the origins of contemporary france-5-第76部分

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secretary；　a　productive　translator；＇8＇　a　lawyer；　formerly　councilor　in

a　provincial　court　of　justice；　then　third…consul；　then　Duc　de

Plaisance　and　arch…chancellor　of　the　Empire　and　Cambacérès；　second…

consul；　then　Duc　de　Parme　and　arch…chancellor　of　the　Empire；　both　of

them　being　princes。　Similarly；　the　marshals　are　new　men　and　soldiers

of　fortune；　a　few　of　them　born　in　the　class　of　inferior　nobles　or　in

the　ordinary　bourgeois　class；　mostly　among　the　people　or　even　amongst

the　populace；　and；　in　its　lowest　ranks；　Masséna；　the　son　of　a　wine…

dealer；　once　a　cabin…boy　and　then　common　soldier　and　non…commissioned

officer　for　fourteen　years；　Ney；　son　of　a　cooper；　Lefebvre；　son　of　a

miller；　Murat；　son　of　a　tavern…keeper；　Lannes；　son　of　an　hostler；　and

Augereau；　son　of　a　mason　and　a　female　dealer　in　fruit　and　vegetables。

…　Under　the　Republic；　noble　birth　consigned；　or　confined；　the　ablest

and　best　qualified　men　for　their　posts　to　a　voluntary　obscurity；　only

too　glad　when　their　names　did　not　condemn　them　to　exile；　imprisonment

or　to　the　guillotine。　Under　the　Empire；　M。　de　Talleyrand　is　prince　of

Benevento；　minister　of　foreign　affairs　and　vice…grand…elector　with　a

salary　of　five　hundred　thousand　francs。　We　see　personages　of　old

nobility　figuring　in　the　first　ranks：　among　the　clergy　M。　de

Roquelaure；　M。　de　Boisgelin；　M。　de　Broglie；　M。　Ferdinand　de　Rohan；　in

the　magistracy；　M。　Séguier；　M。　Pasquier；　M。　Molé；　on　the　domestic　and

decorative　staff　of　the　palace；　Comte　de　Ségur；　grand…master　of

ceremonies；　Comte　de　Montesquiou…Fézensac；　grand…chamberlain；　also　as

chamberlains；　Comtes　d'Aubusson　de　la　Feuillade；　de　Brigode；　de　Croy；

de　Coutades；　de　Louvois；　de　Brancas；　de　Gontaut；　de　Grammont；　de

Beauvau；　de　Lur…Saluces；　d'Haussonville；　de　Noailles；　de　Chabot；　de

Turenne；＇9＇　and　other　bearers　of　historic　names。　…　During　the

Revolution；　at　each　new　parliamentarian；　popular　or　military　coup

d'état　the　notabilities　of　the　vanquished　party　were　always　excluded

from　office　and　generally　outlawed。　After　the　coup　d'état　of　Brumaire；

not　only　are　the　vanquished　of　the　old　parties　all　brought　back　under

the　protection　of　the　law；　but；　again；　their　notables　are　promoted　to

the　highest　offices。　Among　the　monarchists　of　the　Constituent　Assembly

Mabuet　is　made　councilor　of　State；　and　Maury　archbishop　of　Paris；

forty…seven　other　ecclesiastics　who；　like　himself；　refused　to　take　the

oath　to　the　civil　constitution　of　the　clergy；　are　appointed；　like　him；

to　episcopal　thrones。　Among　the　Feuillants　of　the　Legislative

Assembly；　Vaublanc　is　made　prefect；　Beugnot　a　councilor　of　State　and

minister　of　the　finances　in　the　grand…duchy　of　Berg；　Matthieu　Dumas　a

brigadier…general　and　director　of　reviews；　Narbonne　becomes　the　aid…

de…camp　and　the　intimate　interlocutor　of　Napoleon；　and　then　ambassador

to　Vienna；　if　Lafayette　had　been　willing；　not　to　ask　for　but　to　accept

the　post；　he　would　have　been　made　a　marshal　of　France。　…　Among　the　few

Girondists　or　Federalists　who　did　not　perish　after　the　2nd　June；

Riouffe　is　prefect　and　baron；　Lanjuinais　is　senator　and　count；　among

others　proscribed；　or　half　proscribed；　the　new　Régime　restores　to　and

places　at　the　head　of　affairs　the　superior　and　special　employees　whom

the　Reign　of　Terror　had　driven　away；　or　singled　out　for　slaughter；

particularly　the　heads　of　the　financial　and　diplomatic　services　who；

denounced　by　Robespierre　on　the　8th　Thermidor；　or　arrested　on　the

morning　of　the　9th　already　felt　their　necks　under　the　blade　of　the

guillotine；　Reinhart　and　Otto　are　ambassadors；　Mollien　is　count　and

treasury　minister；　Miot　becomes　councilor　of　state；　Comte　de　Melito

minister　of　finances　at　Naples；　while　Gaudin　is　made　minister　of

finances　in　France　and　Duc　de　Ga？te。　Among　the　transported　or

fugitives　of　Fructidor；　Barthélemy　becomes　senator；　Barbé…Marbois

director　of　the　Treasury　and　first　president　of　the　Cour　des　Comptes；

Siméon；　councilor　of　State　and　then　minister　of　justice　in　Westphalia；

Portalis　is　made　minister　of　worship；　and　Fontanes　grand…master　of　the

University。　The　First　Consul　passes　the　sponge　over　all　political

antecedents：　not　only　does　he　summon　to　his　side　the　moderates　and

half…moderates　of　the　Constituent　and　Legislative　Assemblies；　of　the

Convention　and　of　the　Directory；　but　again　he　seeks　recruits　among

pure　royalists　and　pure　Jacobins；　among　the　men　the　most　devoted　to

the　ancient　Régime　and　amongst　those　most　compromised　by　the

