The　French　Revolution；　Volume　1。
  The　Origins　of　Contemporary　France；　Volume　2
  by　Hippolyte　A。　Taine
  CONTENTS：
  ANARCHY
  PREFACE
  BOOK　FIRST。　　　Spontaneous　Anarchy。
  CHAPTER　I。　　The　Beginnings　of　Anarchy
  CHAPTER　II。　　Paris　up　to　the　14th　of　July
  CHAPTER　III。　　Anarchy　from　July　14th　to　October　6th；　1789
  CHAPTER　IV。　　PARIS
  BOOK　SECOND。　　The　constituent　Assembly；　and　the　Result　of　its　Labors
  CHAPTER　I。　　The　Constituent　Assembly
  CHAPTER　II。　　The　Damage
  CHAPTER　III。　　The　Constructions　…　The　Constitution　of　1791。
  BOOK　THIRD。　　　The　Application　of　the　Constitution
  CHAPTER　I。　　The　Federations
  CHAPTER　II。　　Sovereignty　of　Unrestrained　Passions
  CHAPTER　III。　　Development　of　the　ruling　Passion
  PREFACE
  This　second　part　of　〃Les　Origines　de　la　France　Contemporaine〃　will
  consist　of　two　volumes。　　…　Popular　insurrections　and　the　laws　of　the
  Constituent　Assembly　end　in　destroying　all　government　in　France；
  this　forms　the　subject　of　the　present　volume。　　…　A　party　arises
  around　an　extreme　doctrine；　grabs　control　of　the　government；　and
  rules　in　conformity　with　its　doctrine。　　This　will　form　the　subject
  of　the　second　volume。
  A　third　volume　would　be　required　to　criticize　and　evaluate　the
  source　material。　　I　lack　the　necessary　space：　I　merely　state　the
  rule　that　I　have　observed。　　The　trustworthiest　testimony　will　always
  be　that　of　an　eyewitness；　especially
  *　When　this　witness　is　an　honorable；　attentive；　and　intelligent　man；
  *　When　he　is　writing　on　the　spot；　at　the　moment；　and　under　the
  dictate　of　the　facts　themselves；
  *　When　it　is　obvious　that　his　sole　object　is　to　preserve　or　furnish
  information；
  *　When　his　work　instead　of　a　piece　of　polemics　planned　for　the　needs
  of　a　cause；　or　a　passage　of　eloquence　arranged　for　popular　effect　is
  a　legal　deposition；　a　secret　report；　a　confidential　dispatch；　a
  private　letter；　or　a　personal　memento。
  The　nearer　a　document　approaches　this　type；　the　more　it　merits
  confidence；　and　supplies　superior　material。　　…　　I　have　found　many　of
  this　kind　in　the　national　archives；　principally　in　the　manuscript
  correspondence　of　ministers；　intendants；　sub…delegates；　magistrates；
  and　other　functionaries；　of　military　commanders；　officers　in　the
  army；　and　gendarmerie；　of　royal　commissioners；　and　of　the　Assembly；
  of　administrators　of　departments；　districts；　and　municipalities；
  besides　persons　in　private　life　who　address　the　King；　the　National
  Assembly；　or　the　ministry。　　Among　these　are　men　of　every　rank；
  profession；　education；　and　party。　　They　are　distributed　by　hundreds
  and　thousands　over　the　whole　surface　of　the　territory。　　They　write
  apart；　without　being　able　to　consult　each　other；　and　without　even
  knowing　each　other。　　No　one　is　so　well　placed　for　collecting　and
  transmitting　accurate　information。　　None　of　them　seek　literary
  effect；　or　even　imagine　that　what　they　write　will　ever　be　published。
  They　draw　up　their　statements　at　once；　under　the　direct　impression
  of　local　events。　　Testimony　of　this　character；　of　the　highest　order；
  and　at　first　hand；　provides　the　means　by　which　all　other　testimony
  ought　to　be　verified。　　…　The　footnotes　at　the　bottom　of　the　pages
  indicate　the　condition；　office；　name；　and　address　of　those　decisive
  witnesses。　　For　greater　certainty　I　have　transcribed　as　often　as
  possible　their　own　words。　　In　this　way　the　reader；　confronting　the
  texts；　can　interpret　them　for　himself；　and　form　his　own　opinions；　he
  will　have　the　same　documents　as　myself　for　arriving　at　his
  conclusions；　and；　if　he　is　pleased　to　do　so；　he　may　conclude
  otherwise。　　As　for　allusions；　if　he　finds　any；　he　himself　will　have
  introduced　them；　and　if　he　applies　them　he　is　alone　responsible　for
  them。　　To　my　mind；　the　past　has　features　of　its　own；　and　the
  portrait　here　presented　resembles　only　the　France　of　the　past。　　I
  have　drawn　it　without　concerning　myself　with　the　discussions　of　the
  day；　I　have　written　as　if　my　subject　were　the　revolutions　of
  Florence　or　Athens。　　This　is　history；　and　nothing　more；　and；　if　I
  may　fully　express　myself；　I　esteem　my　vocation　of　historian　too
  highly　to　make　a　cloak　of　it　for　the　concealment　of　another。
  （December　1877）。
  _________________________________________________________________
  BOOK　FIRST。　　　SPONTANEOUS　ANARCHY。
  CHAPTER　I。　　THE　BEGINNINGS　OF　ANARCHY。
  I。
  Dearth　the　first　cause。　　…　Bad　crops。　　The　winter　of　1788　and　1789。
