《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6节
When therefore they suddenly found themselves attacked, they were singularly embarrassed in their defence. Not one of them had ever considered by what means an aristocracy may justify its privileges in the eyes of the people. They knew not what to say in order to show how it is that an aristocracy can alone preserve the people from oppression of the Crown and the calamities of revolution, insomuch that the privileges apparently established in the sole interest of those who possess them do constitute the best security that can be found for the tranquillity and prosperity even of those who are without them. All these arguments which are so familiar to those who have a long experience of public affairs, and who have acquired the science of government, were to those nobles of France novel and unknown. Instead of this, they spoke of the services which their forefathers had rendered six hundred years ago; of the superstitious veneration due to a past, which was now detested; of the necessity of a nobility to uphold the honour of arms and the traditions of military valour. In opposition to a proposal to admit the peasantry to the franchise in the provincial assemblies, and even to preside over those bodies, M. de Bazancourt, a Councillor of State, declared that the kingdom of France was based upon honour and prerogative: so great was the ignorance and so deep the obscurity in which absolute power had concealed the real laws of society, even from the eyes of those to whom it was most interested in making them known. The language of the nobles was often arrogant, because they were accustomed to be the first; but it was irresolute, because they doubted of their own right. Who can depict the endless divisions in the bosom of the assailed parties? The spirit of rivalry and contention raged amongst those who were thus isolated themselves--the nobles against the priests (the first voice raised to demand the confiscation of the property of the clergy was that of a noble), the priests against the nobles, the lesser nobility against the great lords, the parish priests against the bishops.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这里描绘的不是贵族道德上的失败，而是他们政治判断力上的彻底瘫痪。他想要说清楚的是，当一个阶级长期被隔绝在实际治理之外，它就丧失了用普遍利益的话语为自己的存在进行理性辩护的能力。这一处境的根源，正是旧制度下中央集权的绝对权力。君主制在数百年间系统性地剥夺了贵族参与王国治理的实质功能，只给他们保留了荣誉性的特权、仪仗上的优先和税收上的豁免。当革命前夜…