- Duport de Cheverney, " M?moires," (unpublished),
communicated by M. Robert de Crevecceur: "Formerly a man paid fifty
thousand livres for an office with only three hundred livres income;
the consideration, however, he enjoyed through it, and the certainty
of remaining in it for life, compensated him for the sacrifice, while
the longer he kept it, the greater was the influence of himself and
children."
[80] Albert Babeau, " La Ville," p. 27; - "Histoire de Troyes," p.
21. - This portrait is drawn according to recollections of childhood
and family narrations. I happen to have known the details of two or
three small provincial towns, one of about six thousand inhabitants
where, before 1800, nearly all the notables, forty families, were
relations; to-day all are scattered. The more one studies documents,
the more does Montesquieu's definition of the incentive of society
under the ancient r?gime seem profound and just, this incentive
consisting of honor. In the bourgeoisie who were confounded with the
nobility, namely the Parliamentarians, their functions were nearly
gratuitous; the magistrate received his pay in deference. (Moniteur,
V., 520. Session of August 30, 1790, speech by d'Espremenil.
Pages:
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770