战争与和平(上)-第105章

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“I　am　an　admirer　of　Montesquieu；”　said　Prince　Andrey。　“And　his　theory　that　the　principle　of　monarchies　is　honour　seems　to　me　incontestable。　Certain　rights　and　privileges　of　the　nobility　appear　to　me　to　be　means　of　maintaining　that　sentiment。”
The　smile　vanished　from　Speransky’s　white　face；　and　his　countenance　gained　greatly　by　its　absence。　Probably　Prince　Andrey’s　idea　seemed　to　him　an　interesting　one。
“If　you　look　at　the　question　from　that　point　of　view；”　he　began；　pronouncing　French　with　obvious　difficulty；　and　speaking　even　more　deliberately　than　he　had　done　when　speaking　Russian；　but　still　with　perfect　composure。　He　said　that　honour；　l’honneur；　cannot　be　supported　by　privileges　prejudicial　to　the　working　of　the　government；　that　honour；　l’honneur；　is　either　a　negative　concept　of　avoidance　of　reprehensible　actions　or　a　certain　source　of　emulation　in　obtaining　the　commendation　and　rewards　in　which　it　finds　expression。
His　arguments　were　condensed；　simple；　and　clear。　“The　institution　that　best　maintains　that　honour；　the　source　of　emulation；　is　an　institution　akin　to　the　Legion　of　Honour　of　the　great　Emperor　Napoleon；　which　does　not　detract　from　but　conduces　to　the　successful　working　of　the　government　service；　and　not　a　class　or　court　privilege。”
“I　do　not　dispute　that；　but　there　is　no　denying　that　the　court　privileges　did　attain　the　same　object；”　said　Prince　Andrey。　“Every　courtier　thought　himself　bound　to　do　credit　to　his　position。”
“But　you　did　not　care　to　profit　by　it；　prince；”　said　Speransky；　showing　with　a　smile　that　he　wished　to　conclude　with　civility　an　argument　embarrassing　for　his　companion。　“If　you　will　do　me　the　honour　to　call　on　Wednesday；　then　I　shall　have　seen　Magnitsky；　and　shall　have　something　to　tell　you　that　may　interest　you；　and　besides　I　shall　have　the　pleasure　of　more　conversation　with　you。”　Closing　his　eyes；　he　bowed；　and　trying　to　escape　unnoticed；　he　went　out　of　the　drawing…room　without　saying　good…bye；　à　la　fran？aise。


Chpater　6
DURING　THE　FIRST　PART　of　his　stay　in　Petersburg；　Prince　Andrey　found　all　the　habits　of　thought　he　had　formed　in　his　solitary　life　completely　obscured　by　the　trifling　cares　which　engrossed　him　in　Petersburg。
In　the　evening　on　returning　home　he　noted　down　in　his　memorandum…book　four　or　five　unavoidable　visits　or　appointments　for　fixed　hours。　The　mechanism　of　life；　the　arrangement　of　his　day；　so　as　to　be　in　time　everywhere；　absorbed　the　greater　part　of　his　vital　energy。　He　did　nothing；　thought　of　nothing　even；　and　had　no　time　to　think；　but　only　talked；　and　talked　successfully；　of　what　he　had　had　time　to　think　about　in　the　past　in　the　country。
He　sometimes　noticed　with　dissatisfaction　that　it　happened　to　him　to　repeat　the　same　remarks　on　the　same　day　to　different　audiences。　But　he　was　so　busy　for　whole　days　together　that　he　had　no　time　to　reflect　that　he　was　thinking　of　nothing。　Just　as　at　their　first　meeting　at　Kotchubey’s；　Speransky　had　a　long　and　confidential　talk　with　Prince　Andrey　on　Wednesday　at　his　own　home；　where　he　received　Bolkonsky　alone　and　made　a　great　impression　on　him。
Prince　Andrey　regarded　the　immense　mass　of　men　as　contemptible　and　worthless　creatures；　and　he　had　such　a　longing　to　find　in　some　other　man　the　living　pattern　of　that　perfection　after　which　he　strove　himself；　that　he　was　ready　to　believe　that　in　Speransky　he　had　found　this　ideal　of　a　perfectly　rational　and　virtuous　man。　Had　Speransky　belonged　to　the　same　world　as　Prince　Andrey；　had　he　been　of　the　same　breeding　and　moral　traditions；　Bolkonsky　would　soon　have　detected　the　weak；　human；　unheroic　sides　of　his　character；　but　this　logical　turn　of　mind　was　strange　to　him　and　inspired　him　with　the　more　respect　from　his　not　fully　understanding　it。　Besides　this；　Speransky；　either　because　he　appreciated　Prince　Andrey’s　abilities　or　because　he　thought　it　as　well　to　secure　his　adherence；　showed　off　his　calm；　impartial　sagacity　before　Prince　Andrey；　and　flattered　him　with　that　delicate　flattery　that　goes　hand　in　hand　with　conceit；　and　consists　in　a　tacit　assumption　that　one’s　companion　and　oneself　are　the　only　people　capable　of　understanding　all　the　folly　of　the　rest　of　the　world　and　the　sagacity　and　profundity　of　their　own　ideas。
