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the magic skin(驴皮记)-第11章

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slave; at the rate of fivepence a line。

〃Perhaps Moses; Sylla; Louis XI。; Richelieu; Robespierre; and Napoleon
were but the same man who crosses our civilizations now and again;
like a comet across the sky;〃 said a disciple of Ballanche。

〃Why try to fathom the designs of Providence?〃 said Canalis; maker of
ballads。

〃Come; now;〃 said the man who set up for a critic; 〃there is nothing
more elastic in the world than your Providence。〃

〃Well; sir; Louis XIV。 sacrificed more lives over digging the
foundations of the Maintenon's aqueducts; than the Convention expended
in order to assess the taxes justly; to make one law for everybody;
and one nation of France; and to establish the rule of equal
inheritance;〃 said Massol; whom the lack of a syllable before his name
had made a Republican。

〃Are you going to leave our heads on our shoulders?〃 asked Moreau (of
the Oise); a substantial farmer。 〃You; sir; who took blood for wine
just now?〃

〃Where is the use? Aren't the principles of social order worth some
sacrifices; sir?〃

〃Hi! Bixiou! What's…his…name; the Republican; considers a landowner's
head a sacrifice!〃 said a young man to his neighbor。

〃Men and events count for nothing;〃 said the Republican; following out
his theory in spite of hiccoughs; 〃in politics; as in philosophy;
there are only principles and ideas。〃

〃What an abomination! Then you would ruthlessly put your friends to
death for a shibboleth?〃

〃Eh; sir! the man who feels compunction is your thorough scoundrel;
for he has some notion of virtue; while Peter the Great and the Duke
of Alva were embodied systems; and the pirate Monbard an
organization。〃

〃But can't society rid itself of your systems and organizations?〃 said
Canalis。

〃Oh; granted!〃 cried the Republican。

〃That stupid Republic of yours makes me feel queasy。 We sha'n't be
able to carve a capon in peace; because we shall find the agrarian law
inside it。〃

〃Ah; my little Brutus; stuffed with truffles; your principles are all
right enough。 But you are like my valet; the rogue is so frightfully
possessed with a mania for property that if I left him to clean my
clothes after his fashion; he would soon clean me out。〃

〃Crass idiots!〃 replied the Republican; 〃you are for setting a nation
straight with toothpicks。 To your way of thinking; justice is more
dangerous than thieves。〃

〃Oh; dear!〃 cried the attorney Deroches。

〃Aren't they a bore with their politics!〃 said the notary Cardot。
〃Shut up。 That's enough of it。 There is no knowledge nor virtue worth
shedding a drop of blood for。 If Truth were brought into liquidation;
we might find her insolvent。〃

〃It would be much less trouble; no doubt; to amuse ourselves with
evil; rather than dispute about good。 Moreover; I would give all the
speeches made for forty years past at the Tribune for a trout; for one
of Perrault's tales or Charlet's sketches。〃

〃Quite right! 。 。 。 Hand me the asparagus。 Because; after all; liberty
begets anarchy; anarchy leads to despotism; and despotism back again
to liberty。 Millions have died without securing a triumph for any one
system。 Is not that the vicious circle in which the whole moral world
revolves? Man believes that he has reached perfection; when in fact he
has but rearranged matters。〃

〃Oh! oh!〃 cried Cursy; the vaudevilliste; 〃in that case; gentlemen;
here's to Charles X。; the father of liberty。〃

〃Why not?〃 asked Emile。 〃When law becomes despotic; morals are
relaxed; and vice versa。

〃Let us drink to the imbecility of authority; which gives us such an
authority over imbeciles!〃 said the good banker。

〃Napoleon left us glory; at any rate; my good friend!〃 exclaimed a
naval officer who had never left Brest。

〃Glory is a poor bargain; you buy it dear; and it will not keep。 Does
not the egotism of the great take the form of glory; just as for
nobodies it is their own well…being?〃

〃You are very fortunate; sir〃

〃The first inventor of ditches must have been a weakling; for society
is only useful to the puny。 The savage and the philosopher; at either
extreme of the moral scale; hold property in equal horror。〃

〃All very fine!〃 said Cardot; 〃but if there were no property; there
would be no documents to draw up。〃