Revolution；　at　both　extremities　of　the　most　extreme　opinions。　We　have

just　seen；　on　the　one　side；　what　hereditary　favorites　of　a　venerable

royalty；　what　born　supporters　of　the　deposed　dynasty；　are　elevated　by

him　to　the　first　of　his　magisterial；　clerical　and　court　dignities。　On

the　other　hand；　apart　from　Chasset；　Roederer　and　Grégoire；　apart　from

Fourcroy；　Bérlier　and　Réal；　apart　from　Treilhard　and　Boulay　de　La

Meurthe；　he　employs　others　branded　or　noted　for　terrible　acts；　Barère

himself；　at　least　for　a　certain　period；　and　in　the　sole　office　he　was

fitted　for；　that　of　a　denunciator；　gazetteer　and　stimulator　of　public

opinion；　everybody　has　a　place　according　to　his　faculties；　and　each

has　rank　according　to　his　usefulness　and　merit。　Barère；　consequently；

becomes　a　paid　spy　and　pamphleteer；　Drouet；　the　postmaster；　who

arrested　the　royal　family　at　Varennes；　becomes　sub…prefect　at　Sainte…

Menehould；　Jean…Bon　Saint…André；　one　of　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety；　is　made　prefect　at　Mayence；　Merlin　de　Douai；　reporter　of　the

law　against　suspects；　is　prosecuting　attorney　in　the　court　of

cassation；　Fouché；　whose　name　tells　all；　becomes　minister　of　state　and

Duke　of　Otranto；　nearly　all　of　the　survivors　of　the　Convention　are

made　judges　of　première　instancc　or　of　appeal；　revenue…collectors；

deputies；　prefects；　foreign　consuls；　police　commissioners；　inspectors

of　reviews；　head…clerks　in　the　post…offices；　custom…houses　and　tax…

offices；　while；　in　1808；　among　these　functionaries；　one　hundred　and

thirty　were　regicides。＇10＇



II。　Ambitions　during　the　Ancient　Regime。



The　need　of　success。　…　Initiation　and　conditions　of　promotion　under

the　old　monarchy。　…　Effect　on　minds。　…　Ambitions　are　limited。　…　The

external　outlets　open　to　them。　…



To　make　one's　way；　get　ahead；　and　succeed　in　the　world　is　now　the

dominant　thought　in　the　minds　of　men。　Before　1789；　this　thought　had

not　acquired　sovereign　control　in　their　minds；　it　found　that　there

were　rival　ideas　to　contend　with；　and　it　had　only　half…developed

itself；　its　roots　had　not　sunk　down　deep　enough　to　monopolize　the

activity　of　the　imagination；　to　absorb　the　will　and　possess　the　mind

entirely；　and　the　reason　is　that　it　lacked　both　air　and　victuals。

Promotion；　under　the　old　monarchy；　was　slow；　and　in　the　first　place；

because　the　monarchy　was　old　and　because　in　every　order　which　is　not

new　each　new　generation　finds　that　every　office　is　filled；　and　next；

because；　in　this　old　order　founded　on　tradition　and　heredity；　future

vacancies　were　supplied　long　beforehand。　The　great　social　staircase

led　to　several　stories　；　each　man　could　ascend　every　step　of　his　own

flight；　but　he　could　not　mount　above　it；　the　landing　reached；　he　found

closed　doors　and　nearly　insurmountable　barriers。　The　story　above　was

reserved　to　its　own　inhabitants；　they　occupied　it　now　and　were　still

to　occupy　it　in　time　to　come；　the　inevitable　successors　of　the　titular

possessor　were　seen　around　him　on　each　step；　his　equals；　peers　and

neighbors；　one　or　the　other　often　designated　by　name　as　his　legal

heir；　the　purchaser　of　his　survivorship。　In　those　days；　not　only　was

the　individual　himself　considered；　his　merits　and　his　services；　but

likewise　his　family　and　ancestry；　his　state　and　condition；　the　society

he　entered　into；　the　〃salon〃　he　maintained；　his　fortune　and　his

followers；　these　antecedents　and　surroundings　composed　the　quality　of

the　personage；　without　this　requisite　quality；　he　could　not　go　beyond

the　landing…place。　Strictly　speaking；　a　personage　born　on　the　upper

steps　of　one　story　might　sometimes　succeed　in　mounting　the　lowest

steps　of　the　next　story；　but　there　he　stopped。　In　short；　it　was　always

considered　by　those　on　the　lower　story　that　the　upper　story　was

inaccessible　and；　moreover；　uninhabitable。



Accordingly；　most　of　the　public　offices；　in　the　finances；　in　the

administration；　in　the　judiciary；　in　the　parliaments；　in　the　army；　at

court；　were　private　property　as　is　now　the　case　with　the　places　of

advocates；　notaries　and　brokers；　they　had　to　be　bought　to　enable　one

to　follow　these　pursuits；　and　were　very　dear；　one　had　to　possess　a

large　capital　and　be　content　beforehand　to　derive　only　a　mediocre

revenue　from　it；　10；　5　and　sometimes　3　％　on　the　purchase…money。＇11＇

The　place　once　acquired；　especially　if　an　important　one；　involved

official　parade；　receptions；　an　open　table；　a　large　annual　outlay；＇12＇

it　often　ran　the　purchaser　in　debt　；　he　knew　that　his　acquisition

would　bring　him　more