the origins of contemporary france-4-第119章

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drain　a　town　of　these　offenders　one　by　one；　all　are　penned　together

according　to　their　resources；　at　Strasbourg；＇127＇　　193　persons　are

taxed；　each　from　6；000　to　300；000　livres；　in　all　9　million　livres；

payable　within　twenty…four　hours；　by　the　leading　men　of　each

profession　or　trade；　bankers；　brokers；　merchants；　manufacturers；

professors；　pastors；　lawyers；　physicians；　surgeons；　publishers；

printers；　upholsterers；　glass…dealers；　rope…makers；　master…masons；

coffee…house　and　tavern　keepers。　　And　let　there　be　no　delay　in

responding　to　these　orders　within　the　prescribed　time！　Otherwise　the

delinquents　will　be　placed　in　the　stocks；　on　the　scaffold；　face　to

face　with　the　guillotine。　　〃One　of　the　best　citizens　in　the　commune；

who　had　steadily　manifested　his　attachment　to　the　Revolution；　being

unable　to　realize　a　sum　of　250；000　livres　in　one　day；　was　fastened　in

the　pillory。〃＇128＇　Sometimes　the　orders　affected　an　entire　class；　not

alone　nobles　or　priests；　but　all　the　members　of　any　bourgeois

profession　or　even　of　any　handicraft。　　At　Strasbourg；　a　little　later；

〃considering　that　the　thirst　for　gold　has　always　controlled　the

brewers　of　the　commune；〃　they　are　condemned　to　250；000　livres　fine；　to

be　paid　in　three　days　under　penalty　of　being　declared　rebels；　with　the

confiscation　of　their　possessions；〃　then；　upon　another　similar

consideration；　the　bakers　and　flour　dealers　are　taxed　three　hundred

thousand　livres。＇129＇　In　addition　to　this；　writes　Representative

Milhaud；　at　Guyardin；＇130＇　〃We　have　ordered　the　arrest　of　all　bankers；

stock…brokers　and　notaries。　　。　　。　　。　　All　their　wealth　is　confiscated；

we　estimate　the　sums　under　seal　at　2　or　3　millions　in　coin；　and　15　or

16　in　assignats。〃　There　is　the　same　haul　of　the　net　at　Paris。　　By

order　of　Lhuillier；　procureur　of　the　department；　〃seals　are　placed　in

the　offices　of　all　the　bankers；　stock…brokers；　silversmiths；　etc。；〃

and　they　themselves　are　shut　up　in　the　Madelonettes；　a　few　days　after；

that　they　may　pay　their　drafts；　they　are　let　out　as　a　favor；　but　on

condition　that　they　remain　under　arrest　in　their　homes；　at　their　own

expense；　under　guard　of　two　good　sans…culottes。＇131＇　　In　like　manner；

at　Nantes；＇132＇　Lyons；　Marseilles　and　Bordeaux；　the　prisons　are　filled

and　the　guillotine　works　according　to　the　categories。　　At　one　time

they　are　〃all　of　the　Grand　Théatre；〃　or　the　principal　merchants；　〃to

the　number　of　more　than　200；〃　are　incarcerated　at　Bordeaux　in　one

night。＇133＇　At　another　time；　Paris　provides　a　haul　of　farmer…generals

or　parliamentarians。　　Carts　leave　Toulouse　conveying　its

parliamentarians　to　Paris　to　undergo　capital　punishment。　　At　Aix；

writes　an　agent；＇134＇



〃the　guillotine　is　going　to　work　on　former　lawyers　a　few　hundred　heads

legally　taken　off　will　do　the　greatest　good。〃



And；　as　new　crimes　require　new　terms　to　designate　them；　they　add　to

〃incivisme〃　and　〃moderantisme；〃　the　term　〃negociantisme；〃　all　of　which

are　easily　stated　and　widespread　crimes。



〃The　rich　and　the　merchants；〃　writes　an　observer；＇135＇　〃are　here；　as

elsewhere；　born　enemies　of　equality　and　lovers　of　hideous　federalism；

the　only　aristocracy　that　remains　to　be　crushed　out。〃



Barras；　with　still　greater　precision；　declares　in　the　tribune　that；

〃commerce　is　usurious；　monarchical　and　anti…revolutionary。〃＇136＇

Considered　in　itself；　it　may　be　defined　as　an　appeal　to　bad　instincts；

it　seems　a　corrupting；　incivique；　anti…fraternal　institution；　many

Jacobins　having　proposed　either　to　interdict　it　to　private　persons　and

attribute　it　wholly　to　the　State；　or　suppress　it　along　with　the　arts

and　manufactures　which　nourish　it；　in　order　that　only　a　population　of

agriculturists　and　soldiers　may　be　left　in　France。＇137＇



The　second　advantage　and　the　second　crime　of　the　notables　is

superiority　of　education。　　〃In　all　respectable　assemblages；〃　writes　a

Dutch　traveler　in　1795；＇138＇　〃you　may　be　sure　that　one…half　of　those

