雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第12部分

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　　Apart　from　the　Revolution；　which；　taken　as　a　whole；　is　an　immense　human　affirmation；　'93　is；　alas！　a　rejoinder。　You　think　it　inexorable；　sir；　but　what　of　the　whole　monarchy；　sir？　Carrier　is　a　bandit；　but　what　name　do　you　give　to　Montrevel？　Fouquier…Tainville　is　a　rascal；　but　what　is　your　opinion　as　to　Lamoignon…Baville？　Maillard　is　terrible；　but　Saulx…Tavannes；　if　you　please？
　　Duchene　senior　is　ferocious；　but　what　epithet　will　you　allow　me　for　the　elder　Letellier？
　　Jourdan…Coupe…Tete　is　a　monster；　but　not　so　great　a　one　as　M。　the　Marquis　de　Louvois。　Sir；　sir；　I　am　sorry　for　Marie　Antoinette；　archduchess　and　queen；　but　I　am　also　sorry　for　that　poor　Huguenot　woman；　who；　in　1685；　under　Louis　the　Great；　sir；　while　with　a　nursing　infant；　was　bound；　naked　to　the　waist；　to　a　stake；　and　the　child　kept　at　a　distance；　her　breast　swelled　with　milk　and　her　heart　with　anguish；　the　little　one；　hungry　and　pale；　beheld　that　breast　and　cried　and　agonized；　the　executioner　said　to　the　woman；　a　mother　and　a　nurse；　‘Abjure！'　giving　her　her　choice　between　the　death　of　her　infant　and　the　death　of　her　conscience。
　　What　say　you　to　that　torture　of　Tantalus　as　applied　to　a　mother？
　　Bear　this　well　in　mind　sir：　the　French　Revolution　had　its　reasons　for　existence；　its　wrath　will　be　absolved　by　the　future；　its　result　is　the　world　made　better。　From　its　most　terrible　blows　there　es　forth　a　caress　for　the　human　race。
　　I　abridge；　I　stop；　I　have　too　much　the　advantage；　moreover；　I　am　dying。〃
　　And　ceasing　to　gaze　at　the　Bishop；　the　conventionary　concluded　his　thoughts　in　these　tranquil　words：
　　〃Yes；　the　brutalities　of　progress　are　called　revolutions。　When　they　are　over；　this　fact　is　recognized；that　the　human　race　has　been　treated　harshly；　but　that　it　has　progressed。〃
　　The　conventionary　doubted　not　that　he　had　successively　conquered　all　the　inmost　intrenchments　of　the　Bishop。
　　One　remained；　however；　and　from　this　intrenchment；　the　last　resource　of　Monseigneur　Bienvenu's　resistance；　came　forth　this　reply；　wherein　appeared　nearly　all　the　harshness　of　the　beginning：
　　〃Progress　should　believe　in　God。
　　Good　cannot　have　an　impious　servitor。　He　who　is　an　atheist　is　but　a　bad　leader　for　the　human　race。〃
　　The　former　representative　of　the　people　made　no　reply。
　　He　was　seized　with　a　fit　of　trembling。
　　He　looked　towards　heaven；　and　in　his　glance　a　tear　gathered　slowly。
　　When　the　eyelid　was　full；　the　tear　trickled　down　his　livid　cheek；　and　he　said；　almost　in　a　stammer；　quite　low；　and　to　himself；　while　his　eyes　were　plunged　in　the　depths：
　　〃O　thou！
　　O　ideal！
　　Thou　alone　existest！〃
　　The　Bishop　experienced　an　indescribable　shock。
　　After　a　pause；　the　old　man　raised　a　finger　heavenward　and　said：
　　〃The　infinite　is。
　　He　is　there。
　　If　the　infinite　had　no　person；　person　would　be　without　limit；　it　would　not　be　infinite；　in　other　words；　it　would　not　exist。
　　There　is；　then；　an　_I_。　That　_I_　of　the　infinite　is　God。〃
