the origins of contemporary france-4-第166章

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their　faction；　for　power；　and　for　their　own　persons。　　La　Révellière；

president　of　the　Directory；　through　vainglory；　〃wanted　to　have　his

name　go　with　the　general　peace；〃　but　he　is　controlled　by　Barras；　who

needs　war　in　order　to　fish　in　troubled　waters；＇113＇　and　especially　by

Reubell；　a　true　Jacobin　in　temperament　and　intellect；　〃ignorant　and

vain；　with　the　most　vulgar　prejudices　of　an　uneducated　and　illiterate

man；〃　one　of　those　coarse；　violent；　narrow　sectarians　anchored　on　a

fixed　idea　and　whose　〃principles　consist　in　revolutionizing　everything

with　cannon…balls　without　examining　wherefore。〃＇114＇　There　is　no　need

of　knowing　the　wherefore；　the　animal　instinct　of　self…preservation

suffices　to　impel　the　Jacobins　onward；　and；　for　a　long　time；　their

clear…sighted　men；　among　them　Siéyès；　their　thinker　and　oracle；　have

told　them　that　〃if　they　make　peace　they　are　lost。〃＇115＇　…　To　exercise

their　violence　within　they　require　peril　without；　lacking　the　pretext

of　public　safety　they　cannot　prolong　their　usurpation；　their

dictatorship；　their　despotism；　their　inquisition；　their　proscriptions；

their　exactions。　　Suppose　that　peace　is　effected；　will　it　be　possible

for　the　government；　hated　and　despised　as　it　is；　to　maintain　and　elect

its　minions　against　public　clamor　at　the　coming　elections？　Will　so

many　retired　generals　consent　to　live　on　half…pay；　indolent　and

obedient？　Will　Hoche；　so　ardent　and　so　absolute；　will　Bonaparte；　who

already　meditates　his　coup…d'état；＇116＇　be　willing　to　stand　sentry　for

four　petty　lawyers　or　litterateurs　without　any　titles　and　for　Barras；

a　street…general；　who　never　saw　a　regular　battle？　Moreover　on　this

skeleton　of　France；　desiccated　by　five　years　of　spoliation；　how　can

the　armed　swarm　be　fed　even　provisionally；　the　swarm；　which；　for　two

years　past；　subsists　only　through　devouring　neighboring　nations？

Afterwards；　how　disband　four　hundred　thousand　hungry　officers　and

soldiers？　And　how；　with　an　empty　Treasury；　supply　the　millions　which；

by　a　solemn　decree；　under　the　title　of　a　national　recompense；　have

once　more　just　been　promised　to　them。＇117＇　　Nothing　but　a　prolonged

war；　or　designedly　begun　again；　a　war　indefinitely　and　systematically

extended；　a　war　supported　by　conquest　and　pillage　can　give　armies

food；　keep　generals　busy；　the　nation　resigned；　the　maintenance　of

power　of　the　ruling　faction；　and　secure　to　the　Directors　their　places；

their　profits；　their　dinners　and　their　mistresses。　　And　this　is　why

they；　at　first；　break　with　England　through　repeated　exactions；　and

then　with　Austria　and　the　Emperor；　through　premeditated　attacks；　and

again　with　Switzerland；　Piedmont；　Tuscany；　Naples；　Malta；　Russia　and

even　the　Porte。＇118＇　At　length；　the　veils　fall　and　the　character　of

the　sect　stands　out　nakedly。　　Defense　of　the　country；　deliverance　of

the　people；　all　its　grand　phrases　disappear　in　the　realm　of　empty

words。　　It　reveals　itself　just　as　it　is；　an　association　of　pirates　on

a　cruise；　who　after　ravaging　their　own　coast；　go　further　off　and

capture　bodies　and　goods；　men　and　things。　　Having　eaten　France；　the

Parisian　band　undertakes　to　eat　all　Europe；　〃leaf　by　leaf；　like　the

head　of　an　artichoke。〃＇119＇



Why　recount　the　tragic　comedy　they　play　at　home　and　which　they　repeat

abroad？　The　piece　abroad　is　the　same　as　that　played　in　Paris　for　the

past　eight　years；＇120＇　an　absurd；　hasty　translation　in　Flemish；　Dutch；

German；　and　Italian；　a　local　adaptation；　just　as　it　happens；　with

variations；　elisions　and　abbreviations；　but　always　with　the　same

ending；　a　shower　of　blows　with　gun　and　sword　on　all　property…owners；

communities；　and　individuals；　compelling　the　surrender　of　their　purses

and　valuables　of　every　description；　and　which　they　gave　up；　even　to

remaining　without　a　sou　or　even　a　shirt。　　As　a　rule；　the　nearest

general；　or　resident　titulary　in　every　small　state　which　has　to　be

turned　to　account；　stirs　up　malcontents　against　the　established

