the origins of contemporary france-4-第86章

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shop　one　half　of　Paris。　　Woe　to　those　he　has　reason　to　complain　of；

those　who　have　withdrawn　from；　or　not　given　him；　their　custom！

Sovereign　of　his　quarter　up　to　Thermidor　10；　his　denunciations　are

death…warrants。　　Some　of　the　streets；　especially　that　of　Grand

Chantier；　he　〃depopulates。〃　And　this　Marais　exterminator　is　a

〃cobbler；〃　a　colleague　in　leather；　as　well　as　in　the　Commune；　of　Simon

the　shoemaker；　the　preceptor　and　murderer　of　the　young　Dauphin。



Still　lower　down　than　this　admirable　municipal　body；　let　us　try　to

imagine；　from　at　least　one　complete　example；　the　forty…eight

revolutionary　committees　who　supply　it　with　hands。　　…　There　is　one　of

them　of　which　we　know　all　the　members；　where　the　governing　class；

under　full　headway；　can　be　studied　on　the　spot　and　in　action。＇51＇　This

consists　of　the　underworld；　nomadic　class　which　is　revolutionary　only

through　its　appetites；　no　theory　and　no　convictions　animate　it；　during

the　first　three　years　of　the　Revolution　it　pays　no　attention　to；　or

cares　for；　public　matters；　if；　since　the　10th　of　August；　and

especially　since　the　2nd　of　June；　it　takes　any　account　of　these；　it　is

to　get　a　living　and　gorge　itself　with　plunder。　　…　Out　of　eighteen

members；　simultaneously　or　in　succession；　of　the　〃Bonnet　Rouge；〃

fourteen；　before　the　10th　of　August　and　especially　since　the　2nd　of

June；　are　unknown　in　this　quarter；　and　had　taken　no　part　in　the

Revolution。　　The　most　prominent　among　these　are　three　painters；

heraldic；　carriage　and　miniature；　evidently　ruined　and　idle　on　account

of　the　Revolution；　a　candle…dealer；　a　vinegar…dealer；　a　manufacturer

of　saltpeter；　and　a　locksmith；　while　of　these　seven　personages；　four

have　additionally　enhanced　the　dignity　of　their　calling　by　vending

tickets　for　small　lotteries；　acting　as　pawnbrokers　or　as　keepers　of　a

biribi＇52＇　saloon。　　Seated　along　with　these　are　two　upper…class

domestics；　a　hack…driver；　an　ex…gendarme　dismissed　from　the　corps；　a

cobbler　on　the　street　corner；　a　runner　on　errands　who　was　once　a

carter's　boy；　and　another　who；　two　months　before　this；　was　a

scavenger's　apprentice；　the　latter　penniless　and　in　tatters　before　he

became　one　of　the　Committee；　and　since　that；　well　clad；　lodged　and

furnished。　　Finally；　a　former　dealer　in　lottery…tickets；　himself　a

counterfeiter　by　his　own　admission；　and　a　jail…bird。　　Four　others　have

been　dismissed　from　their　places　for　dishonesty　or　swindling；　three

are　known　drunkards；　two　are　not　even　Frenchmen；　while　the　ring…

leader；　the　man　of　brains　of　this　select　company　is；　as　usual；　a

seedy；　used…up　lawyer；　the　ex…notary　Pigeot；　and　expelled　from　his

professional　body　on　account　of　bankruptcy。　　He　is　probably　the　author

of　the　following　speculation：　After　the　month　of　September；　1793；　the

Committee；　freely　arresting　whomsoever　it　pleased　in　the　quarter；　and

even　outside　of　it；　makes　a　haul　of　〃three　hundred　heads　of　families〃

in　four　months；　with　whom　it　fills　the　old　barracks　it　occupies　in　the

rue　de　Sèvres。　　In　this　confined　and　unhealthy　tenement；　more　than　one

hundred　and　twenty　prisoners　are　huddled　together；　sometimes　ten　in

one　room；　two　in　the　same　bed；　and；　for　their　keeping；　they　pay　three

hundred　francs　a　day。　　As　sixty…two　francs　of　this　charge　are

verified；　there　is　of　this　sum；　（not　counting　other　extortions　or

concessions　which　are　not　official）；　two　hundred　and　thirty…eight

francs　profit　daily　for　these　'honest'　contractors。　　Accordingly；　they

live　freely　and　have　〃the　most　magnificent　dinners　〃　in　their　assembly

chamber；　the　contribution　of　ten　or　twelve　francs　apiece　is　〃　nothing

〃　for　them。　　…　But；　in　this　opulent　St。　　Germain　quarter；　so　many　rich

and　noble　men　and　women　form　a　herd　which　must　be　conveniently

stalled；　so　as　to　be　the　more　easily　milked。　　Consequently；　toward　the

end　of　March；　1794；　the　Committee；　to　increase　its　business　and　fill

up　the　pen；　hires　a　large　house　on　the　corner　of　the　boulevard

possessing　a　court　and　a　garden；　where　the　high　society　of　the　quarter

is　assigned　lodgings　of　two　rooms　each；　at　twelve　francs　a　day；　which

gives　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　livres　per　annum；　and；　as　the