present　have　been　in　prison。　　　Add　the　absent；　the　guillotined；　the

exiled；　emigrés；　the　deported；　and　note　this；　that；　in　the　other

favored　half；　those　who　did　not　quaff　the　prison　cup　had　had　a

foretaste　of　it　for；　each　expected　daily　to　receive　his　warrant　of

arrest；　〃the　worst　thing　under　Robespierre；　as　several　old　gentlemen

have　told　me；　was　that　one　never　knew　in　the　morning　whether　one　would

sleep　in　one's　own　bed　at　night。〃　There　was　not　a　well…bred　man　who

did　not　live　in　dread　of　this；　examine　the　lists　of　〃suspects；〃　of　the

arrested；　of　exiles；　of　those　executed；　in　any　town；　district　or

department；＇139＇　and　you　will　see　immediately；　through　their　quality

and　occupations；　first；　that　three…quarters　of　the　cultivated　are

inscribed　on　it；　and　next；　that　intellectual　culture　in　itself　is

suspect。　　〃They　were　equally　criminal；〃＇140＇　write　the　Strasbourg

administrators；　〃whether　rich　or　cultivated　。　　。　　。　　。　　The　（Jacobin）

municipality　declared　the　University　federalist；　it　proscribed　public

instruction　and；　consequently；　the　professors；　regents；　and　heads　of

schools；　with　all　instructors；　public　as　well　as　private；　even　those

provided　with　certificates　of　civism；　were　arrested；　。　　。　　。　　。　　every

Protestant　minister　and　teacher　in　the　Lower…Rhine　department　was

incarcerated；　with　a　threat　of　being　transferred　to　the　citadel　at

Besan？on。〃　…　Fourcroy；　in　the　Jacobin　Club　at　Paris；　excusing　himself

for　being　a　savant；　for　giving　lectures　on　chemistry；　for　not　devoting

his　time　to　the　rantings　of　the　Convention　and　of　the　clubs；　is

obliged　to　declare　that　he　is　poor；　that　he　lives　by　his　work；　that　he

supports　〃his　father；　a　sans…culotte；　and　his　sans…culotte　sisters；〃

although　a　good　republican；　he　barely　escapes；　and　the　same　with

others　like　him。　　　All　educated　men　were　persecuted；〃　he　states　a

month　after　Thermidor　9；＇141＇　〃to　have　acquaintances；　to　be　literary；

sufficed　for　arrest；　as　an　aristocrat。　　。　　。　　。　　Robespierre　。　　。　　。

with　devilish　ingenuity；　abused；　calumniated　and　overwhelmed　with　gall

and　bitterness　all　who　were　devoted　to　serious　studies；　all　who

professed　extensive　knowledge；　。　　。　　。　　he　felt　that　cultivated　men

would　never　bend　the　knee　to　him　＇142＇。　　。　　。　　。　　。　　Instruction　was

paralyzed；　they　wanted　to　burn　the　libraries　。　　。　　。　　。　　。　　Must　I

tell　you　that　at　the　very　door　of　your　assembly　errors　in　orthography

are　seen？　Nobody　learns　how　to　read　or　write。〃　…　At　Nantes；　Carrier

boasts　of　having　〃dispersed　the　literary　chambers；〃　while　in　his

enumeration　of　the　evil…minded　he　adds　〃to　the　rich　and　merchants；〃

〃all　gens　d'esprit。〃＇143＇　Sometimes　on　the　turnkey's　register　we　read

that　such　an　one　was　confined　〃for　being　clever　and　able　to　do

mischief；〃　another　for　saying　〃good…day；　gentlemen；　to　the　municipal

councillors。〃＇144＇



Politeness　has；　like　other　signs　of　a　good　education；　become　a　stigma；

good　manners　are　considered；　not　only　as　a　remnant　of　the　ancient

régime；　but　as　a　revolt　against　the　new　institutions；　now；　as　the

governing　principle　of　these　is；　theoretically；　abstract　equality　and；

practically；　the　ascendancy　of　the　low　class；　one　rebels　against　the

established　order　of　things　when　one　repudiates　coarse　companions；

familiar　oaths；　and　the　indecent　expressions　of　the　common　workman　and

the　soldier。　　In　sum；　Jacobinism；　through　its　doctrines　and　deeds；　its

dungeons　and　executioners；　proclaims　to　the　nation　over　which　it　holds

the　rod：＇145＇



　〃Be　rude；　that　you　may　become　republican；　return　to　barbarism　that

you　may　show　the　superiority　of　your　genius；　abandon　the　customs　of

civilized　people　that　you　may　adopt　those　of　galley　slaves；　mar　your

language　with　a　view　to　improve　it；　use　that　of　the　populace　under

penalty　of　death。　　Spanish　beggars　treat　each　other　in　a　dignified

way；　they　show　respect　for　humanity　although　in　tatters。　　We；　on　the

contrary；　order　you　to　assume　our　rags；　our　patois；　our　terms　of

intimacy。　　Don　the　carmagnole　and　tremble；　become　rustics　and　dolts；

and　prove　your　civism　by　the　absence　of　all