Having　fled　to　Belgium；　he　remained　there　but　a　few　days；　going　thence　to　Paris；　under　an　assumed　name；　to　conceal　himself　in　a　house　in　the　Rue　de　Chabrol。　　From　his　hiding…place　he　sent　articles　almost　every　day；　signed　and　unsigned；　to　〃Le　Peuple。〃　　In　the　evening；　dressed　in　a　blouse；　he　went　to　some　secluded　spot　to　take　the　air。　　Soon；　emboldened　by　habit；　he　risked　an　evening　promenade　upon　the　Boulevards；　and　afterwards　carried　his　imprudence　so　far　as　to　take　a　stroll　by　daylight　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　Gare　du　Nord。　　It　was　not　long　before　he　was　recognized　by　the　police；　who　arrested　him　on　the　6th　of　June；　1849；　in　the　Rue　du　Faubourg…Poissonniere。
  Taken　to　the　office　of　the　prefect　of　police；　then　to　Sainte…　Pelagie；　he　was　in　the　Conciergerie　on　the　day　of　the　13th　of　June；　1849；　which　ended　with　the　violent　suppression　of　〃Le　Peuple。〃　　He　then　began　to　write　the　〃Confessions　of　a　Revolutionist；〃　published　towards　the　end　of　the　year。　　He　had　been　again　transferred　to　Sainte…Pelagie；　when　he　married；　in　December；　1849；　Mlle。　Euphrasie　Piegard；　a　young　working　girl　whose　hand　he　had　requested　in　1847。　　Madame　Proudhon　bore　him　four　daughters；　of　whom　but　two；　Catherine　and　Stephanie；　survived　their　father。　　Stephanie　died　in　1873。
  In　October；　1849；　〃Le　Peuple〃　was　replaced　by　a　new　journal；　〃La　Voix　du　Peuple；〃　which　Proudhon　edited　from　his　prison　cell。　　In　it　were　published　his　discussions　with　Pierre　Leroux　and　Bastiat。
  The　political　articles　which　he　sent　to　〃La　Voix　du　Peuple〃　so　displeased　the　government　finally；　that　it　transferred　him　to　Doullens；　where　he　was　secretly　confined　for　some　time。　　Afterwards　taken　back　to　Paris；　to　appear　before　the　assizes　of　the　Seine　in　reference　to　an　article　in　〃La　Voix　du　Peuple；〃　he　was　defended　by　M。　Cremieux　and　acquitted。　　From　the　Conciergerie　he　went　again　to　Sainte…Pelagie；　where　he　ended　his　three　years　in　prison　on　the　6th　of　June；　1852。
  〃La　Voix　du　Peuple；〃　suppressed　before　the　promulgation　of　the　law　of　the　31st　of　May；　had　been　replaced　by　a　weekly　sheet；　〃Le　Peuple〃　of　1850。　　Established　by　the　aid　of　the　principal　members　of　the　Mountain；　this　journal　soon　met　with　the　fate　of　its　predecessors。
  In　1851；　several　months　before　the　coup　d'Etat；　Proudhon　published　the　〃General　Idea　of　the　Revolution　of　the　Nineteenth　Century；〃　in　which；　after　having　shown　the　logical　series　of　unitary　governments；from　monarchy；　which　is　the　first　term；　to　the　direct　government　of　the　people；　which　is　the　last；he　opposes　the　ideal　of　an…archy　or　self…government　to　the　communistic　or　governmental　ideal。
  At　this　period；　the　Socialist　party；　discouraged　by　the　elections　of　1849；　which　resulted　in　a　greater　conservative　triumph　than　those　of　1848；　and　justly　angry　with　the　national　representative　body　which　had　just　passed　the　law　of　the　31st　of　May；　1850；　demanded　direct　legislation　and　direct　government。　　Proudhon；　who　did　not　want；　at　any　price；　the　plebiscitary　system　which　he　had　good　reason　to　regard　as　destructive　of　liberty；　did　not　hesitate　to　point　out；　to　those　of　his　friends　who　expected　every　thing　from　direct　legislation；　one　of　the　antinomies　of　universal　suffrage。　　