CHAPTER VII.
SOCIAL LIFE.
"Society in the Middle Ages was composed of the wrecks of a thousand other societies. All the forms of liberty and servitude were found in it; the monarchical liberty of the king, the individual liberty of the priest, the privileged liberty of kings, the representative liberty of the nation, Roman slavery, barbarian serfage, and the servitude of escheatage (aubane)."—Chateaubriand.
Facundo is now in possession of La Rioja, its umpire and absolute master; no other voice is heard there, no other interest than his exists there. As there is no literature, there are no opposing opinions. La Rioja is a military machine which will move as it is moved. Thus far, however, Facundo has done nothing new; Dr. Francia, Ibarra, Lopez, and Bustos, had done the same; and Guemes and Araos had attempted it in the North; that is, to destroy all existing rights for the purpose of strengthening their own. But beyond La Rioja lay an agitated world of ideas and of contradictory interests, whence came to Quiroga's residence in the Llanos the distant sounds of the controversies of the press and of political parties. Again his rise to pwer was necessarily attended by the spread of the clamor resulting from his-overthrow of the edifice of civilization, and by his becoming an object of attention to the neighboring commonwealths. His name had passed the frontiers of La Rioja; Rivadavia was inviting him to assist in the organization of the Republic; Bustos and Lopez wished him to oppose it;
