雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第4部分

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　　He　understood　how　to　say　the　grandest　things　in　the　most　vulgar　of　idioms。
　　As　he　spoke　all　tongues；　he　entered　into　all　hearts。
　　Moreover；　he　was　the　same　towards　people　of　the　world　and　towards　the　lower　classes。
　　He　condemned　nothing　in　haste　and　without　taking　circumstances　into　account。
　　He　said；　〃Examine　the　road　over　which　the　fault　has　passed。〃
　　Being；　as　he　described　himself　with　a　smile；　an　ex…sinner；　he　had　none　of　the　asperities　of　austerity；　and　he　professed；　with　a　good　deal　of　distinctness；　and　without　the　frown　of　the　ferociously　virtuous；　a　doctrine　which　may　be　summed　up　as　follows：
　　〃Man　has　upon　him　his　flesh；　which　is　at　once　his　burden　and　his　temptation。
　　He　drags　it　with　him　and　yields　to　it。　He　must　watch　it；　cheek　it；　repress　it；　and　obey　it　only　at　the　last　extremity。
　　There　may　be　some　fault　even　in　this　obedience；　but　the　fault　thus　mitted　is　venial；　it　is　a　fall；　but　a　fall　on　the　knees　which　may　terminate　in　prayer。
　　〃To　be　a　saint　is　the　exception；　to　be　an　upright　man　is　the　rule。　Err；　fall；　sin　if　you　will；　but　be　upright。
　　〃The　least　possible　sin　is　the　law　of　man。
　　No　sin　at　all　is　the　dream　of　the　angel。
　　All　which　is　terrestrial　is　subject　to　sin。　Sin　is　a　gravitation。〃
　　When　he　saw　everyone　exclaiming　very　loudly；　and　growing　angry　very　quickly；　〃Oh！　oh！〃　he　said；　with　a　smile；　〃to　all　appearance；　this　is　a　great　crime　which　all　the　world　mits。
　　These　are　hypocrisies　which　have　taken　fright；　and　are　in　haste　to　make　protest　and　to　put　themselves　under　shelter。〃
　　He　was　indulgent　towards　women　and　poor　people；　on　whom　the　burden　of　human　society　rest。
　　He　said；　〃The　faults　of　women；　of　children；　of　the　feeble；　the　indigent；　and　the　ignorant；　are　the　fault　of　the　husbands；　the　fathers；　the　masters；　the　strong；　the　rich；　and　the　wise。〃
　　He　said；　moreover；　〃Teach　those　who　are　ignorant　as　many　things　as　possible；　society　is　culpable；　in　that　it　does　not　afford　instruction　gratis；　it　is　responsible　for　the　night　which　it　produces。　This　soul　is　full　of　shadow；　sin　is　therein　mitted。
　　The　guilty　one　is　not　the　person　who　has　mitted　the　sin；　but　the　person　who　has　created　the　shadow。〃
　　It　will　be　perceived　that　he　had　a　peculiar　manner　of　his　own　of　judging　things：
　　I　suspect　that　he　obtained　it　from　the　Gospel。
　　One　day　he　heard　a　criminal　case；　which　was　in　preparation　and　on　the　point　of　trial；　discussed　in　a　drawing…room。　A　wretched　man；　being　at　the　end　of　his　resources；　had　coined　counterfeit　money；　out　of　love　for　a　woman；　and　for　the　child　which　he　had　had　by　her。　Counterfeiting　was　still　punishable　with　death　at　that　epoch。　The　woman　had　been　arrested　in　the　act　of　passing　the　first　false　piece　made　by　the　man。
　　She　was　held；　but　there　were　no　proofs　except　against　her。
　　She　alone　could　accuse　her　lover；　and　destroy　him　by　her　confession。
　　She　denied；　they　insisted。
　　She　persisted　in　her　denial。
