the origins of contemporary france-4-第10章

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*　it　must　render　them　omnipotent；



*　it　must　force　each　rebel　city　to　accept　the　rule　of　its　rabble　and

villains。



It　matters　little　whether　the　Jacobins　be　a　minority；　whether　at

Bordeaux；　they　have　but　four　out　of　twenty…eight　sections　on　their

side；　at　Marseilles　five　out　of　thirty…two；　whether　at　Lyons　they　can

count　up　only　fifteen　hundred　devoted　adherents。＇83＇　　Suffrages　are

not　reckoned；　but　weighed；　for　legality　is　founded；　not　on　numbers；

but　on　patriotism；　the　sovereign　people　being　composed　wholly　of　sans…

culottes。　　So　much　the　worse　for　towns　where　the　anti…revolutionary

majority　is　so　great；　they　are　only　more　dangerous；　under　the

republican　demonstrations　is　concealed　the　hostility　of　old　parties

and　of　the　〃suspect〃　classes；　the　Moderates；　the　Feuillants　and

Royalists；　merchants；　men　of　the　legal　profession；　property…owners　and

muscadins。＇84＇　These　towns　are　nests　of　reptiles　and　must　be　crushed

out。







IX。



Destruction　of　Rebel　Cities。　　　Bordeaux。　　　Marseilles。　　　Lyons。…

…　Toulon。



Consequently；　obedient　or　disobedient；　they　are　crushed　out。　　They　are

declared　traitors　to　the　country；　not　merely　the　members　of　the

departmental　committees；　but；　at　Bordeaux；　all　who　have　〃aided　or

abetted　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；〃　at　Lyons；　all　administrators；

