雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1- 第118部分

　　As　soon　as　it　was　mentioned　to　her；　she　became　silent；　she　who　was　so　fond　of　talking。
　　The　most　curious　were　baffled　by　her　silence　and　the　most　tenacious　by　her　obstinacy。
　　Thus　it　furnished　a　subject　of　ment　for　all　those　who　were　unoccupied　or　bored　in　the　convent。　What　could　that　treasure　of　the　centenarian　be；　which　was　so　precious　and　so　secret？
　　Some　holy　book；　no　doubt？
　　Some　unique　chaplet？　Some　authentic　relic？
　　They　lost　themselves　in　conjectures。　When　the　poor　old　woman　died；　they　rushed　to　her　cupboard　more　hastily　than　was　fitting；　perhaps；　and　opened　it。
　　They　found　the　object　beneath　a　triple　linen　cloth；　like　some　consecrated　paten。　It　was　a　Faenza　platter　representing　little　Loves　flitting　away　pursued　by　apothecary　lads　armed　with　enormous　syringes。　The　chase　abounds　in　grimaces　and　in　ical　postures。
　　One　of　the　charming　little　Loves　is　already　fairly　spitted。
　　He　is　resisting；　fluttering　his　tiny　wings；　and　still　making　an　effort　to　fly；　but　the　dancer　is　laughing　with　a　satanical　air。
　　Moral：
　　Love　conquered　by　the　colic。
　　This　platter；　which　is　very　curious；　and　which　had；　possibly；　the　honor　of　furnishing　Moliere　with　an　idea；　was　still　in　existence　in　September；　1845；　it　was　for　sale　by　a　bric…a…brac　merchant　in　the　Boulevard　Beaumarchais。
　　This　good　old　woman　would　not　receive　any　visits　from　outside　because；　said　she；　the　parlor　is　too　gloomy。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　X　
　　ORIGIN　OF　THE　PERPETUAL　ADORATION
　　However；　this　almost　sepulchral　parlor；　of　which　we　have　sought　to　convey　an　idea；　is　a　purely　local　trait　which　is　not　reproduced　with　the　same　severity　in　other　convents。
　　At　the　convent　of　the　Rue　du　Temple；　in　particular；　which　belonged；　in　truth；　to　another　order；　the　black　shutters　were　replaced　by　brown　curtains；　and　the　parlor　itself　was　a　salon　with　a　polished　wood　floor；　whose　windows　were　draped　in　white　muslin　curtains　and　whose　walls　admitted　all　sorts　of　frames；　a　portrait　of　a　Benedictine　nun　with　unveiled　face；　painted　bouquets；　and　even　the　head　of　a　Turk。
　　It　is　in　that　garden　of　the　Temple　convent；　that　stood　that　famous　chestnut…tree　which　was　renowned　as　the　finest　and　the　largest　in　France；　and　which　bore　the　reputation　among　the　good　people　of　the　eighteenth　century　of　being　the　father　of　all　the　chestnut　trees　of　the　realm。
　　As　we　have　said；　this　convent　of　the　Temple　was　occupied　by　Benedictines　of　the　Perpetual　Adoration；　Benedictines　quite　different　from　those　who　depended　on　Citeaux。
　　This　order　of　the　Perpetual　Adoration　is　not　very　ancient　and　does　not　go　back　more　than　two　hundred　years。　In　1649　the　holy　sacrament　was　profaned　on　two　occasions　a　few　days　apart；　in　two　churches　in　Paris；　at　Saint…Sulpice　and　at　Saint…Jean　en　Greve；　a　rare　and　frightful　sacrilege　which　set　the　whole　town　in　an　uproar。
　　M。　the　Prior　and　Vicar…General　of　Saint…Germain　des　Pres　ordered　a　solemn　procession　of　all　his　clergy；　in　which　the　Pope's　Nuncio　officiated。
　　But　this　expiation　did　not　satisfy　two　sainted　women；　Madame　Courtin；　Marquise　de　Boucs；　and　the　tesse　de　Chateauvieux。
