第408章

"Contemplate the incalculable activity of such a machine in a loquacious nation where the passion for being something dominates all other affections， where vanity has more phases than there are starts in the firmament， where reputations already cost no more than the trouble of insisting on their being deserved， where society is divided between mediocrities and their trumpeters who laud them as divinities；where so few people are content with their lot， where the corner grocer is prouder of his epaulette than the Grand Condé of his Marshal's baton， where agitation without object or resources is perpetual， where， from the floor-scrubber to the dramatist， from the academician to the simpleton who gets muddled over the evening newspaper， from the witty courtier down to his philosophic lackey， each one revises Montesquieu with the self-sufficiency of a child which， because it is learning to read， deems itself wise； where self-esteem， in disputation， caviling and sophistication， destroys all sensible conversation； where no one utters a word， but to teach， never imagining that to learn one must keep quiet； where the triumphs of a few lunatics entice every crackbrain from his den； where， with two nonsensical ideas put together out of a book that is not understood， a man assumes to have principles； where swindlers talk about morality， women of easy virtue about civism， and the most infamous of beings about the dignity of the species； where the discharged valet of a grand seignior calls himself Brutus！"- In reality， he is Brutus in his own eyes. Let the time come and he will be so in earnest， especially against his late master； all he has to do is to give him a thrust with his pike. Until he acts out the part he spouts it， and grows excited over his own tirades； his common sense gives way to the bombastic jargon of the revolution and to declamation， which completes the Utopian performance and eases his brain of its last modicum of ballast.

It is not merely ideas which the new regime has disturbed， but it has also disordered sentiments. "Authority is transferred from the Chateau of Versailles and the courtier's antechamber， with no intermediary or counterpoise， to the proletariat and its flatterers."[14] The whole of the staff of the old government is brusquely set aside， while a general election has brusquely installed another in is place， offices not being given to capacity， seniority， and experience， but to self-sufficiency， intrigue， and exaggeration.

Not only are legal rights reduced to a common level， but natural grades are transposed； the social ladder， overthrown， is set up again bottom upwards； the first effect of the promised regeneration is "to substitute in the administration of public affairs pettifoggers for magistrates， ordinary citizens for cabinet ministers， ex-commoners for ex-nobles， rustics for soldiers， soldiers for captains， captains for generals， curés for bishops， vicars for curés， monks for vicars， brokers for financiers， empiricists for administrators， journalists for political economists， stump-orators for legislators， and the poor for the rich." - Every species of covetousness is stimulated by this spectacle. The profusion of offices and the anticipation of vacancies "has excited the thirst for command， stimulated self-esteem， and inflamed the hopes of the most inept. A rude and grim presumption renders the fool and the ignoramus unconscious of their insignificance. They have deemed themselves capable of anything， because the law granted public functions merely to capacity. There has appeared in front of one and all an ambitious perspective； the soldier thinks only of displacing his captain， the captain of becoming general， the clerk of supplanting the chief of his department， the new-fledged attorney of being admitted to the high court， the curé of being ordained a bishop， the shallow scribbler of seating himself on the legislative bench. Offices and professions vacated by the appointment of so many upstarts afford in their turn a vast field for the ambition of the lower classes." -- Thus， step by step， owing to the reversal of social positions， is brought about a general intellectual fever.

"France is transformed into a gaming-table， where， alongside of the discontented citizen offering his stakes， sits， bold， blustering， and with fermenting brain， the pretentious subaltern rattling his dice-box. . . At the sight of a public official rising from nowhere， even the soul of a bootblack will bound with emulation." -- He has merely to push himself ahead and elbow his way to secure a ticket "in this immense lottery of popular luck， of preferment without merit， of success without talent， of apotheoses without virtues， of an infinity of places distributed by the people wholesale， and enjoyed by the people in detail." -- Political charlatans flock thither from every quarters， those taking the lead who， being most in earnest， believe in the virtue of their nostrum， and need power to impose its recipe on the community； all being saviors， all places belong to them， and especially the highest. They lay siege to these conscientiously and philanthropically ； if necessary， they will take them by assault， hold them through force， and， forcibly or otherwise， administer their cure-all to the human species.

III.

Psychology of the Jacobin. -- His intellectual method. -- Tyranny of formulae and suppression of facts. -- Mental balance disturbed. --Signs of this in the revolutionary language. -- Scope and expression of the Jacobin intellect. -- In what respect his method is mischievous. -- How it is successful. -- Illusions produced by it.