the origins of contemporary france-4-第53章

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interest　to　league　together；　but　their　league　is　already　perfected。

One　has　only　to　open　one's　eyes　to　detect　〃in　all　its　extent〃　the　plot

they　have　hatched；　〃the　frightful　system　of　destruction　of　public

morality。〃＇135＇　Guadet；　Vergniaud；　Gensonné；　Danton；　Hébert；　〃all　of

them　artificial　characters；〃　had　no　other　end　in　view　：　〃they

felt＇136＇　that；　to　destroy　liberty；　it　was　necessary　to　favor　by　every

means　whatever　tended　to　justify　egoism；　wither　the　heart　and　efface

that　idea　of　moral　beauty；　which　affords　the　only　rule　for　public

reason　in　its　judgment　of　the　defenders　and　enemies　of　humanity。〃　…

Their　heirs　remain；　but　let　those　be　careful。　　Immorality　is　a

political　offense；　one　conspires　against　the　State　merely　by　making　a

parade　of　materialism　or　by　preaching　indulgence；　by　acting

scandalously；　or　by　following　evil　courses；　by　stock…jobbing；　by

dining　too　sumptuously；　by　being　vicious；　scheming；　given　to

exaggeration；　or　〃on　the　fence；〃　by　exciting　or　perverting　the　people；

by　deceiving　the　people；　by　finding　fault　with　the　people；　by

distrusting　the　people；＇137＇　short；　when　one　does　not　march　straight

along　on　the　prescribed　path　marked　out　by　Robespierre　according　to

principles：　whoever　stumbles　or　turns　aside　is　a　scoundrel；　a　traitor。

Now；　not　counting　the　Royalists；　Feuillantists；　Girondists；

Hébertists；　Dantonists；　and　others　already　decapitated　or　imprisoned

according　to　their　merit；　how　many　traitors　still　remain　in　the

Convention；　on　the　Committees；　amongst　the　representatives　on　mission；

in　the　administrative　bodies　not　properly　weeded　out；　amongst　petty

tyrannical　underlings　and　the　entire　ruling；　influential　class　at

Paris　and　in　the　provinces？　Outside　of　〃about　twenty　political

Trappists　in　the　Convention；〃　outside　of　a　small　devoted　group　of　pure

Jacobins　in　Paris；　outside　of　a　faithful　few　scattered　among　the

popular　clubs　of　the　departments；　how　many　Fouchés；　Vadiers；　Talliens；

Bourdons；　Collots；　remain　amongst　the　so…called　revolutionaries？　How

many　dissidents　are　there；　disguised　as　orthodox；　charlatans　disguised

as　patriots；　and　pashas　disguised　as　sans…culottes？＇138＇　Add　all　this

vermin　to　that　which　Marat　seeks　to　crush　out；　it　is　no　longer　by

hundreds　of　thousands；　but　by　millions。　　exclaim　Baudot；　Jeanbon…

Saint…André　and　Guffroy；　that　the　guilty　must　be　counted　and　cut　off

their　heads！　…　And　all　these　heads；　Robespierre；　according　to　his

maxims；　must　strike　off。　　He　is　well　aware　of　this；　hostile　as　his

intellect　may　be　to　precise　ideas；　he；　when　alone　in　his　closet；　face

to　face　with　himself；　sees　clearly；　as　clearly　as　Marat。　　Marat's

chimera；　on　first　spreading　out　its　wings；　bore　its　frenzied　rider

swiftly　onward　to　the　charnel　house；　that　of　Robespierre；　fluttering

and　hobbling　along；　reaches　the　goal　in　its　turn；　in　its　turn；　it

demands　something　to　feed　on；　and　the　rhetorician；　the　professor　of

principles；　begins　to　assess　the　voracity　of　the　monstrous　brute　on

which　he　is　mounted。　　Slower　than　the　other；　this　one　is　still　more

ravenous；　for；　with　similar　claws　and　teeth；　it　has　a　vaster　appetite。

At　the　end　of　three　years　Robespierre　has　overtaken　Marat；　at　that

distant　end　of　the　line；　at　the　station　where　Marat　had　established

himself　from　the　very　beginning；　and　the　theoretician　now　adopts　the

policy；　the　aim；　the　means；　the　work；　and　almost　the　vocabulary　of　a

maniac：＇139＇



armed　dictatorship　of　the　urban　mob；

systematic　perturbation　of　the　bribed　rabble；

war　against　the　bourgeoisie；

extermination　of　the　rich；



placing　opposition　writers；　administrators　and　deputies　outside　the

law。



Both　monsters　get　the　same　food；　only；　to　the　ration　of　his　monster；

Robespierre　adds　〃vicious　men〃　as　its　special　and　favorite　prey。

Henceforth；　he　may　in　vain　abstain　from　action；　take　refuge　in　his

rhetoric；　stop　his　chaste　ears；　and　raise　his　hypocritical　eyes　to

heaven；　he　cannot　avoid　seeing　or　hearing　under　his　immaculate　feet