In　so　far　as　it　is　an　institution　intended　to　achieve；　for　the　benefit　of　the　greatest　number；　the　social　reforms　to　which　landed　suffrage　is　opposed；　universal　suffrage　is　powerless；　especially　if　it　pretends　to　legislate　or　govern　directly。　　For；　until　the　social　reforms　are　accomplished；　the　greatest　number　is　of　necessity　the　least　enlightened；　and　consequently　the　least　capable　of　understanding　and　effecting　reforms。　　In　regard　to　the　antinomy；　pointed　out　by　him；　of　liberty　and　government；　whether　the　latter　be　monarchic；　aristocratic；　or　democratic　in　form；Proudhon；　whose　chief　desire　was　to　preserve　liberty；　naturally　sought　the　solution　in　the　free　contract。　　But　though　the　free　contract　may　be　a　practical　solution　of　purely　economical　questions；　it　cannot　be　made　use　of　in　politics。　　Proudhon　recognized　this　ten　years　later；　when　his　beautiful　study　on　〃War　and　Peace〃　led　him　to　find　in　the　FEDERATIVE　PRINCIPLE　the　exact　equilibrium　of　liberty　and　government。
  〃The　Social　Revolution　Demonstrated　by　the　Coup　d'　Etat〃　appeared　in　1852；　a　few　months　after　his　release　from　prison。　　At　that　time；　terror　prevailed　to　such　an　extent　that　no　one　was　willing　to　publish　his　book　without　express　permission　from　the　government。　　He　succeeded　in　obtaining　this　permission　by　writing　to　Louis　Bonaparte　a　letter　which　he　published　at　the　same　time　with　the　work。　　The　latter　being　offered　for　sale；　Proudhon　was　warned　that　he　would　not　be　allowed　to　publish　any　more　books　of　the　same　character。　　At　that　time　he　entertained　the　idea　of　writing　a　universal　history　entitled　〃Chronos。〃　　This　project　was　never　fulfilled。
  Already　the　father　of　two　children；　and　about　to　be　presented　with　a　third；　Proudhon　was　obliged　to　devise　some　immediate　means　of　gaining　a　living；　he　resumed　his　labors；　and　published；　at　first　anonymously；　the　〃Manual　of　a　Speculator　in　the　Stock…　Exchange。〃　　Later；　in　1857；　after　having　completed　the　work；　he　did　not　hesitate　to　sign　it；　acknowledging　in　the　preface　his　indebtedness　to　his　collaborator；　G。　Duchene。
  Meantime；　he　vainly　sought　permission　to　establish　a　journal；　or　review。　　This　permission　was　steadily　refused　him。　　The　imperial　government　always　suspected　him　after　the　publication　of　the　〃Social　Revolution　Demonstrated　by　the　Coup　d'Etat。〃
  Towards　the　end　of　1853；　Proudhon　issued　in　Belgium　a　pamphlet　entitled　〃The　Philosophy　of　Progress。〃　　Entirely　inoffensive　as　it　was；　this　pamphlet；　which　he　endeavored　to　send　into　France；　was　seized　on　the　frontier。　　Proudhon's　complaints　were　of　no　avail。
  The　empire　gave　grants　after　grants　to　large　companies。　　A　financial　society；　having　asked　for　the　grant　of　a　railroad　in　the　east　of　France；　employed　Proudhon　to　write　several　memoirs　in　support　of　this　demand。　　The　grant　was　given　to　another　company。　　The　author　was　offered　an　indemnity　as　compensation；　to　be　paid　（as　was　customary　in　such　cases）　by　the　company　which　received　the　grant。　　It　is　needless　to　say　that　Proudhon　would　accept　nothing。　　Then；　wishing　to　explain　to　the　public；　as　well　as　to　the　government；　the　end　which　he　had　in　view；　he　published　the　work　entitled　〃Reforms　to　be　Effected　in　the　Management　of　Railroads。〃
