the origins of contemporary france-4-第2章

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and　in　the　parliament；　the　majorities　are　all　silenced；　while　the

minorities　vote；　decree　and　govern；　the　Legislative　Assembly　is

purged；　the　King　is　dethroned；　and　the　Convention　is　mutilated。　　Of

all　the　garrisons　of　the　central　citadel；　whether　royalists；

Constitutionalists；　or　Girondins；　not　one　has　been　able　to　defend

itself；　to　re…fashion　the　executive　instrument；　to　draw　the　sword　and

use　it　in　the　streets：　on　the　first　attack；　often　at　the　first

summons；　all　have　surrendered；　and　now　the　citadel；　with　every　other

public　fortress；　is　in　the　hands　of　the　Jacobins。





This　time；　its　occupants　are　of　a　different　stamp。　　Aside　from　the

great　mass　of　well…disposed　people　fond　of　a　quiet　life；　the

Revolution　has　sifted　out　and　separated　from　the　rest　all　who　are

fanatical；　brutal　or　perverse　enough　to　have　lost　respect　for　others；

these　form　the　new　garrison　　sectarians　blinded　by　their　creed；　the

roughs　（assommeurs）　who　are　hardened　by　their　calling；　and　those　who

make　all　they　can　out　of　their　offices。　　None　of　this　class　are

scrupulous　concerning　human　life　or　property　；　for；　as　we　have　seen；

they　have　shaped　the　theory　to　suit　themselves；　and　reduced　popular

sovereignty　to　their　sovereignty。　　The　commonwealth；　according　to　the

Jacobin；　is　his；　with　him；　the　commonwealth　comprises　all　private

possessions；　bodies；　estates；　souls　and　consciences；　everything

belongs　to　him；　the　fact　of　being　a　Jacobin　makes　him　legitimately

czar　and　pope。　　Little　does　he　care　about　the　wills　of　actually　living

Frenchmen；　his　mandate　does　not　emanate　from　a　vote　；　it　descends　to

him　from　aloft；　conferred　on　him　by　Truth；　by　Reason；　by　Virtue。　　As

he　alone　is　enlightened；　and　the　only　patriot；　he　alone　is　worthy　to

take　command；　while　resistance；　according　to　his　imperious　pride；　is

criminal。　　If　the　majority　protests　it　is　because　the　majority　is

imbecile　or　corrupt；　in　either　case；　it　deserves　to　be　brought　to

heel。　　And；　in　fact；　the　Jacobin　only　does　that　and　right　away　too；

insurrections；　usurpations；　pillaging；　murders；　assaults　on

individuals；　on　judges　and　public　attorneys；　on　assemblies；　violations

of　law；　attacks　on　the　State；　on　communities　　there　is　no　outrage

not　committed　by　him。　　He　has　always　acted　as　sovereign　instinctively

；　he　was　so　as　a　private　individual　and　clubbist；　he　is　not　to　cease

being　so；　now　that　he　possesses　legal　authority；　and　all　the　more

because　if　he　hesitates　he　knows　he　is　lost；　to　save　himself　from　the

scaffold　he　has　no　refuge　but　in　a　dictatorship。　　Such　a　man；　unlike

his　predecessors；　will　not　allow　himself　to　be　turned　out；　on　the

contrary；　he　will　exact　obedience　at　any　cost。　　He　will　not　hesitate

to　restore　the　central　power；　he　will　put　back　the　local　wheels　that

have　been　detached；　he　will　repair　the　old　forcing　gear；　he　will　set

it　agoing　so　as　to　work　more　rudely　and　arbitrarily　than　ever；　with

greater　contempt　for　private　rights　and　public　liberties　than　either　a

Louis　XIV。　　or　a　Napoleon。







II。　　　　Jacobin　Dissimulation。



Contrast　between　his　words　and　his　acts。　　…　How　he　dissimulates　his

change　of　front。　　　　The　Constitution　of　June；　1793。　　…　Its　promises

of　freedom。



In　the　mean　time；　he　has　to　harmonize　his　coming　acts　with　his　recent

declarations；　which；　at　the　first　glance；　seems　a　difficult　operation：

for；　in　the　speeches　he　has　made　he　has　already　condemned　the　actions

he　meditates。　　Yesterday　he　exaggerated　the　rights　of　the　governed；

even　to　a　suppression　of　those　of　the　government；　to…morrow　he　is　to

exaggerate　the　rights　of　the　people　in　power；　even　to　suppressing

those　who　are　governed。　　The　people；　as　he　puts　it；　is　the　sole

sovereign；　and　he　is　going　to　treat　the　people　as　slaves；　the

government；　as　he　puts　it；　is　a　valet；　and　he　is　going　to　endow　the

government　with　prerogatives　of　a　sultan。　　He　has　just　denounced　the

slightest　exercise　of　public　authority　as　a　crime；　he　is　now　going　to