　　The　dying　man　had　pronounced　these　last　words　in　a　loud　voice；　and　with　the　shiver　of　ecstasy；　as　though　he　beheld　some　one。　When　he　had　spoken；　his　eyes　closed。
　　The　effort　had　exhausted　him。　It　was　evident　that　he　had　just　lived　through　in　a　moment　the　few　hours　which　had　been　left　to　him。
　　That　which　he　had　said　brought　him　nearer　to　him　who　is　in　death。
　　The　supreme　moment　was　approaching。
　　The　Bishop　understood　this；　time　pressed；　it　was　as　a　priest　that　he　had　e：
　　from　extreme　coldness　he　had　passed　by　degrees　to　extreme　emotion；　he　gazed　at　those　closed　eyes；　he　took　that　wrinkled；　aged　and　ice…cold　hand　in　his；　and　bent　over　the　dying　man。
　　〃This　hour　is　the　hour　of　God。
　　Do　you　not　think　that　it　would　be　regrettable　if　we　had　met　in　vain？〃
　　The　conventionary　opened　his　eyes　again。
　　A　gravity　mingled　with　gloom　was　imprinted　on　his　countenance。
　　〃Bishop；〃　said　he；　with　a　slowness　which　probably　arose　more　from　his　dignity　of　soul　than　from　the　failing　of　his　strength；　〃I　have　passed　my　life　in　meditation；　study；　and　contemplation。　I　was　sixty　years　of　age　when　my　country　called　me　and　manded　me　to　concern　myself　with　its　affairs。
　　I　obeyed。
　　Abuses　existed；　I　bated　them；　tyrannies　existed；　I　destroyed　them；　rights　and　principles　existed；　I　proclaimed　and　confessed　them。
　　Our　territory　was　invaded；　I　defended　it；　France　was　menaced；　I　offered　my　breast。　I　was　not　rich；　I　am　poor。
　　I　have　been　one　of　the　masters　of　the　state；　the　vaults　of　the　treasury　were　encumbered　with　specie　to　such　a　degree　that　we　were　forced　to　shore　up　the　walls；　which　were　on　the　point　of　bursting　beneath　the　weight　of　gold　and　silver；　I　dined　in　Dead　Tree　Street；　at　twenty…two　sous。　I　have　succored　the　oppressed；　I　have　forted　the　suffering。　I　tore　the　cloth　from　the　altar；　it　is　true；　but　it　was　to　bind　up　the　wounds　of　my　country。
　　I　have　always　upheld　the　march　forward　of　the　human　race；　forward　towards　the　light；　and　I　have　sometimes　resisted　progress　without　pity。
　　I　have；　when　the　occasion　offered；　protected　my　own　adversaries；　men　of　your　profession。
　　And　there　is　at　Peteghem；　in　Flanders；　at　the　very　spot　where　the　Merovingian　kings　had　their　summer　palace；　a　convent　of　Urbanists；　the　Abbey　of　Sainte　Claire　en　Beaulieu；　which　I　saved　in　1793。
　　I　have　done　my　duty　according　to　my　powers；　and　all　the　good　that　I　was　able。　After　which；　I　was　hunted　down；　pursued；　persecuted；　blackened；　jeered　at；　scorned；　cursed；　proscribed。
　　For　many　years　past；　I　with　my　white　hair　have　been　conscious　that　many　people　think　they　have　the　right　to　despise　me；　to　the　poor　ignorant　masses　I　present　the　visage　of　one　damned。
　　And　I　accept　this　isolation　of　hatred；　without　hating　any　one　myself。
　　Now　I　am　eighty…six　years　old；　I　am　on　the　point　of　death。
　　What　is　it　that　you　have　e　to　ask　of　me？〃
　　〃Your　blessing；〃　said　the　Bishop。
　　And　he　knelt　down。
　　When　the　Bishop　raised　his　head　again；　the　face　of　the　conventionary　had　bee　august。
　　He　had　just　expired。
　　The　Bishop　returned　home；　deeply　absorbed　in　thoughts　which　cannot　be　known　to　us。
