author - "Victor Hugo"
th his mother's death all that had vanished. His tragedyof "Cromwell" broke lances upon Royalists and upholders of the stillreigning style of tragedy. The second collection of "Odes" preluding it,showed the spirit of the son of Napoleon's general, rather than of theBourbonist field-marshal. On the occasion, too, of the Duke of Tarentobeing announced at the Austrian Ambassador's ball, February, 1827, asplain "Marshal Macdonald," Victor became the mouthpiece of indignantBonapartists in his "Ode to the Napoleon Column" in the Place Vendôme.
His "Orientales," though written in a Parisian suburb by one who had nottravelled, appealed for Grecian liberty, and depicted sultans and pashasas tyrants, many a line being deemed applicable to personages nearer theSeine than Stamboul.
"Cromwell" was not actable, and "Amy Robsart," in collaboration with hisbrother-in-law, Foucher, miserably failed, notwithstanding a finale"superior to Scott's 'Kenilworth.'" In one twelvemonth, there was thisfailu
--are depicted with kindlinessbut sincerity.
The horizon, however, grows dark, and from 1846 the new peer ofFrance notes the gradual tottering of the edifice of royalty.The revolution of 1848 bursts out. Nothing could be morethrilling than the account, hour by hour, of the events of thethree days of February. VICTOR HUGO is not merely a spectatorof this great drama, he is an actor in it. He is in thestreets, he makes speeches to the people, he seeks to restrainthem; he believes, with too good reason, that the Republic ispremature, and, in the Place de la Bastille, before theevolutionary Faubourg Saint Antoine, he dares to proclaim theRegency.
Four months later distress provokes the formidable insurrectionof June, which is fatal to the Republic.
The year 1848 is the stormy year. The atmosphere is fiery, menare violent, events are tragical. Battles in the streets arefollowed by fierce debates in the Assembly. VICTOR HUGO takespart in the mêlée. We witness the scenes with him; he p
that Christmas morning, the road which skirts the seashore from St. Peter's Port to the Vale was clothed in white. From midnight till the break of day the snow had been falling. Towards nine o'clock, a little after the rising of the wintry sun, as it was too early yet for the Church of England folks to go to St. Sampson's, or for the Wesleyans to repair to Eldad Chapel, the road was almost deserted. Throughout that portion of the highway which separates the first from the second tower, only three foot-passengers could be seen. These were a child, a man, and a woman. Walking at a distance from each other, these wayfarers had no visible connection. The child, a boy of about eight years old, had stopped, and was looking curiously at the wintry scene. The man walked behind the woman, at a distance of about a hundred paces. Like her he was coming from the direction of the church of St. Sampson. The appearance of the man, who was still young, was something between that of a workman and a sailor. He wore his workin
e the bronze lion of St. Mark, which had been brought from Venice; under the Restoration a white marble statue of Louis XVIII.; and under Louis Philippe a plaster bust of Lafayette. Owing to the Palace of the Constituent Assembly having been nearly seized by a crowd of insurgents on the 22d of June, 1848, and there being no barracks in the neighborhood, General Cavaignac had constructed at three hundred paces from the Legislative Palace, on the grass plots of the Invalides, several rows of long huts, under which the grass was hidden. These huts, where three or four thousand men could be accommodated, lodged the troops specially appointed to keep watch over the National Assembly.
On the 1st December, 1851, the two regiments hutted on the Esplanade were the 6th and the 42d Regiments of the Line, the 6th commanded by Colonel Garderens de Boisse, who was famous before the Second of December, the 42d by Colonel Espinasse, who became famous since that date.
The ordinary night-guard of the Palace of th
did not know. Besides, it is assertedthat Syriac is the language spoken in the midnight meetings at whichuncanny people worship the devil. In medicine he justly preferred Galento Cardan; Cardan, although a learned man, being but an earthworm toGalen.
To sum up, Ursus was not one of those persons who live in fear of thepolice. His van was long enough and wide enough to allow of his lyingdown in it on a box containing his not very sumptuous apparel. He owneda lantern, several wigs, and some utensils suspended from nails, amongwhich were musical instruments. He possessed, besides, a bearskin withwhich he covered himself on his days of grand performance. He calledthis putting on full dress. He used to say, "I have two skins; this isthe real one," pointing to the bearskin.
