thousand
livres to withdraw his suit, which Peruot refuses to do. Finally, the
Count de Chabrillant is condemned, with six thousand livres damages,
(which are given to the poor and to prisoners), as well as to the
expense of printing two hundred impressions of the verdict.--Duport
de Cheverney, "Memoires," (unpublished), communicated by M. Robert de
Crevecoeur: "Formerly a man paid fifty thousand livres for an office
with only three hundred livres income; the consideration, however,
he enjoyed through it, and the certainty of remaining in it for life,
compensated him for the sacrifice, while the longer he kept it, the
greater was the influence of himself and children."]

[Footnote 4180: Albert Babeau, "La Ville," p. 27;--"Histoire de Troyes,"
p. 21.--This portrait is drawn according to recollections of childhood
and family narrations. I happen to have known the details of two or
three small provincial towns, one of about six thousand inhabitants
where, before 1800, nearly all the notables, forty families, were
relations; to-day all are scattered. The more one studies documents, the
more does Montesquieu's definition of the incentive of society under
the ancient regime seem profound and just, this incentive consisting of
honor. In the bourgeoisie who were confounded with the nobility, namely
the Parliamentarians, their functions were nearly gratuitous; the
magistrate received his pay in deference. (Moniteur, V., 520. Session
of August 30, 1790, speech by d'Espremenil.) "Here is what it cost a
Councillor; I take myself as an example. He paid fifty thousand livres
for his place, and ten thousand more for the tax of the 'marc d'or.'
He received three hundred and eighty-nine livres ten sous salary,
from which three hundred and sixty-seven livres 'capitation' had to be
deducted. The King allowed us forty-five livres for extra service of 'La
Tournelle'. How about the fees? is asked. The (grande chambre) superior
court, asserted to have received the largest amount, was composed of one
hundred and eighty members; the fees amounted to two hundred and fifty
thousand livres, which were not a burden on the nation, but on the
litigants. M. Thouret, who practiced in the Rouen parliament, will
bear witness to this. I appeal to him to say conscientiously what sum
a Councillor derived from his office--not five hundred livres... When
a judgment cost the litigant nine hundred livres the King's portion was
six hundred livres... To sum up,