the hunchback of notre dame-第49章

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Nevertheless；　the　prodigious　edifice　still　remains　incomplete。　The　press；　that　giant　machine；　which　incessantly　pumps　all　the　intellectual　sap　of　society；　belches　forth　without　pause　fresh　materials　for　its　work。　　The　whole　human　race　is　on　the　scaffoldings。　　Each　mind　is　a　mason。　　The　humblest　fills　his　hole；　or　places　his　stone。　　Retif　dè　le　Bretonne　brings　his　hod　of　plaster。　　Every　day　a　new　course　rises。　　Independently　of　the　original　and　individual　contribution　of　each　writer；　there　are　collective　contingents。　　The　eighteenth　century　gives　the　_Encyclopedia_；　the　revolution　gives　the　_Moniteur_。　　Assuredly；　it　is　a　construction　which　increases　and　piles　up　in　endless　spirals；　there　also　are　confusion　of　tongues；　incessant　activity；　indefatigable　labor；　eager　competition　of　all　humanity；　refuge　promised　to　intelligence；　a　new　Flood　against　an　overflow　of　barbarians。　　It　is　the　second　tower　of　Babel　of　the　human　race。





BOOK　SIXTH。






CHAPTER　I。

AN　IMPARTIAL　GLANCE　AT　THE　ANCIENT　MAGISTRACY。



A　very　happy　personage　in　the　year　of　grace　1482；　was　the　noble　gentleman　Robert　d'Estouteville；　chevalier；　Sieur　de　Beyne；　Baron　d'Ivry　and　Saint　Andry　en　la　Marche；　counsellor　and　chamberlain　to　the　king；　and　guard　of　the　provostship　of　Paris。　　It　was　already　nearly　seventeen　years　since　he　had　received　from　the　king；　on　November　7；　1465；　the　comet　year；*　that　fine　charge　of　the　provostship　of　Paris；　which　was　reputed　rather　a　seigneury　than　an　office。　　~Dignitas~；　says　Joannes　Loemnoeus；　~quoe　cum　non　exigua　potestate　politiam　concernente；　atque　proerogativis　multis　et　juribus　conjuncta　est~。　　A　marvellous　thing　in　'82　was　a　gentleman　bearing　the　king's　commission；　and　whose　letters　of　institution　ran　back　to　the　epoch　of　the　marriage　of　the　natural　daughter　of　Louis　XI。　with　Monsieur　the　Bastard　of　Bourbon。


*　　This　comet　against　which　Pope　Calixtus；　uncle　of　Borgia；　ordered　public　prayers；　is　the　same　which　reappeared　in　1835。


The　same　day　on　which　Robert　d'Estouteville　took　the　place　of　Jacques　de　Villiers　in　the　provostship　of　Paris；　Master　Jehan　Dauvet　replaced　Messire　Helye　de　Thorrettes　in　the　first　presidency　of　the　Court　of　Parliament；　Jehan　Jouvenel　des　Ursins　supplanted　Pierre　de　Morvilliers　in　the　office　of　chancellor　of　France；　Regnault　des　Dormans　ousted　Pierre　Puy　from　the　charge　of　master　of　requests　in　ordinary　of　the　king's　household。　　Now；　upon　how　many　heads　had　the　presidency；　the　chancellorship；　the　mastership　passed　since　Robert　d'Estouteville　had　held　the　provostship　of　Paris。　　It　had　been　〃granted　to　him　for　safekeeping；〃　as　the　letters　patent　said；　and　certainly　he　kept　it　well。　　He　had　clung　to　it；　he　had　incorporated　himself　with　it；　he　had　so　identified　himself　with　it　that　he　had　escaped　that　fury　for　change　which　possessed　Louis　XI。；　a　tormenting　and　industrious　king；　whose　policy　it　was　to　maintain　the　elasticity　of　his　power　by　frequent　appointments　and　revocations。　　More　than　this；　the　brave　chevalier　had　obtained　the　reversion　of　the　office　for　his　son；　and　for　two　years　already；　the　name　of　the　noble　man　Jacques　d'Estouteville；　equerry；　had　figured　beside　his　at　the　head　of　the　register　of　the　salary　list　of　the　provostship　of　Paris。　　A　rare　and　notable　favor　indeed！　　It　is　true　that　Robert　d'Estouteville　was　a　good　soldier；　that　he　had　loyally　raised　his　pennon　against　〃the　league　of　public　good；〃　and　that　he　had　presented　to　the　queen　a　very　marvellous　stag　in　confectionery　on　the　day　of　her　entrance　to　Paris　in　14。。。　Moreover；　he　possessed　the　good　friendship　of　Messire　Tristan　l'Hermite；　provost　of　the　marshals　of　the　king's　household。　Hence　a　very　sweet　and　pleasant　existence　was　that　of　Messire　Robert。　　In　the　first　place；　very　good　wages；　to　which　were　attached；　and　from　which　hung；　like　extra　bunches　of　grapes　on　his　vine；　the　revenues　of　the　civil　and　criminal　registries　of　the　provostship；　plus　the　civil　and　criminal　revenues　of　the　tribunals　of　Embas　of　the　Chatelet；　without　reckoning　some　little　toll　from　the　bridges　of　Mantes　and　of　Corbeil；　and　the　profits　on　the　craft　of　Shagreen…makers　of　Paris；　on　the　corders　of　firewood　and　the　measurers　of　salt。　Add　to　this　the　pleasure　of　displaying　himself　in　rides　about　the　city；　and　of　making　his　fine　military　costume；　which　you　may　still　admire　sculptured　on　his　tomb　in　the　abbey　of　Valmont　in　Normandy；　and　his　morion；　all　embossed　at　Montlhéry；　stand　out　a　contrast　against　the　parti…colored　red　and　tawny　robes　of　the　aldermen　and　police。　　And　then；　was　it　nothing　to　wield　absolute　supremacy　over　the　sergeants　of　the　police；　the　porter　and　watch　of　the　Chatelet；　the　two　auditors　of　the　Chatelet；　~auditores　castelleti~；　the　sixteen　commissioners　of　the　sixteen　quarters；　the　jailer　of　the　Chatelet；　the　four　enfeoffed　sergeants；　the　hundred　and　twenty　mounted　sergeants；　with　maces；　the　chevalier　of　the　watch　with　his　watch；　his　sub…watch；　his　counter…watch　and　his　rear…watch？　Was　it　nothing　to　exercise　high　and　low　justice；　the　right　to　interrogate；　to　hang　and　to　draw；　without　reckoning　petty　jurisdiction　in　the　first　resort　（~in　prima　instantia~；　as　the　charters　say）；　on　that　viscomty　of　Paris；　so　nobly　appanaged　with　seven　noble　bailiwicks？　　Can　anything　sweeter　be　imagined　than　rendering　judgments　and　decisions；　as　Messire　Robert　d'Estouteville　daily　did　in　the　Grand　Chatelet；　under　the　large　and　flattened　arches　of　Philip　Augustus？　and　going；　as　he　was　wont　to　do　every　evening；　to　that　charming　house　situated　in　the　Rue　Galilee；　in　the　enclosure　of　the　royal　palace；　which　he　held　in　right　of　his　wife；　Madame　Ambroise　de　Lore；　to　repose　after　the　fatigue　of　having　sent　some　poor　wretch　to　pass　the　night　in　〃that　little　cell　of　the　Rue　de　Escorcherie；　which　the　provosts　and　aldermen　of　Paris　used　to　make　their　prison；　the　same　being　eleven　feet　long；　seven　feet　and　four　inches　wide；　and　eleven　feet　high？〃*


