《旧制度与大革命·卷二·第十四章·十八世纪法国人的非宗教情绪及其影响》第7节
But this was by no means the case at the time immediately preceding the Revolution of 1789. The French had so completely lost all practical experience in the great affairs of mankind, and were so thoroughly ignorant of the part held by religion in the government of empires, that infidelity first established itself in the minds of the very men who had the greatest and most pressing personal interest in keeping the State in order and the people in obedience. Not only did they themselves embrace it, but in their blindness they disseminated it below them. They made impiety the pastime of their vacant existence. The Church of France, so prolific down to that period in great orators, when she found herself deserted by all those who ought to have rallied by a common interest to her cause, became mute. It seemed at one time that, provided she retained her wealth and her rank, she was ready to renounce her faith. As those who denied the truths of Christianity spoke aloud, and those who still believed held their peace, a state of things was the result which has since frequently occurred again in France, not only on the question of religion, but in very different matters. Those who still preserved their ancient belief, fearing to be the only men who still remained faithful to it, and more afraid of isolation than of error, followed the crowd without partaking its opinions. Thus, that which was still only the feeling of a portion of the nation, appeared to be the opinion of all, and, from that very fact, seemed irresistible even to those who had themselves given it this false appearance. The universal discredit into which every form of religious belief had fallen, at the end of the last century, exercised without any doubt the greatest influence upon the whole of the French Revolution: it stamped its character. Nothing contributed more to give its features that terrible expression which they wore. In seeking to distinguish between the different effects which irreligion at that time produced in France, it may be seen that it was rather by disturbing men’s minds than by degrading their hearts, or even corrupting their morals, that it disposed the men of that day to go to such strange excesses.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这里转向了一个极具讽刺意味的历史反讽：最激烈地拥抱反宗教情绪的，恰恰是在维护秩序与服从方面有着最紧迫利益的那些阶层。贵族和上层资产者本应是教会和君主制最天然的盟友，然而在大革命前夜的法国，正是他们率先抛弃了宗教信仰，甚至将不敬神当作无聊生活中的消遣，主动向下层传播。这个判断与托克维尔前面几章的论点紧密相扣：法国的特权阶级早已被中央集权抽空了真正的…