the origins of contemporary france-4-第50章

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together　in　peace　and　harmony。　　Basically　they　are　good；＇86＇　and　will；

after　a　little　necessary　purification；　become　good　again。

Accordingly；　their　collective　will　is　〃the　voice　of　reason　and　public

interest；〃　hence；　on　meeting　together；　they　are　wise。　　〃The　people's

assembly　of　delegates　should　deliberate；　if　possible；　in　the　presence

of　the　whole　body　of　the　people；〃　the　Legislative　body；　at　least；

should　hold　its　sittings　〃in　a　vast；　majestic　edifice　open　to　twenty

thousand　spectators。〃　Note　that　for　the　past　four　years；　in　the

Constituent　Assembly；　in　the　Legislative　Assembly；　in　the　Convention；

at　the　Hotel　de…Ville；　in　the　Jacobin　Club；　wherever　Robespierre

speaks；　the　galleries　have　never　ceased　to　shout；　yell　and　express

their　opinion。　　Such　a　positive；　palpable　experience　would　open

anybody's　eyes；　his　are　closed　through　prejudice　or　interest；　even

physical　truth　finds　no　access　to　his　mind；　because　he　is　unable　to

comprehend　it；　or　because　he　has　to　keep　it　out。　　He　must；

accordingly；　be　either　obtuse　or　a　charlatan。　　Actually　he　is　both；

for　both　combine　to　form　the　pedant　（cuistre）；　that　is　to　say；　the

hollow；　inflated　mind　which；　filled　with　words　and　imagining　that

these　are　ideas；　revels　in　its　own　declamation　and　dupes　itself　that

it　may　dictate　to　others。



Such　is　his　title；　his　personality　and　role。　　In　this　artificial　and

declamatory　tragedy　of　the　Revolution　he　takes　the　leading　part；　the

maniac　and　the　barbarian　slowly　retire　in　the　background　on　the

appearance　of　the　cuistre；　Marat　and　Danton　finally　become　effaced；　or

efface　themselves；　and　the　stage　is　left　to　Robespierre　who　attracts

all　the　attention。＇87＇　…　If　we　want　to　understand　him　we　must　look　at

him　as　he　stands　in　the　midst　of　his　surroundings。　　At　the　last　stage

of　a　dying　intellectual　vegetation；　on　the　last　branch　of　the

eighteenth　century；　he　is　the　final　freak　and　dried　fruit　of　the

classical　spirit。＇88＇　　He　has　retained　nothing　of　a　worn…out　system　of

philosophy　but　its　lifeless　dregs　and　well…conned　formulae；　the

formulae　of　Rousseau；　Mably；　and　Raynal；　concerning　〃the　people；

nature；　reason；　liberty；　tyrants；　factions；　virtue；　morality；〃　a

ready…made　vocabulary；＇89＇　expressions　too　ample；　the　meaning　of

which；　ill…defined　by　the　masters；　evaporates　in　the　hands　of　the

disciple。　　He　never　tries　to　get　at　this；　his　writings　and　speeches

are　merely　long　strings　of　vague　abstract　periods；　there　is　no　telling

fact　in　them；　no　distinct；　characteristic　detail；　no　appeal　to　the　eye

evoking　a　living　image；　no　personal；　special　observation；　no　clear；

frank　original　impression。　　It　might　be　said　of　him　that　he　never　saw

anything　with　his　own　eyes；　that　he　neither　could　nor　would　see；　that

false　conceptions　have　intervened　and　fixed　themselves　between　him　and

the　object；＇90＇　he　combines　these　in　logical　sequence；　and　simulates

the　absent　thought　by　an　affected　jargon；　and　this　is　all。　　The　other

Jacobins　alongside　of　him　likewise　use　the　same　scholastic　jargon；　but

none　of　them　spout　and　spread　out　so　complacently　and　lengthily　as　he。

For　hours；　we　grope　after　him　in　the　vague　shadows　of　political

speculation；　in　the　cold　and　perplexing　mist　of　didactic　generalities；

trying　in　vain　to　make　something　out　of　his　colorless　tirades；　and　we

grasp　nothing。＇91＇　　When　we；　in　astonishment；　ask　ourselves　what　all

this　talk　amounts　to；　and　why　he　talks　at　all；　the　answer　is；　that　he

has　said　nothing　and　that　he　talks　only　for　the　sake　of　talking；　the

same　as　a　sectarian　preaching　to　his　congregation；　neither　the

preacher　nor　his　audience　ever　wearying；　the　one　of　turning　the

dogmatic　crank；　and　the　other　of　listening。　　So　much　the　better　if　the

container　is　empty；　the　emptier　it　is　the　easier　and　faster　the　crank

turns。　　And　better　still；　if　the　empty　term　he　selects　is　used　in　a

contrary　sense；　the　sonorous　words　justice；　humanity；　mean　to　him

