the origins of contemporary france-5-第87章

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exempt　from　modern　preoccupations；　followed　amiable　and　social

instincts；　inclined　to　take　things　easily；　and　of　a　playful

disposition　owing　to　his　natural　talent　for　amusing　himself　by　amusing

others；　in　mutual　enjoyment　of　each　other's　company　and　without

calculation；　through　easy　and　considerate　intercourse；　smiling　or

laughing；　in　short；　in　a　constant　flow　of　inspiration；　good…humor　and

gayety。＇15＇　It　is　probable　that；　if　the　Revolution　had　not　intervened；

the　great　parvenus　of　the　time　and　of　the　Empire　would；　like　their

forerunners；　have　submitted　to　prevailing　necessities　and　readily

accommodated　themselves　to　the　discipline　of　the　established　Régime。

Cambacérès；　who　had　succeeded　to　his　father　as　counselor　at　the　bar　of

Montpellier；　would　have　become　president　（of　the　tribunal）　in　his

turn；　meanwhile；　he　would　have　composed　able　jurisprudential　treatises

and　invented　some　new　paté　de　becfigues；　Lebrun；　former　collaborator

with　Maupeou；　might　have　become　counselor　in　the　court　of　excise　at

Paris；　or　chief…clerk　in　the　Treasury　department；　he　would　have　kept

up　a　philosophical　salon；　with　fashionable　ladies　and　polished　men　of

letters　to　praise　his　elegant　and　faulty　translations。　Amongst　the

future　marshals；　some　of　them；　pure　plebeians；　Masséna；　Augereau；

Lannes；　Ney；　Lefebvre；　might　have　succeeded　through　brilliant　actions

and　have　become　〃officers　of　fortune；〃　while　others；　taking　in　hand

specially　difficult　services；　like　commandant　Fischer　who　undertook

the　destruction　of　Mandrin's　band；　and　again；　like　the　hero　Chevert；

and　the　veteran　Lückner；　might　have　become　lieutenant…generals。　Rough

as　these　men　were；　they　would　have　found；　even　in　the　lower　ranks；　if

not　full　employment　for　their　superior　faculties；　at　least　sufficient

food　for　their　strong　and　coarse　appetites；　they　would　have　uttered

just　the　same　oaths；　at　just　as　extravagant　suppers；　with　mistresses

of　just　the　same　caliber。＇16＇　Had　their　temperament；　character　and

genius　been　indomitable；　had　they　reared　and　pranced　to　escape　bridle

and　harness　and　been　driven　like　ordinary　men；　they　need　not　have

broken　out　of　the　traces　for　all　that；　there　were　plenty　of　openings

and　issues　for　them　on　either　side　of　the　highway　on　which　others　were

trotting　along。　Many　families　often　contained；　among　numerous

children；　some　hot…headed；　imaginative　youth；　some　independent　nature

rebellious　in　advance；　in　short；　a　refractory　spirit；　unwilling　or

incapable　of　being　disciplined；　a　regular　life；　mediocrity；　even　the

certainty　of　getting　ahead；　were　distasteful　to　him；　he　would　abandon

the　hereditary　homestead　or　purchased　office　to　the　docile　elder

brother；　son…in…law　or　nephew；　by　which　the　domain　or　the　post

remained　in　the　family；　as　for　himself；　tempted　by　illimitable

prospects；　he　would　leave　France　and　go　abroad；　Voltaire　says＇17＇　that

〃Frenchmen　were　found　everywhere；〃　in　Canada；　in　Louisiana；　as

surgeons；　fencing…masters；　riding…masters；　officers；　engineers；

adventurers　especially；　and　even　filibusters；　trappers　and

backwoodsmen；　the　supplest；　most　sympathetic　and　boldest　of　colonizers

and　civilizers；　alone　capable　of　bringing　the　natives　under

assimilation　by　assimilating　with　them；　by　adopting　their　customs　and

by　marrying　their　women；　mixing　bloods；　and　forming　new　and

intermediary　races；　like　Dumas　de　La　Pailleterie；　whose　descendants

have　furnished　original　and　superior　men　for　the　past　three

generations；　and　like　the　Canada　half…breeds　by　which　the　aboriginal

race　succeeds　in　transforming　itself　and　in　surviving。　They　were　the

first　explorers　of　the　great　lakes；　the　first　to　trace　the　Mississippi

to　its　mouth；　and　found　colonial　empires　with　Champlain　and　Lasalle　in

North　America　and　with　Dupleix　and　La　Bourdonnais　in　Hindustan。　Such

was　the　outlet　for　daring；　uncontrollable　spirits；　restive

temperaments　under　constraint　and　subject　to　the　routine　of　an　old

