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.