the ancien regime-第18章

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of　the　disrepute　into　which　Christianity　had　fallen　in　France。



〃The　ecclesiastical　authority　had　been　specially　employed　in　keeping

watch　over　the　progress　of　thought；　and　the　censorship　of　books　was

a　daily　annoyance　to　the　philosophes。　　By　defending　the　common

liberties　of　the　human　mind　against　the　Church；　they　were　combating

in　their　own　cause：　　and　they　began　by　breaking　the　shackles　which

pressed　most　closely　on　themselves。〃



Just　so。　　And　they　are　not　to　be　blamed　if　they　pressed　first　and

most　earnestly　reforms　which　they　knew　by　painful　experience　to　be

necessary。　　All　reformers　are　wont　thus　to　begin　at　home。　　It　is　to

their　honour　if；　not　content　with　shaking　off　their　own　fetters；

they　begin　to　see　that　others　are　fettered　likewise；　and；　reasoning

from　the　particular　to　the　universal；　to　learn　that　their　own　cause

is　the　cause　of　mankind。



There　is；　therefore；　no　reason　to　doubt　that　these　men　were　honest；

when　they　said　that　they　were　combating；　not　in　their　own　cause

merely；　but　in　that　of　humanity；　and　that　the　Church　was　combating

in　her　own　cause；　and　that　of　her　power　and　privilege。　　The　Church

replied　that　she；　too；　was　combating　for　humanity；　for　its　moral　and

eternal　well…being。　　But　that　is　just　what　the　philosophes　denied。

They　said　（and　it　is　but　fair　to　take　a　statement　which　appears　on

the　face　of　all　their　writings；　which　is　the　one　key…note　on　which

they　ring　perpetual　changes）；　that　the　cause　of　the　Church　in　France

was　not　that　of　humanity；　but　of　inhumanity；　not　that　of　nature；　but

of　unnature；　not　even　that　of　grace；　but　of　disgrace。　　Truely　or

falsely；　they　complained　that　the　French　clergy　had　not　only

identified　themselves　with　the　repression　of　free　thought；　and　of

physical　science；　especially　that　of　the　Newtonian　astronomy；　but

that　they　had　proved　themselves　utterly　unfit；　for　centuries　past；

to　exercise　any　censorship　whatsoever　over　the　thoughts　of　men：

that　they　had　identified　themselves　with　the　cause　of　darkness；　not

of　light；　with　persecution　and　torture；　with　the　dragonnades　of

Louis　XIV。；　with　the　murder　of　Calas　and　of　Urban　Grandier；　with

celibacy；　hysteria；　demonology；　witchcraft；　and　the　shameful　public

scandals；　like　those　of　Gauffredi；　Grandier；　and　Pere　Giraud；　which

had　arisen　out　of　mental　disease；　with　forms　of　worship　which　seemed

to　them　（rightly　or　wrongly）　idolatry；　and　miracles　which　seemed　to

them　（rightly　or　wrongly）　impostures；　that　the　clergy　interfered

perpetually　with　the　sanctity　of　family　life；　as　well　as　with　the

welfare　of　the　state；　that　their　evil　counsels；　and　specially　those

of　the　Jesuits；　had　been　patent　and　potent　causes　of　much　of　the

misrule　and　misery　of　Louis　XIV。's　and　XV。's　reigns；　and　that　with

all　these　heavy　counts　against　them；　their　morality　was　not　such　as

to　make　other　men　more　moral；　and　was　notat　least　among　the

hierarchyimproving；　or　likely　to　improve。　　To　a　Mazarin；　a　De

Retz；　a　Richelieu　（questionable　men　enough）　had　succeeded　a　Dubois；

a　Rohan；　a　Lomenie　de　Brienne；　a　Maury；　a　Talleyrand；　and　at　the

revolution　of　1789　thoughtful　Frenchmen　asked；　once　and　for　all；

what　was　to　be　done　with　a　Church　of　which　these　were　the

hierophants？



Whether　these　complaints　affected　the　French　Church　as　a　〃religious〃

institution；　must　depend　entirely　on　the　meaning　which　is　attached

to　the　word　〃religion〃：　　that　they　affected　her　on　scientific；

rational；　and　moral　grounds；　independent　of　any　merely　political

one；　is　as　patent　as　that　the　attack　based　on　them　was　one…sided；

virulent；　and　often　somewhat　hypocritical；　considering　the　private

morals　of　many　of　the　assailants。　　We　knowor　ought　to　knowthat

within　that　religion　which　seemed　to　the　philosophes　（so　distorted

and　defaced　had　it　become）　a　nightmare　dream；　crushing　the　life　out

of　mankind；　there　lie　elements　divine；　eternal；　necessary　for　man　in

this　life　and　the　life　to　come。　　But　we　are　bound　to　askHad　they　a