The little house on wheels belonged to himself and to the wolf. Besideshis house, his retort, and his wolf, he had a flute and a violoncello onwhich he played prettily. He concocted his own elixirs. His wits yieldedhim enough
ancy of art and contrivances!
Four of the bailiff of the palace's sergeants, perfunctory guardians of all the pleasures of the people, on days of festival as well as on days of execution, stood at the four corners of the marble table.
The piece was only to begin with the twelfth stroke of the great palace clock sounding midday. It was very late, no doubt, for a theatrical representation, but they had been obliged to fix the hour to suit the convenience of the ambassadors.
Now, this whole multitude had been waiting since morning. A goodly number of curious, good people had been shivering since daybreak before the grand staircase of the palace; some even affirmed that they had passed the night across the threshold of the great door, in order to make sure that they should be the first to pass in. The crowd grew more dense every moment, and, like water, which rises above its normal level, began to mount along the walls, to swell around the pillars, to spread out on the entablatures, on the co
lhouettes of this DarknessVIII. Post Corda LapidesIX. A Century under a GuimpeX. Origin of the Perpetual AdorationXI. End of the Petit-Picpus
BOOK SEVENTH.--PARENTHESIS
I. The Convent as an Abstract IdeaII. The Convent as an Historical FactIII. On What Conditions One can respect the PastIV. The Convent from the Point of View of PrinciplesV. PrayerVI. The Absolute Goodness of PrayerVII. Precautions to be observed in BlameVIII. Faith, Law
BOOK EIGHTH.--CEMETERIES TAKE THAT WHICH IS COMMITTED THEM
I. Which treats of the Manner of entering a ConventII. Fauchelevent in the Presence of a DifficultyIII. Mother InnocenteIV. In which Jean Valjean has quite the Air of having readAustin CastillejoV. It is not Necessary to be Drunk in order to be ImmortalVI. Between Four PlanksVII. In which will be found the Origin of the Saying: Don'tlose the CardVIII. A Successful InterrogatoryIX. Cloister
th his mother's death all that had vanished. His tragedyof "Cromwell" broke lances upon Royalists and upholders of the stillreigning style of tragedy. The second collection of "Odes" preluding it,showed the spirit of the son of Napoleon's general, rather than of theBourbonist field-marshal. On the occasion, too, of the Duke of Tarentobeing announced at the Austrian Ambassador's ball, February, 1827, asplain "Marshal Macdonald," Victor became the mouthpiece of indignantBonapartists in his "Ode to the Napoleon Column" in the Place Vendôme.
His "Orientales," though written in a Parisian suburb by one who had nottravelled, appealed for Grecian liberty, and depicted sultans and pashasas tyrants, many a line being deemed applicable to personages nearer theSeine than Stamboul.
"Cromwell" was not actable, and "Amy Robsart," in collaboration with hisbrother-in-law, Foucher, miserably failed, notwithstanding a finale"superior to Scott's 'Kenilworth.'" In one twelvemonth, there was thisfailu
--are depicted with kindlinessbut sincerity.
The horizon, however, grows dark, and from 1846 the new peer ofFrance notes the gradual tottering of the edifice of royalty.The revolution of 1848 bursts out. Nothing could be morethrilling than the account, hour by hour, of the events of thethree days of February. VICTOR HUGO is not merely a spectatorof this great drama, he is an actor in it. He is in thestreets, he makes speeches to the people, he seeks to restrainthem; he believes, with too good reason, that the Republic ispremature, and, in the Place de la Bastille, before theevolutionary Faubourg Saint Antoine, he dares to proclaim theRegency.
Four months later distress provokes the formidable insurrectionof June, which is fatal to the Republic.
