the ancien regime-第13节

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into　Louis　XV。's　Petit　Trianon；　or　other　den　of　aristocratic

iniquity；　but　left　behind　her；　parents　nursing　shame　and　sullen

indignation；　even　while　they　fingered　the　ill…gotten　price　of　their

daughter's　honour；　and　left　behind　also；　perhaps；　some　unhappy　boy

of　her　own　class；　in　whom　disappointment　and　jealousy　were

transformedand　who　will　blame　him？into　righteous　indignation；

and　a　very　sword　of　God；　all　the　more　indignant；　and　all　the　more

righteous；　if　education　helped　him　to　see；　that　the　maiden's

acquiescence；　her　pride　in　her　own　shame；　was　the　ugliest　feature　in

the　whole　crime；　and　the　most　potent　reason　for　putting　an　end；

however　fearful；　to　a　state　of　things　in　which　such　a　fate　was

thought　an　honour　and　a　gain；　and　not　a　disgrace　and　a　ruin；　in

which　the　most　gifted　daughters　of　the　lower　classes　had　learnt　to

think　it　more　noble　to　becomethat　which　they　becamethan　the

wives　of　honest　men。



If　you　will　read　fairly　the　literature　of　the　Ancien　Regime；　whether

in　France　or　elsewhere；　you　will　see　that　my　facts　are　true。　　If　you

have　human　hearts　in　you；　you　will　see　in　them；　it　seems　to　me；　an

explanation　of　many　a　guillotinade　and　fusillade；　as　yet　explained

only　on　the　ground　of　madnessan　hypothesis　which　（as　we　do　not　yet

in　the　least　understand　what　madness　is）　is　no　explanation　at　all。



An　age　of　decay；　incoherence；　and　makeshift；　varnish　and　gilding

upon　worm…eaten　furniture；　and　mouldering　wainscot；　was　that　same

Ancien　Regime。　　And　for　that　very　reason　a　picturesque　age；　like　one

of　its　own　landscapes。　　A　picturesque　bit　of　uncultivated　mountain；

swarming　with　the　prince's　game；　a　picturesque　old　robber　schloss

above；　now　in　ruins；　and　below；　perhaps；　the　picturesque　new

schloss；　with　its　French　fountains　and　gardens；　French　nymphs　of

marble；　and　of　flesh　and　blood　likewise；　which　the　prince　has

partially　paid　for；　by　selling　a　few　hundred　young　men　to　the

English　to　fight　the　Yankees。　　The　river；　too；　is　picturesque；　for

the　old　bridge　has　not　been　repaired　since　it　was　blown　up　in　the

Seven　Years'　War；　and　there　is　but　a　single　lazy　barge　floating　down

the　stream；　owing　to　the　tolls　and　tariffs　of　his　Serene　Highness；

the　village　is　picturesque；　for　the　flower　of　the　young　men　are　at

the　wars；　and　the　place　is　tumbling　down；　and　the　two　old　peasants

in　the　foreground；　with　the　single　goat　and　the　hamper　of　vine…

twigs；　are　very　picturesque　likewise；　for　they　are　all　in　rags。



How　sad　to　see　the　picturesque　element　eliminated；　and　the　quiet

artistic　beauty　of　the　scene　destroyed；to　have　steamers　puffing　up

and　down　the　river；　and　a　railroad　hurrying　along　its　banks　the

wealth　of　the　Old　World；　in　exchange　for　the　wealth　of　the　Newor

hurrying；　it　may　be；　whole　regiments　of　free　and　educated　citizen…

soldiers；　who　fight；　they　know　for　what。　　How　sad　to　see　the　alto

schloss　desecrated　by　tourists；　and　the　neue　schloss　converted　into

a　cold…water　cure。　　How　sad　to　see　the　village；　church　and　all；

built　up　again　brand…new；　and　whitewashed　to　the　very　steeple…top；

a　new　school　at　the　town…enda　new　crucifix　by　the　wayside。　　How

sad　to　see　the　old　folk　well　clothed　in　the　fabrics　of　England　or

Belgium；　doing　an　easy　trade　in　milk　and　fruit；　because　the　land

they　till　has　become　their　own；　and　not　the　prince's；　while　their

sons　are　thriving　farmers　on　the　prairies　of　the　far　West。　　Very

unpicturesque；　no　doubt；　is　wealth　and　progress；　peace　and　safety；

cleanliness　and　comfort。　　But　they　possess　advantages　unknown　to　the

Ancien　Regime；　which　was；　if　nothing　else；　picturesque。　　Men　could

paint　amusing　and　often　pretty　pictures　of　its　people　and　its

places。



Consider　that　word；　〃picturesque。〃　　It；　and　the　notion　of　art　which

it　expresses；　are　the　children　of　the　Ancien　Regimeof　the　era　of

decay。　　The　healthy；　vigorous；　earnest；　progressive　Middle　Age　never

dreamed　of　admiring；　much　less　of　painting；　for　their　own　sake；　rags

and　ruins；　the　fashion　sprang　up　at　the　end　of　the　seventeenth

century；　it　lingered　on　during　the　first　quarter　of　our　century；

kept　alive　by　the　reaction　from　1815…25。　　It　is　all　but　dead　now；

before　the　return　of　vigorous　and　progressive　thought。　　An　admirer

of　the　Middle　Ages　now　does　not　build　a　sham　ruin　in　his　grounds；　he

restores　a　church；　blazing　with　colour；　like　a　medieval

illumination。　　He　has　learnt　to　look　on　that　which　went　by　the　name

of　picturesque　in　his　great…grandfather's　time；　as　an　old　Greek　or　a