　　This　outrage　mitted　on　〃the　most　holy　sacrament　of　the　altar；〃　though　but　temporary；　would　not　depart　from　these　holy　souls；　and　it　seemed　to　them　that　it　could　only　be　extenuated　by　a　〃Perpetual　Adoration〃　in　some　female　monastery。　Both　of　them；　one　in　1652；　the　other　in　1653；　made　donations　of　notable　sums　to　Mother　Catherine　de　Bar；　called　of　the　Holy　Sacrament；　a　Benedictine　nun；　for　the　purpose　of　founding；　to　this　pious　end；　a　monastery　of　the　order　of　Saint…Benoit；　the　first　permission　for　this　foundation　was　given　to　Mother　Catherine　de　Bar　by　M。　de　Metz；　Abbe　of　Saint…Germain；　〃on　condition　that　no　woman　could　be　received　unless　she　contributed　three　hundred　livres　ine；　which　amounts　to　six　thousand　livres；　to　the　principal。〃　After　the　Abbe　of　Saint…Germain；　the　king　accorded　letters…patent；　and　all　the　rest；　abbatial　charter；　and　royal　letters；　was　confirmed　in　1654　by　the　Chamber　of　Accounts　and　the　Parliament。
　　Such　is　the　origin　of　the　legal　consecration　of　the　establishment　of　the　Benedictines　of　the　Perpetual　Adoration　of　the　Holy　Sacrament　at　Paris。
　　Their　first　convent　was　〃a　new　building〃　in　the　Rue　Cassette；　out　of　the　contributions　of　Mesdames　de　Boucs　and　de　Chateauvieux。
　　This　order；　as　it　will　be　seen；　was　not　to　be　confounded　with　the　Benedictine　nuns　of　Citeaux。
　　It　mounted　back　to　the　Abbe　of　Saint…Germain　des　Pres；　in　the　same　manner　that　the　ladies　of　the　Sacred　Heart　go　back　to　the　general　of　the　Jesuits；　and　the　sisters　of　charity　to　the　general　of　the　Lazarists。
　　It　was　also　totally　different　from　the　Bernardines　of　the　Petit…Picpus；　whose　interior　we　have　just　shown。
　　In　1657；　Pope　Alexander　VII。　had　authorized；　by　a　special　brief；　the　Bernardines　of　the　Rue　Petit…Picpus；　to　practise　the　Perpetual　Adoration　like　the　Benedictine　nuns　of　the　Holy　Sacrament。
　　But　the　two　orders　remained　distinct　none　the　less。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　XI　
　　END　OF　THE　PETIT…PICPUS
　　At　the　beginning　of　the　Restoration；　the　convent　of　the　Petit…Picpus　was　in　its　decay；　this　forms　a　part　of　the　general　death　of　the　order；　which；　after　the　eighteenth　century；　has　been　disappearing　like　all　the　religious　orders。
　　Contemplation　is；　like　prayer；　one　of　humanity's　needs；　but；　like　everything　which　the　Revolution　touched；　it　will　be　transformed；　and　from　being　hostile　to　social　progress；　it　will　bee　favorable　to　it。
　　The　house　of　the　Petit…Picpus　was　being　rapidly　depopulated。　In　1840；　the　Little　Convent　had　disappeared；　the　school　had　disappeared。　There　were　no　longer　any　old　women；　nor　young　girls；　the　first　were　dead；　the　latter　had　taken　their　departure。
　　Volaverunt。
　　The　rule　of　the　Perpetual　Adoration　is　so　rigid　in　its　nature　that　it　alarms；　vocations　recoil　before　it；　the　order　receives　no　recruits。
　　In　1845；　it　still　obtained　lay…sisters　here　and　there。　But　of　professed　nuns；　none　at　all。
　　Forty　years　ago；　the　nuns　numbered　nearly　a　hundred；　fifteen　years　ago　there　were　not　more　than　twenty…eight　of　them。
　　How　many　are　there　to…day？　In　1847；　the　prioress　was　young；　a　sign　that　the　circle　of　choice　was　restricted。　She　was　not　forty　years　old。
　　In　proportion　as　the　number　diminishes；　the　fatigue　increases；　the　service　of　each　bees　more　painful；　the　moment　could　then　be　seen　drawing　near　when　there　would　be　but　a　dozen　bent　and　aching　shoulders　to　bear　the　heavy　rule　of　Saint…Benoit。　The　burden　is　implacable；　and　remains　the　same　for　the　few　as　for　the　many。
　　It　weighs　down；　it　crushes。
　　Thus　they　die。　At　the　period　when　the　author　of　this　book　still　lived　in　Paris；　two　died。
