THE STORY OF A PEASANT; (1789) OP, THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT FRENCH REVOLUTION. BY MM. ERCKMANN-CHATRIAN, LONDON: WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, THE STORY OF A PEASANT. PART THE FIRST. 1789. THE story of the Great Revolution of the people and the middle classes against the nobles in 1789 has been told by many. But they were men of wit and learning, who took an extended view of the matter. I am an old peasant, and I will only speak of these facts as they affected ourselves. Let us attend to our business; we must be acquainted with what occurred before our eyes; let us profit by them. You must know, before the Revolution, the district and lordship of Phalsbourg had five villages belonging to it-Vilschberg, Mittelbronn, Lutzelbourg, Hultenhausen, and Hazelbourg. The townspeople and those of Vilschberg and Hazelbourg were free, but those of the other villages were serfs, men and women alike; they could not leave the lordship or otherwise absent themselves without the prévôt's permission. The prévôt administered justice at the town-hall; he had both civil and criminal jurisdiction; he wore a sword, and could send a man to the gallows. B |