第37章BOOKTHESECOND：THEGOLDENTHREAD(20)

第37章bookthesecond：thegoldenthread(20)

yet，monseigneurhadslowlyfoundthatvulgarembarrassmentscreptintohisaffairs，bothprivateandpublic；andhehad，astobothclassesofaffairs，alliedhimselfperforcewithafarmer-general.astofinancespublic，becausemonseigneurcouldnotmakeanythingatallofthem，andmustconsequentlyletthemouttosomebodywhocould；astofinancesprivate，becausefarmer-generalswererich，andmonseigneur，aftergenerationsofgreatluxuryandexpense，wasgrowingpoor.hencemonseigneurhadtakenhissisterfromaconvent，whiletherewasyettimetowardofftheimpendingveil，thecheapestgarmentshecouldwear，andhadbestowedherasaprizeuponaveryrichfarmer-general，poorinfamily.whichfarmer-general，carryinganappropriatecanewithagoldenappleonthetopofit，wasnowamongthecompanyintheouterrooms，muchprostratedbeforebymankind—alwaysexceptingsuperiormankindofthebloodofmonseigneur，who，hisownwifeincluded，lookeddownuponhimwiththeloftiestcontempt.

asumptuousmanwasthefarmer-general.thirtyhorsesstoodinhisstables，twenty-fourmaledomesticssatinhishalls，sixbody-womenwaitedonhiswife.asonewhopretendedtodonothingbutplunderandforagewherehecould，thefarmer-general—howsoeverhismatrimonialrelationsconducedtosocialmoralitywasatleastthegreatestrealityamongthepersonageswhoattendedatthehotelofmonseigneurthatday.

for，therooms，thoughabeautifulscenetolookat，andadornedwitheverydeviceofdecorationthatthetasteandskillofthetimecouldachieve，were，intruth，notasoundbusiness；consideredwithanyreferencetothescarecrowsintheragsandnightcapselsewhere（andnotsofaroff，either，butthatthewatchingtowersofnotredame，almostequidistantfromthetwoextremes，couldseethemboth），theywouldhavebeenanexceedinglyuncomfortablebusiness—ifthatcouldhavebeenanybody'sbusiness，atthehouseofmonseigneur.militaryofficersdestituteofmilitaryknowledge；navalofficerswithnoideaofaship；civilofficerswithoutanotionofaffairs；brazenecclesiastics，oftheworstworldworldly，withsensualeyes，loosetongues，andlooserlives；alltotallyunfitfortheirseveralcallings，alllyinghorriblyinpretendingtobelongtothem，butallnearlyorremotelyoftheorderofmonseigneur，andthereforefoistedonallpublicemploymentsfromwhichanythingwastobegot；theseweretobetoldoffbythescoreandthescore.peoplenotimmediatelyconnectedwithmonseigneurorthestate，yetequallyunconnectedwithanythingthatwasreal，orwithlivespassedintravellingbyanystraightroadtoanytrueearthlyend，werenolessabundant.doctorswhomadegreatfortunesoutofdaintyremediesforimaginarydisordersthatneverexisted，smiledupontheircourtlypatientsintheante-chambersofmonseigneur.projectorswhohaddiscoveredeverykindofremedyforthelittleevilswithwhichthestatewastouched，excepttheremedyofsettingtoworkinearnesttorootoutasinglesin，pouredtheirdistractingbabbleintoanyearstheycouldlayholdof，atthereceptionofmonseigneur.unbelievingphilosopherswhowereremodellingtheworldwithwords，andmakingcard-towersofbabeltoscaletheskieswith，talkedwithunbelievingchemistswhohadaneyeonthetransmutationofmetals，atthiswonderfulgatheringaccumulatedbymonseigneur.exquisitegentlemenofthefinestbreeding，whichwasatthatremarkabletime—andhasbeensince—tobeknownbyitsfruitsofindifferencetoeverynaturalsubjectofhumaninterest，wereinthemostexemplarystateofexhaustion，atthehotelofmonseigneur.suchhomeshadthesevariousnotabilitiesleftbehindtheminthefineworldofparis，thatthespiesamongtheassembleddevoteesofmonseigneur—formingagoodlyhalfofthepolitecompany—wouldhavefoundithardtodiscoveramongtheangelsofthatsphereonesolitarywife，who，inhermannersandappearance，ownedtobeingamother.indeed，exceptforthemereactofbringingatroublesomecreatureintothisworld—whichdoesnotgofartowardstherealisationofthenameofmother—therewasnosuchthingknowntothefashion.peasantwomenkepttheunfashionablebabiesclose，andbroughtthemup，andcharminggrandmammasofsixtydressedandsuppedasattwenty.

theleprosyofunrealitydisfiguredeveryhumancreatureinattendanceuponmonseigneur.intheoutermostroomwerehalfadozenexceptionalpeoplewhohadhad，forafewyears，somevaguemisgivinginthemthatthingsingeneralweregoingratherwrong.asapromisingwayofsettingthemright，halfofthehalf-dozenhadbecomemembersofafantasticsectofconvulsionists，andwereeventhenconsideringwithinthemselveswhethertheyshouldfoam，rage，roar，andturncatalepticonthespot—therebysettingupahighlyintelligiblefinger-posttothefuture，formonseigneur'sguidance.besidesthesedervishes，wereotherthreewhohadrushedintoanothersect，whichmendedmatterswithajargonabout'thecentreoftruth：'holdingthatmanhadgotoutofthecentreoftruth—whichdidnotneedmuchdemonstration—buthadnotgotoutofthecircumference，andthathewastobekeptfromflyingoutofthecircumference，andwaseventobeshovedbackintothecentre，byfastingandseeingofspirits.amongthese，accordingly，muchdiscoursingwithspiritswenton—anditdidaworldofgoodwhichneverbecamemanifest.