the origins of contemporary france-1-第30节
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
30th; 1781: 〃Killed 460 head to day。〃 In 1780 he brings down 20;534
head; in 1781; 20;291; in fourteen years; 189;251 head; besides 1;254
stags; while boars and bucks are proportionate; and it must be noted
that this is all done by his own hand; since his parks approach his
houses。 … Such; in fine; is the character of a 〃 well…appointed
household;〃 that is to say; provided with its dependencies and
services。 Everything is within reach; it is a complete world in itself
and self…sufficient。 One exalted being attaches to and gathers around
it; with universal foresight and minuteness of detail; every
appurtenance it employs or can possibly employ。 … Thus; each prince;
each princess has a professional surgery and a chapel;'18' it would
not answer for the almoner who says mass or the doctor who looks after
their health to be obtained outside。 So much stronger is the reason
that the king should have ministrants of this stamp; his chapel
embraces seventy…five almoners; chaplains; confessors; masters of the
oratory; clerks; announcers; carpet…bearers; choristers; copyists; and
composers of sacred music; his faculty is composed of forty…eight
physicians; surgeons; apothecaries; oculists; operators; bone…setters;
distillers; chiropodists and spagyrists (a species of alchemists)。 We
must still note his department of profane music; consisting of one
hundred and twenty…eight vocalists; dancers; instrumentalists;
directors and superintendents; his library corps of forty…three
keepers; readers; interpreters; engravers; medallists; geographers;
binders and printers; the staff of ceremonial display; sixty…two
heralds; sword…bearers; ushers and musicians; the staff of
housekeepers; consisting of sixty…eight marshals; guides and
commissaries。 I omit other services in haste to reach the most
important;… that of the table; a fine house and good housekeeping
being known by the table。
There are three sections of the table service;'19' the first for
the king and his younger children; the second; called the little
ordinary; for the table of the grand…master; the grand…chamberlain and
the princes and princesses living with the king; the third; called the
great ordinary; for the grand…master's second table; that of the
butlers of the king's household; the almoners; the gentlemen in
waiting; and that of the valets…de…chambre; in all three hundred and
eighty…three officers of the table and one hundred and three waiters;
at an expense of 2;177;771 livres; besides this there are 389;173
livres appropriated to the table of Madame Elisabeth; and 1;093;547
livres for that of Mesdames; the total being 3;660;491 livres for the
table。 The wine…merchant furnished wine to the amount of 300;000
francs per annum; and the purveyor game; meat and fish at a cost of
1;000;000 livres。 Only to fetch water from Ville…d'Avray; and to
convey servants; waiters and provisions; required fifty horses hired
at the rate of 70;591 francs per annum。 The privilege of the royal
princes and princesses 〃to send to the bureau for fish on fast days
when not residing regularly at the court;〃 amounts in 1778 to 175;116
livres。 On reading in the Almanach the titles of these officials we
see a Gargantua's feast spread out before us。 The formal hierarchy of
the kitchens; so many grand officials of the table; … the butlers;
comptrollers and comptroller…pupils; the clerks and gentlemen of the
pantry; the cup…bearers and carvers; the officers and equerries of the
kitchen; the chiefs; assistants and head…cooks; the ordinary
scullions; turnspits and cellarers; the common gardeners and salad
gardeners; laundry servants; pastry…cooks; plate…changers; table…
setters; crockery…keepers; and broach…bearers; the butler of the table
of the head…butler; … an entire procession of broad…braided backs
and imposing round bellies; with grave countenances; which; with order
and conviction; exercise their functions before the saucepans and
around the buffets。
One step more and we enter the sanctuary; the king's apartment。 Two
principal dignitaries preside over this; and each has under him about
a hundred subordinates。 On one side is the grand chamberlain with his
first gentlemen of the bedchamber; the pages of the bedchamber; their
governors and instructors; the ushers of the antechamber; with the
four first valets…de…chambre in ordinary; sixteen special valets
