the ancien regime-第12章

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circumstances　of　their　political　stateto　that　〃government　of　one

man　which　in　the　end　has　the　inevitable　effect　of　rendering　all　men

alike；　and　all　mutually　indifferent　to　their　common　fate〃we　must

differ；　even　from　him：　　for　facts　prove　the　impotence　of　that；　or　of

any　other　circumstance；　in　altering　the　hearts　and　souls　of　men；　in

producing　in　them　anything　but　a　mere　superficial　and　temporary

resemblance。



For　all　the　while　there　was；　among　these　very　French；　here　and　there

a　variety　of　character　and　purpose；　sufficient　to　burst　through　that

very　despotism；　and　to　develop　the　nation　into　manifold；　new；　and

quite　original　shapes。　　Thus　it　was　proved　that　the　uniformity　had

been　only　in　their　outside　crust　and　shell。　　What　tore　the　nation　to

pieces　during　the　Reign　of　Terror；　but　the　boundless　variety　and

originality　of　the　characters　which　found　themselves　suddenly　in

free　rivalry？　　What　else　gave　to　the　undisciplined　levies；　the

bankrupt　governments；　the　parvenu　heroes　of　the　Republic；　a　manifold

force；　a　self…dependent　audacity；　which　made　them　the　conquerors；

and　the　teachers　（for　good　and　evil）　of　the　civilised　world？　　If

there　was　one　doctrine　which　the　French　Revolution　specially

proclaimedwhich　it　caricatured　till　it　brought　it　into　temporary

disreputeit　was　this：　　that　no　man　is　like　another；　that　in　each

is　a　God…given　〃individuality；〃　an　independent　soul；　which　no

government　or　man　has　a　right　to　crush；　or　can　crush　in　the　long

run：　　but　which　ought　to　have；　and　must　have；　a　〃carriere　ouverte

aux　talents；〃　freely　to　do　the　best　for　itself　in　the　battle　of

life。　　The　French　Revolution；　more　than　any　event　since　twelve　poor

men　set　forth　to　convert　the　world　some　eighteen　hundred　years　ago；

proves　that　man　ought　not　to　be；　and　need　not　be；　the　creature　of

circumstances；　the　puppet　of　institutions；　but；　if　he　will；　their

conqueror　and　their　lord。



Of　these　original　spirits　who　helped　to　bring　life　out　of　death；　and

the　modern　world　out　of　the　decay　of　the　mediaeval　world；　the　French

PHILOSOPHES　and　encyclopaedists　are；　of　course；　the　most　notorious。

They　confessed；　for　the　most　part；　that　their　original　inspiration

had　come　from　England。　　They　were；　or　considered　themselves；　the

disciples　of　Locke；　whose　philosophy；　it　seems　to　me；　their　own　acts

disproved。



And　first；　a　few　words　on　these　same　philosophes。　　One　may　be

thoroughly　aware　of　their　deficiencies；　of　their　sins；　moral　as　well

as　intellectual；　and　yet　one　may　demand　that　everyone　should　judge

them　fairlywhich　can　only　be　done　by　putting　himself　in　their

place；　and　any　fair　judgment　of　them　will；　I　think；　lead　to　the

conclusion　that　they　were　not　mere　destroyers；　inflamed　with　hate　of

everything　which　mankind　had　as　yet　held　sacred。　　Whatever　sacred

things　they　despised；　one　sacred　thing　they　reverenced；　which　men

had　forgotten　more　and　more　since　the　seventeenth　centurycommon

justice　and　common　humanity。　　It　was　this；　I　believe；　which　gave

them　their　moral　force。　　It　was　this　which　drew　towards　them　the

hearts；　not　merely　of　educated　bourgeois　and　nobles　（on　the　menu

peuple　they　had　no　influence；　and　did　not　care　to　have　any）；　but　of

every　continental　sovereign　who　felt　in　himself　higher　aspirations

than　those　of　a　mere　selfish　tyrantFrederick　the　Great；　Christina

of　Sweden；　Joseph　of　Austria；　and　even　that　fallen　Juno；　Catharine

of　Russia；　with　all　her　sins。　　To　take　the　most　extreme　instance

Voltaire。　　We　may　question　his　being　a　philosopher　at　all。　　We　may

deny　that　he　had　even　a　tincture　of　formal　philosophy。　　We　may　doubt

