登陆注册
14926100000167

第167章

With it, says a contemporary, people were never sure of anything, being always obliged to wait[12]. "Were their capital invested in its loans, they could never rely on a fixed date for the payment of interest. Did they build ships, repair highways, or the soldiers clothed, they had no guarantees for their advances, no certificates of repayment, being reduced to calculate the chances involved in a ministerial contract as they would the risks of a bold speculation."It pays if it can and only when it can, even the members of the household, the purveyors of the table and the personal attendants of the king. In 1753 the domestics of Louis XV had received nothing for three years. We have seen how his grooms went out to beg during the night in the streets of Versailles; how his purveyors "hid themselves;" how , under Louis XVI in 1778, there were 792,620 francs due to the wine-merchant, and 3,467,980 francs to the purveyor of fish and meat[13]. In 1788, so great is the distress, the Minister de Loménie appropriates and expends the funds of a private subscription raised for a hospital, and, at the time of his resignation, the treasury is empty, save 450,000 francs, half of which he puts in his pocket. What an administration! -- In the presence of this debtor, evidently becoming insolvent, all people, far and near, interested in his business, consult together with alarm, and debtors are innumerable, consisting of bankers, merchants, manufacturers, employees, lenders of every kind and degree, and, in the front rank, the capitalists, who have put all their means for life into his hands, and who are to beg should he not pay them annually the 44 millions he owes them; the industrialists and traders who have entrusted their commercial integrity to him and who would shrink with horror from failure as its issue; and after these come their creditors, their clerks, their relations, in short, the largest portion of the laboring and peaceable class which, thus far, had obeyed without a murmur and never dreamed of bringing the established order of things under its control. Henceforth this class will exercise control attentively, distrustfully and angrily. Woe to those who are at fault, for they well know that the ruin of the State is their ruin.

III. SOCIAL PROMOTION.

He rises on the social ladder. - The noble draws near to him.

- He becomes cultivated. - He enters into society. - He regards himself as the equal of the noble. - Privileges an annoyance.

Meanwhile this class has climbed up the social ladder, and, through its élite, rejoined those in the highest position. Formerly between Dorante and M. Jourdain, between Don Juan and M. Dimanche,[14]

between M. Sotenville himself and Georges Dandin, the distance was vast; everything was different - dress, house, habits, characters, points of honor, ideas and language. On the one hand the nobles are drawn nearer to the Third-Estate and, on the other, the Third-Estate is drawn nearer to the nobles, actual equality having preceded equality as a right. -- On the approach of the year 1789 it was difficult to distinguish one from the other in the street. The sword is no longer worn by gentlemen in the city; they have abandoned embroideries and laces, and walk about in plain frock-coats, or drive themselves in their cabriolets[15]. "The simplicity of English customs," and the customs of the Third-Estate seem to them better adapted to ordinary life. Their prominence proves irksome to them and they grow weary of being always on parade. Henceforth they accept familiarity that they may enjoy freedom of action, and are content "to mingle with their fellow-citizens without obstacle or ostentation. -- "It is certainly a grave sign, and the old feudal spirits have reason to tremble. The Marquis de Mirabeau, on learning that his son wishes to act as his own lawyer, consoles himself by seeing others, of still higher rank, do much worse[16].

"As it was difficult to accept the idea that the grandson of my father, whom we just had seen pass by on the promenade, everybody, young and old, raising their hats to him from afar, would soon be seen at the bar of a lower tribunal, there to contest minor legal matters with pettifoggers; but I said to myself, however, that Louis XIV would be still more astonished had he seen the wife of his grand-successor dressed in a peasant's frock and apron, with no attendants, not a page or any one else, running about the palace and the terraces, requesting the first scamp in a frock-coat she encountered to give her his hand, which he simply does, all the way down to the foot of the steps."But the leveling of manners and appearances of life reflected, indeed, only an equalization of minds and tempers. The antique scenery being torn away indicates the disappearance of the sentiments to which it belonged. It indicated gravity, dignity, custom of self-control and of exposed, in authority and command. It was the rigid and sumptuous parade of a social corps of staff-officers. At this time the parade is discontinued because the corps has been dissolved.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 伤心妻子:别惹我

