第47章

Necker， entering on his duties， finds twenty-eight millions in pensions paid from the royal treasury， and， at his fall， there is an outflow of money showered by millions on the people of the court. Even during his term of office the king allows himself to make the fortunes of his wife's friends of both sexes； the Countess de Polignac obtains 400，000 francs to pay her debts， 100，000 francs dowry for her daughter， and， besides， for herself， the promise of an estate of 35，000 livres income， and， for her lover， the Count de Vaudreil， a pension of 30，000 livres； the Princess de Lamballe obtains 100，000crowns per annum， as much for the post of superintendent of the queen's household， which is revived on her behalf， as for a position for her brother.[43] The king is reproached for his parsimony； why should he be sparing of his purse？ Started on a course not his own， he gives， buys， builds， and exchanges； he assists those belonging to his own society， doing everything in a style becoming to a grand seignior， that is to say， throwing money away by handfuls.One instance enables us to judge of this： in order to assist the bankrupt Guéménée family， he purchases of them three estates for about 12，500，000 livres， which they had just purchased for 4，000，000； moreover， in exchange for two domains in Brittany， which produce 33，758 livres income， he makes over to them the principality of Dombes which produces nearly 70，000 livres income.[44] - When we come to read the Red Book further on we shall find 700，000 livres of pensions for the Polignac family， most of them revertible from one member to another， and nearly 2，000，000 of annual benefits to the Noailles family. - The king has forgotten that his favors are mortal blows， "the courtier who obtains 6，000 livres pension， receiving the taille of six villages."[45] Each largess of the monarch， considering the state of the taxes， is based on the privation of the peasants， the sovereign， through his clerks， taking bread from the poor to give coaches to the rich. - The center of the government， in short， is the center of the evil； all the wrongs and all the miseries start from it as from the center of pain and inflammation； here it is that the public abscess comes to the head， and here will it break.[46]

VI. Latent Disorganization in France.

Such is the just and fatal effect of privileges turned to selfish purposes instead of being exercised for the advantage of others. To him who utters the word， "Sire or Seignior" stands for the protector who feeds， the ancient who leads."[47] With such a title and for this purpose too much cannot be granted to him， for there is no more difficult or more exalted post. But he must fulfill its duties；otherwise in the day of peril he will be left to himself. Already， and long before the day arrives， his flock is no longer his own； if it marches onward it is through routine； it is simply a multitude of persons， but no longer an organized body. Whilst in Germany and in England the feudal régime， retained or transformed， still composes a living society， in France[48] its mechanical framework encloses only so many human particles. We still find the material order， but we no longer find the moral order of things. A lingering， deep-seated revolution has destroyed the close hierarchical union of recognized supremacies and of voluntary deference. It is like an army in which the attitudes of chiefs and subordinates have disappeared； grades are indicated by uniforms only， but they have no hold on consciences. All that constitutes a well-founded army， the legitimate ascendancy of officers， the justified trust of soldiers， the daily interchange of mutual obligations， the conviction of each being useful to all， and that the chiefs are the most useful all， is missing. How could it be otherwise in an army whose staff-officers have no other occupation but to dine out， to display their epaulettes and to receive double pay？

Long before the final crash France is in a state of dissolution， and she is in a state of dissolution because the privileged classes had forgotten their characters as public men.

_____________________________________________________________________Notes：

[1]. "Rapport de l'agence du clergé，" from 1775 to 1780， pp. 31-34. - Ibid. from 1780 to 1785， p. 237.

[2]. Lanfrey， "L'Eglise et les philosophes，" passim.

[3]. Boiteau， "Etat de la France en 1789，" pp. 205， 207. -D'Argenson "Mémoires，" May 5， 1752， September 3， 22， 25， 1753；October 17， 1753， and October 26， 1775. - Prudhomme， "Résumé général des cahiers des Etats-Généraux，" 1789， (Registers of the Clergy).--"Histoire des églises du désert，" par Charles Coquerel， I. 151 and those following.

[4]. De Ségur， "Mémoires，" vol. I. pp. 16， 41. - De Bouillé， "Mémoires，" p. 54. - Mme. Campan， "Mémoires，" V. I. p. 237， proofs in detail.

[5]. Somewhat like the socialist societies including the welfare states where a caste of public pensionaries， functionaries， civil servants and politicians weigh like a heavy burden on those who actually do the work.. (SR.)[6]. An antechamber in the palace of Versailles in which there was a round or bull's-eye window， where courtiers assembled to await the opening of the door into the king's apartment. - TR.

[7]. "La France ecclésiastique，" 1788.

[8]. Grannier de Cassagnac， "Des causes de la Rèvolution Fran？aise，" III. 58.

[9]. Marmontel， "Mémoires，" . II. book XIII. p. 221.

[10]. Boiteau， "Etat de la France en 1789，" pp. 55， 248. -D'Argenson， "Considérations sur le gouvermement de la France，" p. 177.

De Luynes， "Journal，" XIII. 226， XIV. 287， XIII. 33， 158， 162， 118， 233， 237， XV. 268， XVI. 304. - The government of Ham is worth 11，250livres， that of Auxerre 12，000， that of Brian？on 12，000， that of the islands of Ste. Marguerite 16，000 ， that of Schelestadt 15，000， that of Brisach from 15 to 16，000 ， that of Gravelines 18，000. - The ordinance of 1776 had reduced these various places as follows：