the origins of contemporary france-4-第61章

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＇159＇　Ibid。；　XXXII。；　71。　　（Speech　against　Danton。）　〃What　have　you　done

that　you　have　not　done　freely？〃



＇160＇　Ibid。；　XXXIII。；　199　and　221。　　（Speech　on　the　law　of　Prairial

22。）



＇161＇　Mirabeau　said　of　Robespierre：　〃Whatever　that　man　has　said；　he

believes　in　it。　　…　Robespierre；　Duplay's　guest；　dined　every　day　with

Duplay；　a　juryman　in　the　revolutionary　tribunal　and　co…operator　for

the　guillotine；　at　eighteen　francs　a　day。　　The　talk　at　the　table

probably　turned　on　the　current　abstractions；　but　there　must　have　been

frequent　allusions　to　the　condemnations　of　the　day；　and；　even　when　not

mentioned；　they　were　in　their　minds。　　Only　Robert　Browning；　at　the

present　day；　could　imagine　and　revive　what　was　spoken　and　thought　in

those　evening　conversations　before　the　mother　and　daughters。



＇162＇　Today；　more　than　100　years　later；　where　are　we？　Is　it　possible

that　man　can　thus　lie　to　himself　and　hence　to　others？　Robert　Wright；

in　his　book　〃The　Moral　Animal〃；　describing　〃The　New　Science　of

Evolutionary　Psychology〃；　writes　（page　280）：　〃The　proposition　here　is

that　the　human　brain　is；　in　large　part；　a　machine　for　winning

arguments；　a　machine　for　convincing　others　that　its　owner　is　in　the

right　…　and　thus　a　machine　for　convincing　its　owner　of　the　same　thing。

The　brain　is　like　a　good　lawyer：　given　any　set　of　interests　to　defend；

its　sets　about　convincing　the　world　of　their　moral　and　logical　worth；

regardless　of　whether　they　in　fact　have　any　of　either。　　Like　a　lawyer；

it　is　sometimes　more　admirable　for　skill　than　for　virtue。〃　（SR）。



＇163＇　Buchez　et　Roux；　XXXIII。；　151。　　…　Cf。。　　Dauban；　〃Paris　en　1794；〃

p。386　（engraving）　and　392；　Fête　de　l'être　Suprême　à　Sceaux；〃　according

to　the　programme　drawn　up　by　the　patriot　Palloy。　　〃All　citizens　are

requested　to　be　at　their　windows　or　doors；　even　those　occupying　the

rear　part　of　the　main　buildings。〃…　Ibid。；　399。　　〃Youthful　citizens

will　strew　flowers　at　each　station；　fathers　will　embrace　their

children　and　mothers　turn　their　eyes　upward　to　heaven。〃　…　Moniteur；

XXX。；　653。　　〃Plan　of　the　fête　in　honor　of　the　Supreme　Being；　drawn　up

by　David；　and　decreed　by　the　National　Convention。〃



＇164＇　Buchez　et　Roux；　XXXIII。；　176。　　（Narrative　by　Valate。）



＇165＇　Hamel；　III。；　541。



＇166＇　Buchez　et　Roux；　XXVIII。；　178；　180。



＇167＇　Ibid。；　177　（Narrative　by　Vilate。）　Ibid。；　170；　Notes　by

Robespierre　on　Bourdon　（de　l'Oise）　417。　　Passages　erased　by

Robespierre　in　the　manuscript　of　his　speech　of　Thermidor　8。　　…　249。

Analogous　passages　in　his　speech　as　delivered；　…　all　these　indications

enable　us　to　trace　the　depths　of　his　resentment。



＇168＇　Ibid。；　183。　　Memoirs　of　Billaud…Varennes；　Collot　d'Herbois；

Vadier　and　Barère。　　〃The　next　day　after　Prairial　22；　at　the　morning

session　（of　the　committee　of　Public　Safety）　。　　。　　。　　。　　I　now　see；

says　Robespierre；　that　I　stand　alone；　with　nobody　to　support　me；　and；

getting　violently　excited；　he　launched　out　against　the　members　of　the

committee　who　had　conspired　against　him。　　He　shouted　so　loud　as　to

collect　together　a　number　of　citizens　on　the　Tuileries　terrace。〃

Finally；　〃he　pushed　hypocrisy　so　far　as　to　shed　tears。〃　The　nervous

machine；　I　imagine；　broke　down。　　…　Another　member　of　the　committee；

Prieur；　（Carnot；　〃Mémoires；〃　II。；　525）；　relates　that；　in　the　month　of

Floréal；　after　another　equally　long　and　violent　session；　〃Robespierre；

exhausted；　became　ill。〃



＇169＇　Carnot；　〃Mémoires；〃　II。　　526。　　〃As　his　bureau　was　in　a　separate

place；　where　none　of　us　set　foot；　he　could　retire　to　it　without　coming

in　contact　with　any　of　us；　as　in　effect；　he　did。　　He　even　made　a

pretence　of　passing　through　the　committee　rooms；　after　the　session　was

over；　and　he　signed　some　papers；　but　he　really　neglected　nothing；

except　our　common　discussions。　　He　held　frequent　conferences　in　his

house　with　the　presidents　of　the　revolutionary　tribunals；　over　which

his　influence　was　greater　than　ever。〃



＇170＇　Dauban；　〃Paris　en　1794；〃　563。　　…　Archives　Nationales；　AF。II。；

58。　　The　signature　of　Robespierre；　in　his　own　handwriting；　is　found

affixed　to　many　of　the　resolutions　of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；