  …　High　price　and　poor　quality　of　bread。　　…　In　the　provinces。　　…　At
  Paris。
  During　the　night　of　July　14…15；　1789；　the　Duc　de　la　Rochefoucauld…
  Liancourt　caused　Louis　XVI　to　be　aroused　to　inform　him　of　the　taking
  of　the　Bastille。　　〃It　is　a　revolt；　then？〃　exclaimed　the　King。
  〃Sire！〃　replied　the　Duke；　〃it　is　a　revolution！〃　The　event　was　even
  more　serious。　　Not　only　had　power　slipped　from　the　hands　of　the
  King；　but　also　it　had　not　fallen　into　those　of　the　Assembly。　　It　now
  lay　on　the　ground；　ready　to　the　hands　of　the　unchained　populace；　the
  violent　and　over…excited　crowd；　the　mobs；　which　picked　it　up　like
  some　weapon　that　had　been　thrown　away　in　the　street。　　In　fact；　there
  was　no　longer　any　government；　the　artificial　structure　of　human
  society　was　giving　way　entirely；　things　were　returning　to　a　state　of
  nature。　　This　was　not　a　revolution；　but　a　dissolution。
  Two　causes　excite　and　maintain　the　universal　upheaval。　　The　first
  one　is　food　shortages　and　dearth；　which　being　constant；　lasting　for
  ten　years；　and　aggravated　by　the　very　disturbances　which　it　excites；
  bids　fair　to　inflame　the　popular　passions　to　madness；　and　change　the
  whole　course　of　the　Revolution　into　a　series　of　spasmodic　stumbles。
  When　a　stream　is　brimful；　a　slight　rise　suffices　to　cause　an
  overflow。　　So　was　it　with　the　extreme　distress　of　the　eighteenth
  century。　　A　poor　man；　who　finds　it　difficult　to　live　when　bread　is
  cheap；　sees　death　staring　him　in　the　face　when　it　is　dear。　　In　this
  state　of　suffering　the　animal　instinct　revolts；　and　the　universal
  obedience　which　constitutes　public　peace　depends　on　a　degree　more　or
  less　of　dryness　or　damp；　heat　or　cold。　　In　1788；　a　year　of　severe
  drought；　the　crops　had　been　poor。　　In　addition　to　this；　on　the　eve
  of　the　harvest；＇1＇　a　terrible　hail…storm　burst　over　the　region
  around　Paris；　from　Normandy　to　Champagne；　devastating　sixty　leagues
  of　the　most　fertile　territory；　and　causing　damage　to　the　amount　of
  one　hundred　millions　of　francs。　　Winter　came　on；　the　severest　that
  had　been　seen　since　1709。　　At　the　close　of　December　the　Seine　was
  frozen　over　from　Paris　to　Havre；　while　the　thermometer　stood　at　180
  below　zero。　　A　third　of　the　olive…trees　died　in　Provence；　and　the
  rest　suffered　to　such　an　extent　that　they　were　considered　incapable
  of　bearing　fruit　for　two　years　to　come。　　The　same　disaster　befell
  Languedoc。　　In　Vivarais；　and　in　the　Cevennes；　whole　forests　of
  chestnuts　had　perished；　along　with　all　the　grain　and　grass　crops　on
  the　uplands。　　On　the　plain　the　Rhone　remained　in　a　state　of　overflow
  for　two　months。　　After　the　spring　of　1789　the　famine　spread
  everywhere；　and　it　increased　from　month　to　month　like　a　rising
  flood。　　In　vain　did　the　Government　order　the　farmers；　proprietors；
  and　corn…dealers　to　keep　the　markets　supplied。　　In　vain　did　it
  double　the　bounty　on　imports；　resort　to　all　sorts　of　expedients；
  involve　itself　in　debt；　and　expend　over　forty　millions　of　francs　to
  furnish　France　with　wheat。　　In　vain　do　individuals；　princes；
  noblemen；　bishops；　chapters；　and　communities　multiply　their
  charities。　　The　Archbishop　of　Paris　incurring　a　debt　of　400；000
  livres；　one　rich　man　distributing　40；000　francs　the　morning　after
  the　hailstorm；　and　a　convent　of　Bernardines　feeding　twelve　hundred
  poor　persons　for　six　weeks＇2＇。　　But　it　had　been　too　devastating。
  Neither　public　measures　nor　private　charity　could　meet　the
  overwhelming　need。　　In　Normandy；　where　the　last　commercial　treaty
  had　ruined　the　manufacture　of　linen　and　of　lace　trimmings；　forty
  thousand　workmen　were　out　of　work。　　In　many　parishes　one…fourth　of
  the　population＇3＇　are　beggars。　　Here；　〃nearly　all　the　inhabitants；
  not　excepting　the　farmers　and　landowners；　are　eating　barley　bread
  and　drinking　water；〃　there；　〃many　poor　creatures　have　to　eat　oat
  bread；　and　others　soaked　bran；　which　has　caused　the　death　of　several
  children。〃　　〃Above　all；〃　writes　the　Rouen　Parliament；　〃let　help　be
  sent　to　a　perishing　people　。　　。　　。。　　　Sire；　most　of　your　subjects
  are　unable　to　pay　the　price　of　bread；　and　what　bread　is　given　to
  those　who　do　buy　it　〃　　Arthur　Young；＇4＇　who　was　traveling　through
  France　at　this　time；　heard　of　nothing　but　the　high　cost　of　bread　and
  the　distress　of　the　people。　　At　Troyes　bread　costs　four　sous　a　pound
  that　is　to　say；　eight　sous　of　the　present　day；　and　unemployed
  artisans　flock　to　the　relief　works；　where　they