authorities；　never　lacking　under　the　ancient　régime；　especially　all

social　outcasts；　adventurers；　coffee…house　ranters　and　young　hot…

heads；　in　short　the　Jacobins　of　the　country　；　these；　to　the　French

representative；　are　henceforth　the　people　of　the　country；　if　only　a

knot　of　the　vilest　sort。　　The　legal　authorities　are　forbidden　to

repress　them；　or　punish　them；　they　are　inviolable。　　Employing　threats

or　main　force；　he　interferes　in　their　support；　or　to　sanction　their

assaults；　he　breaks　up；　or　obliges　them　to　break　up；　the　vital　organ

of　society；　here；　royalty　or　aristocracy；　there；　the　senate　and　the

magistracy；　everywhere　the　old　hierarchy；　all　cantonal；　provincial　and

municipal　statutes　and　secular　federation　or　constitutions。　　He　then

inaugurates　on　this　cleared　ground　the　government　of　Reason；　that　is

to　say；　some　artificial　imitation　of　the　French　constitution；　he

himself；　to　this　end；　appoints　the　new　magistrates。　　If　he　allows　them

to　be　elected；　it　is　by　his　clients　and　under　his　bayonets；　this

constitutes　a　subject　republic　under　the　name　of　an　ally；　and　which

commissioners　dispatched　from　Paris　manage　to　the　beat　of　the　drum。

The　revolutionary　régime　with　anti…Christian　despoiling　and　leveling

laws；　is　despotically　applied。　　The　18th　of　Fructidor　is　carried　out

over　and　over　again；　the　constitution　is　revised　according　to　the　last

Parisian　pattern；　while　the　Legislative　Corps　and　Directory　are

repeatedly　purged　in　military　fashion。＇121＇　　Only　valets　are　tolerated

at　the　head　of　it：　its　army　is　added　to　the　French　army；　twenty

thousand　Swiss　are　drafted　in　Switzerland　and　made　to　fight　against

the　Swiss　and　the　friends　of　Switzerland。　　Belgium；　incorporated　with

France；　is　subjected　to　the　conscription。　　National　and　religious

sentiment　suppressed；　exploited；　offended；　to　the　extend　of　stirring

up　insurrections；＇122＇　religious　and　national。　　Five　or　six　rural　and

lasting　Vendées　take　place　in　Belgium；　Switzerland；　Piedmont；　Venetia；

Lombardy；　the　Roman　States　and　Naples；　while　fire；　pillaging　and

shooting　are　employed　to　repress　them。　　Any　description　of　this　would

be　feeble；　statements　in　figures　are　necessary　and　I　can　give　but　two。



One　of　them　is　the　list　of　robberies　committed　abroad；＇123＇　and　this

comprises　only　the　rapine　executed　according　to　order；　it　omits

private　plunderings　without　any　orders　by　officers；　generals；　soldiers

and　commissaries；　these　are　enormous；　but　cannot　be　estimated。　　The

only　approximate　total　which　can　be　arrived　at；　is　the　authentic　list

of　robberies　which　the　Jacobin　corsair；　authorized　by　letters　of

marque；　had　already　committed　in　December；　1798；　outside　of　France；　on

public　or　on　private　parties；　exactions　in　coin　imposed　in　Belgium；

Holland；　Germany　and　Italy；　amounting　to　655　millions；　seizure　and

removal　of　gold　and　silver　objects；　plate；　jewels；　works　of　art　and

other　precious　objects；　305　millions；　requisitions　of　provisions；　361

millions；　confiscations　of　the　property；　real　estate　and　movables；　of

deposed　sovereigns；　that　of　the　regular　and　secular　clergy；　that　of

corporations　and　associations　even　laic；　of　absent　or　fugitive

proprietors；　700　millions；　in　all；　in　three　years　2　billion　livres。　　…

If　we　closely　examine　this　monstrous　sum；　we　find；　as　in　the　coffers

of　an　Algerian　pirate；　a　booty　which　up　to　this　time；　belligerent

Christians；　commanders　of　regular　armies；　would　have　shrunk　from

taking；　and　on　which　the　Jacobin　chiefs　incontinently　and　preferably

lay　hands：



*　the　plate　and　furniture　of　churches　in　the　Netherlands；　in　Liège；

and　in　the　Electoral　sections　of　the　Lower　Rhine；　25　millions；



*　the　plate　and　furniture　of　churches　in　Lombardy；　in　the　three

Legations；　in　the　State　of　Venice；　in　Modena；　and　the　States　of　the

Church；　65　millions；



*　diamonds；　plate；　gold　crosses　and　other　depots　of　the　Monts。de…piété

at　Milan；　Bologna；　Ravenna；　Modena；　Venice　and　Rome；　56　millions；



*　furniture　and　works　of　art　at　Milan　and　in　other　towns；　5　millions；



*　furnit