On July 14th, we first spoke on Reflections On the Revolution In France as a criticism of the outcomes of the French Revolution.  This was fitting because that date is celebrated as Bastille Day.  August 10th is the anniversary of the date on which the French royal family was imprisoned.  As such, it is perhaps fitting that we revisit another portion of this torrid part of French history and its continuing influence on Western Civilization through today.

It is in considering the rough and violent treatment of not only the royal family but indeed most of the nobility of France that we come to understand at least part of Burke’s reaction to the bloody and in many ways reckless French Revolution.  I am sympathetic to most of his ill reaction to these events.  It has not escaped me, for example, that the Marquis Lafayette was imprisoned for many years simply for suggesting that perhaps the revolutionists need to kill all of the nobility and might find some of these individuals of use to the future governance of France.  Please keep in mind that he was not pleading for himself.  He was already a minor hero in the overthrow of the monarchy.  He was asking for mercy for others.  For this, he was thrown in the dungeons and starved.  Or, at least that is the stories I have read.

Regardless of the exact veracity of such tales, it is a result of the barbarity of such actions that there was a strong repulsion to the excesses.  Reflections is Burke’s eloquent conservative rebuttal favoring traditional ways of life.  It expounded in favor of the wisdom of the ages as opposed to what was observed going on in France.

Continued reading of this work may be had starting at:

http://www.bartleby.com/24/3/1.html

Further listening in an audiobook format may be listened to at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atw8YA1BO-g&t=530s