In　the　course　of　their　long　conversation　on　Wednesday　evening　Speransky　said　more　than　once：　“Among　us　everything　that　is　out　of　the　common　rut　of　tradition　is　looked　at；”　…　or　with　a　smile：　“But　we　want　the　wolves　to　be　well　fed　and　the　sheep　to　be　unhurt。”　…　or：　“They　can’t　grasp　that”　…　and　always　with　an　expression　that　said。　“We；　you　and　I；　we　understand　what　they　are　and　who　we　are。”
This　first　long　conversation　with　Speransky　only　strengthened　the　feeling　with　which　Prince　Andrey　had　seen　him　for　the　first　time。　He　saw　in　him　a　man　of　vast　intellect　and　sober；　accurate　judgment；　who　had　attained　power　by　energy　and　persistence；　and　was　using　it　for　the　good　of　Russia　only。　In　Prince　Andrey’s　eyes　Speransky　was　precisely　the　man—finding　a　rational　explanation　for　all　the　phenomena　of　life；　recognising　as　of　importance　only　what　was　rational　and　capable　of　applying　the　standard　of　reason　to　everything—that　he　would　have　liked　to　be　himself。　Everything　took　a　form　so　simple；　so　clear　in　Speransky’s　exposition　of　it　that　Prince　Andrey　could　not　help　agreeing　with　him　on　every　subject。　If　he　argued　and　raised　objections　it　was　simply　with　the　express　object　of　being　independent　and　not　being　entirely　swayed　by　Speransky’s　ideas。　Everything　was　right；　everything　was　as　it　should　be；　yet　one　thing　disconcerted　Prince　Andrey。　That　was　the　cold；　mirror…like　eye　of　Speransky；　which　seemed　to　refuse　all　admittance　to　his　soul；　and　his　flabby；　white　hand；　at　which　Prince　Andrey　instinctively　looked；　as　one　usually　does　look　at　the　hands　of　men　who　have　power。　That　mirror…like　eye　and　that　flabby　hand　vaguely　irritated　Prince　Andrey。　He　was　disagreeably　struck　too　by　the　excessive　contempt　for　other　people　that　he　observed　in　Speransky；　and　by　the　variety　of　the　lines　of　argument　he　employed　in　support　of　his　views。　He　made　use　of　every　possible　weapon　of　thought；　except　analogy；　and　his　transitions　from　one　line　of　defence　to　another　seemed　to　Prince　Andrey　too　violent。　At　one　time　he　took　his　stand　as　a　practical　man　and　found　fault　with　idealists；　then　he　took　a　satirical　line　and　jeered　sarcastically　at　his　opponents；　then　maintained　a　strictly　logical　position；　or　flew　off　into　the　domain　of　metaphysics。　（This　last　resource　was　one　he　was　particularly　fond　of　using　in　argument。）　He　raised　the　question　into　the　loftiest　region　of　metaphysics；　passed　to　definitions　of　space；　of　time；　and　of　thought；　and　carrying　off　arguments　to　confute　his　opponent；　descended　again　to　the　plane　of　the　original　discussion。　What　impressed　Prince　Andrey　as　the　leading　characteristic　of　Speransky’s　mind　was　his　unhesitating；　unmovable　faith　in　the　power　and　authority　of　the　reason。　It　was　plain　that　Speransky’s　brain　could　never　admit　the　idea—so　common　with　Prince　Andrey—that　one　can　never　after　all　express　all　one　thinks。　It　had　never　occurred　to　him　to　doubt　whether　all　he　thought　and　all　he　believed　might　not　be　meaningless　nonsense。　And　that　peculiarity　of　Speransky’s　mind　was　what　attracted　Prince　Andrey　most。
