the origins of contemporary france-4-第116章

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established；　every　article　of　food　possessed　by　one　individual　to　the

exclusion　of　others；　is　a　dish　abstracted　from　the　common　table　and

held　by　him　to　another's　detriment。　　On　the　strength　of　this；　the

theorists　who　govern　agree　with　the　reigning　ragamuffins。　　Whoever　has

two　good　coats　is　an　aristocrat；　for　there　are　many　who　have　only　one

poor　one。＇92＇　Whoever　has　good　shoes　is　an　aristocrat；　for　many　wear

wooden　ones；　and　others　go　barefoot。　　Whoever　owns　and　rents　lodgings

is　an　aristocrat；　for　others；　his　tenants；　instead　of　receiving　money；

pay　it　out。　　The　tenant　who　furnishes　his　own　rooms　is　an　aristocrat；

for　many　lodge　in　boarding…houses　and　others　sleep　in　the　open　air。

Whoever　possesses　capital　is　an　aristocrat；　even　the　smallest　amount

in　money　or　in　kind；　a　field；　a　roof　over　his　head；　half…a…dozen

silver　spoons　given　to　him　by　his　parents　on　his　wedding…day；　an　old

woollen　stocking　into　which　twenty　or　thirty　crowns　have　been　dropped

one　by　one；　all　one's　savings；　whatever　has　been　laid　by　or

economized；　a　petty　assortment　of　eatables　or　merchandise；　one's　crop

for　the　year　and　stock　of　groceries；　especially　if；　disliking　to　give

them　up　and　letting　his　dissatisfaction　be　seen；　he；　through

revolutionary　taxation　and　requisitions；　through　the　maximum　and　the

confiscation　of　the　precious　metals；　is　constrained　to　surrender　his

small　savings　gratis；　or　at　half　their　value。　　…　Fundamentally；　it　is

only　those　who　have　nothing　of　their　own　that　are　held　to　be　patriots；

those　who　live　from　day　to　day；＇93＇　〃the　wretched；〃　the　poor；

vagabonds；　and　the　famished；　the　humblest　laborer；　the　least

instructed；　the　most　ill　at　his　ease；　is　treated　as　criminal；　as　an

enemy；　as　soon　as　he　is　suspected　of　having　some　resources；　in　vain

does　he　show　his　scarified　or　callous　hands；　he　escapes　neither

spoliation；　the　prison；　nor　the　guillotine。　　At　Troyes；　a　poor　shop…

girl　who　had　set　up　a　small　business　on　borrowed　money；　but　who　is

ruined　by　a　bankruptcy　and　completely　so　by　the　maximum；　infirm；　and

consuming　piecemeal　the　rest　of　her　stock；　is　taxed　five　hundred

livres。＇94＇　In　the　villages　of　Alsace；　an　order　is　issued　to　arrest

the　five；　six　or　seven　richest　persons　in　the　commune；　even　if　there

are　no　rich；　consequently；　they　seize　the　least　poor；　simply　because

they　are　so；　for　instance；　at　Heiligenberg；　six　〃farmers〃　one　of　whom

is　a　day…laborer；　〃or　journey…man；〃　〃suspect；〃　says　the　register　of

the　jail；　〃because　he　is　comfortably　off。〃＇95＇　On　this　account　nowhere

are　there　so　many　〃suspects〃　as　among　the　people；　the　shop；　the　farm

and　the　work…room　harbor　more　aristocrats　than　the　rectory　and　the

chateau。　　In　effect；　according　to　the　Jacobins；＇96＇　〃nearly　all

farmers　are　aristocrats；〃　〃the　merchants　are　all　essentially　anti…

revolutionary；〃＇97＇　and　especially　all　dealers　in　articles　of　prime

necessity；　wine…merchants；　bakers　and　butchers；　the　latter　especially

are　open　〃conspirators；〃　enemies　〃of　the　interior；〃　and　〃　whose

aristocracy　is　insupportable。〃　Such；　already；　among　the　lower　class　of

people；　are　the　many　delinquents　who　are　punished。



But　there　are　still　more　of　them　to　punish；　for；　besides　the　crime　of

not　being　destitute；　of　possessing　some　property；　of　withholding

articles　necessary　for　existence；　there　is　the　crime　of　aristocracy；

necessarily　so　called；　namely；　repugnance　to；　lack　of　zeal；　or　even

indifference　for　the　established　régime；　regret　for　the　old　one；

relationship　or　intercourse　with　a　condemned　or　imprisoned　émigré　of

the　upper　class；　services　rendered　to　some　outlaw；　the　resort　to　some

priest；　now；　numbers　of　poor　farmers；　mechanics；　domestics　and　women

servants；　have　committed　this　crime；＇98＇　and　in　many　provinces　and　in

many　of　the　large　cities　nearly　the　whole　of　the　laboring　population

commits　it　and　persists　in　it；　such　is　the　case；　according　to　Jacobin

reports；　in　Alsace；　Franche…Comté；　Provence；　Vaucluse；　Anjou；　Poitou；

