the origins of contemporary france-4-第170章
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previous ones; the very same who personally brought about the 13th of
Vendémiaire; and likewise; at the hands of his lieutenant; Augereau;
the 18th of Fructidor。 … Let him be authorized by the semblance of a
decree; let him be appointed major…general of the armed force by a
minority of one of the Councils; and the army will march behind him。
… Let him issue the usual proclamations; let him summon 〃his comrades〃
to save the Republic and clear the hall of the Five Hundred; his
grenadiers will enter with fixed bayonets and even laugh at the sight
of the deputies; dressed as for the opera; scrambling off
precipitately out of the windows。'149' … Let him manage the
transitions; let him avoid the ill…sounding name of dictator; let him
assume a modest and yet classic revolutionary Roman title; let him
along with two others be simple consuls; the soldiers; who have
neither time nor leisure to be publicists and who are only skin…deep
republicans; will ask nothing more。 They regard their system as a
very good one for the French people; the despotic system without which
there can be no army; that which places the absolute command in the
hands of one individual。 … Let him put down other Jacobins; let him
revoke their late decrees on hostages and the forced loan; let him
restore safety and security to persons; property and consciences; let
him bring back order; economy and efficiency to the administrations;
let him provide for public services; hospitals; roads and schools; the
whole of civil France will welcome its liberator; protector and
restorer。'150' … In his own words; the system he brings is that of
〃the alliance of Philosophy with the Sword;〃 philosophy meaning; as
it was then understood; the application of abstract principles to
politics; the logical construction of a State according to general
and simple notices with a social plan; uniform and rectilinear。
Now as we have seen;'151' two of these plans square with this
theory; one anarchical and the other despotic; naturally; the
master adopts the latter; and; like a practical man; he builds
according to that theory a substantial edifice; with sand and lime;
habitable and well suited to its purposes。 All the masses of the
great work…civil code; university; Concordat; prefectoral and
centralized administration…all the details of its arrangement and
distribution of places; tend to one general effect; which is the
omnipotence of the State; the omnipresence of the government; the
abolition of local and private initiative; the suppression of
voluntary free association; the gradual dispersion of small
spontaneous groupings; the preventive ban of prolonged hereditary
works; the extinction of sentiments by which the individual lives
beyond himself in the past or in the future。 Never were finer
barracks constructed; more symmetrical and more decorative in aspect;
more satisfactory to superficial views; more acceptable to vulgar good
sense; more suited to narrow egoism; better kept and cleaner; better
adapted to the discipline of the average and low elements of human
nature; and better adapted to dispersing or perverting the superior
elements of human nature。 In this philosophical barracks we have
lived for eighty years。
THE END。
(written in 1889)。
__________________________________________________________________________
Notes:
'1' Gaudin; Duc de Ga?te; 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 28。 Gaudin; commissioner of
the Treasury; meets the president of the revolutionary committee of
his quarter; an excellent Jacobin; who says to him: 〃Eh; well; what's
all this? Robespierre proscribed! Is it possible? What is wanted …
everything was going on so well!〃 (It is true that fifty or sixty
heads fell daily。) 〃I replied; 'Just so; there are some folks that are
never satisfied。'〃
'2' Mallet…Dupan; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。; 16。 (Letter of January 8; 1795。) …
Ibid。; 〃Correspondance avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。; 23; 25; 32; 34;
(January 8; 1795; on the four parties com posing the Convention)。
'3' Marshal Marmont: 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 120。 (Report of General
Dugommier on the capture of Toulon。) 〃That memorable day avenged the
general will of a partial and gangrened will; the delirium of which
caused the greatest misfortunes。〃
'4' Memorial of the ninety…four survivors Thermidor 30; year II。;
acquitted Fructidor 28。
'5' Carrier indicted Brumaire 21; year III。 Decree of arrest passed
by 498 out of 500 votes; Frimaire 3; execution Frimaire 26。 Fouquier…
Tinville indicted Frimaire 28; execution Floréal 28; there being 419
witnesses heard。 Joseph Lebon indicted Messidor I; year III。 Trial
adjourned to the Somme court; Messidor 29; execution Vendémiaire 24;
year IV。
'6' Cf。 chapters 4; 5 and 6 of the present volume。 Numbers of
printed documents of this epoch show what these local sovereigns were。
The principal ones in the department of Ain were 〃Anselm; who had
placed Marat's head in his shop。 Duclos; a joiner; living before the
31st of May on his earnings; he became after that a gentleman living
on his rents; owning national domains; sheep; horses and pocket books
filled with assignats。 Laimant; a tailor; in debt; furnishing his
apartment suddenly with all the luxuriousness of the ancient regime;
such as beds at one hundred pistoles etc。 Alban; mayor; placing seals
everywhere; was a blacksmith and father of a family which he supported
by his labor; all at once he stops working; and passes from a state of
dependence to one of splendor; he has diamonds and earrings; always
wearing new clothes; fine linen shirts; muslin cravates; silk
stockings; etc。; on removing the seals in the houses of those
imprisoned and guillotined; little or nothing was found in them。
Alban was denounced and incarcerated for having obliged a woman of
Macon to give him four hundred francs on promising to interest himself
in her husband。 Such are the Ain patriots。 Rollet; another; had so
frightened the rural districts that the people ran away on his
approach; on one occasion he had two of them harnessed to his carriage
and drove them along for some time in this manner 。 。 。 Another;
Charcot (of Virieu); before the Revolution; was a highway assassin;
and was banished for three years for an act of this description。〃
(Bibliotheque Nationale。 Lb。 41; No。 1318。 〃The truth in reply to
calumnious charges against the department of Ain。〃 Letter of Roux;
Vendémiaire; year III。)
'7' Decree of Germinal 12; year III: for the transportation of Collot;
Barère; Billaud…Varennes and Vadier。 Eight Montagnards are put under
arrest。 … Decree of Germinal 14: the same against nine other
Montagnards。 ?Decree of Germinal 29: the same against Maribon…
Montant。 … Decree of Prairial 6: twenty…nine Montagnards are
indicted。 … Decree of Prairial 8: putting six Montagnards under
arrest。 … Decree of Prairial 9: the same against nine members of
former committees。 … Decrees of Prairial 10 to Thermidor 22; year
III: condemning 6 Montagnards to death; one to transportation and
twenty put under arrest。
'8' Barbé…Marbois;〃 Mémoires;〃 preface; p。 VIII。 〃Except about fifty
men who are honest and intelligent; history presents no sovereign
assembly containing so much vice; abjectness and ignorance。〃 ??Buchez
et Roux; XXXVII。; 7。 (Speech by Legendre; Thermidor 17; year III。)
〃It is stated in print that; at most; there are but twenty pure men in
this Assembly。〃 … Ibid。; 27。 Order of the Lepelletier section;
Vendemiaire 10; year IV。 〃It is certain that we owe the dearth and
all its accompanying evils to the incapacity and brigandage of the
present government。〃
'9' Mallet…Dupan; 〃 Correspondance;〃 etc。; I。; 211。 (May 27; 1795。)
'10' 〃Un Sejour en France;〃 267。 271; (Amiens; March 13; April 12;
1795。)
'11' Meissner; 〃Voyage à Paris;〃 123; 351。 (The author arrives in
Paris; September 22; 1795。)
'12' Decrees of Fructidor 5 and 13; year III。