civilization；　souls　astray　and　unclassed　from　their　birth；　in　which

the　primitive　instincts　of　the　nomad　and　barbarian　sprouted　afresh；　in

which　insubordination　was　innate；　and　in　which　energy　and　capacity　to

take　the　initiative　remained　intact。　…　Mirabeau；　having　compromised

his　family　by　scandals；　was　on　the　point　of　being　dispatched　by　his

father　to　the　Dutch　Indies；　where　deaths　were　common；　it　might　happen

that　he　would　be　hanged　or　become　governor　of　some　large　district　in

Java　or　Sumatra；　the　venerated　and　adored　sovereign　of　five　hundred

thousand　Malays；　both　ends　being　within　the　compass　of　his　merits。　Had

Danton　been　well　advised；　instead　of　borrowing　the　money　with　which　to

buy　an　advocate's　place　in　the　Council　at　about　seventy　thousand

livres；　which　brought　him　only　three　cases　in　four　years　and　obliged

him　to　hang　on　to　the　skirts　of　his　father…in…law；　he　would　have　gone

to　Pondicherry　or　to　the　palace　of　some　indigenous　rajah　or　king　as

agent；　councilor　or　companion　of　his　pleasures；　he　might　have　become

prime…minister　to　Tippoo　Sahib；　or　other　potentate；　lived　in　a　palace；

kept　a　harem　and　had　lacs　of　rupees；　undoubtedly；　he　would　have　filled

his　prisons　and　occasionally　emptied　them　by　a　massacre；　as　at　Paris

in　September；　but　it　would　have　been　according　to　local　custom；　and

operating　only　on　the　lives　of　Sheikhs　and　Mahrattas。　Bonaparte；　after

the　fall　of　his　protectors；　the　two　Robespierres；　finding　his　career

arrested；　wanted　to　enter　the　Sultan's　service；　accompanied　by　Junot；

Muiron；　Marmont　and　other　comrades；　he　could　have　carried　to

Constantinople　rarer　commodities；　much　better　compensated　in　the

Orient　than　in　the　Occident；　namely　military　honor　and　administrative

talent；　he　would　have　dealt　in　these　two　products；　as　he　did　in　Egypt；

at　the　right　time　and　in　the　right　place；　at　the　highest　price；

without　our　conscientious　scruples　and　without　our　European

refinements　of　probity　and　humanity。　No　imagination　can　picture　what

he　would　have　become　there：　certainly　some　pasha；　like　Djezzar　in

Syria；　or　a　khedive　like　Mahomet…Ali；　afterwards　at　Cairo；　he　already

saw　himself　in　the　light　of　a　conqueror；　like　Ghengis…Khan；＇18＇　a

founder　like　Alexander　or　Baber；　a　prophet　like　Mahomet；　as　he　himself

declares；　〃one　could　work　only　on　a　grand　scale　in　the　Orient；〃　and

there　he　would　have　worked　on　a　grand　scale；　Europe；　perhaps；　would

have　gained　by　it；　and　especially　France。



III。　Ambition　and　Selection。



The　Revolution　provides　an　internal　outlet　and　an　unlimited　career。　…

Effect　of　this。　…　Exigencies　and　pretensions　of　the　modern　man。　…

Theoretical　rule　of　selection　among　rivals。　…　Popular　suffrage　raised

to　be　lord　and　judge。　…　Consequence　of　its　verdict。　…　Unworthiness　of

its　choice。



But　the　Revolution　arrived　and　the　ambitions　which；　under　the　ancient

Régime；　found　a　field　abroad　or　cooled　down　at　home；　arose　on　the

natal　soil　and　suddenly　expanded　beyond　all　calculation。　After　1789；

France　resembles　a　hive　in　a　state　of　excitement；　in　a　few　hours；　in

the　brief　interval　of　an　August　morning；　each　insect　puts　forth　two

huge　wings；　soars　aloft　and　〃all　whirl　together　pell…mell；〃　many　fall

to　the　ground　half　cut　to　pieces　and　begin　to　crawl　upward　as　before；

others；　with　more　strength　or　with　better　luck；　ascend　and　glitter　on

the　highways　of　the　atmosphere。　…　Every　great　highway　and　every　other

road　is　open　to　everybody　through　the　decrees　of　the　Constituent…

Assembly；　not　only　for　the　future；　but　even　immediately。　The　sudden

dismissal　of　the　entire　ruling　staff；　executive；　or　consultative；

political；　administrative；　provincial；　municipal；　ecclesiastical；

educational；　military；　judicial　and　financial；　summon　to　take　office

all　who　covet　it　and　who　have　a　good　opinion　of　themselves。　All

previously　existing　conditions；　birth；　fortune；　education；　old　family

and　all　apprenticeships；　customs　and　ways　which　retard　and　limit

advancement；　are　abolished：　There　are　no　longer　any　guarantees　or

sponsors；　all　Frenchmen　are　eligible　to　all