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第19章

the origins of contemporary france-2-第19章

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All his furniture and effects are broken up; burnt or stolen。  He is

forced to sign; along with his wife; an act by which he binds

himself to refund all penalties inflicted by him; and to abandon all

claims for damages for the injuries to which he has just been

subjected。   In Franche…Comté the authorities dare not condemn

delinquents; and the police do not arrest them; the military

commandant writes that 〃crimes of every kind are on the increase;

and that he has no means of punishing them。〃 Insubordination is

permanent in all the provinces; one of the provincial commissions

states with sadness:



 〃When all powers are in confusion and annihilated; when public

force no longer exists; when all ties are sundered; when every

individual considers himself relieved from all kinds of obligation;

when public authority no longer dares make itself felt; and it is a

crime to have been clothed with it; what can be expected of our

efforts to restore order? 〃'6'



 All that remains of this great demolished State is forty thousand

groups of people; each separated and isolated; in towns and small

market villages where municipal bodies; elected committees; and

improvised National Guards strive to prevent the worst excesses。  

But these local chiefs are novices; they are human; and they are

timid。  Chosen by acclamation they believe in popular rights; in the

midst of riots they feel themselves in danger。  Hence; they

generally obey the crowd。



〃Rarely;〃 says one of the provincial commissions reports; 〃do the

municipal authorities issue a summons; they allow the greatest

excesses rather than enter upon prosecutions for which; sooner or

later; they may be held responsible by their fellow…citizens。  。  。

。  Municipal bodies have no longer the power to resist anything。〃



Especially in the rural districts the mayor or syndic; who is a

farmer; makes it his first aim to make no enemies; and would resign

his place if it were to bring him any 〃unpleasantness〃 with it。  His

rule in the towns; and especially in large cities; is almost as lax

and more precarious; because explosive material is accumulated here

to a much larger extent; and the municipal officers; in their arm…

chairs at the town…hall; sit over a mine which may explode at any

time。  To…morrow; perhaps; some resolution passed at a tavern in the

suburbs; or some incendiary newspaper just received from Paris; will

furnish the spark。  …  No other defense against the populace is at

hand than the sentimental proclamations of the National Assembly;

the useless presence of troops who stand by and look on; and the

uncertain help of a National Guard which will arrive too late。

Occasionally these townspeople; who are now the rulers; utter a cry

of distress from under the hands of the sovereigns of the street who

grasp them by the throat。  At Puy…en…Velay;'7' a town of twenty

thousand inhabitants; the présidial;'8' the committee of twenty…four

commissioners; a body of two hundred dragoons; and eight hundred men

of the guard of burgesses; are 〃paralyzed; and completely stupefied;

by the vile populace。  A mild treatment only increases its

insubordination and insolence。〃 This populace proscribes whomsoever it

pleases; and six days ago a gibbet; erected by its hands; has announced

to the new magistrates the fate that awaits them。



 〃 What will become of us this winter;〃 they exclaim; 〃in our

impoverished country; where bread is not to be had! We shall be the

prey of wild beasts!〃



 III。



Public feeling。  … Famine



These people; in truth; are hungry; and; since the Revolution; their

misery has increased。  Around Puy…en…Velay the country is laid

waste; and the soil broken up by a terrible tempest; a fierce

hailstorm; and a deluge of rain。  In the south; the crop proved to

be moderate and even insufficient。



〃To trace a picture of the condition of Languedoc;〃 writes the

intendant;'9' 〃would be to give an account of calamities of every

description。  The panic which prevails in all communities; and which

is stronger than all laws; stops traffic; and would cause famine

even in the midst of plenty。  Commodities are enormously expensive;

and there is a lack of cash。  Communities are ruined by the enormous

outlays to which they are exposed: The payment of the deputies to

the seneschal's court; the establishment of the burgess guards;

guardhouses for this militia; and the purchase of arms; uniforms;

and outlays in forming communes and permanent councils。  To this

must be add the cost of the printing of all kinds; and the

publication of trivial deliberations。  Further the loss of time due

to disturbances occasioned by these circumstances; and the utter

stagnation of manufactures and of trade。〃 All these causes combined

〃have reduced Languedoc to the last extremity。〃…



In the Center; and in the North; where the crops are good;

provisions are not less scarce; because wheat is not put in

circulation; and is kept concealed。



 〃For five months;〃 writes the municipal assembly of Louviers;'10'

〃not a farmer has made his appearance in the markets of this town。

Such a circumstance was never known before; although; from time to

time; high prices have prevailed to a considerable extent。  On the

contrary; the markets were always well supplied in proportion to the

high price of grain。〃



 In vain the municipality orders the surrounding forty…seven

parishes to provide them with wheat。  They pay no attention to the

mandate; each for himself and each for his own house; the intendant

is no longer present to compel local interests to give way to public

interests。



〃In the wheat districts around us;〃 says a letter from one of the

Burgundy towns; 〃we cannot rely on being able to make free

purchases。  Special regulations; supported by the civic guard;

prevent grain from being sent out; and put a stop to its

circulation。  The adjacent markets are of no use to us。  Not a sack

of grain has been brought into our market for about eight months。〃



At Troyes; bread costs four sous per pound; at Bar…sur…Aube; and in

the vicinity; four and a half sous per pound。  The artisan who is

out of work now earns twelve sous a day at the relief works; and; on

going into the country; he sees that the grain crop is good。  What

conclusion can he come to but that the dearth is due to the

monopolists; and that; if he should die of hunger; it would be

because those scoundrels have starved him?  By virtue of this

reasoning whoever has to do with these provisions; whether

proprietor; farmer; merchant or administrator; all are considered

traitors。  It is plain that there is a plot against the people: the

government; the Queen; the clergy; the nobles are all parties to it;

and likewise the magistrates and the wealthy amongst the bourgeoisie

and the rich。  A rumor is current in the Ile…de…France that sacks of

flour are thrown into the Seine; and that the cavalry horses are

purposely made to eat unripe wheat in stalk。  In Brittany; it is

maintained that grain is exported and stored up abroad。  In

Touraine; it is certain that this or that wholesale dealer allows it

to sprout in his granaries rather than sell it。  At Troyes; a story

prevails that another has poisoned his flour with alum and arsenic;

commissioned to do so by the bakers。   Conceive the effect of

suspicions like these upon a suffering multitude! A wave of hatred

ascends from the empty stomach to the morbid brain。  The people are

everywhere in quest of their imaginary enemies; plunging forward

with closed eyes no matter on whom or on what; not merely with all

the weight of their mass; but with all the energy of their fury。



 IV。



Panic。  … General arming。



》From the earliest of these weeks they were already alarmed。

Accustomed to being led; the human herd is scared at being left to

itself; it misses its leaders who it has trodden under foot; in

throwing off their trammels it has deprived itsel

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