  Towards　the　end　of　1854；　Proudhon　had　already　begun　his　book　on　〃Justice；〃　when　he　had　a　violent　attack　of　cholera；　from　which　he　recovered　with　great　difficulty。　　Ever　afterwards　his　health　was　delicate。
  At　last；　on　the　22d　of　April；　1858；　he　published；　in　three　large　volumes；　the　important　work　upon　which　he　had　labored　since　1854。　　This　work　had　two　titles：　the　first；　〃Justice　in　the　Revolution　and　in　the　Church；〃　the　second；　〃New　Principles　of　Practical　Philosophy；　addressed　to　His　Highness　Monseigneur　Mathieu；　Cardinal…Archbishop　of　Besancon。〃　　On　the　27th　of　April；　when　there　had　scarcely　been　time　to　read　the　work；　an　order　was　issued　by　the　magistrate　for　its　seizure；　on　the　28th　the　seizure　was　effected。　　To　this　first　act　of　the　magistracy；　the　author　of　the　incriminated　book　replied　on　the　11th　of　May　in　a　strongly…　motived　petition；　demanding　a　revision　of　the　concordat　of　1802；　or；　in　other　words；　a　new　adjustment　of　the　relations　between　Church　and　State。　　At　bottom；　this　petition　was　but　the　logical　consequence　of　the　work　itself。　　An　edition　of　a　thousand　copies　being　published　on　the　17th　of　May；　the　〃Petition　to　the　Senate〃　was　regarded　by　the　public　prosecutor　as　an　aggravation　of　the　offence　or　offences　discovered　in　the　body　of　the　work　to　which　it　was　an　appendix；　and　was　seized　in　its　turn　on　the　23d。　　On　the　first　of　June；　the　author　appealed　to　the　Senate　in　a　second　〃Petition；〃　which　was　deposited　with　the　first　in　the　office　of　the　Secretary　of　the　Assembly；　the　guardian　and　guarantee；　according　to　the　constitution　of　1852；　of　the　principles　of　'89。　　On　the　2d　of　June；　the　two　processes　being　united；　Proudhon　appeared　at　the　bar　with　his　publisher；　the　printer　of　the　book；　and　the　printer　of　the　petition；　to　receive　the　sentence　of　the　police　magistrate；　which　condemned　him　to　three　years'　imprisonment；　a　fine　of　four　thousand　francs；　and　the　suppression　of　his　work。　　It　is　needless　to　say　that　the　publisher　and　printers　were　also　condemned　by　the　sixth　chamber。
  Proudhon　lodged　an　appeal；　he　wrote　a　memoir　which　the　law　of　1819；　in　the　absence　of　which　he　would　have　been　liable　to　a　new　prosecution；　gave　him　the　power　to　publish　previous　to　the　hearing。　　Having　decided　to　make　use　of　the　means　which　the　law　permitted；　he　urged　in　vain　the　printers　who　were　prosecuted　with　him　to　lend　him　their　aid。　　He　then　demanded　of　Attorney…General　Chaix　d'Est　Ange　a　statement　to　the　effect　that　the　twenty…third　article　of　the　law　of　the　17th　of　May；　1819；　allows　a　written　defence；　and　that　a　printer　runs　no　risk　in　printing　it。　　The　attorney…general　flatly　refused。　　Proudhon　then　started　for　Belgium；　where　he　printed　his　defence；　which　could　not；　of　course；　cross　the　French　frontier。　　This　memoir　is　entitled　to　rank　with　the　best　of　Beaumarchais's；　it　is　entitled：　　〃Justice　prosecuted　by　the　Church；　An　Appeal　from　t