《旧制度与大革命·卷三·第四章·高等法院自以为已主宰王国之时才发觉权威尽失》第2节
In several provinces the arrest or exile of the judges had provoked riots. In all, their return gave rise to almost insane explosions of popular rejoicing. At Grenoble, when the courier arrived, who brought the news of the restoration of the Parliaments, he was carried in triumph through the town, and overpowered with caresses and acclamations; women, unable to reach his person, kissed his horse. In the evening the whole town was spontaneously illuminated. All the public bodies and guilds defiled before the Parliament, declaiming bombastic compliments. At Bordeaux on the same day there was a similar ovation. The people took the horses from the carriage of the First President, and drew him to his chambers. The judges who had obeyed the King’s orders were hooted. The First President reprimanded them in public. In the midst of this scene the oldest member of the Parliament exclaimed, ‘My children, tell this to your descendants, that the remembrance of this day may keep alive the fire of patriotism.’ He who said this was an aged man, born ninety years before, whose youth had been spent under the reign of Louis XIV. What changes may not take place in the opinions and the language of a people within the lifetime of a man! They ended by burning a cardinal in effigy on the market-place; which did not prevent the clergy from singing a Te Deum. These events took place at the end of October, 1788.
注释摘要
托克维尔记述的这段场景发生在 1788 年深秋，距离三级会议召开只剩下不到半年。他描绘的并非一场有纲领的政治运动，而是几近本能的情感爆发——民众因为法官被流放而骚乱，又因为高等法院复职而陷入狂欢。这里面有一个容易被忽略的细节：欢呼的对象不是一种抽象的自由理念，而是高等法院这个非常具体的司法团体。格勒诺布尔的信使被抬着游行，女人们亲吻他的马；波尔多的民众卸下…