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第14章

the origins of contemporary france-2-第14章

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infatuated with the novel sensations of attack and resistance; with

the smell of gunpowder; with the excitement of the contest; all they

can think of doing is to rush against the mass of stone; their

expedients being on a level with their tactics。  A brewer fancies

that he can set fire to this block of masonry by pumping over it

spikenard and poppy…seed oil mixed with phosphorus。  A young

carpenter; who has some archaeological notions; proposes to

construct a catapult。  Some of them think that they have seized the

governor's daughter; and want to burn her in order to make the

father surrender。  Others set fire to a projecting mass of buildings

filled with straw; and thus close up the passage。  〃The Bastille was

not taken by main force;〃 says the brave Elie; one of the

combatants; 〃it surrendered before even it was attacked;〃'43' by

capitulation; on the promise that no harm should be done to anybody。

The garrison; being perfectly secure; had no longer the heart to

fire on human beings while themselves risking nothing;'44' and; on

the other hand; they were unnerved by the sight of the immense

crowd。  Eight or nine hundred men only'45' were concerned in the

attack; most of them workmen or shopkeepers belonging to the

faubourg; tailors; wheelwrights; mercers and wine…dealers; mixed

with the French Guards。  The Place de la Bastille; however; and all

the streets in the vicinity; were crowded with the curious who came

to witness the sight; 〃among them;〃 says a witness;'46' 〃were a

number of fashionable women of very good appearance; who had left

their carriages at some distance。〃 To the hundred and twenty men of

the garrison looking down from their parapets it seemed as though

all Paris had come out against them。  It is they; also; who lower

the drawbridge an introduce the enemy: everybody has lost his head;

the besieged as well as the besiegers; the latter more completely

because they are intoxicated with the sense of victory。  Scarcely

have they entered when they begin the work of destruction; and the

latest arrivals shoot at random those that come earlier; 〃each one

fires without heeding where or on whom his shot tells。〃 Sudden

omnipotence and the liberty to kill are a wine too strong for human

nature; giddiness is the result; men see red; and their frenzy ends

in ferocity。



For the peculiarity of a popular insurrection is that nobody obeys

anybody; the bad passions are free as well as the generous ones;

heroes are unable to restrain assassins。  Elie; who is the first to

enter the fortress; Cholat; Hulin; the brave fellows who are in

advance; the French Guards who are cognizant of the laws of war; try

to keep their word of honor; but the crowd pressing on behind them

know not whom to strike; and they strike at random。  They spare the

Swiss soldiers who have fired at them; and who; in their blue

smocks; seem to them to be prisoners; on the other hand; by way of

compensation; they fall furiously on the invalides who opened the

gates to them; the man who prevented the governor from blowing up

the fortress has his wrist severed by the blow of a saber; is twice

pierced with a sword and is hung; and the hand which had saved one

of the districts of Paris is promenaded through the streets in

triumph。  The officers are dragged along and five of them are

killed; with three soldiers; on the spot; or on the way。  During the

long hours of firing; the murderous instinct has become aroused; and

the wish to kill; changed into a fixed idea; spreads afar among the

crowd which has hitherto remained inactive。  It is convinced by its

own clamor; a hue and cry is all that it now needs; the moment one

strikes; all want to strike。  〃Those who had no arms;〃 says an

officer; 〃threw stones at me;'47' the women ground their teeth and

shook their fists at me。  Two of my men had already been

assassinated behind me。  I finally got to within some hundreds of

paces of the H?tel…de…Ville; amidst a general cry that I should be

hung; when a head; stuck on a pike; was presented to me to look at;

while at。  the same moment I was told that it was that of M。 de

Launay;〃 the governor。  …  The latter; on going out; had received

the cut of a sword on his right shoulder; n reaching the Rue Saint…

Antoine 〃everybody pulled his hair out and struck him。〃 Under the

arcade of Saint…Jean he was already 〃severely wounded。〃 Around him;

some said; 〃his head ought to be struck off;〃 others; 〃let him be

hung;〃 and others; 〃he ought to be tied to a horse's tail。〃 Then; in

despair; and wishing to put an end to his torments; he cried out;

〃Kill me;〃 and; in struggling; kicked one of the men who held him in

the lower abdomen。  On the instant he is pierced with bayonets;

dragged in the gutter; and; striking his corpse; they exclaim; 〃He's

a scurvy wretch (galeux) and a monster who has betrayed us; the

nation demands his head to exhibit to the public;〃 and the man who

was kicked is asked to cut it off。    This man; an unemployed

cook; a simpleton who 〃went to the Bastille to see what was going

on;〃 thinks that as it is the general opinion; the act is patriotic;

and even believes that he 〃deserves a medal for destroying a

monster。〃 Taking a saber which is lent to him; he strikes the bare

neck; but the dull saber not doing its work; he takes a small black…

handled knife from his pocket; and; 〃as in his capacity of cook he

knows how to cut meat;〃 he finishes the operation successfully。

Then; placing the head on the end of a three…pronged pitchfork; and

accompanied by over two hundred armed men; 〃not counting the mob;〃

he marches along; and; in the Rue Saint…Honoré; he has two

inscriptions attached to the head; to indicate without mistake whose

head it is。   They grow merry over it: after filing alongside of

the Palais…Royal; the procession arrives at the Pont…Neuf; where;

before the statue of Henry IV。; they bow the head three times;

saying; 〃Salute thy master ! 〃  This is the last joke: it is to be

found in every triumph; and inside the butcher; we find the rogue。





VII。



Murders of Foulon and Berthier。



Meanwhile; at the Palais…Royal; other buffoons; who with the levity

of gossips sport with lives as freely as with words; have drawn u。

During the night between the 13th and 14th of July; a list of

proscriptions; copies of which are hawked about。  Care is taken to

address one of them to each of the persons designated; the Comte

d'Artois; Marshal de Broglie; the Prince de Lambesc; Baron de

Bezenval; MM。 de Breteuil; Foulon; Berthier; Maury; d'Espréménil;

Lefèvre d'Amécourt; and others besides。'48'  A reward is promised to

whoever will bring their heads to the Café de Caveau。  Here are

names for the unchained multitude; all that now is necessary is that

some band should encounter a man who is denounced; he will go as far

as the lamppost at the street corner; but not beyond it。  …

Throughout the day of the 14th; this improvised tribunal holds a

permanent session; and follows up its decisions with its actions。

M。 de Flesselles; provost of the merchants and president of the

electors at the H?tel…de…Ville; having shown himself somewhat

lukewarm;'49' the Palais…Royal declares him a traitor and sends him

off to be hung。  On the way a young man fells him with a pistol…

shot; others fall upon his body; while his head; borne upon a pike;

goes to join that of M。 de Launay。   Equally deadly accusations

and of equally speedy execution float in the air and from every

direction。  〃On the slightest pretext;〃 says an elector; 〃they

denounced to us those whom they thought opposed to the Revolution;

which already signified the same as enemies of the State。  Without

any investigation; there was only talk of the seizure of their

persons; the ruin of their homes; and the razing of their houses。

One young man exclaimed: 'Follow me at once; let us start off at

once to Bezenval's!'〃   Their brains are so frightened; and their

minds so distrustfu

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