　　One　was　twenty…five　years　old；　the　other　twenty…three。　This　latter　can　say；　like　Julia　Alpinula：
　　〃Hic　jaceo。
　　Vixi　annos　viginti　et　tres。〃
　　It　is　in　consequence　of　this　decay　that　the　convent　gave　up　the　education　of　girls。
　　We　have　not　felt　able　to　pass　before　this　extraordinary　house　without　entering　it；　and　without　introducing　the　minds　which　acpany　us；　and　which　are　listening　to　our　tale；　to　the　profit　of　some；　perchance；　of　the　melancholy　history　of　Jean　Valjean。　We　have　penetrated　into　this　munity；　full　of　those　old　practices　which　seem　so　novel　to…day。　It　is　the　closed　garden；　hortus　conclusus。　We　have　spoken　of　this　singular　place　in　detail；　but　with　respect；　in　so　far；　at　least；　as　detail　and　respect　are　patible。　We　do　not　understand　all；　but　we　insult　nothing。
　　We　are　equally　far　removed　from　the　hosanna　of　Joseph　de　Maistre；　who　wound　up　by　anointing　the　executioner；　and　from　the　sneer　of　Voltaire；　who　even　goes　so　far　as　to　ridicule　the　cross。
　　
An　illogical　act　on　Voltaire's　part；　we　may　remark；　by　the　way；　for　Voltaire　would　have　defended　Jesus　as　he　defended　Calas；　and　even　for　those　who　deny　superhuman　incarnations；　what　does　the　crucifix　represent？
　　The　assassinated　sage。
　　In　this　nineteenth　century；　the　religious　idea　is　undergoing　a　crisis。
　　People　are　unlearning　certain　things；　and　they　do　well；　provided　that；　while　unlearning　them　they　learn　this：
　　There　is　no　vacuum　in　the　human　heart。
　　Certain　demolitions　take　place；　and　it　is　well　that　they　do；　but　on　condition　that　they　are　followed　by　reconstructions。
　　In　the　meantime；　let　us　study　things　which　are　no　more。
　　It　is　necessary　to　know　them；　if　only　for　the　purpose　of　avoiding　them。
　　The　counterfeits　of　the　past　assume　false　names；　and　gladly　call　themselves　the　future。　This　spectre；　this　past；　is　given　to　falsifying　its　own　passport。　Let　us　inform　ourselves　of　the　trap。
　　Let　us　be　on　our　guard。　The　past　has　a　visage；　superstition；　and　a　mask；　hypocrisy。
　　Let　us　denounce　the　visage　and　let　us　tear　off　the　mask。
　　As　for　convents；　they　present　a　plex　problem；a　question　of　civilization；　which　condemns　them；　a　question　of　liberty；　which　protects　them。　


BOOK　SEVENTH。PARENTHESIS
CHAPTER　I　
　　THE　CONVENT　AS　AN　ABSTRACT　IDEA
　　This　book　is　a　drama；　whose　leading　personage　is　the　Infinite。
　　Man　is　the　second。
　　Such　being　the　case；　and　a　convent　having　happened　to　be　on　our　road；　it　has　been　our　duty　to　enter　it。
　　Why？
　　Because　the　convent；　which　is　mon　to　the　Orient　as　well　as　to　the　Occident；　to　antiquity　as　well　as　to　modern　times；　to　paganism；　to　Buddhism；　to　Mahometanism；　as　well　as　to　Christianity；　is　one　of　the　optical　apparatuses　applied　by　man　to　the　Infinite。
　　This　is　not　the　place　for　enlarging　disproportionately　on　certain　ideas；　nevertheless；　while　absolutely　maintaining　our　reserves；　our　restrictions；　and　even　our　indignations；　we　must　say　that　every　time　we　encounter　man　in　the　Infinite；　either　well　or　ill　understood；　we　feel　ourselves　overpowered　with　respect。　There　is；　in　the　synagogue；　in　the　mosque；　in　the　pagoda；　in　the　wigwam；　a　hideous　side　which　we　execrate；　and　a　sublime　side；　which　we　adore。
　　What　a　contemplation　for　the　mind；　and　what　endless　food　for　thought；　is　the　reverberation　of　God　upon　the　human　wall！


BOOK　SEVENTH。PARENTHESIS
CHAPTER　II　
　　THE　CONVENT　AS　AN　HISTORICAL　FACT
　　　From　the　point　of　view　of　history；　of　reason；　and　of　truth；　monas