the origins of contemporary france-1-第69章
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〃Lettres sur les Anglais;〃 to the year 1728。 The 〃Lettres Persanes;〃
by Montesquieu; published in 1721; contain the germs of all the
leading ideas of the century。
'4'。 〃Raison〃 (cult of)。 Cult proposed by the Hébertists and
aimed at replacing Christianity under the French Revolution。 The Cult
of Reason was celebrated in the church of Notre Dame de Paris on the
10th of November 1793。 The cult disappeared with the Hébertists
(March 1794) and Robespierre replaced it with the cult of the Superior
Being。 (SR。)
'5'。 Joseph de Maistre; Oeuvres inédites;〃 pp。 8; 11。
'6'。 Diderot's letters on the Blind and on the Deaf and Dumb are
addressed in whole or in part to women。
'7'。 〃Correspondence of Gouverneur Morris;〃 (in English); II; 89。
(Letter of January 24; 1790)
'8'。 John Andrews in 〃A comparative view;〃 etc。 (1785)。 … Arthur
Young; I。 123。 〃I should pity the man who expected; without other
advantages of a very different nature; to be well received in a
brilliant circle in London; because he was a fellow of the Royal
Society。 But this would not be the case with a member of the Academy
of Sciences at Paris; he is sure of a good reception everywhere。〃
'9'。 〃I met in Paris the d'Alemberts; the Marmontels; the Baillys
at the houses of duchesses; which was an immense advantage to all
concerned。 。 。 。 When a man with us devotes himself to writing
books he is considered as renouncing the society equally of those who
govern as of those who laugh。 。 。 Taking literary vanity into
account the lives of your d'Alemberts and Baillys are as pleasant as
those of your seigniors。〃 (Stendhal; 〃Rome; Naples et Florence;〃 377;
in a narrative by Col。 Forsyth)。
'10'。 〃Entretien d'un philosophe avec la Maréchale …。〃
'11'。 The television audience today cannot threaten never again to
invite the boring 〃philosopher〃 to dinner; but will zap away; a move
that the system accurately senses。 The rules that Taine describes
are; alas; therefore once more valid。 (SR。)
'12'。 The same process is observable in our day in the 〃Sophismes
économiques〃 of Bastiat; the 〃Eloges historiques〃 of Flourens; and in
〃Le Progrès;〃 by Edmond About。
'13'。 The 〃Portier de Chartreux。〃 (An infamous pornographic book。
(SR。))
'14'。 〃Thérese Philosophe。〃 There is a complete literature of this
species。
'15'。 See the edition of M。 Dauban in which the suppressed
passages are restored。
'16'。 〃Esprit des Lois;〃 ch。 XV。 book V。 (Reasons in favor of
slavery)。 The 〃Defence of the Esprit des Lois;〃 I。 Reply to the
second objection。 II。 Reply to the fourth objection。
'17'。 Letter 24 (on Louis XIV。)
'18'。 Letter 18 (on the purity and impurity of things)。 Letter 39
(proofs of the mission of Mohammed)。
'19'。 Letters 75 and 118。
'20'。 Letters 98 (on the modern sciences); 46 (on a true system of
worship); 11 and 14 (on the nature of justice)。
'21'。 Cf 〃Micromégas;〃 〃L'homme aux quarantes écus;〃 〃Dialogues
entre A; B; C;〃 Dic。 Philosophique;〃 passim。 … In verse; 〃Les
systèmes;〃 〃La loi naturelle;〃 〃Le pour et le countre;〃; 〃Discours sur
l'homme;〃 etc。
'22'。 〃Traité de métaphysique;〃 chap。 I。 p。1 (on the peasantry)。
… 〃Lettres sur les Anglais;〃 passim。 … 〃Candide;〃 passim。 …
〃La Princesse de Babylone;〃 ch。 VII。 VIII。 IX。 and XI。
'23' 〃Dict。 Phil。〃 articles; 〃Maladie;〃 (Replies to the princess)。
… 〃Candide;〃 at Madame de Parolignac。 The sailor in the wreck。
Narrative of Paquette。 … The 〃Ingénu;〃 the first chapters。
'24'。 〃Candide;〃 the last chapter。 When there was no dispute
going on; it was so wearisome that the old woman one day boldly said
to him: 〃I should like to know which is worse to be ravished a hundred
times by Negro pirates; to have one's rump gashed; or be switched by
the Bulgarians; to be scourged or hung in an auto…da…fé; to be cut to
pieces; to row in the galleys; to suffer any misery through which we
have passed; or sit still and do nothing?〃 … 〃That is the great
question;〃 said Candide。
'25'。 For example; in the lines addressed to the Princess Ulrique
in the preface to 〃Alzire;〃 dedicated to Madame du Chatelet:
〃Souvent un peu de verité;〃 etc。
'26' The scholar in the dialogue of 〃Le Mais;〃 (Jenny)。 … The
canonization of Saint Cucufin。 … Advice to brother Pediculuso。 …
The diatribe of Doctor Akakia。 … Conversation of the emperor of
China with brother Rigolo; etc。
'27'。 〃Dict。 Philosophique;〃 the article 〃Ignorance。〃 … 〃Les
Oreilles du Comte de Chesterfied。〃 … 〃L'homme au quarante écus;〃
chap。 VII。 and XI。
'28'。 Bachaumont; III; 194。 (The death of the Comte de Maugiron)。
'29'。 〃The novels of the younger Crébillon were in fashion。 My
father spoke with Madame de Puisieux on the ease with which licentious
works were composed; he contended that it was only necessary to find
an arousing idea as a peg to hang others on in which intellectual
libertinism should be a substitute for taste。 She challenged him to
produce on of this kind。 At the end of a fortnight he brought her
'Les bijoux indiscrets' and fifty louis。〃 (Mémoires of Diderot; by his
daughter)。 … 〃La Religieuse;〃 has a similar origin; its object
being to mystify M。 de Croismart。
'30'。 〃Le Rêve de d'Alembert。〃
'31'。 〃Le neveau de Rameau。〃
