《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9节
But in the French Revolution, the religious laws having been abolished at the same time that the civil laws were overthrown, the minds of men were entirely upset: they no longer knew either to what to cling, or where to stop; and thus arose a hitherto unknown species of revolutionists, who carried their boldness to a pitch of madness, who were surprised by no novelty and arrested by no scruple, and who never hesitated to put any design whatever into execution. Nor must it be supposed that these new beings have been the isolated and ephemeral creation of a moment, and destined to pass away as that moment passed. They have since formed a race of beings which has perpetuated itself, and spread into all the civilised parts of the world, everywhere preserving the same physiognomy, the same passions, the same character. The present generation found it in the world at its birth: it still remains before our eyes.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一段里做了一个极尖锐的区分，他关心的不是革命者做了什么，而是革命催生了一种什么类型的人。他指出，以往的宗教革命或政治革命，无论多么激烈，总是在某一领域发动攻击，而另一个领域多少还保留着权威。但在法国大革命中，宗教法律与民事法律是被同时废除的。这里说的“宗教法律”指的不仅仅是教会法规，更是以天主教为国教、由教会掌管出生、婚姻、死亡登记、教育、慈善…