serving in turn; his regular and special cloak…bearers; his barbers;
upholsterers; watch…menders; waiters and porters; on the other hand is
the grand…master of the wardrobe; with the masters of the wardrobe and
the valets of the wardrobe regular and special; the ordinary trunk…
carriers; mail…bearers; tailors; laundry servants; starchers; and
common waiters; with the gentlemen; officers and secretaries in
ordinary of the cabinet; in all 198 persons for domestic service; like
50 many domestic utensils for every personal want; or as sumptuous
pieces of furniture for the decoration of the apartment。 Some of them
fetch the mall and the balls; others hold the mantle and cane; others
comb the king's hair and dry him off after a bath; others drive the
mules which transport his bed; others watch his pet greyhounds in his
room; others fold; put on and tie his cravat; and others fetch and
carry off his easy chair。'20' Some there are whose sole business it is
to fill a corner which must not be left empty。 Certainly; with respect
to ease of deportment and appearance these are the most conspicuous of
all; being so close to the master they are under obligation to appear
well; in such proximity their bearing must not create a discord。 …
Such is the king's household; and I have only described one of his
residences; he has a dozen of them besides Versailles; great and
small; Marly; the two Trianons; la Muette; Meudon; Choisy; Saint…
Hubert; Saint…Germain; Fontainebleau; Compiègne; Saint…Cloud;
Rambouillet;'21' without counting the Louvre; the Tuileries and
Chambord; with their parks and hunting…grounds; their governors;
inspectors; comptrollers; concierges; fountain tenders; gardeners;
sweepers; scrubbers; mole…catchers; wood…rangers; mounted and foot…
guards; in all more than a thousand persons。 Naturally he entertains;
plans and builds; and; in this way expends 3 or 4 millions per
annum。'22' Naturally; also; he repairs and renews his furniture; in
1778; which is an average year; this costs him 1;936;853 livres。
Naturally; also; he takes his guests along with him and defrays their
expenses; they and their attendants; at Choisy; in 1780; there are
sixteen tables with 345 seats besides the distributions; at Saint…
Cloud; in 1785; there are twenty…six tables; 〃an excursion to Marly of
twenty…one days is a matter of 120;000 livres extra expense;〃 the
excursion to Fontainebleau has cost as much as 400;000 and 500;000
livres。 His removals; on the average; cost half a million and more per
annum。'23' … To complete our idea of this immense paraphernalia it
must be borne in mind that the artisans and merchants belonging to
these various official bodies are obliged; through the privileges they
enjoy; to follow the court 〃on its journeys that it may be provided on
the spot with apothecaries; armorers; gunsmiths; sellers of silken and
woollen hosiery; butchers; bakers; embroiderers; publicans; cobblers;
belt…makers; candle…makers; hatters; pork…dealers; surgeons;
shoemakers; curriers; cooks; pinkers; gilders and engravers; spur…
makers; sweetmeat…dealers; furbishers; old…clothes brokers; glove…
perfumers; watchmakers; booksellers; linen…drapers; wholesale and
retail wine…dealers; carpenters; coarse…jewelry haberdashers;
jewellers; parchment…makers; dealers in trimmings; chicken…roasters;
fish…dealers; purveyors of hay; straw and oats; hardware…sellers;
saddlers; tailors; gingerbread and starch…dealers; fruiterers; dealers
in glass and in violins。〃'24' One might call it an oriental court
which; to be set in motion; moves an entire world: 〃when it is to move
one must; if one wants to travel anywhere; take the post in well in
advance。〃 The total is near 4;000 persons for the king's civil
household; 9;000 to 10;000 for his military household; at least 2;000
for those of his relatives; in all 15;000 individuals; at a cost of
between forty and fifty million livres; which would be equal to double
the amount to day; and which; at that time; constituted one…tenth of
the public revenue。'25' We have here the central figure of the
monarchical show。 However grand and costly it may be; it is only
proportionate to its purpose; since the court is a public institution;
and the aristocracy; with nothing to do; devotes itself to filling up
the king's drawing…room。
III。 THE KING'S ASSOCIATES。
The society of the king。 … Officers of the household。 … Invited
guests。
Two causes maintain this affluence; one the feudal form still
preserved; and the other the new centralization j