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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。


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