Ordinary mortals could not hope to reach the ascetic
ideal of Port Royal, they could only be discouraged by the savage
attacks on _amour-propre_, while in the "Caracteres" they met with a
lay-preacher who was one of themselves, and who did not disdain to
encourage moral effort.
[Footnote 15: The wonderful passage in which La Bruyere
dwells on the condition of the French peasant of his day
marks a crisis in the conscience of Europe. It occurs in the
chapter "De l'Homme": "We see certain wild animals, male and
female, scattered over the fields, black, livid and scorched
by the sun, fastened to the soil which they delve and stir
with an invincible obstinacy; they have a sort of articulate
speech, and when they stand up upon their feet, they show a
countenance that is human: and in short they are human
beings. They creep back at nightfall into dens, where they
live on black bread, water and roots. They spare the rest of
mankind the trouble of sowing, ploughing and reaping what is
required for food, and accordingly they seem to deserve that
they should themselves not lack the bread which they have
sown.
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