*　　Comptes　du　domaine；　1383。


And　not　only　had　Messire　Robert　d'Estouteville　his　special　court　as　provost　and　vicomte　of　Paris；　but　in　addition　he　had　a　share；　both　for　eye　and　tooth；　in　the　grand　court　of　the　king。　　There　was　no　head　in　the　least　elevated　which　had　not　passed　through　his　hands　before　it　came　to　the　headsman。　　It　was　he　who　went　to　seek　M。　de　Nemours　at　the　Bastille　Saint　Antoine；　in　order　to　conduct　him　to　the　Halles；　and　to　conduct　to　the　Grève　M。　de　Saint…Pol；　who　clamored　and　resisted；　to　the　great　joy　of　the　provost；　who　did　not　love　monsieur　the　constable。

Here；　assuredly；　is　more　than　sufficient　to　render　a　life　happy　and　illustrious；　and　to　deserve　some　day　a　notable　page　in　that　interesting　history　of　the　provosts　of　Paris；　where　one　learns　that　Oudard　de　Villeneuve　had　a　house　in　the　Rue　des　Boucheries；　that　Guillaume　de　Hangest　purchased　the　great　and　the　little　Savoy；　that　Guillaume　Thiboust　gave　the　nuns　of　Sainte…Geneviève　his　houses　in　the　Rue　Clopin；　that　Hugues　Aubriot　lived　in　the　H？tel　du　Pore…Epic；　and　other　domestic　facts。

Nevertheless；　with　so　many　reasons　for　taking　life　patiently　and　joyously；　Messire　Robert　d'Estouteville　woke　up　on　the　morning　of　the　seventh　of　January；　1482；　in　a　very　surly　and　peevish　mood。　　Whence　came　this　ill　temper？　　He　could　not　have　told　himself。　　Was　it　because　the　sky　was　gray？　or　was　the　buckle　of　his　old　belt　of　Montlhéry　badly　fastened；　so　that　it　confined　his　provostal　portliness　too　closely？　had　he　beheld　ribald　fellows；　marching　in　bands　of　four；　beneath　his　window；　and　setting　him　at　defiance；　in　doublets　but　no　shirts；　hats　without　crowns；　with　wallet　and　bottle　at　their　side？　Was　it　a　vague　presentiment　of　the　three　hundred　and　seventy　livres；　sixteen　sous；　eight　farthings；　which　the　future　King　Charles　VII。　was　to　cut　off　from　the　provostship　in　the　following　year？　　The　reader　can　take　his　choice；　we；　for　our　part；　are　much　inclined　to　believe　that　he　was　in　a　bad　humor；　simply　because　he　was　in　a　bad　humor。

Moreover；　it　was　the　day　after　a　festival；　a　tiresome　day　for　every　one；　and　above　all　for　the　magistrate　who　is　charged　with　sweeping　away　all　the　filth；　properly　and　figuratively　speaking；　which　a　festival　day　produces　in　Paris。　　And　then　he　had　to　hold　a　sitting　at　the　Grand　Chatelet。　　Now；　we　have