下载辰思小说免费APP
WhenthechroniclersoftheMiddleAges，whoallbelongedtothearistocracybybirthoreducation，relatethetragicalendofanoble，theirgriefflowsapace;whereastheytellyouatabreath，andwithoutwincing，ofmassacresandtorturesinflictedonthecommonsortofpeople。Notthatthesewritersfelthabitualhatredorsystematicdisdainforthepeople;warbetweentheseveralclassesofthecommunitywasnotyetdeclared。Theywereimpelledbyaninstinctratherthanbyapassion;astheyhadformednoclearnotionofapoorman’ssufferings，theycaredbutlittleforhisfate。Thesamefeelingsanimatedthelowerorderswheneverthefeudaltiewasbroken。Thesameageswhichwitnessedsomanyheroicactsofself—devotiononthepartofvassalsfortheirlords，werestainedwithatrociousbarbarities，exercisedfromtimetotimebythelowerclassesonthehigher。
Itmustnotbesupposedthatthismutualinsensibilityarosesolelyfromtheabsenceofpublicorderandeducation;fortracesofitaretobefoundinthefollowingcenturies，whichbecametranquilandenlightenedwhilsttheyremainedaristocratic。In1675thelowerclassesinBrittanyrevoltedattheimpositionofanewtax。Thesedisturbanceswereputdownwithunexampledatrocity。ObservethelanguageinwhichMadamedeSevigne，awitnessofthesehorrors，relatesthemtoherdaughter:—
"AuxRochers，30Octobre，1675。
"MonDieu，mafille，quevotrelettred’Aixestplaisante！
Aumoinsrelisezvoslettresavantquedelesenvoyer;
laissez—voussurpendrealeuragrement，etconsolez—vousparceplaisirdelapeinequevousavezd’entantecrire。VousavezdoncbaisetoutelaProvence？iln’yauraitpassatisfactionabaisertoutelaBretagne，amoinsqu’onn’aimatasentirlevin……Voulez—voussavoirdesnouvellesdeRennes？Onafaitunetaxedecentmilleecussurlebourgeois;etsionnetrouvepointcettesommedansvingt—quatreheures，elleseradoubleeetexigibleparlessoldats。Onachasseetbannitouteunegrandrue，etdefendudelesrecueillirsouspeinedelavie;desortequ’onvoyaittouscesmiserables，veillards，femmesaccouchees，enfans，errerenpleursausortirdecettevillesanssavoiroualler。Onrouaavant—hierunviolon，quiavaitcommenceladanseetlapilleriedupapiertimbre;ilaeteecarteleapressamort，etsesquatrequartiersexposesauxquatrecoinsdelaville。Onaprissoixantebourgeois，etoncommencedemainlespunitions。
Cetteprovinceestunbelexemplepourlesautres，etsurtoutderespecterlesgouverneursetlesgouvernantes，etdenepointjeterdepierresdansleurjardin。*a[Footnotea:TofeelthepointofthisjokethereadershouldrecollectthatMadamedeGrignanwasGouvernantedeProvence。]
"MadamedeTarenteetaithierdanscesboisparuntempsenchante:iln’estquestionnidechambrenidecollation;elleentreparlabarriereets’enretournedememe……"
Inanotherlettersheadds:—
"Vousmeparlezbienplaisammentdenosmiseres;nousnesommesplussiroues;unenhuitjours，pourentretenirlajustice。Ilestvraiquelapenderiemeparaitmaintenantunrefraichissement。J’aiunetoutautreideedelajustice，depuisquejesuisencepays。Vosgaleriensmeparaissentunesocieted’honnetesgensquisesontretiresdumondepourmeneruneviedouce。"
ItwouldbeamistaketosupposethatMadamedeSevigne，whowrotetheselines，wasaselfishorcruelperson;shewaspassionatelyattachedtoherchildren，andveryreadytosympathizeinthesorrowsofherfriends;nay，herlettersshowthatshetreatedhervassalsandservantswithkindnessandindulgence。ButMadamedeSevignehadnoclearnotionofsufferinginanyonewhowasnotapersonofquality。
InourtimetheharshestmanwritingtothemostinsensiblepersonofhisacquaintancewouldnotventurewantonlytoindulgeinthecrueljocularitywhichIhavequoted;andevenifhisownmannersallowedhimtodoso，themannersofsocietyatlargewouldforbidit。Whencedoesthisarise？Havewemoresensibilitythanourforefathers？Iknownotthatwehave;butI
amsurethatourinsensibilityisextendedtoafargreaterrangeofobjects。Whenalltheranksofacommunityarenearlyequal，asallmenthinkandfeelinnearlythesamemanner，eachofthemmayjudgeinamomentofthesensationsofalltheothers;hecastsarapidglanceuponhimself，andthatisenough。Thereisnowretchednessintowhichhecannotreadilyenter，andasecretinstinctrevealstohimitsextent。Itsignifiesnotthatstrangersorfoesbethesufferers;imaginationputshimintheirplace;somethinglikeapersonalfeelingismingledwithhispity，andmakeshimselfsufferwhilstthebodyofhisfellow—creatureisintorture。Indemocraticagesmenrarelysacrificethemselvesforoneanother;buttheydisplaygeneralcompassionforthemembersofthehumanrace。Theyinflictnouselessills;andtheyarehappytorelievethegriefsofothers，whentheycandosowithoutmuchhurtingthemselves;theyarenotdisinterested，buttheyarehumane。
AlthoughtheAmericanshave，inamanner，reducedegotismtoasocialandphilosophicaltheory，theyareneverthelessextremelyopentocompassion。InnocountryiscriminaljusticeadministeredwithmoremildnessthanintheUnitedStates。
WhilsttheEnglishseemdisposedcarefullytoretainthebloodytracesofthedarkagesintheirpenallegislation，theAmericanshavealmostexpungedcapitalpunishmentfromtheircodes。NorthAmericais，Ithink，theonlyonecountryuponearthinwhichthelifeofnoonecitizenhasbeentakenforapoliticaloffenceinthecourseofthelastfiftyyears。ThecircumstancewhichconclusivelyshowsthatthissingularmildnessoftheAmericansariseschieflyfromtheirsocialcondition，isthemannerinwhichtheytreattheirslaves。Perhapsthereisnot，uponthewhole，asingleEuropeancolonyintheNewWorldinwhichthephysicalconditionoftheblacksislessseverethanintheUnitedStates;yettheslavesstillendurehorridsufferingsthere，andareconstantlyexposedtobarbarouspunishments。Itiseasytoperceivethatthelotoftheseunhappybeingsinspirestheirmasterswithbutlittlecompassion，andthattheylookuponslavery，notonlyasaninstitutionwhichisprofitabletothem，butasanevilwhichdoesnotaffectthem。Thusthesamemanwhoisfullofhumanitytowardshisfellow—creatureswhentheyareatthesametimehisequals，becomesinsensibletotheirafflictionsassoonasthatequalityceases。Hismildnessshouldthereforebeattributedtotheequalityofconditions，ratherthantocivilizationandeducation。
WhatIhavehereremarkedofindividualsis，toacertainextent，applicabletonations。Wheneachnationhasitsdistinctopinions，belief，laws，andcustoms，itlooksuponitselfasthewholeofmankind，andismovedbynosorrowsbutitsown。Shouldwarbreakoutbetweentwonationsanimatedbythisfeeling，itissuretobewagedwithgreatcruelty。Atthetimeoftheirhighestculture，theRomansslaughteredthegeneralsoftheirenemies，afterhavingdraggedthemintriumphbehindacar;andtheyflungtheirprisonerstothebeastsoftheCircusfortheamusementofthepeople。Cicero，whodeclaimedsovehementlyatthenotionofcrucifyingaRomancitizen，hadnotawordtosayagainstthesehorribleabusesofvictory。ItisevidentthatinhiseyesabarbariandidnotbelongtothesamehumanraceasaRoman。Onthecontrary，inproportionasnationsbecomemorelikeeachother，theybecomereciprocallymorecompassionate，andthelawofnationsismitigated。