    伤心妻子:别惹我

    意外发现丈夫跟自己的亲姐妹鬼混,她伤心悲痛。遭遇车祸之后,却发现自己竟然被人设计,无端陷入一场大阴谋中!心灰意冷,谁也别惹我!早知今日,何必当初……
  • 空竹曲

    空竹曲

    我不愿成魔,却是你们逼我!我本是大陈最后的皇子,我本只想平淡一生!乱世将至,魔王重生。
  • 花火沛

    花火沛

    致初恋:那一年的金凤树下,那一年的海滨浪漫小城,我们一起坐着小渔船出海看日落,我们一起看流星,我们一起走过最浪漫的花季雨季......
  • 道宋

    道宋

    汴水如墨,烟云色,良人随风而逝。残垣之处,却还有,故国筝琴萧瑟。狂澜惊现,烽烟四起,蹄声震霄汉。残阳似血,斜照烈士头颅。无奈百载蹉跎,北望燕云兮,金瓯独缺。冲冠一怒,执长槊,搅动血海翻腾。回首凭栏,长啸如哀歌,岁月蹉跎。泡影几许,随我吃茶去也。——《念奴娇—吃茶去》
  • 寂寞宫廷瑶人湾

    寂寞宫廷瑶人湾

    在一个庄严而华贵的皇宫当中正上演着一场新的传奇!!!本因过着无忧无虑的生活现代女孩荣华影却因一次与她无关的意外而莫名其妙的穿越到了清朝……一段清宫侍女到嫔妃的升级之路就此展开!!!前世的她雍容华贵,今生的她无忧无虑。一个时空穿越,造就了古今穿越的潮流的拉近……
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 伪天地

    伪天地

    一个人,一条路,一个结局不这是俩个人的结局这是一个少年误入大千世界,他会让这个世界走向哪一条路
  • 三公主与三王子的故事

    三公主与三王子的故事

    三位公主杀手遇到了三位王子会发生什么事呢?
  • 总裁的钻石婚约

    总裁的钻石婚约

    新文《总裁的星光蜜恋》http://www.*****.com/?a/995545/index.html母亲身患绝症,男友提出分手。为了完成母亲的遗愿,她只能相亲结婚。“我妈妈刚做了肺癌手术,还要持续治疗。我不会用你的钱,但我的钱要全部用在我妈妈身上。”一句话,吓跑所有相亲对象。直到遇到他,他高大帅气、一表人才、气质非凡,和之前的人都不同。她以为他会跑得更快,但他没有。于是,她继续提出下面两项要求:“我希望马上结婚,越快越好。”“半年之内怀孕……能在妈妈临死前生下宝宝最好。”他眼沉如水,温润地看着她:“马上?今天吗?可以。”结婚后她才发现,他竟然是前男友的同事!前男友指着她的鼻子说:“你们早就勾搭在一起了吧?”他在公司受到排挤、被她前男友针对,却从不怪她。她以为他只是一个小职员,没想到他认识的都是大人物!他们结婚那天,某快递公司临时公告:不管大件小件、国内国外,免费三天!被封为“月亮女神”的国际知名小提琴家,在演奏会上临时起意拉了一曲《婚礼进行曲》:“亲爱的,新婚快乐!”国内最大的珠宝品牌:三天内所有产品五折销售。开遍世界的中式快餐连锁店:今日所有菜品免费。她原本以为是巧合,直到……某快递公司老板:“这套别墅送给你们当新婚礼物。”小提琴家“月亮女神”:“大嫂,快生包子给我玩!”珠宝公司董事长:“这些年,我一直很愧疚……”连锁店总裁:“我记得我跟你说过我有个妹妹在国内……她现在在你怀里。”……当他被公司解雇,她以为他失业了,他却摇身一变,成了她的顶头上司!他到底有多少秘密?还是不是她老公?“老婆,你身上的秘密,好像一点也不比我少啊~”某男邪魅一笑,将她压在身下。--------------新人发文,请大家多多关照,喜欢就收藏吧~(*__*)嘻嘻……
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)