The year 1848 is the stormy year. The atmosphere is fiery, menare violent, events are tragical. Battles in the streets arefollowed by fierce debates in the Assembly. VICTOR HUGO takespart in the mêlée. We witness the scenes with him; he p
that Christmas morning, the road which skirts the seashore from St. Peter's Port to the Vale was clothed in white. From midnight till the break of day the snow had been falling. Towards nine o'clock, a little after the rising of the wintry sun, as it was too early yet for the Church of England folks to go to St. Sampson's, or for the Wesleyans to repair to Eldad Chapel, the road was almost deserted. Throughout that portion of the highway which separates the first from the second tower, only three foot-passengers could be seen. These were a child, a man, and a woman. Walking at a distance from each other, these wayfarers had no visible connection. The child, a boy of about eight years old, had stopped, and was looking curiously at the wintry scene. The man walked behind the woman, at a distance of about a hundred paces. Like her he was coming from the direction of the church of St. Sampson. The appearance of the man, who was still young, was something between that of a workman and a sailor. He wore his workin
e the bronze lion of St. Mark, which had been brought from Venice; under the Restoration a white marble statue of Louis XVIII.; and under Louis Philippe a plaster bust of Lafayette. Owing to the Palace of the Constituent Assembly having been nearly seized by a crowd of insurgents on the 22d of June, 1848, and there being no barracks in the neighborhood, General Cavaignac had constructed at three hundred paces from the Legislative Palace, on the grass plots of the Invalides, several rows of long huts, under which the grass was hidden. These huts, where three or four thousand men could be accommodated, lodged the troops specially appointed to keep watch over the National Assembly.
On the 1st December, 1851, the two regiments hutted on the Esplanade were the 6th and the 42d Regiments of the Line, the 6th commanded by Colonel Garderens de Boisse, who was famous before the Second of December, the 42d by Colonel Espinasse, who became famous since that date.
The ordinary night-guard of the Palace of th
did not know. Besides, it is assertedthat Syriac is the language spoken in the midnight meetings at whichuncanny people worship the devil. In medicine he justly preferred Galento Cardan; Cardan, although a learned man, being but an earthworm toGalen.
To sum up, Ursus was not one of those persons who live in fear of thepolice. His van was long enough and wide enough to allow of his lyingdown in it on a box containing his not very sumptuous apparel. He owneda lantern, several wigs, and some utensils suspended from nails, amongwhich were musical instruments. He possessed, besides, a bearskin withwhich he covered himself on his days of grand performance. He calledthis putting on full dress. He used to say, "I have two skins; this isthe real one," pointing to the bearskin.
The little house on wheels belonged to himself and to the wolf. Besideshis house, his retort, and his wolf, he had a flute and a violoncello onwhich he played prettily. He concocted his own elixirs. His wits yieldedhim enough
ancy of art and contrivances!
Four of the bailiff of the palace's sergeants, perfunctory guardians of all the pleasures of the people, on days of festival as well as on days of execution, stood at the four corners of the marble table.
The piece was only to begin with the twelfth stroke of the great palace clock sounding midday. It was very late, no doubt, for a theatrical representation, but they had been obliged to fix the hour to suit the convenience of the ambassadors.
Now, this whole multitude had been waiting since morning. A goodly number of curious, good people had been shivering since daybreak before the grand staircase of the palace; some even affirmed that they had passed the night across the threshold of the great door, in order to make sure that they should be the first to pass in. The crowd grew more dense every moment, and, like water, which rises above its normal level, began to mount along the walls, to swell around the pillars, to spread out on the entablatures, on the co
lhouettes of this DarknessVIII. Post Corda LapidesIX. A Century under a GuimpeX. Origin of the Perpetual AdorationXI. End of the Petit-Picpus
BOOK SEVENTH.--PARENTHESIS
I. The Convent as an Abstract IdeaII. The Convent as an Historical FactIII. On What Conditions One can respect the PastIV. The Convent from the Point of View of PrinciplesV. PrayerVI. The Absolute Goodness of PrayerVII. Precautions to be observed in BlameVIII. Faith, Law
BOOK EIGHTH.--CEMETERIES TAKE THAT WHICH IS COMMITTED THEM
I. Which treats of the Manner of entering a ConventII. Fauchelevent in the Presence of a DifficultyIII. Mother InnocenteIV. In which Jean Valjean has quite the Air of having readAustin CastillejoV. It is not Necessary to be Drunk in order to be ImmortalVI. Between Four PlanksVII. In which will be found the Origin of the Saying: Don'tlose the CardVIII. A Successful InterrogatoryIX. Cloister