友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the ancien regime-第4章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




left behind; to do the governing of the world。  Let them live; and

keep what they had。  If signs of vigour still appeared in France; in

the wars of Louis XIV。 they were feverish; factitious; temporary

soon; as the event proved; to droop into the general exhaustion。  If

wars were still to be waged they were to be wars of succession; wars

of diplomacy; not wars of principle; waged for the mightiest

invisible interests of man。  The exhaustion was general; and to it

we must attribute alike the changes and the conservatism of the

Ancien Regime。  To it is owing that growth of a centralising

despotism; and of arbitrary regal power; which M。 de Tocqueville has

set forth in a book which I shall have occasion often to quote。  To

it is owing; too; that longing; which seems to us childish; after

ancient forms; etiquettes; dignities; court costumes; formalities

diplomatic; legal; ecclesiastical。  Men clung to them as to

keepsakes of the pastrevered relics of more intelligible and

better…ordered times。  If the spirit had been beaten out of them in

a century of battle; that was all the more reason for keeping up the

letter。  They had had a meaning once; a life once; perhaps there was

a little life left in them still; perhaps the dry bones would clothe

themselves with flesh once more; and stand upon their feet。  At

least it was useful that the common people should so believe。  There

was good hope that the simple masses; seeing the old dignities and

formalities still parading the streets; should suppose that they

still contained men; and were not mere wooden figures; dressed

artistically in official costume。  And; on the whole; that hope was

not deceived。  More than a century of bitter experience was needed

ere the masses discovered that their ancient rulers were like the

suits of armour in the Tower of Londonempty iron astride of wooden

steeds; and armed with lances which every ploughboy could wrest out

of their hands; and use in his own behalf。



The mistake of the masses was pardonable。  For those suits of armour

had once held living men; strong; brave; wise; men of an admirable

temper; doing their work according to their light; not altogether

wellwhat man does that on earth?but well enough to make

themselves necessary to; and loyally followed by; the masses whom

they ruled。  No one can read fairly the 〃Gesta Dei per Francos in

Oriente;〃 or the deeds of the French Nobility in their wars with

England; or those taleshowever legendaryof the mediaeval

knights; which form so noble an element in German literature;

without seeing; that however black were these men's occasional

crimes; they were a truly noble race; the old Nobility of the

Continent; a race which ruled simply because; without them; there

would have been naught but anarchy and barbarism。  To their

chivalrous ideal they were too often; perhaps for the most part;

untrue:  but; partial and defective as it is; it is an ideal such as

never entered into the mind of Celt or Gaul; Hun or Sclav; one which

seems continuous with the spread of the Teutonic conquerors。  They

ruled because they did practically raise the ideal of humanity in

the countries which they conquered; a whole stage higher。  They

ceased to rule when they were; through their own sins; caught up and

surpassed in the race of progress by the classes below them。



But; even when at its best; their system of government had in it

like all human inventionoriginal sin; an unnatural and unrighteous

element; which was certain; sooner or later; to produce decay and

ruin。  The old Nobility of Europe was not a mere aristocracy。  It

was a caste:  a race not intermarrying with the races below it。  It

was not a mere aristocracy。  For that; for the supremacy of the best

men; all societies strive; or profess to strive。  And such a true

aristocracy may exist independent of caste; or the hereditary

principle at all。  We may conceive an Utopia; governed by an

aristocracy which should be really democratic; which should use;

under developed forms; that method which made the mediaeval

priesthood the one great democratic institution of old Christendom;

bringing to the surface and utilising the talents and virtues of all

classes; even to the lowest。  We may conceive an aristocracy

choosing out; and gladly receiving into its own ranks as equals;

every youth; every maiden; who was distinguished by intellect;

virtue; valour; beauty; without respect to rank or birth; and

rejecting in turn; from its own ranks; each of its own children who

fell below some lofty standard; and showed by weakliness; dulness;

or baseness; incapacity for the post of guiding and elevating their

fellow…citizens。  Thus would arise a true aristocracy; a governing

body of the really most worthythe most highly organised in body

and in mindperpetually recruited from below:  from which; or from

any other ideal; we are yet a few thousand years distant。



But the old Ancien Regime would have shuddered; did shudder; at such

a notion。  The supreme class was to keep itself pure; and avoid all

taint of darker blood; shutting its eyes to the fact that some of

its most famous heroes had been born of such left…handed marriages

as that of Robert of Normandy with the tanner's daughter of Falaise。

〃Some are so curious in this behalf;〃 says quaint old Burton;

writing about 1650; 〃as these old Romans; our modern Venetians;

Dutch; and French; that if two parties dearly love; the one noble;

the other ignoble; they may not; by their laws; match; though equal

otherwise in years; fortunes; education; and all good affection。  In

Germany; except they can prove their gentility by three descents;

they scorn to match with them。  A nobleman must marry a noblewoman;

a baron; a baron's daughter; a knight; a knight's。  As slaters sort

their slates; do they degrees and families。〃



And doubtless this theorylike all which have held their ground for

many centuriesat first represented a fact。  These castes were; at

first; actually superior to the peoples over whom they ruled。  I

cannot; as long as my eyes are open; yield to the modern theory of

the equalityindeed of the non…existenceof races。  Holding; as I

do; the primaeval unity of the human race; I see in that race the

same inclination to sport into fresh varieties; the same competition

of species between those varieties; which Mr。 Darwin has pointed out

among plants and mere animals。  A distinguished man arises; from him

a distinguished family; from it a distinguished tribe; stronger;

cunninger than those around。  It asserts its supremacy over its

neighbours at first exactly as a plant or animal would do; by

destroying; and; where possible; eating them; next; having grown

more prudent; by enslaving them; next; having gained a little

morality in addition to its prudence; by civilising them; raising

them more or less toward its own standard。  And thus; in every land;

civilisation and national life has arisen out of the patriarchal

state; and the Eastern scheik; with his wives; free and slave; and

his hundreds of fighting men born in his house; is the type of all

primaeval rulers。  He is the best man of his hordein every sense

of the word best; and whether he have a right to rule them or not;

they consider that he has; and are the better men for his guidance。



Whether this ought to have been the history of primaeval

civilisation; is a question not to be determined here。  That it is

the history thereof; is surely patent to anyone who will imagine to

himself what must have been。  In the first place; the strongest and

cunningest savage must have had the chance of producing children

more strong and cunning than the average; he would havethe

strongest savage has stillthe power of obtaining a wife; or wives;

superior in beauty and in household skill; which involves

superiority of intellect; and therefore his children wouldsome of

them at leastbe superior to the average; both from the father's

and the mother's capacities。  They again would marry select wives;

and their children again would do the same; till; in a very few

generations; a family would have established itself; considerably

superior to the rest of the tribe in body and mind; and become

assuredly its ruling race。



Again; if one of that race invented a new weapon; a new mode of

tillage; or aught else which gave him power; that would add to the

superiority of his whole family。  For the invention would be

jealously kept among them as a mystery; a hereditary secret。  To

this simple cause; surely; is to be referred the system of

hereditary caste occupations; whether in Egypt or Hindoostan。  To

this; too; the fact that alike in Greek and in Teutonic legend the

chief so often appears; not merely as the best warrior and best

minstrel; but as the best smith; armourer; and handicraftsman of his

tribe。  If; however; the inventor happened to be a low…born genius;

its advantages would still accrue to the ruling race。  F
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!