the　streaming　gore；　and　the　bones　crashing　in　the　open　jaws　of　the

insatiable　monster　which　he　has　fashioned　and　on　which　he　rides。＇140＇

These　ever　open　and　hungry　jaws　must　be　daily　fed　with　an　ampler

supply　of　human　flesh；　not　only　is　he　bound　to　let　it　eat；　but　to

furnish　the　food；　often　with　his　own　hands；　except　that　he　must

afterwards　wash　them；　declaring；　and　even　believing；　that　no　spot　of

blood　has　ever　soiled　them。　　He　is　generally　content　to　caress　and

flatter　the　brute；　to　excuse　it；　to　let　it　go　on。　　Nevertheless；　more

than　once；　tempted　by　the　opportunity；　he　has　launched　it　against　his

designated　victim。＇141＇　　He　is　now　himself　starting　off　in　quest　of

living　prey；　he　casts　the　net　of　his　rhetoric＇142＇　around　it；　he

fetches　it　bound　to　the　open　jaws；　he　thrusts　aside　with　an

uncompromising　air　the　arms　of　friends；　wives　and　mothers；　the

outstretched　hands　of　suppliants　begging　for　lives；＇143＇　he　suddenly

throttles　the　struggling　victims＇144＇　and；　for　fear　that　they　might

escape；　he　strangles　them　in　time。　　Near　the　end；　this　is　no　longer

enough；　the　brute　must　have　grander　quarries；　and；　accordingly；　a　pack

of　hounds；　beaters…up；　and；　willingly　or　not；　it　is　Robespierre　who

equips；　directs　and　urges　them　on；　at　Orange；　at　Paris；＇145＇　ordering

them　to　empty　the　prison's；　and　be　expeditious　in　doing　their　work。　　…

In　this　profession　of　slaughtering；　destructive　instincts；　long

repressed　by　civilization；　become　aroused。　　His　feline　physiognomy；　at

first　〃that　of　a　domestic　cat；　restless　but　mild；　changes　into　the

savage　appearance　of　the　wildcat；　and　close　to　the　ferocious　exterior

of　the　tiger。　　In　the　Constituent　Assembly　he　speaks　with　a　whine；　in

the　Convention　he　froths　at　the　mouth。〃＇146＇　　The　monotonous　drone　of

a　stiff　sub…professor　changes　into　the　personal　accent　of　furious

passion；　he　hisses　and　grinds　his　teeth；＇147＇　Sometimes；　on　a　change

of　scene；　he　affects　to　shed　tears。＇148＇　　But　his　wildest　outbursts

are　less　alarming　than　his　affected　sensibility。　　The　festering

grudges；　corrosive　envies　and　bitter　scheming　which　have　accumulated

in　his　breast　are　astonishing。　　The　gall　bladder　is　full；　and　the

extravasated　gall　overflows　on　the　dead。　　He　never　tires　of　re…

executing　his　guillotined　adversaries；　the　Girondists；　Chaumette；

Hébert　and　especially　Danton；＇149＇　probably　because　Danton　was　the

active　agent　in　the　Revolution　of　which　he　was　simply　the　incapable

pedagogue；　he　vents　his　posthumous　hatred　on　this　still　warm　corpse　in

artful　insinuations　and　obvious　misrepresentations。　　Thus；　inwardly

corroded　by　the　venom　it　distills；　his　physical　machine　gets　out　of

order；　like　that　of　Marat；　but　with　other　symptoms。　　When　speaking　in

the　tribune　〃his　hands　crisp　with　a　sort　of　nervous　contraction；〃

sudden　tremors　agitate　〃his　shoulders　and　neck；　shaking　him

convulsively　to　and　fro。〃＇150＇　〃His　bilious　complexion　becomes　livid；〃

his　eyelids　quiver　under　his　spectacles；　and　how　he　looks！　〃Ah；〃　said

a　Montagnard；　〃you　would　have　voted　as　we　did　on　the　9th　of　Thermidor；

had　you　seen　his　green　eyeballs　！〃　〃Physically　as　well　as　morally；〃　he

becomes　a　second　Marat；　suffering　all　the　more　because　his　delirium　is

not　steady；　and　because　his　policy；　being　a　moral　one；　forces　him　to

exterminate　on　a　grander　scale。



But　he　is　a　discreet　Marat；　of　a　timid　temperament；　anxious；＇151＇

keeping　his　thoughts　to　himself；　made　for　a　school…master　or　a

pleader；　but　not　for　taking　the　lead　or　for　governing；　always　acting

hesitatingly；　and　ambitious　to　be　rather　the　pope；　than　the　dictator

of　the　Revolution。＇152＇　　Above　all；　he　wants　to　remain　a　political

Grandison＇153＇；　until　the　very　end；　he　keeps　his　mask；　not　only　in

public　but　also　to　himself　and　in　his　inmost　conscience。　　The　mask；

indeed；　has　adhered　to　his　skin；　he　can　no　longer　distinguish　one　from

the　other；　never　did　an　impostor　more　carefully　conceal　intentions　and

acts　under　sophisms；　and　persuade　himself　that　the　mask　was　his　face；

and　that　in