functionaries；　military　or　civil　officers　who　〃convoked　or　tolerated

the　Rh？ne…et…Loire　congress；〃　and　furthermore；　〃every　individual　whose

son；　clerk；　servant；　or　even　day…laborer；　may　have　borne　arms　or

contributed　the　means　of　resistance；〃　that　is　to　say；　the　entire

National　Guard　who　took　up　arms；　and　nearly　all　the　population　which

gave　its　money　or　voted　in　the　sections。＇85＇　　By　virtue　of　this

decree；　all　are　〃outlaws；〃　or；　in　other　words　subject　to　the

guillotine　just　on　the　establishment　of　their　identity；　and　their

property　confiscated。　　Consequently；　at　Bordeaux；　where　not　a　gun　had

been　fired；　the　mayor　Saige；　and　principal　author　of　the　submission；

is　at　once　led　to　the　scaffold　without　any　form　of　trial；＇86＇　while

eight　hundred　and　eighty…one　others　succeed　him　amidst　the　solemn

silence　of　a　dismayed　population。＇87＇　　Two　hundred　prominent　merchants

are　arrested　in　one　night；　more　than　fifteen　hundred　persons　are

imprisoned；　all　who　are　well　off　are　ransomed；　even　those　against　who

no　political　charge　could　be　made；　nine　millions　of　fines　are　levied

against　〃rich　egoists。〃　One　of　these；＇88＇　accused　of　〃indifference　and

moderatism；〃　pays　twenty　thousand　francs　〃not　to　be　harnessed　to　the

car　of　the　Revolution；〃　another　〃convicted　of　having　shown　contempt

for　his　section　and　for　the　poor　by　giving　thirty　livres　per　months；〃

is　taxed　at　one　million　two　hundred　thousand　livres；　while　the　new

authorities；　a　crooked　mayor　and　twelve　knaves　composing　the

Revolutionary　Committee；　traffic　in　lives　and　property。89　At

Marseilles；　says　Danton；＇90＇　the　object　is　〃to　give　the　commercial

aristocracy　an　important　lesson；〃　we　must　〃show　ourselves　as　terrible

to　traders　as　to　nobles　and　priests；〃　consequently；　twelve　thousand　of

them　are　proscribed　and　their　possessions　sold。＇91＇　From　the　first　day

the　guillotine　works　as　fast　as　possible；　nevertheless；　it　does　not

work　fast　enough　for　Representative　Fréron　who　finds　the　means　for

making　it　work　faster。



　〃The　military　commission　we　have　established　in　place　of　the

revolutionary　tribunal；〃　he　writes；　〃works　frightfully　fast　against

the　conspirators。　　。　　。　　。　　They　fall　like　hail　under　the　sword　of　the

law。　　Fourteen　have　already　paid　for　their　infamous　treachery　with

their　heads。　　To…morrow；　sixteen　more　are　to　be　guillotined；　all

chiefs　of　the　legion；　notaries；　sectionists；　members　of　the　popular

tribunal；　to…morrow；　also；　three　merchants　will　dance　the　carmagnole；

and　they　are　the　ones　we　are　after。〃＇92＇



Men　and　things；　all　must　perish；　he　wishes　to　demolish　the　city　and

proposes　to　fill　up　the　harbor。　　Restrained　with　great　difficulty；

Fréron　contents　himself　with　a　destruction　of　〃the　haunts〃　of　the

aristocracy；　two　churches；　the　concert…hall；　the　houses　around　it；　and

twenty…three　buildings　in　which　the　rebel　sections　had　held　their

meetings。



At　Lyons；　to　increase　the　booty；　the　representatives　had　taken　pains

to　encourage　the　manufacturers　and　merchants　with　vague　promises；

these　opened　their　shops　and　brought　their　valuable　goods；　books　and

papers　out　of　their　hiding…places。　　No　time　is　lost　in　seizing　the

plunder；　〃a　list　of　all　property　belonging　to　the　rich　and　to　anti…

revolutionaries〃　is　drawn　up；　which　is　〃confiscated　for　the　benefit　of

the　patriots　of　the　city；〃　in　addition　to　this　a　tax　of　six　millions

is　imposed；　payable　in　eight　days；　by　those　whom　the　confiscation　may

have　still　spared；＇93＇　it　is　proclaimed；　according　to　principle；　that

the　surplus　of　each　individual　belongs　by　right　to　the　sans…culottes；

and　whatever　may　have　been　retained　beyond　the　strictly　necessary；　is

a　robbery　by　the　individual　to　the　detriment　of　the　nation。＇94＇　　In

conformity　with　this　rule　there　is　a　general　rounding　up；　prolonged

for　ten　months；　which　places　the　fortunes　of　a　city　of　one　hundred　and

twenty　thousand　souls　in　the　hands　of　its　scoundrels。　　Thirty…two

revolutionary　committees　〃whose　members　are　thick　as　thieves　select

thousands　of　guards　devoted　to　them。〃＇95＇　　In　confiscated　dwellings

and　warehouses；　they　affix　seals　without　an　inventory；　they　drive　out

women　and　children　〃so　that　there　shall　be　no　witnesses；〃　they　keep

the　keys；　they　enter　and　steal　when　they　please；　or　install　themselves

for　a　revel　with　prostitutes。　　　Meanwhile；　the　guillotine　is　kept

going；　and　people　are　fired　at　and　shot　down　with　grape…shot。　　The

revolutionary　committee　officially　avow　one　thousand　six　hundred　and

eighty…two　acts　of　murder　committed　in　five　months；＇96＇　while　a

confederate　of　Robespierre's　privately　declare　that　there　were　six

thousand。＇97＇



Blacksmiths　are　condemned　to　death　for　having　shod　the　Lyonnese

cavalry；　firemen　for　having　extinguished　fires　kindled　by　republican

bombshells；　a　widow　for　having　paid　a　war…tax　during　the　siege；　market

women　for　〃having　shown　disrespect　to　patriots。〃　It　is　an　organized

〃Septembrisade〃　made　legal　and　lasting；　its　authors　are　so　well　aware

of　the　fact　as　to　use　the　word　itself　in　their　public

correspondence。＇98＇　　At　Toulon　it　is　worse；　people　are　slaughtered

in　heaps；　almost　haphazard。　　Notwithstanding　that　the　inhabitants　the

most　compromised；　to　the　number　of　four　thousand；　take　refuge　on　board

English　vessels；　the　whole　city；　say　the　representatives；　is　guilty。

Four　hundred　workmen　in　the　navy…yard　having　marched　out　to　meet

Fréron；　he　reminds　them　that　they　kept　on　working　during　the　English

occupation　of　the　town；　and　he　has　them　put　to　death　on　the　spot。　　An

order　is　issued　to　all　〃good　citizens　to　assemble　in　the　Champ　de　Mars

on　penalty　of　death。〃　They　come　there　to　the　number　of　three　thousand；

Fréron；　on　horseback；　surrounded　by　cannon　and　troops；　arrives　with

about　a　hundred　Maratists；　the　former　accomplices　of　Lemaille；

Sylvestre；　and　other　well…known　assassins；　who　form　a　body　of　local

auxiliaries　and　counselors；　he　tells　them　to　select　out　of　the　crowd

at　pleasure　according　to　their　grudge；　fancy；　or　caprice；　all　who　are

designated　are　ranged　along　a　wall　and　shot。　　The　next　morning；　and　on

the　following　days；　the　operation　is　renewed：　Fréron　writes　on　the

16th　of　Nivose　that　〃eight　hundred　Toulonese　have　already　been　shot。〃

。　　。　　。　　〃A　volley　of　musketry；〃　says　he；　in　another　letter；　and　after

that；　volley　after　volley；　until　〃the　traitors　are　all　gone。〃　Then；

for　three　months　after　this；　the　guillotine　dispatches　eighteen

hundred　persons；　eleven　young　women　have　to　mount　the　scaffold

together；　in　honor　of　a　republican　festival；　an　old　woman　of　ninety…

four　is　borne　to　it　in　an　armchair。　　The　population；　initially　of

twenty…eight　thousand　people；　is　reduced　to　six　or　seven　th