　　Thereupon　an　idea　occurred　to　the　attorney　for　the　crown。　He　invented　an　infidelity　on　the　part　of　the　lover；　and　succeeded；　by　means　of　fragments　of　letters　cunningly　presented；　in　persuading　the　unfortunate　woman　that　she　had　a　rival；　and　that　the　man　was　deceiving　her。
　　Thereupon；　exasperated　by　jealousy；　she　denounced　her　lover；　confessed　all；　proved　all。
　　The　man　was　ruined。
　　He　was　shortly　to　be　tried　at　Aix　with　his　acplice。
　　They　were　relating　the　matter；　and　each　one　was　expressing　enthusiasm　over　the　cleverness　of　the　magistrate。　By　bringing　jealousy　into　play；　he　had　caused　the　truth　to　burst　forth　in　wrath；　he　had　educed　the　justice　of　revenge。
　　The　Bishop　listened　to　all　this　in　silence。
　　When　they　had　finished；　he　inquired；
　　〃Where　are　this　man　and　woman　to　be　tried？〃
　　〃At　the　Court　of　Assizes。〃
　　He　went　on；　〃And　where　will　the　advocate　of　the　crown　be　tried？〃
　　A　tragic　event　occurred　at　D　A　man　was　condemned　to　death　for　murder。
　　He　was　a　wretched　fellow；　not　exactly　educated；　not　exactly　ignorant；　who　had　been　a　mountebank　at　fairs；　and　a　writer　for　the　public。
　　The　town　took　a　great　interest　in　the　trial。　On　the　eve　of　the　day　fixed　for　the　execution　of　the　condemned　man；　the　chaplain　of　the　prison　fell　ill。
　　A　priest　was　needed　to　attend　the　criminal　in　his　last　moments。
　　They　sent　for　the　cure。　It　seems　that　he　refused　to　e；　saying；　〃That　is　no　affair　of　mine。
　　I　have　nothing　to　do　with　that　unpleasant　task；　and　with　that　mountebank：
　　I；　too；　am　ill；　and　besides；　it　is　not　my　place。〃　This　reply　was　reported　to　the　Bishop；　who　said；　〃Monsieur　le　Cure　is　right：
　　it　is　not　his　place；　it　is　mine。〃
　　He　went　instantly　to　the　prison；　descended　to　the　cell　of　the　〃mountebank；〃　called　him　by　name；　took　him　by　the　hand；　and　spoke　to　him。　He　passed　the　entire　day　with　him；　forgetful　of　food　and　sleep；　praying　to　God　for　the　soul　of　the　condemned　man；　and　praying　the　condemned　man　for　his　own。
　　He　told　him　the　best　truths；　which　are　also　the　most　simple。
　　He　was　father；　brother；　friend；　he　was　bishop　only　to　bless。
　　He　taught　him　everything；　encouraged　and　consoled　him。　The　man　was　on　the　point　of　dying　in　despair。
　　Death　was　an　abyss　to　him。　As　he　stood　trembling　on　its　mournful　brink；　he　recoiled　with　horror。　He　was　not　sufficiently　ignorant　to　be　absolutely　indifferent。　His　condemnation；　which　had　been　a　profound　shock；　had；　in　a　manner；　broken　through；　here　and　there；　that　wall　which　separates　us　from　the　mystery　of　things；　and　which　we　call　life。
　　He　gazed　incessantly　beyond　this　world　through　these　fatal　breaches；　and　beheld　only　darkness。
　　The　Bishop　made　him　see　light。
　　On　the　following　day；　when　they　came　to　fetch　the　unhappy　wretch；　the　Bishop　was　still　there。
　　He　followed　him；　and　exhibited　himself　to　the　eyes　of　the　crowd　in　his　purple　camail　and　with　his　episcopal　cross　upon　his　neck；　side　by　side　with　the　criminal　bound　with　cords。
　　He　mounted　the　tumbril　with　him；　he　mounted　the　scaffold　with　him。　The　sufferer；　who　had　been　so　gloomy　and　cast　down　on　the　preceding　day；　was　radiant。
　　He　felt　that　his　soul　was　reconciled；　and　he　hoped　in　God。
