New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-07
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OLD COURT LIFE IN FRANCE.
from All the Year Round. ]

No one who reads the history OF FEdnce
for some generations before the great reVO-
luton. can much wonder at that outbreak.
The seicneurial laws were beyond measure
oppressive and inhuman, and justice was a
word that had neither power nor meaning.
The people were treated as slaves born INTO
the world for the sole pleasure OF their mas
ters: there was no protecting law, no human
consideration of any kind tor them, and
the raisoas detye of the toiling millions was
held to be that of feeding the extrava9ant
luxury of the idle hundreds
A seigneur of the old French school was
omnipotent on mis- estates, ana hsd Inc
power of life and death over his serfs. The
Infamous laws which gave over the people
BODY and soul to their m;sters. and which
make one blush for ones kind, We're not
taken out of the statute book until after
the revolution. One of these laws was
that lord might order serf to be ripped
open, so that he might warm his cold feet
in his body. 1t is almost Incredible; but IL
il true all the same. And 1t Is OF no good
to saw that this was law never acted on.
The fact that it existed at All proves
it's possibility, however rare its prac-
tice. Other rights, too, were hered@
tary with the lands and title OF selgneus
of old times, to which we can not DO more
than allude.
One very common form of luxurious OPP
pression was connected with the bull frogs
of the ponds. These frogs do certainly
make an unearthly NOISE through the night
and when seignepr honored his estate by
visiting it his peasants had to whip the
ponds all night so that the croaklDg OF the
frogs might not disturb the rest of my lord
MARQUIS, fatigued with his reyels and ex-
cited with high play. There was no thought
for the poor sert who had TO toll all day
and watch all night. My lord must sleep,
let who would wake; and the frogs must be
kept in the good manners oi silence at any
cost of plebian humanity. In word. the
whole system of seigneurial dominion was
one of the vilest and most oppressive that
the world has ever seen; and the people
lived in a slavish debasement that took all
the manhood ont of them if they submitted,
or maddened them to tiendlsh frenzy Il
they rebelled. At last the nation arose III
its might and revenged itself on priests,
lords, and sovereigns,o with the fierce re-
taliaton of the gaillotne.
And with this hideous state OF things, in
human and bar barous, existed cynical con
fession OF immortality wherein was no rule
but the one of personal pleasure, no Jaw
but the law OF kingly liking. Mrs. Elliot's
book, "Old Court Life in France Is really
a history of the royal tavorltes OF both
sexes who swayed the destinies' of the fore
most nation in Europe, and sat as I'M
crowned monarchs by the side OF the
sovereign from the time of Francis l. to
that of Louis XIV. In this book we see
the reason of that tremendous po-
iitical cataclysm which shook society TO its
centre and the last throbs of which have
not vet subsidized. And if We have not
studied this page of history before, we can
understand better after reading Mrs.
Elliot's book how the revolution came
about, and how it was more the Nemesis
than the Typhon OF society, the avenger
rather than the opprcssor.
The sixteenth century was one of those
stirring epochs which seem TO form and
yitaize the future generations for all time.
Art and literature, speculation and science
were in full activity, and even war itself
had its favorable side. AT this period
three highly educated and unscrnpulous
Young men divide the power of Europe
saws Mrs. Elliot. They are Henry VIII. OF
England, Charles Y. of Austria, and Francis
]. et France. Each is magnificent IL taste,
each is DESTROYS of power ana conquest.
Each acts as a spur to the other, peth Ia
peace and in war. They introduce the eul-
tivated tastes, the refined habits, the free
dom of thought of modern life, ana iron. the
period in which they tlourished modern hlse
tory dates. OF these three monarchs fral@
els is the boldest. cleverest and most profile
gate. The elegance, refinement ana lu&ul9
of his court are unrlyaleu; anu TINS luxury
strikes the senses from its contrast Win the
frugal habits OF the ascetic Ions NJ, and
the homely Louis Nil" Francis was an art
lover as well as warrior, a politician, and
a notorious squire OF danes. He introduced
the Renaissance, brought CelInl@ Pglma-
tlcclu and Leonardo da Nlncl from Italy,
land never weared of their company, es-
tablishIpg this last at the Chateau de Clos,
near his own castle OF Ambolse, where the
i a L..
arms of his royal patron; and he built
beautiful palaces, quaint and rich. where
his predecessor had erected grim and frowE-
ing fortresses. The most famous OF these
structures is Chambord, created like a
fairy palace amid the fiat and dusty plains
of SolOgne'-Chamburd, where the double
staircase. representing gigantic teur ae
Tvs in stone. allows those who ascend 10 be
invisible 10 those who descend; where doors
are concealed III sliding panels behind the
arras; where there are many double walls
and secret stairs. much beauty aud flowing
characterization. but also grave cause Tor
reflection and little inlet for understand
ing.
There was much IN the life OF Francis
that necessitated secret stairs and sldlng
panels. Ii his own bands were not always
clean, he had enemies whose sense ei moral
purity was 10 more advanced. Plots were
met by counterplots. discrimination by
treachery. and oppression by treason, till
the world was full of fear and suffering;
and the only strain of softness running
through the relations of society was love OF
that questionable kind known as royal
fayoritism. To be sure there was beauty OF
as well as cultivation of the in
teiiect: but with learning, poetry. wit and
intellect. came luxury and boundless ex-
"Brantome speaks as with |
bated breath OF the royal expenditure. |
nv -. j.. ro +ba dow. of hroa1 som hrern hairs |