《旧制度与大革命·卷一·第五章·法国革命究竟成就了什么》第3节
Burke did not perceive that he had before his eyes the very Revolution which was to abolish the ancient common law of Europe; he could not discern that this and no other was the very question at issue. But why, we may ask, did this Revolution, which was imminent throughout Europe, break out in France rather than elsewhere, and why did it there display certain characteristics which have appeared nowhere else, or at least have appeared only in part? This second question is well worthy of consideration, and the inquiry will form the subject of the following book.
注释摘要
托克维尔用这短短几句，完成了一个关键的转向。他刚刚引用了柏克的一段话，在这段话里，柏克以痛心疾首的语气描述了法国革命者如何鲁莽地摧毁了欧洲各国古已有之的平衡与制衡。这正是柏克《法国革命论》的核心论调：革命是对神圣秩序的野蛮破坏。但托克维尔在这里给出的回击，不是替雅各宾派辩护，而是从根本上说柏克看错了问题的性质。 托克维尔说柏克没有察觉到（did not p…