A number of grand seigniors and prelates figure in the agricultural societies， compose or translate useful books， familiarize themselves with the applications of science， study political economy， inform themselves about industries， and interest themselves， either as amateurs or promoters， in every public amelioration. " Never，" says Lacretelle again， "were the French so combined together to combat the evils to which nature makes us pay tribute， and those which in a thousand ways creep into all social institutions." Can it be admitted that so many good intentions thus operating together are to end in destruction？ - All take courage， government as well as the higher class， in the thought of the good accomplished， or which they desire to accomplish. The king remembers that he has restored civil rights to the Protestants， abolished preliminary torture， suppressed the corvée in kind， established the free circulation of grains， instituted provincial assemblies， built up the marine， assisted the Americans， emancipated his own serfs， diminished the expenses of his household， employed Malesherbes， Turgot and Necker， given full play to the press， and listened to public opinion[63]. No government displayed greater mildness； on the 14th of July， 1789， only seven prisoners were confined in the Bastille， of whom one was an idiot， another kept there by his family， and four under the charge of counterfeiting[64]. No sovereign was more humane， more charitable， more preoccupied with the unfortunate. In 1784， the year of inundations and epidemics， he renders assistance to the amount of three millions. Appeals are made to him direct， even for personal accidents. On the 8th of June， 1785， he sends two hundred livres to the wife of a Breton laboring-man who， already having two children， brings three at once into the world[65]. During a severe winter he allows the poor daily to invade his kitchen. It is quite probable that， next to Turgot， he is the man of his day who loved the people most. -- His delegates under him conform to his views； I have read countless letters by intendants who try to appear as little Turgots. "One builds a hospital， another admits artisans at his table；"[66] a certain individual undertakes the draining of a marsh. M. de la Tour， in Provence， is so beneficent during a period of forty years that the Tiers-Etat vote him a gold medal in spite of himself[67]. A governor delivers a course of lectures on economical bread-making.- What possible danger is there for shepherds of this kind amidst their flocks？ On the king convoking the States-General nobody had "any suspicion，" nor fear of the future. "A new State constitution is spoken of as an easy performance， and as a matter of course."[68] - "The best and most virtuous men see in this the beginning of a new era of happiness for France and for the whole civilized world. The ambitious rejoice in the broad field open to their desires. But it would have been impossible to find the most morose， the most timid， the most enthusiastic of men anticipating any one of the extraordinary events towards which the assembled states were drifting."____________________________________________________________Notes：
[1] Macaulay.
[2] Stendhal， "Rome， Naples et Florence，" 371.
[3] Morellet， "Mémoires，" I. 139 (on the writings and conversations of Diderot， d，Holbach and the atheists). "At that time， in this philosophy， all seemed innocent enough， it being confined to the limits of speculation， and never seeking， even in its boldest flights， anything beyond a calm intellectual exercise.
[4] "L'Homme aux quarante écus." Cf. Voltaire， "Mémoires，" the suppers given by Frederick II. "Never in any place in the world was there greater freedom of conversation concerning the superstitions of mankind.
[5] Morellet， Mémoires，" I. 133.
[6] Galiani， "Correspondance， passim.
[7] Bachaumont， III. 93 (1766)， II. 202 (1765).
[8] Geffroy， "Gustave III.，" I. 114.
[9] Villemain， "Tableau de la Litterature au dix-huitième siècle，"IV. 409.
[10] Grimm， "corresp. littéraire，" IV. 176. De Ségur， "Mémoires，" I. 113.
[11] "Princesse de Babylone." - Cf. "le Mondain."[12] Here we may have an important motive for the socialist attitudes towards sexual morality as it was during the activie nineteen seventies until the unexpected appearance of AIDS put an abrupt end to the proceedings. (SR.)[13] Mme. d'Epinay， ed. Boiteau， I. 216： at a supper given by Mlle. Quinault， the comedian， at which are present Saint-Lambert， the Prince de . . . . ， Duclos and Mme. d'Epinay.
[14] For example， the father of Marmant， a military gentleman， who， having won the cross of St. Louis at twenty-eight， abandons the service because he finds that promotion is only for people of the court. In retirement on his estates he is a liberal， teaching his son to read the reports made by Necker. (Marshal Marmont， "Mémoires，" I. 9).
[15] Aubertin， "L'Esprit public，" in the 18th century， p. 7.
[16] Montesquieu， "Lettres Persanes，" (Letter 61).- Cf.
Voltaire， ("D？ner du Comte de Boulainvilliers").
[17] Aubertin， pp. 281， 282， 285， 289.
[18] Horace Walpole， "Letters and Correspondence，" Sept. 27th， 1765， October 18th， 28th， and November 19th， 1766.
[19] "Journal et Mémoires de Collé，" published by H. Bonhomme， II. 24 (October， 1755)， and III.165 (October 1767).
[20] "Corresp. littéraire，" by Grimm (September， October， 1770).
[21] Mme. De Genlis， "Adèle et Théodore，" I， 312.
[22] De Goncourt， "La femme au dix-huitième siècle，" 371-373. -Bachaumont， I. 224 (April 13， 1763).
[23] Mme. de Genlis， "Adèle et Théodore，" II. 326.
[24] "Tableau de Paris，" III.44.
[25] Métra. "Correspondance secrète，" XVII. 387 (March 7， 1785).
[26] De Goncourt， ibid. 456. - Vicomtesse de Noailles， "Vie de la Princesse de Poix，" formerly de Beauvau.