punish　as　a　crime　the　slightest　resistance　to　public　authority。　　What

will　justify　such　a　volte…face　and　with　what　excuse　can　he　repudiate

the　principles　with　which　he　justified　his　takeover？　　He　takes　good

care　not　to　repudiate　them；　it　would　drive　the　already　rebellious

provinces　to　extremes；　on　the　contrary；　he　proclaims　them　with　renewed

vigor；　through　which　move　the　ignorant　crowd；　seeing　the　same　flask

always　presented　to　it；　imagines　that　it　is　always　served　with　the

same　liquor；　and　is　thus　forced　to　drink　tyranny　under　the　label　of

freedom。　　Whatever　the　charlatan　can　do　with　his　labels；　signboards；

shouting　and　lies　for　the　next　six　months；　will　be　done　to　disguise

the　new　nostrum；　so　much　the　worse　for　the　public　if；　later　on；　it

discovers　that　the　draught　is　bitter；　sooner　or　later　it　must　swallow

it；　willingly　or　by　compulsion：　for；　in　the　interval；　the　instruments

are　being　got　ready　to　force　it　down　the　public　throat。＇3＇



As　a　beginning；　the　Constitution；　so　long　anticipated　and　so　often

promised；　is　hastily　fabricated：＇4＇　declarations　of　rights　in　thirty…

five　articles；　the　Constitutional　bill　in　one　hundred　and　twenty…four

articles；　political　principles　and　institutions　of　every　sort；

electoral；　legislative；　executive；　administrative；　judicial；　financial

and　military；＇5＇　in　three　weeks　all　is　drawn　up　and　passed　on　the

double。　　　Of　course；　the　new　Constitutionalists　do　not　propose　to

produce　an　effective　and　serviceable　instrument；　that　is　the　least　of

their　worries。　　Hérault　Séchelles；　the　reporter　of　the　bill；　writes　on

the　7th　of　June；　〃to　have　procured　for　him　at　once　the　laws　of　Minos；

of　which　he　has　urgent　need；〃　very　urgent　need；　as　he　must　hand　in　the

Constitution　that　week。＇6＇　Such　circumstance　is　sufficiently

characteristic　of　both　the　workmen　and　the　work。　　All　is　mere　show　and

pretense。　　Some　of　the　workmen　are　shrewd　politicians　whose　sole

object　is　to　furnish　the　public　with　words　instead　of　realities；

others；　ordinary　scribblers　of　abstractions；　or　even　ignoramuses；　and

unable　to　distinguish　words　from　reality；　imagine　that　they　are

framing　laws　by　stringing　together　a　lot　of　phrases。　　　It　is　not　a

difficult　job；　the　phrases　are　ready…made　to　hand。　　〃Let　the　plotters

of　anti…popular　systems；〃　says　the　reporter；　〃painfully　elaborate

their　projects！　Frenchmen　。　　。　　。　　。　　have　only　to　consult　their

hearts　to　read　the　Republic　there！〃＇7＇　Drafted　in　accordance　with　the

〃Contrat…Social；〃　filled　with　Greek　and　Latin　reminiscences；　it　is　a

summary　〃in　pithy　style〃　of　the　manual　of　current　aphorisms　then　in

vogue；　Rousseau's　mathematical　formulas　and　prescriptions；　〃the　axioms

of　truth　and　the　consequences　flowing　from　these　axioms；〃　in　short；　a

rectilinear　constitution　which　any　school…boy　may　spout　on　leaving

college。　　Like　a　handbill　posted　on　the　door　of　a　new　shop；　it

promises　to　customers　every　imaginable　article　that　is　handsome　and

desirable。　　Would　you　have　rights　and　liberties？　You　will　find　them

all　here。　　Never　has　the　statement　been　so　clearly　made；　that　the

government　is　the　servant；　creature　and　tool　of　the　governed；　it　is

instituted　solely　〃to　guarantee　to　them　their　natural；　imprescriptible

rights。〃　＇8＇　Never　has　a　mandate　been　more　strictly　limited：　〃The

right　of　expressing　one's　thoughts　and　opinions；　either　through　the

press　or　in　any　other　way；　the　right　of　peaceful　assembly；　the　free

exercise　of　worship；　cannot　be　interdicted。〃　Never　have　citizens　been

more　carefully　guarded　against　the　encroachments　and　excesses　of

public　authority：　〃The　law　should　protect　public　and　private　liberties

against　the　oppression　of　those　who　govern　。　　。　　。　　offenses　committed

by　the　people's　mandatories　and　agents　must　never　go　unpunished。　　Let

free　men　instantly　put　to　death　every　individual　usurping　sovereignty。

。　　。　　Every　act　against　a　man　outside　of　the　cases　and　forms　which　the

law　determines　is　arbitrary　and　tyrannical；　whosoever　is　subjected　to

violence　in　the　execution　of　this　act　has　the　right　to