passed　Thermidor　5　and　7；　and　those　of　St。　　Just　and　Couthon　after

this；　up　to　Thermidor　3；　6　and　7。　　On　the　register　of　the　minutes　of

the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　Robespierre　is　always　recorded　as

present　at　all　meetings　between　Messidor　1　and　Thermidor　8；　inclusive。



＇171＇　Archives　Nationales；　F。7；　4438。　　Report　to　the　Committee　of

Public　Safety　by　Herman；　Commissioner　of　the　civil　and　Police

administrations　and　of　the　Courts；　Messidor　3；　year　II。　　〃The

committee　charged　with　a　general　surpervision　of　the　prisons；　and

obliged　to　recognize　that　all　the　rascals　mostly　concerned　with

liberticide　plots　are。　　。　　。　　。　　still　in　the　prisons；　forming　a　band

apart；　and　rendering　surveillance　very　troublesome；　they　are　a

constant　source　of　disorder；　always　getting　up　attempts　to　escape；

being　a　daily　assemblage　of　persons　devoting　themselves　wholly　to

imprecations　against　liberty　and　its　defenders。　　。　　。　　。　　It　would　be

easy　to　point　out　in　each　prison；　those　who　have　served；　and　are　to

serve；　the　diverse　factions；　the　diverse　conspiracies。　　。　　。　　。　　It

may　be　necessary；　perhaps；　to　purge　the　prisons　at　once　and　free　the

soil　of　liberty　of　their　filth；　the　refuse　of　humanity。〃　The　Committee

of　Public　Safety　consequently　〃charges　the　commission　to　ascertain　in

the　prisons　of　Paris。　　。　　。　　who　have　been　more　specially　concerned　in

the　diverse　factions　and　conspiracies　that　the　National　convention　has

destroyed。〃　The　word　〃approved〃　appears　at　the　foot　of　the　resolution

in　Robespierre's　handwriting；　then　the　signature　of　Robespierre；　and

lower　down；　those　of　Billaud　and　Barère。　　A　similar　resolution

providing　for　the　7th　of　Messidor；　signed　by　the　same　parties　and　five

others；　is　dispatched　the　same　day。　　（M。　de　Martel　came　across　and

made　use　of　this　conclusive　document　before　I　did；　most　of　it　being

quoted　in　〃Les　Types　Revolutionnaires。〃）



＇172＇　Buchez　et　Roux；　XXXIII。；　434。







CHAPTER　II。　　THE　RULERS　OF　THE　COUNTRY。



Let　us　follow　the　operations　of　the　new　government　from　top　to　bottom；

from　those　of　its　ruling　bodies　and　leaders；　to　its　assemblies；

committees；　delegates；　administrators　and　underlings　of　every　kind　and

degree。　　Like　living　flesh　stamped　with　a　red…hot　iron；　so　will　the

situation　put　one　their　brows　the　two　marks；　each　with　its　own

different　depth　and　discoloration。　　In　vain　do　they；　too；　strive　to

conceal　their　scars：　we　detect　under　the　crowns　and　titles　they　assume

the　brand　of　the　slave　or　the　mark　of　the　tyrant。



I。　　　The　Convention。



The　Convention。　　…　The　〃Plain。〃　…　The　〃Mountain。〃　…　Degradation　of

Souls。　　…　Parades　which　the　Convention　is　obligated　to　make。



At　the　Tuileries；　the　omnipotent　Convention　sits　enthroned　in　the

theater；　converted　into　an　Assembly　room。　　It　carries　on　its

deliberations　daily；　in　grand　style。　　Its　decrees；　received　with　blind

obedience；　startle　France　and　upset　all　Europe。　　At　a　distance；　its

majesty　is　imposing；　more　august　than　that　of　the　Republican　senate　in

Rome。　　Near　by；　the　effect　is　quite　otherwise；　these　undisputed

sovereigns　are　serfs　who　live　in　trances；　and　justly　so；　for；　nowhere；

even　in　prison；　is　there　more　constraint　and　less　security　than　on

their　benches。　　After　the　2nd　of　June；　1793；　their　inviolable

precincts；　the　grand　official　reservoir　from　which　legal　authority

flows；　becomes　a　sort　of　tank；　into　which　the　revolutionary　net

plunges　and　successfully　brings　out　its　choicest　fish；　singly　or　by

the　dozen；　and　sometimes　in　vast　numbers；　at　first；　the　sixty…seven

Girondist　deputies；　who　are　executed　or　proscribed；　then；　the　seventy…

three　members　of　the　〃Right；〃　swept　off　in　one　day　and　lodged　in　the

prison　of　La　Force；　next；　the　prominent　Jacobins：



Osselin；　arrested　on　the　19th　of　Brumaire；　Bazire；　Chabot；　and

Delaunay；　accused　by　decree