piles　of　human　heads；　the　same　as　a　text　from　the　gospels　means　to　a

grand　inquisitor　the　burning　of　heretics。　　…　Through　this　extreme

perversity；　the　cuistre　spoils　his　own　mental　instrument；　thenceforth

he　employs　it　as　he　likes；　as　his　passions　dictate；　believing　that　he

serves　truth　in　serving　these。



Now；　his　first　passion；　his　principal　passion；　is　literary　vanity。

Never　was　the　chief　of　a　party；　sect　or　government；　even　at　critical

moments；　such　an　incurable；　insignificant　rhetorician；　so　formal；　so

pompous；　and　so　dull。　　…　On　the　eve　of　the　9th　of　Thermidor；　when　it

was　a　question　of　life　or　death；　he　enters　the　tribune　with　a　set

speech；　written　and　re…written；　polished　and　re…polished；＇92＇

overloaded　with　studied　ornaments　and　bits　for　effect；＇93＇　coated　by

dint　of　time　and　labor；　with　the　academic　varnish；　the　glitter　of

symmetrical　antitheses；　rounded　periods；　exclamations；　omissions；

apostrophes　and　other　tricks　of　the　pen。＇94＇　…　In　the　most　famous　and

important　of　his　reports；＇95＇　I　have　counted　eighty…four　instances　of

personifications＇96＇　imitated　from　Rousseau　and　the　antique；　many　of

them　largely　expanded；　some　addressed　to　the　dead；　to　Brutus；　to　young

Barra；　and　others　to　absentees；　priests；　and　aristocrats；　to　the

unfortunate；　to　French　women；　and　finally　to　abstract　substantives

like　Liberty　and　Friendship。　　With　unshaken　conviction　and　intense

satisfaction；　he　deems　himself　an　orator　because　he　harps　on　the　same

old　tune。　　There　is　not　one　true　tone　in　his　elaborate　eloquence；

nothing　but　recipes　and　only　those　of　a　worn…out　art；　Greek　and　Roman

common…places；　Socrates　and　the　hemlock；　Brutus　and　his　dagger；

classic　metaphors　like　〃the　flambeaux　of　discord；〃　and　〃the　vessel　of

State；〃＇97＇s　coupled　together　and　beauties　of　style　which　a　pupil　in

rhetoric　aims　at　on　the　college　bench；＇98＇times　a　grand　bravura　air；

so　essential　for　parade　in　public；＇99＇　centimes　a　delicate　strain　of

the　flute；　for；　in　those　days；　one　must　have　a　tender　heart；＇100＇　in

short；　Marmontel's　method　in　〃　Belisarius；〃　or　that　of　Thomas　in　his

〃Eloges；〃　all　borrowed　from　Rousseau；　but　of　inferior　quality；　like　a

sharp；　thin　voice　strained　to　imitate　a　rich；　powerful　voice。　　All　is

a　sort　of　involuntary　parody；　and　the　more　repulsive　because　a　word

ends　in　a　blow；　because　a　sentimental；　declamatory　Trissotin　poses　as

statesman；　because　the　studied　elegance　of　the　closet　become　pistol

shots　aimed　at　living　breasts；　because　an　epithet　skillfully　directed

sends　a　man　to　the　guillotine。　　…　The　contrast　is　too　great　between

his　talent　and　the　part　he　plays。　　With　such　a　talent；　as　mediocre　and

false　as　his　intellect；　there　is　no　employment　for　which　he　is　less

suited　than　that　of　governing　men；　he　was　cut　out　for　another；　which；

in　a　peaceable　community；　he　would　have　been　able　to　do。　　Suppress　the

Revolution；　and　Marat　would　have　probably　ended　his　days　in　an　asylum。

Danton　might　possibly　have　become　a　legal　filibuster；　a　highwayman　or

gangster；　and　finally　throttled　or　hung。　　Robespierre；　on　the

contrary；　might　have　continued　as　he　began；＇101＇　a　busy；　hard…working

lawyer　of　good　standing；　member　of　the　Arras　Academy；　winner　of

competitive　prizes；　author　of　literary　eulogies；　moral　essays　and

philanthropic　pamphlets；　his　little　lamp；　lighted　like　hundreds　of

others　of　equal　capacity　at　the　focus　of　the　new　philosophy；　would

have　burned　moderately　without　doing　harm　to　any　one；　and　diffused

over　a　provincial　circle　a　dim；　commonplace　illumination　proportionate

to　the　little　oil　his　lamp　would　hold。



But　the　Revolution　bore　him　into　the　Constituent　Assembly；　where；　for

a　long　time　on　this　great　stage；　his　amour　propre；　the　dominant

feeling　of　the　pedant；　suffered　terribly。　　He　had　already　suffered　on

this　score　from　his　earliest　youth；　and　his　wounds　being　still　fresh

made　him　only　the　more　sensitive。　　…　Born　in　Arras　in　1758；　orphaned

and　poor；　protégé　of　his　bishop；　a　bursar　through　favor　at　the　college

Louis…le…Grand；　later　a　clerk　with　Brissot　under　the　revolutionary

system　o