But， in practice， through necessity and routine， he is treated according to Cardinal Richelieu's precept， as a beast of burden to which oats is sparingly rationed out for fear that he may become too strong and kick， "a mule which， accustomed to his load， is spoiled more by long repose than by work."....
________________________________________________________________Notes：
[1] Labruyère， edition of Destailleurs， II， 97. Addition to the fourth ed. (1689)[2] Oppression and misery begin about 1672. - At the end of the seventeenth century (l698)， the reports made up by the intendants for the Duc de Bourgogne， state that many of the districts and provinces have lost one-sixth， one-fifth， one-quarter， the third and even the half of their population. (See details in the "correspondance des contr？leurs-généraux from 1683 to 1698，" published by M. de Boislisle). According to the reports of intendants， (Vauban， "Dime Royale，" ch. VII. § 2.)， the population of France in 1698 amounted to 19，994，146 inhabitants. From 1698 to 1715 it decreases. According to Forbonnais， there were but 16 or 17 millions under the Regency. After this epoch the population no longer diminishes but， for forty years， it hardly increases. In 1753 (Voltaire， "Dict Phil.，" article Population)， there are 3，550，499 hearths， besides 700，000 souls in Paris， which makes from 16 to 17 millions of inhabitants if we count four and one-half persons to each fireside， and from 18 to 19 millions if we count five persons.
[3] Floquet， "Histoire du Parlement de Normandie，" VII. 402.
[4] Rousseau， "Confessions，" 1st part， ch. IV. (1732).
[5]D'Argenson， 19th and 24th May， July 4， and Aug. 1， 1739[6] "Résumé d'histoire d'Auvergne par un Auvergnat" (M.
Tallandier)， p. 313.
[7] D'Argenson， 1740， Aug. 7 and 21， September 19 and 24， May 28and November 7.
[8] D'Argenson， October 4， 1749； May 20， Sept. 12， Oct. 28， Dec.
28， 1750.
[9] D'Argenson， June 21， 1749； May 22， 1750； March 19， 1751；February 14， April 15， 1752， etc.
[10] Floquet， ibid.. VII. 410 (April， 1752， an address to the Parliament of Normandy)[11] D'Argenson， November 26， 1751： March 15， 1753.
[12] D'Argenson， IV. 124； VI. 165： VII. 194， etc.
[13] Floquet， ibid. VI. 400-430
[14] "Correspondance，" by Métra， I. 338， 341. - Hippeau， "Le Gouvernement de Normandie，" IV. 62， 199， 358.
[15] "Procès-verbaux de l'assemblée provinciale de Basse Normandie"(1787)， p.151.
[16] Archives nationales， G， 319. Condition of the directory of Issoudun， and H， 1149， 612， 1418.
[17] Ibid.. The letters of M. de Crosne， intendant of Rouen (February 17， 1784)； of M. de Blossac， intendant of Poitiers (May 9， 1784)； of M. de Villeneuve， intendant of Bourges (March 28， 1784)； of M. de Cypierre， intendant of Orleans (May 28， 1784)； of M. de Maziron， intendant of Moulins (June 28， 1786)； of M. Dupont， intendant of Moulins (Nov. 16， 1779)， etc.
[18] Archives nationales， H， 200 (A memorandum by M. Amelot， intendant at Dijon， 1786).
[19] Gautier de Bianzat， "Doléances sur les surcharges que portent les gens du Tiers-Etat，" etc. (1789)， p. 188. - "Procès-verbaux de I'assemblée provinciale d'Auvergne" (1787)， p. 175.
[20] Théron de Montaugé， "L'Agriculture et les chores rurales dans le Toulousain，" 112.
[21] "Procès-verbaux de assemblée provinciale de la Haute-Guyenne，"I. 47， 79.
[22] "Procès-verbaux de l'assemblée provinciale du Soissonais"(1787)， p. 457； "de l'assemblée provinciale d'Auch，" p. 24.
[23] "Résumé des cahiers，" by Prudhomme， III. 271.
[24] Hippeau， ibid. VI. 74， 243 (grievances drawn up by the Chevalier de Bertin).
[25] See the article "Fermiers et Grains，" in the Encyclopedia， by Quesnay， 1756.
[26] Théron de Montaugé， p.25. - "Ephémérides du citoyen，" III. 190(1766)； IX. 15 (an article by M. de Butré， 1767).
[27] "Procés-verbaux de l'assemblée provinciale de l'Orléanais"(1787)， in a memoir by M. d'Autroche.
[28] One is surprised to see such a numerous people fed even though one-half， or one-quarter of the arable land is sterile wastes. (Arthur Young， II， 137.)[29] Archives nationales， H， 1149. A letter of the Comtesse de Saint-Georges (1772) on the effects of frost. "The ground this year will remain uncultivated， there being already much land in this condition， and especially in our parish." Théron de Montaugé， ibid..
45， 80.
[30] Arthur Young， II. 112， 115. - Théron de Montaugé， 52， 61.
[31] The Marquis de Mirabeau， "Traité de la population，" p.29.
[32] Cf Galiani， "Dialogues sur le commerce des blés." (1770)， p.
193. Wheat bread at this time cost four sous per pound.
[33] Arthur Young， II. 200， 201， 260-265. - Théron de Montaugé， 59， 68， 75， 79， 81， 84.
[34] "The poor people who cultivate the soil here are métayers， that is men who hire the land without ability to stock it； the proprietor is forced to provide cattle and seed and he and his tenants divide the produce." - ARTHUR YOUNG.(TR.)[35] "Ephémérides du citoyen，" VI. 81-94 (1767)， and IX. 99 (1767).
[36] Turgot， "Collections des économistes，" I. 544， 549.
[37] Marquis de Mirabeau， "Traité de la population，" 83..
[38] Hippeau， VI， 91.
[39] Dulaure， "Description de l'Auvergne，" 1789.
[40] Arthur Young， I. 235.
[41] "Ephémérides du citoyen，" XX. 146， a letter of the Marquis de - August 17， 1767.
[42] Lucas de Montigny， "Memoires de Mirabeau，" I， 394.
[43] Arthur Young， I. 280， 289， 294.
[44] Lafayette "Mémoires，" V. 533.
[45] Lucas de Montigny， ibid. (a letter of August 18， 1777).
[46] De Tocqueville， 117.
[47] "Procès-verbaux de l'assemblée provinciale de Basse Normandie"(1787)， p.205.
[48] Léonce de Lavergne， p. 26 (according to the tables of indemnity granted to the émigrés in 1825). In the estate of Blet (see note 2 at the end of the volume)， twenty-two parcels are alienated in 1760. - Arthur Young， I. 308 (the domain of Tour-d'Aigues， in Provence)， and II. 198， 214. - Doniol， "Histoire des classes rurales，"p.450. - De Tocqueville， p.36.