Vendée；　Brittany；　Picardie　and　Flanders；　and　in　Marseilles；　Bordeaux

and　Lyons。　　In　Lyons　alone；　writes　Collot　d'Herbois；　〃there　are　sixty

thousand　persons　who　never　will　become　republicans。　　They　should　be

dealt　with；　that　is　made　redundant；　and　prudently　distributed　all　over

the　surface　of　the　Republic。〃＇99＇　…　Finally；　add　to　the　persons　of　the

lower　class；　prosecuted　on　public　grounds；　those　who　are　prosecuted　on

private　grounds。　　Among　peasants　in　the　same　village；　workmen　of　the

same　trade　and　shopkeepers　in　the　same　quarter；　there　is　always　envy；

enmities　and　spites；　those　who　are　Jacobins　become　local　pashas　and

are　able　to　gratify　local　jealousies　with　impunity；　something　they

never　fail　to　do。＇100＇



Hence；　on　the　lists　of　the　guillotined；　the　incarcerated　and　of

emigrés；　the　men　and　women　of　inferior　condition　are　in　much　greater

number；　far　greater　than　their　companions　of　the　superior　and　middle

classes　all　put　together。　　Out　of　12；000　condemned　to　death　whose　rank

and　professions　have　been　ascertained；　7；545＇101＇　are　peasants；

cultivators；　ploughmen；　workmen　of　various　sorts；　innkeepers；　wine…

dealers；　soldiers　and　sailors；　domestics；　women；　young　girls；　servants

and　seamstresses。　　Out　of　1；900　emigrés　from　Doubs；　nearly　1；100

belong　to　the　lower　class。　　Towards　the　month　of　April；　1794；　all　the

prisons　in　France　overflow　with　farmers；＇102＇　in　the　Paris　prisons

alone；　two　months　before　Thermidor　9；　there　are　2　000　of　them。＇103＇

Without　mentioning　the　eleven　western　departments　in　which　four　or

five　hundred　square　leagues　of　territory　are　devastated　and　twenty

towns　and　one　thousand　eight　hundred　villages　destroyed；＇104＇　where

the　avowed　purpose　of　the　Jacobin　policy　is　a　systematic　and　total

destruction　of　the　country；　man　and　beast；　buildings；　crops；　and　even

trees；　there　are　cantons　and　even　provinces　where　the　entire　rural　and

working　population　is　arrested　or　put　to　flight。　　In　the　Pyrenees；　the

old　Basque　populations　〃torn　from　their　natal　soil；　crowded　into　the

churches　with　no　means　of　subsistence　but　that　of　charity；〃　in　the

middle　of　winter；　so　that　sixteen　hundred　of　those　incarcerated　die

〃mostly　of　cold　and　hunger；〃＇105＇　　at　Bédouin；　a　town　of　two　thousand

souls；　in　which　a　tree　of　liberty　is　cut　down　by　some　unknown　persons；

four　hundred　and　thirty…three　houses　are　demolished　or　burned；　sixteen

persons　guillotined　and　forty…seven　shot；　while　the　rest　of　the

inhabitants　are　driven　out；　reduced　to　living　like　vagabonds　on　the

mountain；　or　in　holes　which　they　dig　in　the　ground；＇106＇　in　Alsace；

fifty　thousand　farmers　who；　in　the　winter　of　1793；　take　refuge　with

their　wives　and　children　on　the　other　side　of　the　Rhine。＇107＇　In

short；　the　revolutionary　operation　is　a　complete　prostration　of　people

of　all　classes；　the　trunks　as　well　as　the　saplings　being　felled；　and

often　in　such　a　way　as　to　clear　the　ground　entirely。



But　in　this　ruthless　felling；　however；　the　notables　of　the　people；

making　all　due　allowances；　suffer　more　than　the　ordinary　people。　　It

is　obvious　that　the　Jacobin　wood…chopper　persecutes；　insistently　and

selectively；　the　veterans　of　labor　and　savings；　the　large　cultivators

who　from　father　to　son　and　for　many　generations　have　possessed　the

same　farm；　the　master…craftsmen　whose　shops　are　well　stocked　and　who

have　good　customers；　the　respectable；　well…patronized　retailers；　who

owe　nothing；　the　village…syndics　and　trades…syndics；　all　those　showing

more　deeply　and　visibly　than　the　rest　of　their　class；　the　five　or　six

blazes　which　summon　the　ax。　　They　are　better　off；　better　provided　with

desirable　comforts　and　conveniences；　which　is　of　itself　an　offense

against　equality。　　Having　accumulated　a　small　hoard；　a　few　pieces　of

plate；　sometimes　a　few　crowns；＇108＇　a　store　of　linen　and　clothes；　a

stock　of　provisions　or　goods；　they　do　not　willingly　submit　to　being

plundered；　which　is　the　offense　of　egoism。　　Being　egoists；　it　is

presumed　that　they　are　hostile　to　the　system　of　fraternity；　at　least

indiff