雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第13部分

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　　I　produced　on　them　the　effect　of　an　open　door。〃
　　On　another　occasion　he　said；　〃What　would　you　have？
　　Those　gentlemen　are　princes。
　　I　am　only　a　poor　peasant　bishop。〃
　　The　fact　is　that　he　displeased　them。
　　Among　other　strange　things；　it　is　said　that　he　chanced　to　remark　one　evening；　when　he　found　himself　at　the　house　of　one　of　his　most　notable　colleagues：
　　〃What　beautiful　clocks！
　　What　beautiful　carpets！
　　What　beautiful　liveries！　They　must　be　a　great　trouble。
　　I　would　not　have　all　those　superfluities；　crying　incessantly　in　my　ears：
　　‘There　are　people　who　are　hungry！　There　are　people　who　are　cold！
　　There　are　poor　people！
　　There　are　poor　people！'〃
　　Let　us　remark；　by　the　way；　that　the　hatred　of　luxury　is　not　an　intelligent　hatred。
　　This　hatred　would　involve　the　hatred　of　the　arts。
　　Nevertheless；　in　churchmen；　luxury　is　wrong；　except　in　connection　with　representations　and　ceremonies。
　　It　seems　to　reveal　habits　which　have　very　little　that　is　charitable　about　them。　An　opulent　priest　is　a　contradiction。
　　The　priest　must　keep　close　to　the　poor。
　　Now；　can　one　e　in　contact　incessantly　night　and　day　with　all　this　distress；　all　these　misfortunes；　and　this　poverty；　without　having　about　one's　own　person　a　little　of　that　misery；　like　the　dust　of　labor？
　　Is　it　possible　to　imagine　a　man　near　a　brazier　who　is　not　warm？
　　Can　one　imagine　a　workman　who　is　working　near　a　furnace；　and　who　has　neither　a　singed　hair；　nor　blackened　nails；　nor　a　drop　of　sweat；　nor　a　speck　of　ashes　on　his　face？
　　The　first　proof　of　charity　in　the　priest；　in　the　bishop　especially；　is　poverty。
　　This　is；　no　doubt；　what　the　Bishop　of　D　thought。
　　It　must　not　be　supposed；　however；　that　he　shared　what　we　call　the　〃ideas　of　the　century〃　on　certain　delicate　points。
　　He　took　very　little　part　in　the　theological　quarrels　of　the　moment；　and　maintained　silence　on　questions　in　which　Church　and　State　were　implicated；　but　if　he　had　been　strongly　pressed；　it　seems　that　he　would　have　been　found　to　be　an　ultramontane　rather　than　a　gallican。
　　Since　we　are　making　a　portrait；　and　since　we　do　not　wish　to　conceal　anything；　we　are　forced　to　add　that　he　was　glacial　towards　Napoleon　in　his　decline。　Beginning　with　1813；　he　gave　in　his　adherence　to　or　applauded　all　hostile　manifestations。
　　He　refused　to　see　him；　as　he　passed　through　on　his　return　from　the　island　of　Elba；　and　he　abstained　from　ordering　public　prayers　for　the　Emperor　in　his　diocese　during　the　Hundred　Days。
　　Besides　his　sister；　Mademoiselle　Baptistine；　he　had　two　brothers；　one　a　general；　the　other　a　prefect。
　　He　wrote　to　both　with　tolerable　frequency。
　　He　was　harsh　for　a　time　towards　the　former；　because；　holding　a　mand　in　Provence　at　the　epoch　of　the　disembarkation　at　Cannes；　the　general　had　put　himself　at　the　head　of　twelve　hundred　men　and　had　pursued　the　Emperor　as　though　the　latter　had　been　a　person　whom　one　is　desirous　of　allowing　to　escape。
　　His　correspondence　with　the　other　brother；　the　ex…prefect；　a　fine；　worthy　man　who　lived　in　retirement　at　Paris；　Rue　Cassette；　remained　more　affectionate。
　　Thus　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　also　had　his　hour　of　party　spirit；　his　hour　of　bitterness；　his　cloud。
　　The　shadow　of　the　passions　of　the　moment　traversed　this　grand　and　gentle　spirit　occupied　with　eternal　things。　Certainly；　such　a　man　would　have　done　well　not　to　entertain　any　political　opinions。
　　Let　there　be　no　mistake　as　to　our　meaning：　we　are　not　confounding　what　is　called　〃political　opinions〃　with　the　grand　aspiration　for　progress；　with　the　sublime　faith；　patriotic；　democratic；　humane；　which　in　our　day　should　be　the　very　foundation　of　every　generous　intellect。
　　Without　going　deeply　into　questions　which　are　only　indirectly　connected　with　the　subject　of　this　book；　we　will　simply　say　this：
　　It　would　have　been　well　if　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　had　not　been　a　Royalist；　and　if　his　glance　had　never　been；　for　a　single　instant；　turned　away　from　that　serene　contemplation　in　which　is　distinctly　discernible；　above　the　fictions　and　the　hatreds　of　this　world；　above　the　stormy　vicissitudes　of　human　things；　the　beaming　of　those　three　pure　radiances；　truth；　justice；　and　charity。
　　While　admitting　that　it　was　not　for　a　political　office　that　God　created　Monseigneur　Wele；　we　should　have　understood　and　admired　his　protest　in　the　name　of　right　and　liberty；　his　proud　opposition；　his　just　but　perilous　resistance　to　the　all…powerful　Napoleon。　But　that　which　pleases　us　in　people　who　are　rising　pleases　us　less　in　the　case　of　people　who　are　falling。