rent　is　twenty…four　hundred　francs；　the　Committee　gain　one　hundred　and

forty…seven　thousand　six　hundred　livres　by　the　operation；　we　must　add

to　this　twenty　sorts　of　profit　in　money　and　other　matters　…　taxes　on

the　articles　consumed　and　on　supplies　of　every　description；　charges　on

the　dispatch　and　receipt　of　correspondence　and　other　gratuities；　such

as　ransoms　and　fees。　　A　penned…up　herd　refuses　nothing　to　its

keepers；＇53＇　and　this　one　less　than　any　other；　for　if　this　herd　is

plundered　it　is　preserved；　its　keepers　finding　it　too　lucrative　to

send　it　to　the　slaughter…house。　　During　the　last　six　months　of　Terror；

but　two　out　of　the　one　hundred　and　sixty　boarders　of　the　〃Bonnet

Rouge〃　Committee　are　withdrawn　from　the　establishment　and　handed　over

to　the　guillotine。　　It　is　only　on　the　7th　and　8th　of　Thermidor　that

the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　having　undertaken　to　empty　the

prisons；　breaks　in　upon　the　precious　herd　and　disturbs　the　well…laid

scheme；　so　admirably　managed。　　…　It　was　only　too　well　managed；　for　it

excited　jealousy；　three　months　after　Thermidor；　the　〃　Bonnet　Rouge〃

committee　is　denounced　and　condemned；　ten　are　sentenced　to　twenty

years　in　irons；　with　the　pillory　in　addition；　and；　among　others；　the

clever　notary；＇54＇　amidst　the　jeering　and　insults　of　the　crowd。　　…　And

yet　these　are　not　the　worst；　their　cupidity　had　mollified　their

ferocity。　　Others；　less　adroit　in　robbing；　show　greater　cruelty　in

murdering。　　In　any　event；　in　the　provinces　as　well　as　in　Paris；　in　the

revolutionary　committees　paid　three　francs　a　day　for　each　member；　the

quality　of　one　or　the　other　of　the　officials　is　about　the　same。

According　to　the　pay…lists　which　Barère　keeps；　there　are　twenty…one

thousand　five　hundred　of　these　committees　in　France。＇55＇



IV。　　Provincial　Administration。



The　administrative　staff　in　the　provinces。　　…　Jacobinism　less　in　the

departmental　towns　than　in　Paris。　　…　Less　in　the　country　than　in　the

towns。　　…　The　Revolutionary　Committees　in　the　small　communes。　　…

Municipal　bodies　lukewarm　in　the　villages。　　…　Jacobins　too　numerous　in

bourgs　and　small　towns。　　…　Unreliable　or　hampered　as　agents　when

belonging　to　the　administrative　bodies　of　large　or　moderate…sized

towns。　　…　Deficiency　of　locally　recruited　staff。



　Had　the　laws　of　March　21　and　September　5；　1793；　been　strictly

enforced；　there　would；　instead　of　21；500　have　been　45；000　of　these

revolutionary　committees。　　They　would　have　been　composed　of　540；000

members　costing　the　public　591　millions　per　year。＇56＇　This　would　have

made　the　regular　administrative　body；　already　twice　as　numerous　and

twice　as　costly　as　under　the　ancient　régime；　an　extra　corps　expending；

〃simply　in　surveillance；〃　one　hundred　millions　more　than　the　entire

taxation　of　the　country；　the　greatness　of　which　had　excited　the　people

against　the　ancient　régime。　　…　Happily；　the　poisonous　and　monstrous

fungal　growth　was　only　able　to　achieve　half　its　intended　size；　neither

the　Jacobin　seed　nor　the　bad　atmosphere　it　required　to　make　it　spread

could　be　found　anywhere。　　〃The　people　of　the　provinces；〃　says　a

contemporary；＇57＇　〃are　not　up　to　the　level　of　the　Revolution；　it

opposes　old　habits　and　customs　and　the　resistance　of　inertia　to

innovations　which　it　does　not　understand。〃　〃The　plowman　is　an

estimable　man；〃　writes　a　missionary　representative；　〃　but　he　is

generally　a　poor　patriot。〃＇58＇　Actually；　there　is　on　the　one　hand；

less　of　human　sediment　in　the　departmental　towns　than　in　the　great

Parisian　sink；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　the　rural　population；　preserved

from　intellectual　miasmas；　better　resists　social　epidemics　than　the

urban　population。　　Less　infested　with　vicious　adventurers；　less

fruitful　in　disordered　intellects；　the　provinces　supply　a　corps　of

inquisitors　and　terrorists　with　greater　difficulty。



And　first；　in　the　th