much　whether　he　had　any　of　that　human　and　humorous　common　sense；

which　is　often　a　good　substitute　for　the　philosophy　of　the　schools。

We　may　feel　against　him　a　just　and　honest　indignation　when　we

remember　that　he　dared　to　travestie　into　a　foul　satire　the　tale　of

his　country's　purest　and　noblest　heroine；　but　we　must　recollect；　at

the　same　time；　that　he　did　a　public　service　to　the　morality　of　his

own　country；　and　of　all　Europe；　by　his　indignationquite　as　just

and　honest　as　any　which　we　may　feelat　the　legal　murder　of　Calas。

We　must　recollect　that；　if　he　exposes　baseness　and　foulness　with　too

cynical　a　license　of　speech　（in　which；　indeed；　he　sinned　no　more

than　had　the　average　of　French　writers　since　the　days　of　Montaigne）；

he　at　least　never　advocates　them；　as　did　Le　Sage。　　We　must　recollect

that；　scattered　throughout　his　writings；　are　words　in　favour　of　that

which　is　just；　merciful；　magnanimous；　and　even；　at　times；　in　favour

of　that　which　is　pure；　which　proves　that　in　Voltaire；　as　in　most

men；　there　was　a　double　selfthe　one　sickened　to　cynicism　by　the

iniquity　and　folly　which　he　saw　around　himthe　other；　hungering

after　a　nobler　life；　and　possibly　exciting　that　hunger　in　one　and

another；　here　and　there；　who　admired　him　for　other　reasons　than　the

educated　mob；　which　cried　after　him　〃Vive　la　Pucelle。〃



Rousseau；　too。　　Easy　it　is　to　feel　disgust；　contempt；　for　the

〃Confessions〃　and　the　〃Nouvelle　Heloise〃for　much；　too　much；　in　the

man's　own　life　and　character。　　One　would　think　the　worse　of　the

young　Englishman　who　did　not　so　feel；　and　express　his　feelings

roundly　and　roughly。　　But　all　young　Englishmen　should　recollect；

that　to　Rousseau's　〃Emile〃　they　owe　their　deliverance　from　the

useless　pedantries；　the　degrading　brutalities；　of　the　medieval

system　of　school　education；　that　〃Emile〃　awakened　throughout

civilised　Europe　a　conception　of　education　just；　humane；　rational；

truly　scientific；　because　founded　upon　facts；　that　if　it　had　not

been　written　by　one　writhing　under　the　bitter　consequences　of　mis…

education；　and　feeling　their　sting　and　their　brand　day　by　day　on　his

own　spirit；　Miss　Edgeworth　might　never　have　reformed　our　nurseries；

or　Dr。　Arnold　our　public　schools。



And　so　with　the　rest　of　the　philosophes。　　That　there　were　charlatans

among　them；　vain　men；　pretentious　men；　profligate　men；　selfish；

self…seeking；　and　hypocritical　men；　who　doubts？　　Among　what　class　of

men　were　there　not　such　in　those　evil　days？　　In　what　class　of　men

are　there　not　such　now；　in　spite　of　all　social　and　moral

improvement？　　But　nothing　but　the　conviction；　among　the　average；

that　they　were　in　the　rightthat　they　were　fighting　a　battle　for

which　it　was　worth　while　to　dare；　and　if　need　be　to　suffer；　could

have　enabled　them　to　defy　what　was　then　public　opinion；　backed　by

overwhelming　physical　force。



Their　intellectual　defects　are　patent。　　No　one　can　deny　that　their

inductions　were　hasty　and　partial：　　but　then　they　were　inductions　as

opposed　to　the　dull　pedantry　of　the　schools；　which　rested　on

tradition　only　half　believed；　or　pretended　to　be　believed。　　No　one

can　deny　that　their　theories　were　too　general　and　abstract；　but　then

they　were　theories　as　opposed　to　the　no…theory　of　the　Ancien　Regime；

which　was；　〃Let　us　eat　and　drink；　for　to…morrow　we　die。〃



Theoriesprinciplesby　them　if　men　do　not　live；　by　them　men　are；

at　least；　stirred　into　life；　at　the　sight　of　something　more　noble

than　themselves。　　Only　by　great　ideas；　right　or　wrong；　could　such　a

world　as　that　which　Le　Sage　painted；　be　roused　out　of　its　slough　of

foul　self…satisfaction；　and　equally　foul　self…discontent。



