richelieu　and　Louis　XIV。　had　longed　for；　which

Mirabeau　after　1790　had　foreseen；＇23＇　is　now　the　work　which　the

theories　of　the　monarchy　and　of　the　Revolution　had　prepared；　and

toward　which　the　final　concurrence　of　events；　that　is　to　say；　〃the

alliance　of　philosophy　and　the　saber；〃　led　the　sovereign　hands　of　the

First　Consul。



Accordingly；　considering　his　well…known　character；　the　promptitude；

the　activity；　the　reach；　the　universality；　and　the　cast　of　his

intellect；　he　could　not　have　proposed　to　himself　a　different　work　nor

reduced　himself　to　a　lower　standard。　His　need　of　governing　and　of

administrating　was　too　great；　his　capacity　for　governing　and

administrating　was　too　great：　his　was　an　exacting　genius。　…　Moreover；

for　the　outward　task　that　he　undertook　he　required　internally；　not

only　undisputed　possession　of　all　executive　and　legislative　powers；

not　only　perfect　obedience　from　all　legal　authorities；　but；　again；　the

annihilation　of　all　moral　authority　but　his　own；　that　is　to　say；　the

silence　of　public　opinion　and　the　isolation　of　each　individual；　and

therefore　the　abolition；　preventive　and　systematic；　of　any　religious；

ecclesiastic；　pedagogic；　charitable；　literary；　departmental；　or

communal　initiative　that　might；　now　or　in　the　future　gather　men

against　him　or　alongside　of　him。　Like　a　good　general　he　secures　his

rear。　At　strife　with　all　Europe；　he　so　arranges　it　as　not　to　allow　in

the　France　he　drags　along　after　him　refractory　souls　or　bodies　which

might　form　platoons　in　his　rear。　Consequently；　and　through　precaution