第177章

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， and which they are compelled to take out of their own and their children's mouths to pay the taxes. It pains me to see this sad spectacle every year on my visits. The Negroes of our colonies are， in this respect， infinitely better off； for， while working， they are fed and clothed along with their wives and children， while our peasantry， the most laborious in the kingdom， cannot， with the hardest and most devoted labor， earn bread for themselves and their families， and at the same time pay their charges." In 1740[7] at Lille， the people rebel against the export of grain. "An intendant informs me that the misery increases from hour to hour， the slightest danger to the crops resulting in this for three years past. . . .Flanders， especially， is greatly embarrassed； there is nothing to live on until the harvesting， which will not take place for two months. The provinces the best off are not able to help the others. Each bourgeois in each town is obliged to feed one or two poor persons and provide them with fourteen pounds of bread per week. In the little town of Chatellerault， (of 4，000 inhabitants)， 1800 poor， this winter， are in that situation. . .

. The poor outnumber those able to live without begging . . . while prosecutions for unpaid dues are carried on with unexampled rigor. The clothes of the poor， their last measure of flour and the latches on their doors are seized， etc. .. . The abbess of Jouarre told me yesterday that， in her canton， in Brie， most of the land had not been planted." It is not surprising that the famine spreads even to Paris.

"Fears are entertained of next Wednesday. There is no more bread in Paris， except that of the damaged flour which is brought in and which burns (when baking). The mills are working day and night at Belleville， regrinding old damaged flour. The people are ready to rebel； bread goes up a sol a day； no merchant dares， or is disposed， to bring in his wheat. The market on Wednesday was almost in a state of revolt， there being no bread in it after seven o'clock in the morning. . . . The poor creatures at Bicêtre prison were put on short rations， three quarterons (twelve ounces)， being reduced to only half a pound. A rebellion broke out and they forced the guards. Numbers escaped and they have inundated Paris. The watch， with the police of the neighborhood， were called out， and an attack was made on these poor wretches with bayonet and sword. About fifty of them were left on the ground； the revolt was not suppressed yesterday morning."Ten years later the evil is greater.[8]