fair　chance　of　knowing　what　we　know？　　Have　we　proof　that　their

hatred　was　against　all　religion；　or　only　against　that　which　they　saw

around　them？　　Have　we　proof　that　they　would　have　equally　hated；　had

they　been　in　permanent　contact　with　them；　creeds　more　free　from

certain　faults　which　seemed　to　them；　in　the　case　of　the　French

Church；　ineradicable　and　inexpiable？　　Till　then　we　must　have

charitywhich　is　justiceeven　for　the　philosophes　of　the

eighteenth　century。



This　view　of　the　case　had　been　surely　overlooked　by　M。　de

Tocqueville；　when　he　tried　to　explain　by　the　fear　of　revolutions；

the　fact　that　both　in　America　and　in　England；　〃while　the　boldest

political　doctrines　of　the　eighteenth…century　philosophers　have　been

adopted；　their　anti…religious　doctrines　have　made　no　way。〃



He　confesses　that；　〃Among　the　English；　French　irreligious　philosophy

had　been　preached；　even　before　the　greater　part　of　the　French

philosophers　were　born。　　It　was　Bolingbroke　who　set　up　Voltaire。

Throughout　the　eighteenth　century　infidelity　had　celebrated

champions　in　England。　　Able　writers　and　profound　thinkers　espoused

that　cause；　but　they　were　never　able　to　render　it　triumphant　as　in

France。〃　　Of　these　facts　there　can　be　no　doubt：　　but　the　cause　which

he　gives　for　the　failure　of　infidelity　will　surely　sound　new　and

strange　to　those　who　know　the　English　literature　and　history　of　that

century。　　It　was；　he　says；　〃inasmuch　as　all　those　who　had　anything

to　fear　from　revolutions；　eagerly　came　to　the　rescue　of　the

established　faith。〃　　Surely　there　was　no　talk　of　revolutions；　no

wish；　expressed　or　concealed；　to　overthrow　either　government　or

society；　in　the　aristocratic　clique　to　whom　English　infidelity　was

confined。　　Such　was；　at　least；　the　opinion　of　Voltaire；　who　boasted

that　〃All　the　works　of　the　modern　philosophers　together　would　never

make　as　much　noise　in　the　world　as　was　made　in　former　days　by　the

disputes　of　the　Cordeliers　about　the　shape　of　their　sleeves　and

hoods。〃　　If　（as　M。　de　Tocqueville　says）　Bolingbroke　set　up　Voltaire；

neither　master　nor　pupil　had　any　more　leaning　than　Hobbes　had　toward

a　democracy　which　was　not　dreaded　in　those　days　because　it　had　never

been　heard　of。　　And　if　（as　M。　de　Tocqueville　heartily　allows）　the

English　apologists　of　Christianity　triumphed；　at　least　for　the　time

being；　the　cause　of　their　triumph　must　be　sought　in　the　plain　fact

that　such　men　as　Berkeley；　Butler；　and　Paley；　each　according　to　his

light；　fought　the　battle　fairly；　on　the　common　ground　of　reason　and

philosophy；　instead　of　on　that　of　tradition　and　authority；　and　that

the　forms　of　Christianity　current　in　Englandwhether　Quaker；

Puritan；　or　Anglicanoffended；　less　than　that　current　in　France；

the　common…sense　and　the　human　instincts　of　the　many；　or　of　the

sceptics　themselves。＇



But　the　eighteenth　century　saw　another　movement；　all　the　more

powerful；　perhaps；　because　it　was　continually　changing　its　shape；

even　its　purpose；　and　gaining　fresh　life　and　fresh　adherents　with

every　change。　　Propagated　at　first　by　men　of　the　school　of　Locke；　it

became　at　last　a　protest　against　the　materialism　of　that　school；　on

behalf　of　all　that　is；　or　calls　itself；　supernatural　and　mysterious。

Abjuring；　and　honestly；　all　politics；　it　found　itself　sucked　into

the　political　whirlpool　in　spite　of　itself；　as　all　human　interests

which　have　any　life　in　them　must　be　at　last。　　It　became　an　active

promoter　of　the　Revolution；　then　it　helped　to　destroy　the

Revolution；　when　that　had；　under　Napoleon；　become　a　levelling

despotism；　then　it　helped；　as　actively；　to　keep　revolutionary

principles　alive；　after　the　reaction　of　1815：a　Protean

institution；　whose　power　we　in　England　are　as　apt　to　undervalue　as

the　governments　of　the　Continent　were　apt；　during　the　eighteenth

century；　to　exaggerate　it。　　I　mean；　of　course；　Freemasonry；　and　the

secret　societies　which；　honestly　and　honourably　disowned　by

Freemasonry；　yet　have　either　copied　it；　or　actually　sprung　out　of

it。　　In　England；　Freemasonry　ne