ABSTRACT
I I TRIED in the preceding chapter to give a general picture of the effect which a certain aspect of the evolution of royal absolutism in France had upon legal circles, and in particular upon lawyers closely connected with the par/ements. I suggested that this evolution gave rise to an attitude of reserve towards social life and the State-'the world' -but that this attitude was free from any element of active political or social opposition to the monarchy. It was this attitude which in my view, provided the background of ideas and feelings against which Jansenist ideology developed.