　　We　only　love　the　fray　so　long　as　there　is　danger；　and　in　any　case；　the　batants　of　the　first　hour　have　alone　the　right　to　be　the　exterminators　of　the　last。
　　He　who　has　not　been　a　stubborn　accuser　in　prosperity　should　hold　his　peace　in　the　face　of　ruin。
　　The　denunciator　of　success　is　the　only　legitimate　executioner　of　the　fall。　As　for　us；　when　Providence　intervenes　and　strikes；　we　let　it　work。　1812　menced　to　disarm　us。
　　In　1813　the　cowardly　breach　of　silence　of　that　taciturn　legislative　body；　emboldened　by　catastrophe；　possessed　only　traits　which　aroused　indignation。
　　And　it　was　a　crime　to　applaud；　in　1814；　in　the　presence　of　those　marshals　who　betrayed；　in　the　presence　of　that　senate　which　passed　from　one　dunghill　to　another；　insulting　after　having　deified；　in　the　presence　of　that　idolatry　which　was　loosing　its　footing　and　spitting　on　its　idol；　it　was　a　duty　to　turn　aside　the　head。
　　In　1815；　when　the　supreme　disasters　filled　the　air；　when　France　was　seized　with　a　shiver　at　their　sinister　approach；　when　Waterloo　could　be　dimly　discerned　opening　before　Napoleon；　the　mournful　acclamation　of　the　army　and　the　people　to　the　condemned　of　destiny　had　nothing　laughable　in　it；　and；　after　making　all　allowance　for　the　despot；　a　heart　like　that　of　the　Bishop　of　D；　ought　not　perhaps　to　have　failed　to　recognize　the　august　and　touching　features　presented　by　the　embrace　of　a　great　nation　and　a　great　man　on　the　brink　of　the　abyss。
　　With　this　exception；　he　was　in　all　things　just；　true；　equitable；　intelligent；　humble　and　dignified；　beneficent　and　kindly；　which　is　only　another　sort　of　benevolence。
　　He　was　a　priest；　a　sage；　and　a　man。
　　It　must　be　admitted；　that　even　in　the　political　views　with　which　we　have　just　reproached　him；　and　which　we　are　disposed　to　judge　almost　with　severity；　he　was　tolerant　and　easy；　more　so；　perhaps；　than　we　who　are　speaking　here。
　　The　porter　of　the　town…hall　had　been　placed　there　by　the　Emperor。
　　He　was　an　old　non…missioned　officer　of　the　old　guard；　a　member　of　the　Legion　of　Honor　at　Austerlitz；　as　much　of　a　Bonapartist　as　the　eagle。　This　poor　fellow　occasionally　let　slip　inconsiderate　remarks；　which　the　law　then　stigmatized　as　seditious　speeches。
　　After　the　imperial　profile　disappeared　from　the　Legion　of　Honor；　he　never　dressed　himself　in　his　regimentals；　as　he　said；　so　that　he　should　not　be　obliged　to　wear　his　cross。
　　He　had　himself　devoutly　removed　the　imperial　effigy　from　the　cross　which　Napoleon　had　given　him；　this　made　a　hole；　and　he　would　not　put　anything　in　its　place。　〃I　will　die；〃　he　said；　〃rather　than　wear　the　three　frogs　upon　my　heart！〃
　　He　liked　to　scoff　aloud　at　Louis　XVIII。
　　〃The　gouty　old　creature　in　English　gaiters！〃　he　said；　〃let　him　take　himself　off　to　Prussia　with　that　queue　of　his。〃
　　He　was　happy　to　bine　in　the　same　imprecation　the　two　things　which　he　most　detested；　Prussia　and　England。
　　He　did　it　so　often　that　he　lost　his　place。　There　he　was；　turned　out　of　the　house；　with　his　wife　and　children；　and　without　bread。
　　The　Bishop　sent　for　him；　reproved　him　gently；　and　appointed　him　beadle　in　the　cathedral。
　　In　the　course　of　nine　years　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　had；　by　dint　of　holy　deeds　and　gentle　manners；　filled　the　town　of　D　with　a　sort　of　tender　and　filial　reverence。
　　Even　his　conduct　towards　Napoleon　had　been　accepted　and　tacitly　pardoned；　as　it　were；　by　the　people；　the　good　and　weakly　flock　who　adored　their　emperor；　but　loved　their　bishop。


BOOK　FIRSTA　JUST　MAN
CHAPTER　XII　
　　THE　SOLITUDE　OF　MONSEIGNEUR　WELE
　　　A　bishop　is　almost　always　surrounded　by　a　full　squadron　of　little　abbes；　just　as　a　general　is　by　a　covey　of　young　officers。　This　is　what　that　charming　Saint　Francois　de　Sales　calls　somewhere　〃les　pretres　blancs…becs；〃　callow　priests。
　　Every　career　has　its　aspirants；　who　form　a　train　for　those　who　have　attained　eminence　in　it。　There　is　no　power　which　has　not　its　dependents。
　　There　is　no　fortune　which　has　not　its　court。
　　The　seekers　of　the　future　eddy　around　the　splendid　present。
　　Every　metropolis　has　its　staff　of　officials。　Every　bishop　who　possesses　the　least　influence　has　about　him　his　patrol　of　cherubim　from　the　seminary；　which　goes　the　round；　and　maintains　good　order　in　the　episcopal　palace；　and　mounts　guard　over　monseigneur's　smile。
　　To　please　a　bishop　is　equivalent　to　getting　one's　foot　in　the　stirrup　for　a　sub…diaconate。　It　is　necessary　to　walk　one's　path　discreetly；　the　apostleship　does　not　disdain　the　canonship。
　　Just　as　there　are　bigwigs　elsewhere；　there　are　big　mitres　in　the　Church。　These　are　the　bishops　who　stand　well　at　Court；　who　are　rich；　well　end