'32'。 The words of Diderot himself in relation to the 〃Rêve de
d'Alembert。〃
'33' One of the finest stanzas in 〃Souvenir〃 is almost literally
transcribed (involuntarily; I suppose); from the dialogue on Otaheite
(Tahiti)。
'34'。 〃Nouvelle Héloise;〃 passim。; and notably Julie's
extraordinary letter; second part; number 15。 … 〃émile;〃 the
preceptor's discourse to émile and Sophie the morning after their
marriage。 … Letter of the comtesse de Boufflers to Gustavus III。;
published by Geffroy; (〃Gustave III。 et la cour de France〃)。 〃I
entrust to Baron de Lederheim; though with reluctance; a book for you
which has just been published; the infamous memoirs of Rousseau
entitled 'Confessions。' They seem to me those of a common scullion and
even lower than that; being dull throughout; whimsical and vicious in
the most offensive manner。 I do not recur to my worship of him (for
such it was) I shall never console myself for its having caused the
death of that eminent man David Hume; who; to gratify me; undertook to
entertain that filthy animal in England。〃
'35'。 〃Confessions;〃 part I; book III。
'36'。 Letter to M; de Beaumont。
'37'。 〃émile;〃 letter IV。 193。 〃People of the world must
necessarily put on disguise; let them show themselves as they are and
they would horrify us;〃 etc。
'38'。 See; especially; his book entitled 〃Rousseau juge de Jean…
Jacques;〃 his connection with Hume and the last books of the
〃confessions。〃
'39'。 〃Confessions;〃 part 2。 book XI。 〃The women were
intoxicated with the book and with the author to such an extent that
there were few of them; even of high rank; whose conquest I could not
have made if I had undertaken it。 I possess evidence of this which I
do not care; to publish; and which; without having been obliged to
prove it by experience; warrant; my statement。〃 Cf。 G。 Sand;
〃Histoire de ma vie;〃 I。73。
'40'。 See an engraving by Moreau called 〃Les Petits Parrains。〃 …
Berquin; passim。; and among others 〃L'épée。〃 … Remark the ready…
made phrases; the style of an author common to children; in Berquin
and Madame de Genlis。
'41'。 See the description of sunrise in 〃émile;〃 of the élysée (a
natural garden); in 〃Héloise。〃 And especially in 〃Emile;〃 at the end
of the fourth book; the pleasures which Rousseau would enjoy if he
were rich。
'42'。 See in Marivaux; (〃La double inconstance;〃) a satire on the
court; courtiers and the corruptions of high life; opposed to the
common people in the country。
'43' Bachmaumont; I。 254。
'44'。 〃A calculator was required for the place but a dancer got
it。〃 … 〃The sale of offices is a great abuse。〃 …〃Yes; it would he
better to give them for nothing。〃 … 〃Only small men fear small
literature。〃 … 〃Chance makes the interval; the mind only can alter
that !〃 … 〃A courtier? … they say it is a very difficult
profession。〃 … 〃To receive; to take; and to ask; is the secret in
three words;〃 etc; … Also the entire monologue by Figaro; and all
the scenes with Bridoisin。
CHAPTER II。 THE FRENCH PUBLIC。
I。 THE NOBILITY。
The Aristocracy。 … Novelty commonly repugnant to it。 …
Conditions of this repugnance。 … Example in England。
This public has yet to be made willing to be convinced and to be
won over; belief occurs only when there is a disposition to believe;
and; in the success of books; its share is often greater than that of
their authors。 On addressing men about politics or religion their
opinions are; in general already formed; their prejudices; their
interests; their situation have confirmed them beforehand; they listen
to you only after you have uttered aloud what they inwardly think。
Propose to them to demolish the great social edifice and to rebuild it
anew on a quite an opposite plan: ordinarily you auditors will consist
only of those who are poorly lodged or shelterless; who live in
garrets or cellars; or who sleep under the stars; on the bare ground
in the vicinity of houses。 The common run of people; whose lodgings
are small but tolerable; dread moving and adhere to their accustomed
ways。 The difficulty becomes much greater on appealing to the upper
classes who occupy superior habitations; their acceptance of your
proposal depends either on their great delusions or on their great
disinterestedness。 In England they quickly foresee the danger。
In vain is philosophy there indigenous and precocious; it does not
become acclimatized。 In 1729; Montesquieu writes in his memorandum…
book: 〃No religion in England; four or five members of the House of
Commons attend mass or preaching in the House。 。 。 。 When
religion is mentioned everybody begins to laugh。 A man having said:
I believe that as an article of faith; everybody laughed。 A
committee is appointed to consider the state of religion; but it is
regarded as absurd。〃 Fifty years later the public mind undergoes a
reaction; all with a good roof over their heads and a good coat on
their backs'1' see the consequence of the new doctrines。 In any
event they feel that closet speculations are not to become street
preaching。 Impiety seems to them an indiscretion; they consider
religion as the cement of public order。 This is owing to the fact
that they are themselves public men; engaged in active life; taking a
part in the government; and instructed through their daily and
personal experience。 Practical life f