the origins of contemporary france-4-第82章

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tolerated　in　the　Republic　as　a　passive　subject；　if　he　is　content　to　be

taxed　and　taxed　when　they　please；　and　if　he　is　not　sent　to　join　the

〃suspects〃　in　prison；　whoever　does　not　belong　to　the　band　does　not

belong　to　the　community。



Amongst　themselves　and　in　their　popular　club　it　is　worse；　for



　〃the　eagerness　to　get　any　office　leads　to　every　one　denouncing　each

other；　〃＇15＇



consequently；　at　the　Jacobin　club　in　the　rue　St。　　Honoré；　and　in　the

branch　clubs　of　the　quarter；　there　is　constant　purging；　and　always　in

the　same　sense；　until　the　faction　is　cleansed　of　all　honest　or

passable　alloy　and　only　a　minority　remains；　which　has　its　own　way　at

every　balloting。　　One　of　them　announces　that；　in　his　club；　eighty

doubtful　members　have　already　been　gotten　rid　of；　another　that；　in　his

club；　one　hundred　are　going　to　be　excluded。＇16＇　　On　Ventose　23；　in　the

〃Bon…Consei1〃　club；　most　of　the　members　examined　are　rejected：　〃they

are　so　strict　that　a　man　who　cannot　show　that　he　acted　energetically

in　critical　times；　cannot　form　part　of　the　assembly；　he　is　set　aside

for　a　mere　trifle。〃　On　Vent？se　13；　in　the　same　club；　〃out　of　twenty…

six　examined；　seven　only　are　admitted；　one　citizen；　a　tobacco　dealer；

aged　sixty…eight；　who　has　always　performed　his　duty；　is　rejected　for

having　called　the　president　Monsieur；　and　for　having　spoken　in　the

tribune　bareheaded；　two　members；　after　this；　insisted　on　his　being　a

Moderate；　which　is　enough　to　keep　him　out。〃　Those　who　remain；　consist

of　the　most　restless　and　most　loquacious；　the　most　eager　for　office；

the　self…mutilated　club　being　thus　reduced　to　a　nucleus　of　charlatans

and　scoundrels。



To　these　spontaneous　eliminations　through　which　the　club　deteriorates；

add　the　constant　pressure　through　which　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety

frightens　and　degrades　it。　　The　lower　the　revolutionary　government

sinks；　and　the　more　it　concentrates　its　power；　the　more　servile　and

sanguinary　do　its　agents　and　employees　become。　　It　strikes　right　and

left　as　a　warning；　it　imprisons　or　decapitates　the　turbulent　among　its

own　clients；　the　secondary　demagogues　who　are　impatient　at　not　being

principal　demagogues；　the　bold　who　think　of　striking　a　fresh　blow　in

the　streets；　Jacques　Roux；　Vincent；　Momoro；　Hébert；　leaders　of　the

Cordeliers　club　and　of　the　Commune。　　After　these；　the　indulgent　who

are　disposed　to　exercise　some　discernment　or　moderation　in　terrorism；

Camille　Desmoulins；　Danton　and　their　adherents；　and　lastly；　many

others　who　are　more　or　less　doubtful；　compromised　or　compromising；

wearied　or　eccentric；　from　Maillard　to　Chaumette；　from　Antonelle　to

Chabot；　from　Westermann　to　Clootz。　　　Each　of　the　proscribed　has　a　gang

of　followers；　and　suddenly　the　whole　gang　are　obliged　to　do　a　volte…

face；　those　who　were　able　to　show　initiative；　grovel；　while　those　who

could　show　mercy；　become　hardened。　　Henceforth；　amongst　the　subaltern

Jacobins；　the　roots　of　independence；　humanity；　and　loyalty；　hard　to

extirpate　even　in　an　ignoble　and　cruel　nature；　are　eradicated　even　to

the　last　fiber；　the　revolutionary　staff；　already　so　debased；　becoming

more　and　more　degraded；　until　it　is　worthy　of　the　office　assigned　to

it。　　The　confidants　of　Hébert；　those　who　listen　to　Chaumette；　the

comrades　of　Westermann；　the　officers　of　Ronsin；　the　faithful　readers

of　Camille；　the　admirers　and　devotees　of　Danton；　all　are　bound　to

publicly　repudiate　their　incarcerated　friend　or　leader　and　approve　of

the　decree　which　sends　him　to　the　scaffold；　to　applaud　his

calumniators；　to　overwhelm　him　on　trial：　this　or　that　judge　or

juryman；　who　is　one　of　Danton's　partisans；　is　obliged　to　stifle　a

defense　of　him；　and；　knowing　him　to　be　innocent；　pronounce　him　guilty；

one　who　had　often　dined　with　Desmoulins　is　not　only　to　guillotine　him；

but；　in　addition　to　this；　to　guillotine　his　young　widow。　　Moreover；　in

the　revolutionary　committees；　at　the　Commune；　in　the　offices　of　the

Committee　of　General　Safety；　in　the　bureau　of　the　Central　Police；　at

the　headquarters　of　the　armed　force；　at　the　revolutionary　Tribunal；

the　service　to　which　they　are　compelled　to　do　becomes　daily　more

onerous　and　more　repulsive。　　To　denounce　neighbors；　to　arrest

colleagues；　to　go　and　seize　innocent　persons；　known　to　be　such；　in

their　beds；　to　select　in　the　prisons　the　thirty　or　forty　unfortunates

who　form　the　daily　food　of　the　guillotine；　to　〃amalgamate〃　them

haphazard；　to　try　them　and　condemn　them　in　a　lot；　to　escort

octogenarian　women　and　girls　of　sixteen　to　the　scaffold；　even　under

the　knife…blade；　to　see　heads　dropping　and　bodies　swinging；　to

contrive　means　for　getting　rid　of　a　multitude　of　corpses；　and　for

removing　the　too…visible　stains　of　blood。　　Of　what　species　do　the

beings　consist；　who　can　accept　such　a　task；　and　perform　it　day　after

day；　with　the　prospect　of　doing　it　indefinitely？　Fouquier…Tinville

himself　succumbs。　　One　evening；　on　his　way　to　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety；　〃he　feels　unwell〃　on　the　Pont…Neuf　and　exclaims：　〃I　think　I

see　the　ghosts　of　the　dead　following　us；　especially　those　of　the

patriots　I　have　had　guillotined！〃＇17＇　And　at　another　time：　〃I　would

rather　plow　the　ground　than　be　public　prosecutor。　　If　I　could；　I　would

resign。〃　　The　government；　as　the　system　becomes　aggravated；　is

forced　to　descend　lower　still　that　it　may　find　suitable　instruments；

it　finds　them　now　only　in　the　lowest　depths：　in　Germinal；　to　renew　the

Commune；　in　Floréal；　to　renew　the　ministries；　in　Prairial；　to　re…

compose　the　revolutionary　Tribunal；　month　after　month；　purging　and　re…

constituting　the　committees　of　each　quarter＇18＇　of　the　city。　　In　vain

does　Robespierre；　writing　and　re…writing　his　secret　lists；　try　to　find

men　able　to　maintain　the　system；　he　always　falls　back　on　the　same

names；　those　of　unknown　persons；　illiterate；　about　a　hundred　knaves　or

fools　with　four　or　five　second…class　despots　or　fanatics　among　them；

as　malevolent　and　as　narrow　as　himself。　　…　The　purifying　crucible　has

been　used　too　often　and　for　too　long　a　time；　it　has　overheated；　what

was　sound；　or　nearly　so；　in　the　elements　of　the　primitive　fluid　has

been　forcibly　evaporated；　the　rest　has　fermented　and　become　acid；

nothing　remains　in　the　bottom　of　the　vessel　but　the　lees　of　stupidity

and　wickedness；　their　concentrated　and　corrosive　dregs。



II。　　Subaltern　Jacobins。



Quality　of　subaltern　leaders。　　…　How　they　rule　in　the　section

assemblies。　　…　How　they　seize　and　hold　office。



Such　are　the　subordinate　sovereigns＇19＇　who　in　Paris；　during　14　months

dispose　as　they　please；　of　fortunes；　liberties　and　lives。　　…　And

first；　in　the　section　assemblies；　which　still　maintain　a　semblance　of

popular　sovereignty；　they　rule　despotically　and　uncontested。　　…



〃A　dozen　or　fifteen　men　wearing　a　red　cap；＇20＇　well…informed　or　not；

claim　the　exclusive　right　of　speaking　and　acting；　and　if　any　other

citizen　with　honest　motives　happens　to　propose　measures　which　he

thinks　proper；　and　which　really　are　so；　no　attention　is　paid　to　these

measures；　or；　if　it　is；　it　is　only　to　show　the　members　composing　the

assemblage　of　how　little　account　they　are。　　These　measures　are

accordingly　rejected；　solely　because　they　are　not　presented　by　one　of

the　men　in　a　red　cap；　or　by　somebody　like　themselves；　initiated　in　the

mysteries　of　the　section。〃



〃　Sometimes；〃　says　one　of　the　leaders；＇21＇　〃we　find　only　ten　members

of　the　club　at　the　general　assembly　of　the　section；　but　there　are

enough　of　us　to　intimidate　the　rest。　　Should　any　citizen　of　the

section　make　a　proposition　we　do　not　like；　we　rise　and　shout　that　he

is　an　schemer；　or　a　signer　（of　former　constitutional　petitions）。　　In

this　way　we　impose　silence　on　those　who　are　not　in　line　with　the

club。〃　…



　Since　September；　1793；　operation　is　all　the　easier　because　the

majority；　is　now　composed　of　beasts　of　burden；　ruled　with　an　iron

hand。



〃When　something　has　to　be　effected　that　depends　on　intrigue　or　on

private　interest；＇22＇　the　motion　is　always　put　by　on