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＇31＇ The 〃Tableau de Paris；〃 by Mercier （12 vols。）； is the
completest and most exact portrayal of the ideas and aspirations of
the middle class from 1781 to 1788。
＇32＇ 〃Correspondence；〃 by Métra； XVII； 87 （August 20； 1784）。
＇33＇ 〃Belisarious；〃 is from 1780； and the 〃Oath of the Horatii；〃
from 1783。
＇34＇ Geffroy； 〃Gustave II et la cour de France。〃 〃Paris； with its
republican spirit； generally applauds whatever fails at
Fontainebleau。〃 （A letter by Madame de Sta？l； Sept。 17； 1786）。
＇35＇ Taine uses the French term 〃passe…droit〃； meaning both passing
over； slight； unjust promotion over the heads of others； a special
favour； or privilege。 （SR。）
＇36＇ Sainte…Beuve； 〃Causeries du Lundi；〃 II。 24； in the article on
Barnave。
＇37＇ Dr Tilly； 〃Mémoires；〃 I。 243。
＇38＇ The words of Fontanes； who knew her and admired her。 （Sainte…
Beuve； 〃Nouveaux Lundis；〃 VIII。 221）。
＇39＇ 〃Mémoires de Madame Roland；〃 passim。 At fourteen years of
age； on being introduced to Mme。 de Boismorel； she is hurt at hearing
her grandmother addressed 〃Mademoiselle。〃 Shortly after this；
she says： 〃I could not concoal from myself that I was of more
consequence than Mlle。 d'Hannaches； whose sixty years and her
genealogy did not enable her to write a common…sense letter or one
that was legible。〃 About the same epoch she passes a week at
Versailles with a servant of the Dauphine； and tells her mother； 〃A
few days more and I shall so detest these people that I shall not know
how to suppress my hatred of them。〃 〃What injury have they done
you？〃 she inquired。 〃It is the feeling of injustice and the constant
contemplation of absurdity！〃 At the chateau of Fontenay where
she is invited to dine； she and her mother are made to dine in the
servants' room； etc。 In 1818； in a small town in the north； the
Comte de dining with a bourgeois sub…prefect and placed by the
side of the mistress of the house； says to her； on accepting the soup；
'Thanks； sweetheart；' But the Revolution has given the lower class
bourgeoisie the courage to defend themselves tooth and nail so that； a
moment later； she addresses him； with one of her sweetest smiles；
'Will you take some chicken； my love？' （The French expression 'mon
coeur' means both sweetheart and my love。 SR。）
＇40＇ De Vaublanc； I。 153。
＇41＇ Beugnot； 〃Mémoires；〃 I。 77。
＇42＇ Champfort； 16。 〃Who would believe it！ Not taxation； nor
lettres…de…cachet； nor the abuses of power； nor the vexations of
intendants； and the ruinous delays of justice have provoked the ire of
the nation； but their prejudices against the nobility towards which it
has shown the greatest hatred。 This evidently proves that the
bourgeoisie； the men of letters； the financial class； in short all
who envy the nobles have excited against these the inferior class in
the towns and among the rural peasantry。〃 （Rivarol； 〃Mémoires。〃）
＇43＇ Champfort； 335。
＇44＇ Sieyès； 〃Qu'est ce que le Tiers？〃 17； 41； 139； 166。
＇45＇ Cartouche （Luis Dominique） （Paris； 1693 … id。 1721）。
Notorious French bandit； leader of a gang of thieves。 He died broken
alive on the wheel。 （SR。）
＇46＇ 〃The nobility； say the nobles； is an intermediary between the
king and the people。 Yes； as the hound is an intermediary between the
hunter and the hare。〃 （Champfort）。
＇47＇ Prud'homme； III。 2。 （〃The Third…Estate of Nivernais；〃
passim。） Cf； on the other hand； the registers of the nobility of Bugey
and of Alen？on。
＇48＇ Prud'homme； ibid。。； Cahiers of the Third…Estates of Dijon；
Dax； Bayonne； Saint…Sévère； Rennes； etc。
＇49＇ Marmontel； 〃Mémoires；〃 II。 247。
＇50＇ Arthur Young； I。 222。
＇51＇ Malouet； 〃Mémoires；〃 I。 279。
＇52＇ De Lavalette； I。 7。 〃Souvenirs〃； by PASQUIER （Etienne…
Dennis； duc）； chancelier de France。 in VI volumes； Librarie Plon；
Paris 1893。 。 Cf。 Brissot； Mémoires； I。
＇53＇ Prudhomme； 〃Résumé des cahiers；〃 the 〃preface；〃 by J。 J。
Rousseau。
＇54＇ Marmontel； II。 245。
BOOK FIFTH。 THE PEOPLE
CHAPTER I。 HARDSHIPS。
I。 Privations。
Under Louis XIV。 … Under Louis XV。 … Under Louis XVI。
La Bruyère wrote； just a century before 1789；＇1＇：
〃Certain savage…looking animals； male and female； are seen in the
country； black； livid and sunburned； and attached to the soil which
they dig and grub with invincible stubbornness。 They seem capable of
speech； and； when they stand erect； they display a human face。 They
are； in fact； men。 They retire at night into their dens where they
live on black bread； water and roots。 They spare other human beings
the trouble of sowing； plowing and harvesting； and thus should not be
in want of the bread they have planted。〃
They are； however； in want during the twenty…five years after this；
and die in droves。 I estimate that in 1715 more than one…third of the
population；＇2＇ six millions； perish with hunger and of destitution。
This description is； in respect of the first quarter of the century
preceding the Revolution； far from being too vivid； it is rather too
weak； we shall see that it； during more than half a century； up to the
death of Louis XV。 is exact； so that instead of weakening any of its
details； they should be strengthened。
〃In 1725；〃 says Saint…Simon； 〃with the profusion of Strasbourg and
Chantilly； the people； in Normandy； live on the grass of the fields。
The first king in Europe could not be a great king if it was not for
all the beggars and the poor…houses full of dying from whom all had
been taken even though it was peace…time。＇3＇
In the most prosperous days of Fleury and in the finest region in
France； the peasant hides 〃his wine on account of the excise and his
bread on account of the taille；〃 convinced 〃that he is a lost man if
any doubt exists of his dying of starvation。〃＇4＇ In 1739 d'Argenson
writes in his journal＇5＇：
〃The famine has just caused three insurrections in the provinces；
at Ruffec； at Caen； and at Chinon。 Women carrying their bread with
them have been assassinated on the highways。 。 。 M。 le Duc d'Orléans
brought to the Council the other day a piece of bread； and placed it
on the table before the king 'Sire；' said he； 'there is the bread on
which your subjects now feed themselves。'〃 〃In my own canton of
Touraine men have been eating herbage more than a year。〃 Misery finds
company on all sides。 〃It is talked about at Versailles more than
ever。 The king interrogated the bishop of Chartres on the condition of
his people； he replied that 'the famine and the morality were such
that men ate grass like sheep and died like so many flies。'〃
In 1740；＇6＇ Massillon； bishop of Clermont…Ferrand； writes to
Fleury：
〃The people of the rural districts are living in frightful
destitution； without beds； without furniture； the majority； for half
the year； even lack barley and oat bread which is their sole food； a