〃These green peas are excessively delicious!〃

〃And the cure was found dead in his bed in the morning。 。 。 。〃

〃Who is talking about death? Pray don't trifle; I have an uncle。〃

〃Could you bear his loss with resignation?〃

〃No question。〃

〃Gentlemen; listen to me! HOW TO KILL AN UNCLE。 Silence! (Cries of
〃Hush! hush!〃) In the first place; take an uncle; large and stout;
seventy years old at least; they are the best uncles。 (Sensation。) Get
him to eat a pate de foie gras; any pretext will do。〃

〃Ah; but my uncle is a thin; tall man; and very niggardly and
abstemious。〃

〃That sort of uncle is a monster; he misappropriates existence。〃

〃Then;〃 the speaker on uncles went on; 〃tell him; while he is
digesting it; that his banker has failed。〃

〃How if he bears up?〃

〃Let loose a pretty girl on him。〃

〃And if?〃 asked the other; with a shake of the head。

〃Then he wouldn't be an unclean uncle is a gay dog by nature。〃

〃Malibran has lost two notes in her voice。〃

〃No; sir; she has not。〃

〃Yes; sir; she has。〃

〃Oh; ho! No and yes; is not that the sum…up of all religious;
political; or literary dissertations? Man is a clown dancing on the
edge of an abyss。〃

〃You would make out that I am a fool。〃

〃On the contrary; you cannot make me out。〃

〃Education; there's a pretty piece of tomfoolery。 M。 Heineffettermach
estimates the number of printed volumes at more than a thousand
millions; and a man cannot read more than a hundred and fifty thousand
in his lifetime。 So; just tell me what that word education means。 For
some it consists in knowing the name of Alexander's horse; of the dog
Berecillo; of the Seigneur d'Accords; and in ignorance of the man to
whom we owe the discovery of rafting and the manufacture of porcelain。
For others it is the knowledge how to burn a will and live respected;
be looked up to and popular; instead of stealing a watch with half…a…
dozen aggravating circumstances; after a previous conviction; and so
perishing; hated and dishonored; in the Place de Greve。〃

〃Will Nathan's work live?〃

〃He has very clever collaborators; sir。〃

〃Or Canalis?〃

〃He is a great man; let us say no more about him。〃

〃You are all drunk!〃

〃The consequence of a Constitution is the immediate stultification of
intellects。 Art; science; public works; everything; is consumed by a
horribly egoistic feeling; the leprosy of the time。 Three hundred of
your bourgeoisie; set down on benches; will only think of planting
poplars。 Tyranny does great things lawlessly; while Liberty will
scarcely trouble herself to do petty ones lawfully。〃

〃Your reciprocal instruction will turn out counters in human flesh;〃
broke in an Absolutist。 〃All individuality will disappear in a people
brought to a dead level by education。〃

〃For all that; is not the aim of society to secure happiness to each
member of it?〃 asked the Saint…Simonian。

〃If you had an income of fifty thousand livres; you would not think
much about the people。 If you are smitten with a tender passion for
the race; go to Madagascar; there you will find a nice little nation
all ready to Saint…Simonize; classify; and cork up in your phials; but
here every one fits into his niche like a peg in a hole。 A porter is a
porter; and a blockhead is a fool; without a college of fathers to
promote them to those positions。〃

〃You are a Carlist。〃

〃And why not? Despotism pleases me; it implies a certain contempt for
the human race。 I have no animosity against kings; they are so
amusing。 Is it nothing to sit enthroned in a room; at a distance of
thirty million leagues from the sun?〃

〃Let us once more take a broad view of civilization;〃 said the man of
learning who; for the benefit of the inattentive sculptor; had opened
a discussion on primitive society and autochthonous races。 〃The vigor
of a nation in its origin was in a way physical; unitary; and crude;
then as aggregations increased; government advanced by a decomposition
of the primitive rule; more or less skilfully managed。 For example; in
remote ages national strength lay in theocracy; the priest held both
sword and censer; a little later there were two priests; the pontiff
and the king。 To…day our society; the latest word of civilization; has
distributed power according to the number of combinations; and we come
to the forces called business; thought; money; and eloquence。
Authority thus divided is steadily approaching a social dissolution;
with interest as its one opposing barrier。 We depend no longer on
either religion or physical force; but upon intellect。 Can a book
replace the sword? Can discussion be a substitute for action? That is
the question。〃

〃Intellect has made an end of everything;〃 cried the Carlist。 〃Come
now! Absolute freedom has brought about national suicides; their
triumph left them as listless as an English millionaire。〃

〃Won't you tell us something new? You have made fun of authority of
all sorts to…day; which is every bit as vulga
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