贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the origins of contemporary france-2 >

第15章

the origins of contemporary france-2-第15章

小说: the origins of contemporary france-2 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




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

minds so distrustful; that at every step in the streets 〃one's name

has to be given; one's profession declared; one's residence; and

one's intentions 。  。  。。  One can neither enter nor leave Paris

without being suspected of treason。〃 The Prince de Montbarrey;

advocate of the new ideas; and his wife; are stopped in their

carriage at the barrier; and are on the point of being cut to

pieces。  A deputy of the nobles; on his way to the National

Assembly; is seized in his cab and conducted to the Place de Grève;

the corpse of M。 de Launay is shown to him; and he is told that he

is to be treated in the same fashion。  …  Every life hangs by a

thread; and; on the following days; when the King had sent away his

troops; dismissed his Ministers; recalled Necker; and granted

everything; the danger remains just as great。  The multitude;

abandoned to the revolutionaries and to itself; continues the same

bloody antics; while the municipal chiefs'50' whom it has elected;

Bailly; Mayor of Paris; and Lafayette; commandant of the National

Guard; are obliged to use cunning; to implore; to throw themselves

between the multitude and the unfortunates whom they wish to

destroy。



On the 15th of July; in the night; a woman disguised as a man is

arrested in the court of the H?tel…de…Ville; and so maltreated that

she faints away; Bailly; in order to save her; is obliged to feign

anger against her and have her sent immediately to prison。  From the

14th to the 22nd of July; Lafayette; at the risk of his life; saves

with his own hand seventeen persons in different quarters。'51'  On

the 22nd of July; upon the denunciations which multiply around Paris

like trains of gunpowder; two administrators of high rank; M。

Foulon; Councillor of State; and M。 Berthier; his son…in…law; are

arrested; one near Fontainebleau; and the other near Compiègne。  M。

Foulon; a strict master;'52' but intelligent and useful; expended

sixty thousand francs the previous winter on his estate in giving

employment to the poor。  M。 Berthier; an industrious and capable

man; had officially surveyed and valued Ile…de…France; to equalize

the taxes; and had reduced the overcharged quotas first one…eighth

and then a quarter。  But both of these gentlemen have arranged the

details of the camp against which Paris has risen; both are publicly

proscribed for eight days previously by the Palais…Royal; and; with

a people frightened by disorder; exasperated by hunger; and

stupefied by suspicion; an accused person is a guilty one。   With

regard to Foulon; as with Réveillon; a story is made up; coined in

the same mint; a sort of currency for popular circulation; and which

the people itself manufactures by casting into one tragic expression

the sum of its sufferings and rankling memories:'53' 〃He said that

we were worth no more than his horses; and that if we had no bread

we had only to eat grass。〃  The old man of seventy…four is brought

to Paris; with a truss of hay on his head; a collar of thistles

around his neck; and his mouth stuffed with hay。  In vain does the

electoral bureau order his imprisonment that he may be saved; the

crowd yells out: 〃Sentenced and hung!〃 and; authoritatively;

appoints the judges。  In vain does Lafayette insist and entreat

three times that the judgment be regularly rendered; and that the

accused be sent to the Abbaye。  A new wave of people comes up; and

one man; 〃well dressed;〃 cries out: 〃What is the need of a sentence

for a man who has been condemned for thirty years?〃 Foulon is

carried off; dragged across the square; and hung to the lamp post。

The cord breaks twice; and twice he falls upon the pavement。  Re…

hung with a fresh cord and then cut down; his head is severed from

his body and placed on the end of a pike。'54'  Meanwhile; Berthier;

sent away from Compiègne by the municipality; afraid to keep him in

his prison where he was constantly menaced; arrives in a cabriolet

under escort。  The people carry placards around him filled with

opprobrious epithets; in changing horses they threw hard black bread

into the carriage; exclaiming; 〃There; wretch; see the bread you

made us eat!〃 On reaching the church of Saint…Merry; a fearful storm

of insults burst forth against him。  He is called a monopolist;

〃although he had never bought or sold a grain of wheat。〃 In the eyes

of the multitude; who has to explain the evil as caused by some

evil…doer; he is the author of the famine。  Conducted to the Abbaye;

his escort is dispersed and he is pushed over to the lamp post。

Then; seeing that all is lost; he snatches a gun from one of his

murderers and bravely defends himself。  A soldier of the 〃Royal

Croats〃 gives him a cut with his saber across the stomach; and

another tears out his heart。  As the cook; who had cut off the head

of M。 de Launay; happens to be on the spot; they hand him the heart

to carry while the soldiers take the head; and both go to the H?tel…

de…Ville to show their trophies to M。 de Lafayette。  On their return

to the Palais…Royal; and while they are seated at table in a tavern;

the people demand these two remains。  They throw them out of the

window and finish their supper; whilst the heart is marched about

below in a bouquet of white carnations。   Such are the spectacles

which this garden presents where; a year before; 〃good society in

full dress〃 came on leaving the Opera to chat; often until two

o'clock in the morning; under the mild light of the moon; listening

now to the violin of Saint…Georges; and now to the charming voice of

Garat。





VIII。



Paris in the hands of the people。



Henceforth it is clear that no one is safe: neither the new militia

nor the new authorities suffice to enforce respect for the law。

〃They did not dare;〃 says Bailly;'55' 〃oppose the people who; eight

days before this; had taken the Bastille。〃   In vain; after the

last two murders; do Bailly and Lafayette indignantly threaten to

withdraw; they are forced to remain; their protection; such as it

is; is all that is left; and; if the National Guard is unable to

prevent every murder; it prevents some of them。  People live as they

can under the constant expectation of fresh popular violence。  〃To

every impartial man;〃 says Malouet; 〃the Terror dates from the 14th

of July〃。  …  On the 17th; before setting out for Paris; the King

attends communion and makes his will in anticipation of

assassination。  From the 16th to the 18th; twenty personages of high

rank; among others most of those on whose heads a price is set by

the Palais…Royal; leave France: The Count d'Artois; Marshal de

Broglie; the Princes de Condé; de Conti; de Lambesc; de Vaudemont;

the Countess de Polignac; and the Duchesses de Polignac and de

Guiche。   The day following the two murders; M。 de Crosne; M。

Doumer; M。 Sureau; the most zealous and most valuable members of the

committee on subsistence; all those appointed to make purchases and

to take care of the storehouses; conceal themselves or fly。  On the

eve of the two murders; the notaries of Paris; being menaced with a

riot; had to advance 45;000 francs which were promised to the

workmen of the Faubourg Saint…Antoine; while the public treasury;

almost empty; is drained of 30;000 livres per day to diminish the

cost of bread。   Persons and possessions; great and small; private

individuals and public functionaries; the Government itself; all is

in the hands of the mob。  〃From this moment;〃 says a deputy;'56'

〃liberty did not exist even in the National Assembly 。  。  。  France

stood dumb before thirty factious persons。  The Assembly became in

their hands a passive instrument; which they forced to serve them in

the execution of their projects。〃   They themselves do not lead;

although they seem to lead。  The great brute; which has taken the

bit in its mouth; holds on to it; and it's plunging becomes more

violent。  Not only do both spurs which maddened i

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的