ChapterII:ThatDemocracyRendersTheHabitualIntercourseOfTheAmericansSimpleAndEasyDemocracydoesnotattachmenstronglytoeachother;butitplacestheirhabitualintercourseuponaneasierfooting。IftwoEnglishmenchancetomeetattheAntipodes，wheretheyaresurroundedbystrangerswhoselanguageandmannersarealmostunknowntothem，theywillfirststareateachotherwithmuchcuriosityandakindofsecretuneasiness;theywillthenturnaway，or，ifoneaccoststheother，theywilltakecareonlytoconversewithaconstrainedandabsentairuponveryunimportantsubjects。Yetthereisnoenmitybetweenthesemen;theyhaveneverseeneachotherbefore，andeachbelievestheothertobearespectableperson。Whythenshouldtheystandsocautiouslyapart？WemustgobacktoEnglandtolearnthereason。
Whenitisbirthalone，independentofwealth，whichclassesmeninsociety，everyoneknowsexactlywhathisownpositionisuponthesocialscale;hedoesnotseektorise，hedoesnotfeartosink。Inacommunitythusorganized，menofdifferentcastescommunicateverylittlewitheachother;butifaccidentbringsthemtogether，theyarereadytoconversewithouthopingorfearingtolosetheirownposition。Theirintercourseisnotuponafootingofequality，butitisnotconstrained。Whenmoneyedaristocracysucceedstoaristocracyofbirth，thecaseisaltered。Theprivilegesofsomearestillextremelygreat，butthepossibilityofacquiringthoseprivilegesisopentoall:
whenceitfollowsthatthosewhopossessthemareconstantlyhauntedbytheapprehensionoflosingthem，orofothermen’ssharingthem;thosewhodonotyetenjoythemlongtopossessthematanycost，or，iftheyfailtoappearatleasttopossessthem—whichisnotimpossible。Asthesocialimportanceofmenisnolongerostensiblyandpermanentlyfixedbyblood，andisinfinitelyvariedbywealth，ranksstillexist，butitisnoteasyclearlytodistinguishataglancethosewhorespectivelybelongtothem。Secrethostilitiesthenariseinthecommunity;
onesetofmenendeavorbyinnumerableartificestopenetrate，ortoappeartopenetrate，amongstthosewhoareabovethem;anothersetareconstantlyinarmsagainsttheseusurpersoftheirrights;orratherthesameindividualdoesbothatonce，andwhilstheseekstoraisehimselfintoahighercircle，heisalwaysonthedefensiveagainsttheintrusionofthosebelowhim。
SuchistheconditionofEnglandatthepresenttime;andI
amofopinionthatthepeculiaritybeforeadvertedtoisprincipallytobeattributedtothiscause。AsaristocraticprideisstillextremelygreatamongsttheEnglish，andasthelimitsofaristocracyareill—defined，everybodylivesinconstantdreadlestadvantageshouldbetakenofhisfamiliarity。
Unabletojudgeatonceofthesocialpositionofthosehemeets，anEnglishmanprudentlyavoidsallcontactwiththem。Menareafraidlestsomeslightservicerenderedshoulddrawthemintoanunsuitableacquaintance;theydreadcivilities，andtheyavoidtheobtrusivegratitudeofastrangerquiteasmuchashishatred。Manypeopleattributethesesingularanti—socialpropensities，andthereservedandtaciturnbearingoftheEnglish，topurelyphysicalcauses。Imayadmitthatthereissomethingofitintheirrace，butmu