During　the　first　period　of　his　acquaintance　with　Speransky；　Prince　Andrey　had　a　passionate　and　enthusiastic　admiration　for　him；　akin　to　what　he　had　once　felt　for　Bonaparte。　The　very　fact　that　Speransky　was　the　son　of　a　priest；　which　enabled　many　foolish　persons　to　regard　him　with　vulgar　contempt；　as　a　member　of　a　despised　class；　made　Prince　Andrey　peculiarly　delicate　in　dealing　with　his　own　feeling　for　Speransky　and　unconsciously　strengthened　it　in　him。
On　that　first　evening　that　Bolkonsky　spent　with　him；　they　talked　of　the　commission　for　the　revision　of　the　legal　code；　and　Speransky　described　ironically　to　Prince　Andrey　how　the　commission　had　been　sitting　for　one　hundred　and　fifty　years；　had　cost　millions；　and　had　done　nothing；　and　how　Rosenkampf　had　pasted　labels　on　all　the　various　legislative　codes。
“And　that’s　all　the　state　has　got　for　the　millions　it　has　spent！”　said　he。　“We　want　to　give　new　judicial　powers　to　the　Senate；　and　we　have　no　laws。　That’s　why　it　is　a　sin　for　men　like　you；　prince；　not　to　be　in　the　government。”
Prince　Andrey　observed　that　some　education　in　jurisprudence　was　necessary　for　such　work；　and　that　he　had　none。
“But　no　one　has；　so　what　would　you　have？　It’s　a　circulus　viciosus；　which　one　must　force　some　way　out　of。”
Within　a　week　Prince　Andrey　was　a　member　of　the　committee　for　the　reconstruction　of　the　army　regulations；　and—a　thing　he　would　never　have　expected—he　was　also　chairman　of　a　section　of　the　commission　for　the　revision　of　the　legal　code。　At　Speransky’s　request　he　took　the　first　part　of　the　civil　code　under　revision；　and　with　the　help　of　the　Napoleonic　Code　and　the　Code　of　Justinian　he　worked　at　the　revision　of　the　section　on　Personal　Rights。


Chapter　7
TWO　YEARS　BEFORE；　at　the　beginning　of　1808；　Pierre　had　returned　to　Petersburg　from　his　visits　to　his　estates；　and　by　no　design　of　his　own　had　taken　a　leading　position　among　the　freemasons　in　Petersburg。　He　organised　dining　and　funeral　lodges；　enrolled　new　members；　took　an　active　part　in　the　formation　of　different　lodges；　and　the　acquisition　of　authentic　acts。　He　spent　his　money　on　the　construction　of　temples；　and；　to　the　best　of　his　powers；　made　up　the　arrears　of　alms；　a　matter　in　which　the　majority　of　members　were　niggardly　and　irregular。　At　his　own　expense；　almost　unaided；　he　maintained　the　poorhouse　built　by　the　order　in　Petersburg。
Meanwhile　his　life　ran　on　in　the　old　way；　yielding　to　the　same　temptations　and　the　same　laxity。　He　liked　a　good　dinner　and　he　liked　strong　drink；　and；　though　he　thought　it　immoral　and　degrading　to　yield　to　them；　he　was　unable　to　resist　the　temptations　of　the　bachelor　society　in　which　he　moved。
Yet　even　in　the　whirl　of　his　active　work　and　his　dissipations；　Pierre　began；　after　the　lapse　of　a　year；　to　feel　more　and　more　as　though　the　ground　of　freemasonry　on　which　he　had　taken　his　stand　was　slipping　away　under　his　feet　the　more　firmly　he　tried　to　rest　on　it。　At　the　same　time　he　felt　that　the　further　the　ground　slipped　from　under　his　feet；　the　more　close　was　his　bondage　to　the　order。　When　he　had　entered　the　brotherhood　he　had　felt　like　a　man　who　confidently　puts　his　foot　down　on　the　smooth　surface　of　a　bog。　Having　put　one　foot　down；　he　had　sunk　in；　and　to　convince　himself　of　the　firmness　of　the　ground　on　which　he　stood；　he　had　put　the　other　foot　down　on　it　too；　and　had　sunk　in　further；　had　stuck　in　the　mud；　and　now　was　against　his　own　will　struggling　knee…deep　in　the　bog。
Osip　Alexyevitch　was　not　in　Petersburg。　（He　had　withdrawn　from　all　participation　in　the　affairs　of　the　Petersburg　lodge；　and　now　never　left　Moscow。）　All　the　brothers　who　were　members　of　the　lodge　were　people　Pierre　knew　in　daily　life；　and　it　was　difficult　for　him　to　see　in　them　simply　brothers　in　freemasonry；　and　not　Prince　B。；　nor　Ivan　Vasilyevitch　D。；　whom　he　knew　in　private　life　mostly　as　persons　of　weak　and　worthless　character。　Under　their　masonic　aprons　and　emblems　he　could　not　help　seeing　the　uniforms　and　the　decorations　they　were　striving　after　in　mundane