　　He　passed　the　whole　night　in　prayer。　On　the　following　morning　some　bold　and　curious　persons　attempted　to　speak　to　him　about　member　of　the　Convention　G；　he　contented　himself　with　pointing　heavenward。
　　From　that　moment　he　redoubled　his　tenderness　and　brotherly　feeling　towards　all　children　and　sufferers。
　　Any　allusion　to　〃that　old　wretch　of　a　G〃　caused　him　to　fall　into　a　singular　preoccupation。
　　No　one　could　say　that　the　passage　of　that　soul　before　his；　and　the　reflection　of　that　grand　conscience　upon　his；　did　not　count　for　something　in　his　approach　to　perfection。
　　This　〃pastoral　visit〃　naturally　furnished　an　occasion　for　a　murmur　of　ment　in　all　the　little　local　coteries。
　　〃Was　the　bedside　of　such　a　dying　man　as　that　the　proper　place　for　a　bishop？
　　There　was　evidently　no　conversion　to　be　expected。　All　those　revolutionists　are　backsliders。
　　Then　why　go　there？　What　was　there　to　be　seen　there？
　　He　must　have　been　very　curious　indeed　to　see　a　soul　carried　off　by　the　devil。〃
　　One　day　a　dowager　of　the　impertinent　variety　who　thinks　herself　spiritual；　addressed　this　sally　to　him；　〃Monseigneur；　people　are　inquiring　when　Your　Greatness　will　receive　the　red　cap！〃〃Oh！　oh！　that's　a　coarse　color；〃　replied　the　Bishop。　〃It　is　lucky　that　those　who　despise　it　in　a　cap　revere　it　in　a　hat。〃


BOOK　FIRSTA　JUST　MAN
CHAPTER　XI　
　　A　RESTRICTION
　　　We　should　incur　a　great　risk　of　deceiving　ourselves；　were　we　to　conclude　from　this　that　Monseigneur　Wele　was　〃a　philosophical　bishop；〃　or　a　〃patriotic　cure。〃
　　His　meeting；　which　may　almost　be　designated　as　his　union；　with　conventionary　G；　left　behind　it　in　his　mind　a　sort　of　astonishment；　which　rendered　him　still　more　gentle。　That　is　all。
　　Although　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　was　far　from　being　a　politician；　this　is；　perhaps；　the　place　to　indicate　very　briefly　what　his　attitude　was　in　the　events　of　that　epoch；　supposing　that　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　ever　dreamed　of　having　an　attitude。
　　Let　us；　then；　go　back　a　few　years。
　　Some　time　after　the　elevation　of　M。　Myriel　to　the　episcopate；　the　Emperor　had　made　him　a　baron　of　the　Empire；　in　pany　with　many　other　bishops。
　　The　arrest　of　the　Pope　took　place；　as　every　one　knows；　on　the　night　of　the　5th　to　the　6th　of　July；　1809；　on　this　occasion；　M。　Myriel　was　summoned　by　Napoleon　to　the　synod　of　the　bishops　of　France　and　Italy　convened　at　Paris。
　　This　synod　was　held　at　Notre…Dame；　and　assembled　for　the　first　time　on　the　15th　of　June；　1811；　under　the　presidency　of　Cardinal　Fesch。
　　M。　Myriel　was　one　of　the　ninety…five　bishops　who　attended　it。
　　But　he　was　present　only　at　one　sitting　and　at　three　or　four　private　conferences。　Bishop　of　a　mountain　diocese；　living　so　very　close　to　nature；　in　rusticity　and　deprivation；　it　appeared　that　he　imported　among　these　eminent　personages；　ideas　which　altered　the　temperature　of　the　assembly。
　　He　very　soon　returned　to　D　He　was　interrogated　as　to　this　speedy　return；　and　he　replied：
　　〃I　embarrassed　them。　The　outside　air　penetrated　to　them　through　me。
　　I　produced　on　them　the　effect　of　an　open　door。〃
　　On　anothe