Miraheau an Opponent of Ahsolutism 21 



Such was the government of France as Mh'abeau saw it. 

 Before speaking of the reform measures demanded by himself, 

 I wish to note brieHj tlie changes proposed by two great pub- 

 licists whose works were much read at this time and to sum- 

 marize Mirabeau's criticism of their views. 



I have already referred to the fact that Mirabeau made much 

 use of the writings of both Montesquieu and Rousseau. Each 

 man had his school.' Mirabeau was a member of neither 

 school. Montesquieu was strongly infatuated with the English 

 constitution, would have gladly seen the French government 

 take the same shape regardless of the fact that in France the 

 foundation to such a superstructure was entirely lacking. 

 Even in his early manhood, before Mie had visited Eng- 

 land, Mirabeau was not ignorant of the weakness of the 

 Englisli government,^ and would have none of it.^ More- 

 over Montesquieu had not suffered sufficiently from the abso- 

 lutism of the French monarchy to become a zealous apostle of 

 reform. He was inclined to compromise matters* and is 

 charged by Mirabeau with half-heartedness in his work.'^ What- 

 ever influence Montesquieu's writings may have had in bring- 

 ing on the French Revolution, he certainly had no desire to 

 pose as a defender of personal liberty against absolutism. But 

 this was the vital point. First of all the fact had to be estab- 



> "Er versuchte es, den besten Teil aus jeder von jenen Lehren heraus- 

 zuschalen."' Gradnauer, p. 16. 



2 "Que la belle theorie de leur governement est tresmal appliquee dans 

 la pratique." Des lettres de cachet, p. 232. 



3 "La constitution angloise que Tauteur de I'Esprit des loix regarde 

 comme le chef — d'oeuvre de Tesprit humain, opinion que je suis biexi loin 

 de partager." Ibid, p. 207. 



* " J'avoue, dit I'auteur de V Esprit des loix, que I'usage des peuples les 

 plus libres qui aient jamais ete sur la terre, me fait croire qu'il y a des cas 

 oil il faut mettre pour un moment un voile sur la liberte.'" Ibid, p. 19dl^ 



^ "Ces reticences pusillanimes pretent des armes aux mechans et de- 

 couragent les bons." Ibid, p. v. 



65 