　　The　Bishop　embraced　him；　and　at　the　moment　when　the　knife　was　about　to　fall；　he　said　to　him：
　　〃God　raises　from　the　dead　him　whom　man　slays；　he　whom　his　brothers　have　rejected　finds　his　Father　once　more。
　　Pray；　believe；　enter　into　life：
　　the　Father　is　there。〃　When　he　descended　from　the　scaffold；　there　was　something　in　his　look　which　made　the　people　draw　aside　to　let　him　pass。
　　They　did　not　know　which　was　most　worthy　of　admiration；　his　pallor　or　his　serenity。　On　his　return　to　the　humble　dwelling；　which　he　designated；　with　a　smile；　as　his　palace；　he　said　to　his　sister；　〃I　have　just　officiated　pontifically。〃
　　Since　the　most　sublime　things　are　often　those　which　are　the　least　understood；　there　were　people　in　the　town　who　said；　when　menting　on　this　conduct　of　the　Bishop；　〃It　is　affectation。〃
　　This；　however；　was　a　remark　which　was　confined　to　the　drawing…rooms。　The　populace；　which　perceives　no　jest　in　holy　deeds；　was　touched；　and　admired　him。
　　As　for　the　Bishop；　it　was　a　shock　to　him　to　have　beheld　the　guillotine；　and　it　was　a　long　time　before　he　recovered　from　it。
　　In　fact；　when　the　scaffold　is　there；　all　erected　and　prepared；　it　has　something　about　it　which　produces　hallucination。　One　may　feel　a　certain　indifference　to　the　death　penalty；　one　may　refrain　from　pronouncing　upon　it；　from　saying　yes　or　no；　so　long　as　one　has　not　seen　a　guillotine　with　one's　own　eyes：　but　if　one　encounters　one　of　them；　the　shock　is　violent；　one　is　forced　to　decide；　and　to　take　part　for　or　against。　Some　admire　it；　like　de　Maistre；　others　execrate　it；　like　Beccaria。　The　guillotine　is　the　concretion　of　the　law；　it　is　called　vindicte；　it　is　not　neutral；　and　it　does　not　permit　you　to　remain　neutral。　He　who　sees　it　shivers　with　the　most　mysterious　of　shivers。　All　social　problems　erect　their　interrogation　point　around　this　chopping…knife。　The　scaffold　is　a　vision。
　　The　scaffold　is　not　a　piece　of　carpentry；　the　scaffold　is　not　a　machine；　the　scaffold　is　not　an　inert　bit　of　mechanism　constructed　of　wood；　iron　and　cords。
　　It　seems　as　though　it　were　a　being；　possessed　of　I　know　not　what　sombre　initiative；　one　would　say　that　this　piece　of　carpenter's　work　saw；　that　this　machine　heard；　that　this　mechanism　understood；　that　this　wood；　this　iron；　and　these　cords　were　possessed　of　will。　In　the　frightful　meditation　into　which　its　presence　casts　the　soul　the　scaffold　appears　in　terrible　guise；　and　as　though　taking　part　in　what　is　going　on。
　　The　scaffold　is　the　acplice　of　the　executioner；　it　devours；　it　eats　flesh；　it　drinks　blood；　the　scaffold　is　a　sort　of　monster　fabricated　by　the　judge　and　the　carpenter；　a　spectre　which　seems　to　live　with　a　horrible　vitality　posed　of　all　the　death　which　it　has　inflicted。
　　Therefore；　the　impression　was　terrible　and　profound；　on　the　day　following　the　execution；　and　on　many　succeeding　days；　the　Bishop　appeared　to　be　crushed。
　　The　almost　violent　serenity　of　the　funereal　moment　had　disappeared；　the　phantom　of　social　justice　tormented　him。
　　He；　who　generally　returned　from　all　his　deeds　with