For　mankind　is　ruled　and　guided；　in　the　long　run；　not　by　practical

considerations；　not　by　self…interest；　not　by　compromises；　but　by

theories　and　principles；　and　those　of　the　most　abstruse；　delicate；

supernatural；　and　literally　unspeakable　kind；　which；　whether　they　be

according　to　reason　or　not；　are　so　little　according　to　logicthat

is；　to　speakable　reasonthat　they　cannot　be　put　into　speech。　　Men

act；　whether　singly　or　in　masses；　by　impulses　and　instincts　for

which　they　give　reasons　quite　incompetent；　often　quite　irrelevant；

but　which　they　have　caught　from　each　other；　as　they　catch　fever　or

small…pox；　as　unconsciously；　and　yet　as　practically　and　potently；

just　as　the　nineteenth　century　has　caught　from　the　philosophers　of

the　eighteenth　most　practical　rules　of　conduct；　without　even　（in

most　cases）　having　read　a　word　of　their　works。



And　what　has　this　century　caught　from　these　philosophers？　　One　rule

it　has　learnt；　and　that　a　most　practical　oneto　appeal　in　all

cases；　as　much　as　possible；　to　〃Reason　and　the　Laws　of　Nature。〃

That；　at　least；　the　philosophers　tried　to　do。　　Often　they　failed。

Their　conceptions　of　reason　and　of　the　laws　of　nature　being　often

incorrect；　they　appealed　to　unreason　and　to　laws　which　were　not

those　of　nature。　　〃The　fixed　idea　of　them　all　was；〃　says　M。　de

Tocqueville；　〃to　substitute　simple　and　elementary　rules；　deduced

from　reason　and　natural　law；　for　the　complicated　traditional　customs

which　governed　the　society　of　their　time。〃　　They　were　often　rash；

hasty；　in　the　application　of　their　method。　　They　ignored　whole

classes　of　facts；　which；　though　spiritual　and　not　physical；　are　just

as　much　facts；　and　facts　for　science；　as　those　which　concern　a　stone

or　a　fungus。　　They　mistook　for　merely　complicated　traditional

customs；　many　most　sacred　institutions　which　were　just　as　much

founded　on　reason　and　natural　law；　as　any　theories　of　their　own。

But　who　shall　say　that　their　method　was　not　correct？　　That　it　was

not　the　only　method？　　They　appealed　to　reason。　　Would　you　have　had

them　appeal　to　unreason？　　They　appealed　to　natural　law。　　Would　you

have　had　them　appeal　to　unnatural　law？law　according　to　which　God

did　not　make　this　world？　　Alas！　that　had　been　done　too　often

already。　　Solomon　saw　it　done　in　his　time；　and　called　it　folly；　to

which　he　prophesied　no　good　end。　　Rabelais　saw　it　done　in　his　time；

and　wrote　his　chapters　on　the　〃Children　of　Physis　and　the　Children

of　Antiphysis。〃　　But；　born　in　an　evil　generation；　which　was　already；

even　in　1500；　ripening　for　the　revolution　of　1789；　he　was　sensual

and；　I　fear；　cowardly　enough　to　hide　his　light；　not　under　a　bushel；

but　under　a　dunghill；　till　men　took　him　for　a　jester　of　jests；　and

his　great　wisdom　was　lost　to　the　worse　and　more　foolish　generations

which　followed　him；　and　thought　they　understood　him。



But　as　for　appealing　to　natural　law　for　that　which　is　good　for　men；

and　to　reason　for　the　power　of　discerning　that　same　goodif　man

cannot　find　truth　by　that　method；　by　what　method　shall　he　find　it？



And　thus　it　happened　that；　though　these　philosophers　and

encyclopaedists　were　not　men　of　science；　they　were　at　least　the

heralds　and　the　coadjutors　of　science。



We　may　call　them；　and　justly；　dreamers；　theorists；　fanatics。　　But　we

must　recollect　that　one　thing　they　meant　to　do；　and　did。　　They

recalled　men　to　facts；　they　bid　them　ask　of　everything　they　saw

What　are　the　facts　of　the　case？　　Till　we　know　the　facts；　argument　is

worse　than　useless。



Now　the　habit　of　asking　for　the　facts　of　the　case　must　deliver　men

more　or　less　from　that　evil　spirit　which　the　old　Romans　called

〃Fama；〃　from　her　whom　Virgil　described　in　the　AEneid　as　the　ugliest；

the　false