《旧制度与大革命·卷三·第五章·绝对权力一旦被制伏革命的真面目立刻显现》第5节
Now follow the movement of passion in the track of opinion. At first hatred was expressed against privileges, none against persons. But by degrees the tone becomes more bitter, emulation becomes jealousy, enmity becomes detestation, a thousand conflicting associations are piled together to form the mighty mass which a thousand arms are at once to lift, and drop upon the head of the aristocracy so as to crush it. The privileged ranks were attacked in countless publications. They were defended in so few, that it is somewhat difficult to ascertain what was said in their favour. It may seem surprising that the assailed classes, holding most of the great offices of State and owning a large portion of the land of the country, should have found so few defenders, though so many eloquent voices have pleaded their cause since they have been conquered, decimated, ruined. But this is explained by the extreme confusion into which the aristocracy was thrown, when the rest of the nation, having proceeded for a time in the track marked out by itself, suddenly turned against it. With astonishment, it perceived that the opinions used to attack it were its own opinions. The notions which compassed its annihilation were familiar to its own mind. What had been the amusement of aristocratic leisure became a terrible weapon against aristocratic society. In common with their adversaries, these nobles were ready enough to believe that the most perfect form of society would be that most nearly akin to the natural equality of man; in which merit alone, and not either birth or fortune, should determine rank; and in which government would be a simple contract, and law the creation of a numerical majority. They knew nothing of politics but what they had read in books, and in the same books; the only difference was that one party was bent on trying a great social experiment, which must be made at the expense of the other party. But, though their interests were different, their opinions were the same: those same patricians would have made the Revolution if they had been born plebeians.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一段里追踪的是激情如何沿着舆论已经铺好的轨道狂奔。他先划出一条清晰的升级路线：起初憎恨的是特权这个抽象物，还不是具体的人；可语调一旦变尖刻，竞争就化为猜忌，敌意就变成深仇，千万种相互冲突的结盟冲动堆叠成一股巨大的力量，仿佛千百条手臂同时抬起，要把它砸在贵族头上，一举碾碎。这里的论证不是描述利益之争，而是描述情感怎样在公共争论中自我加热、自我正当…