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第24章

the origins of contemporary france-2-第24章

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correspondent of the deputies of the nobles; is seized; and dragged

with his son to the dwelling of the procurator…fiscal; to force him

to give his signature; the inhabitants are forbidden to render him

assistance 〃on pain of death and fire。〃 〃Sign;〃 they exclaim; 〃or we

will tear out your heart; and set fire to this house !〃 At this

moment the neighboring notary; who is doubtless an accomplice;

appears with a stamped paper; and says to him; 〃Monsieur; I have

just come from Niort; where the Third…Estate has done the same thing

to all the gentlemen of the town; one; who refused; was cut to

pieces before our eyes。〃  〃We are compelled to sign renunciations

of our privileges; and give our assent to one and the same taxation;

as if the nobles had not already done so。〃 The band gives notice

that it will proceed in the same fashion with all the chateaux in

the vicinity; and terror precedes or follows them。  〃Nobody dares

write;〃 M。 Despretz sends word; 〃 I attempt it at the risk of my

life。〃  Nobles and prelates become objects of suspicion

everywhere; village committees open their letters; and they have to

suffer their houses to be searched。'33'  They are forced to adopt

the new cockade: to be a gentleman; and not wear it; is to deserve

hanging。  At Mamers; in Maine; M。 de Beauvoir refuses to wear it;

and is at the point of being put into the pillory and felled。  Near

La F1èche; M。 de Brissac is arrested; and a message is sent to Paris

to know if he shall be taken there; 〃or be beheaded in the

meantime。〃 Two deputies of the nobles; MM。 de Montesson and de Vassé

who had come to ask the consent of their constituents to their

joining the Third…Estate; are recognized near Mans; their honorable

scruples and their pledges to the constituents are considered of no

importance; nor even the step that they are now taking to fulfill

them; it suffices that they voted against the Third…Estate at

Versailles; the populace pursues them and breaks up their carriages;

and pillages their trunks。   Woe to the nobles; especially if they

have taken any part in local rule; and if they are opposed to

popular panics! M。 Cureau; deputy…mayor of Mans;'34' had issued

orders during the famine; and; having retired to his chateau of

Nouay; had told the peasants that the announcement of the coming of

brigands was a false alarm; he thought that it was not necessary to

sound the alarm bell; and all that was necessary was that they

should remain quiet。  Accordingly he is set down as being in league

with the brigands; and besides this he is a monopolist; and a buyer

of standing crops。  The peasants lead him off; along with his son…

in…law; M。 de Montesson; to the neighboring village; where there

are judges。  On the way 〃they dragged their victims on the ground;

pummeled them; trampled on them; spit in their faces; and besmeared

them with filth。〃 M。 de Montesson is shot; while M。 Cureau is killed

by degrees; a carpenter cuts off the two heads with a double…edged

ax; and children bear them along to the sound of drums and violins。

Meanwhile; the judges of the place; brought by force; draw up an

official report stating the finding of thirty louis and several

bills of the Banque d'Escompte in the pockets of M。 de Cureau; on

the discovery of which a shout of triumph is set up: this evidence

proves that they were going to buy up the standing wheat !  Such

is the course of popular justice。  Now that the Third…Estate has

become the nation; every mob thinks that it has the right to

pronounce sentences; which it carries out; on lives and on

possessions。



These explosions are isolated in the western; central and southern

provinces; the conflagration; however; is universal in the east。  On

a strip of ground from thirty to fifty leagues broad; extending from

the extreme north down to Provence。  Alsace; Franche…Comté;

Burgundy; Maconnais; Beaujolais; Auvergne; Viennois; Dauphiny; the

whole of this territory resembles a continuous mine which explodes

at the same time。  The first column of flame which shoots up is on

the frontiers of Alsace and Franche…Comté; in the vicinity of

Belfort and Vésoul; a feudal district; in which the peasant; over…

burdened with taxes; bears the heavier yoke with greater impatience。

An instinctive argument is going on in his mind without his knowing

it。  〃The good Assembly and the good King want us to be happy;

suppose we help them! They say that the King has already relieved us

of the taxes; suppose we relieve ourselves of paying rents! Down

with the nobles! They are no better than the tax…collectors! 〃  On

the 16th of July; the chateau of Sancy; belonging to the Princesses

de Beaufremont; is sacked; and on the 18th those of Lure; Bithaine;

and Molans。'35'  On the 29th; an accident which occurs with some

fire…works at a popular festival at the house of M。 de Mesmay; leads

the lower class to believe that the invitation extended to them was

a trap; and that there was a desire to get rid of them by

treachery。'36'  Seized with rage they set fire to the chateau; and

during the following week'37' destroy three abbeys; ruin eleven

chateaux and pillage others。  〃 All records are destroyed; the

registers and court…rolls are carried off; and the deposits

violated。〃  Starting from this spot; 〃the hurricane of

insurrection〃 stretches over the whole of Alsace from Huningue to

Landau。'38'  The insurgents display placards; signed Louis; stating

that for a certain lapse of time they shall be permitted to exercise

justice themselves; and; in Sundgau; a well…dressed weaver;

decorated with a blue belt; passes for a prince; the King's second

son。  They begin by falling on the Jews; their hereditary leeches;

they sack their dwellings; divide their money among themselves; and

hunt them down like so many fallow…deer。  At Bale alone; it is said

that twelve hundred of these unfortunate fugitives arrived with

their families。   The distance between the Jew creditor and the

Christian proprietor is not great; and this is soon cleared。

Remiremont is only saved by a detachment of dragoons。  Eight hundred

men attack the chateau of Uberbrünn。  The abbey of Neubourg is taken

by storm。  At Guebwiller; on the 31st of July; five hundred

peasants; subjects of the abbey of Murbach; make a descent on the

abbot's palace and on the house of the canons。  Cupboards; chests;

beds; windows; mirrors; frames; even the tiles of the roof and the

hinges of the casements are hacked to pieces: 〃They kindle fires on

the beautiful inlaid floors of the apartments; and there burn up the

library and the title…deeds。〃 The abbot's superb carriage is so

broken up that not a wheel remains entire。  〃Wine streams through

the cellars。  One cask of sixteen hundred measures is half lost; the

plate and the linen are carried off。〃   Society is evidently being

overthrown; while with the power; property is changing hands。



These are their very words。  In Franche…Comte'39' the inhabitants of

eight communes come and declare to the Bernardins of Grace…Dieu and

of Lieu…Croissant 〃that; being of the Third…Estate; it is time now

for the people to rule over abbots and monks; considering that the

domination of the latter has lasted too long;〃 and thereupon they

carry off all the titles to property and to rentals belonging to the

abbey in their commune。  In Upper Dauphiny; during the destruction

of M。 de Murat's chateau; a man named Ferréol struck the furniture

with a big stick; exclaiming; 〃Hey; so much for you; Murat; you have

been master a good while; now it's our turn!〃'40'  Those who rifle

houses; and steal like highway robbers; think that they are

defending a cause; and reply to the challenge; 〃Who goes there?〃 〃We

are for the brigand Third…Estate!〃  Everywhere the belief prevails

that they are clothed with authority; and they conduct themselves

like a conquering horde under the orders of an absent general。  At

Remiremont and at Luxeuil they produce an edict; stating th

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