Middle　Age　monk　would　have　doneas　something　squalid；　ugly；　a　sign

of　neglect；　disease；　death；　and　therefore　to　be　hated　and　abolished；

if　it　cannot　be　restored。　　At　Carcassone；　now；　M。　Viollet…le…Duc；

under　the　auspices　of　the　Emperor　of　the　French；　is　spending　his

vast　learning；　and　much　money；　simply　in　abolishing　the　picturesque；

in　restoring　stone　for　stone；　each　member　of　that　wonderful　museum

of　Middle　Age　architecture：　　Roman；　Visigothic；　Moslem；　Romaine；

Early　English；　later　French；　all　is　being　reproduced　exactly　as　it

must　have　existed　centuries　since。　　No　doubt　that　is　not　the　highest

function　of　art：　　but　it　is　a　preparation　for　the　highest；　a　step

toward　some　future　creative　school。　　As　the　early　Italian　artists；

by　careful　imitation；　absorbed　into　their　minds　the　beauty　and

meaning　of　old　Greek　and　Roman　art；　so　must　the　artists　of　our　days

by　the　art　of　the　Middle　Age　and　the　Renaissance。　　They　must　learn

to　copy；　before　they　can　learn　to　surpass；　and；　meanwhile；　they　must

learnindeed　they　have　learntthat　decay　is　ugliness；　and　the

imitation　of　decay；　a　making　money　out　of　the　public　shame。



The　picturesque　sprang　up；　as　far　as　I　can　discover；　suddenly；

during　the　time　of　exhaustion　and　recklessness　which　followed　the

great　struggles　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　Salvator　Rosa　and　Callot；

two　of　the　earliest　professors　of　picturesque　art；　have　never　been

since　surpassed。　　For　indeed；　they　drew　from　life。　　The　rags　and　the

ruins；　material；　and　alas！　spiritual；　were　all　around　them；　the

lands　and　the　creeds　alike　lay　waste。　　There　was　ruffianism　and

misery　among　the　masses　of　Europe；　unbelief　and　artificiality　among

the　upper　classes；　churches　and　monasteries　defiled；　cities　sacked；

farmsteads　plundered　and　ruinate；　and　all　the　wretchedness　which

Callot　has　immortalisedfor　a　warning　to　evil　rulersin　his

Miseres　de　la　Guerre。　　The　world　was　all　gone　wrong：　　but　as　for

setting　it　right　againwho　could　do　that？　　And　so　men　fell　into　a

sentimental　regret　for　the　past；　and　its　beauties；　all　exaggerated

by　the　foreshortening　of　time；　while　they　wanted　strength　or　faith

to　reproduce　it。　　At　last　they　became　so　accustomed　to　the　rags　and

ruins；　that　they　looked　on　them　as　the　normal　condition　of　humanity；

as　the　normal　field　for　painters。



Only　now　and　then；　and　especially　toward　the　latter　half　of　the

eighteenth　century；　when　thought　began　to　revive；　and　men　dreamed　of

putting　the　world　to　rights　once　more；　there　rose　before　them

glimpses　of　an　Arcadian　ideal。　　Country　lifethe　primaeval　calling

of　menhow　graceful　and　pure　it　might　be！　　How　gracefulif　not

pureit　once　had　been！　　The　boors　of　Teniers　and　the　beggars　of

Murillo　might　be　true　to　present　fact；　but　there　was　a　fairer　ideal；

which　once　had　been　fact；　in　the　Eclogues　of　Theocritus；　and　the

Loves　of　Daphnis　and　Chloe。　　And　so　men　took　to　dreaming　of

shepherds　and　shepherdesses；　and　painting　them　on　canvas；　and

modelling　them　in　china；　according　to　their　cockney　notions　of　what

they　had　been　once；　and　always　ought　to　be。　　We　smile　now　at　Sevres

and　Dresden　shepherdesses；　but　the　wise　man　will　surely　see　in　them

a　certain　pathos。　　They　indicated　a　craving　after　something　better

than　boorishness；　and　the　many　men　and　women　may　have　become　the

gentler　and　purer　by　looking　even　at　them；　and　have　said　sadly　to

themselves：　　〃Such　might　have　been　the　peasantry　of　half　Europe；　had

it　not　been　for　devastations　of　the　Palatinate；　wars　of　succession；

and　the　wicked　wills　of　emperors　and　kings。〃







LECTURE　IIITHE　EXPLOSIVE　FORCES







In　a　former　lecture　in　this　Institution；　I　said　that　the　human　race

owed　more　to　the　eighteenth　century　than　to　any　century　since　the

Christian　era。　　It　may　seem　a　bold　assertion　to　those　who　value　duly

the　century　which　followed　the　revival　of　Greek　literature；　and

consider　that　the　eighteenth　century　was　but　the　child；　or　rather

grandchild；　thereof。　　But　I　must　persist　in　my　opinion；　even　though

it　seem　to　be　inconsistent　with　my　description　of　the　very　same　era

as　one　of　decay　and　death。　　For　side　by　side　with　the　death；　there

was　manifold　fresh　birth；　side　by　side　with　the　decay　there　was

active　growth；side　by　side　with　them；　fostered　by　them；　though

generally　in　strong　opposition　to　them；　whether　conscious　or

unconscious。　　We　must　beware；　however；　of　trying　to　find　between

that　decay　and　that　growth　a　bond　of　cause　and　effect　where　there　is

really　none。　　The　general　decay　may　ha