the origins of contemporary france-4-第94章

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and　equipped　at　its　own　expense；　they　deem　it　aristocratic；　bourgeois；

and　〃suspect；〃　and　seize　the　horses　and　put　the　officers　in　arrest。　　…

At　Troyes；　Rousselin；　〃National　civil　commissioner；〃　dismisses；　for

the　same　reason；　and　with　not　less　dispatch；　all　of　the　gendarmes　at

one　stroke；　except　four；　and　〃puts　under　requisition　their　horses；

fully　equipped；　also　their　arms；　so　as　to　at　once　mount　well　known　and

tried　sans…culottes。〃　On　principle；　the　poor　sans…culottes；　who　are

true　at　heart　and　in　dress；　alone　have　the　right　to　bear　arms；　and

should　a　bourgeois　be　on　duty　he　must　have　only　a　pike；　care　being

taken　to　take　it　away　from　him　the　moment　he　finishes　his　rounds。＇145＇



But；　alongside　of　the　usual　armed　force；　there　is　still　another；　much

better　selected　and　more　effective；　the　reserve　gendarmerie；　a

special；　and；　at　the　same　time；　movable　and　resident　body；　that　is　to

say；　the　〃revolutionary　army；〃　which；　after　September　5；　1793；　the

government　had　raised　in　Paris　and　in　most　of　the　large　towns。　　…　That

of　Paris；　comprising　six　thousand　men；　with　twelve　hundred　cannoneers；

sends　detachments　into　the　provinces　…　two　thousand　men　to　Lyons；　and

two　hundred　to　Troyes；＇146＇　Ysabeau　and　Tallien　have　at　Bordeaux　a

corps　of　three　thousand　men　；　Salicetti；　Albitte　and　Gasparin；　one　of

two　thousand　men　at　Marseilles；　Ysoré　and　Duquesnoy；　one　of　one

thousand　men　at　Lille；　Javogues；　one　of　twelve　hundred　at　Montbrison。

Others；　less　numerous；　ranging　from　six　hundred　down　to　two　hundred

men；　hold　Moulins；　Grenoble；　Besan？on；　Belfort；　Bourg；　Dijon；

Strasbourg；　Toulouse；　Auch　and　Nantes。3147When；　on　March　27；　1794；　the

Committee　of　Public　Safety；　threatened　by　Hébert；　has　them　disbanded

for　being　Hébertists；　in　any　of　them　are　to　remain　at　least　as　a

nucleus；　under　various　forms　and　names；　either　as　kept　by　the　local

administration　under　the　title　of　〃paid　guards；〃＇148＇　or　as　disbanded

soldiers；　loitering　about　and　doing　nothing；　getting　themselves

assigned　posts　of　rank　in　the　National　Guard　of　their　town　on　account

of　their　exploits；　in　this　way　they　keep　themselves　in　service；　which

is　indispensable；　for　it　is　through　these　that　the　régime　is

established　and　lasts。　　〃The　revolutionary　army；＇149＇　say　the　orders

and　decrees　promulgated；　〃is　intended　to　repress　anti…revolutionaries；

to　execute；　whenever　it　is　found　necessary；　revolutionary　laws　and

measures　for　public　safety；〃　that　is　to　say；　〃to　guard　those　who　are

shut　up；　arrest　'suspects；'　demolish　chateaux；　pull　down　belfries；

ransack　vestries　for　gold　and　silver　objects；　seize　fine　horses　and

carriages；〃　and　especially　〃　to　seek　for　private　stores　and

monopolies；〃　in　short；　to　exercise　manual　constraint　and　strike　every

one　on　the　spot　with　physical　terror。　　…　We　readily　see　what　sort　of

soldiers　the　revolutionary　army　is　composed　of。



Naturally；　as　it　is　recruited　by　voluntary　enlistment；　and　all

candidates　have　passed　the　purifying　scrutiny　of　the　clubs；　it

comprises　none　but　ultra…Jacobins。　　Naturally；　the　pay　being　forty

sous　a　day；　it　comprises　none　but　the　very　lowest　class。　　Naturally；

as　the　work　is　as　loathsome　as　it　is　atrocious；　it　comprises　but　few

others＇150＇　than　those　out　of　employment　and　reduced　to　an　enlistment

to　get　a　living；　〃hairdressers　without　customers；　lackeys　without

places；　vagabonds；　wretches　unable　to　earn　a　living　by　honest　labor；〃

〃thick　and　hard　hitters〃　who　have　acquired　the　habit　of　bullying；

knocking　down　and　keeping　honest　folks　under　their　pikes；　a　gang　of

confirmed　scoundrels　making　public　brigandage　a　cloak　for　private

brigandage；　inhabitants　of　the　slums　glad　to　bring　down　their　former

superiors　into　the　mud；　and　themselves　take　precedence　and　strut　about

in　order　to　prove　by　their　arrogance　and　self…display　that　they；　in

their　turn；　are　princes。　　…　〃Take　a　horse；　the　nation　pays　for

it！〃＇151＇　said　the　sans…culottes　of　Bordeaux　to　their　comrades　in　the

street；　who；　〃in　a　splendid　procession；〃　of　three　carriages；　each

drawn　by　six　horses；　escorted　by　a　body　on　horseback；　behind；　in

front；　and　each　side；　conducting　Riouffe　and　two　other　〃suspects〃　to

the　Réole　prison。　　The　commander　of　the　squad　who　guards　prisoners　on

the　way　to　Paris；　and　who　〃starves　them　along　the　road　to　speculate　on

them；〃　is　an　ex…cook　of　Agen；　having　become　a　gendarme；　he　makes　them

travel　forty　leagues　extra；　〃purposely　to　glorify　himself；〃　and　〃let

all　Agen　see　that　he　has　government　money　to　spend；　and　that　he　can

put　citizens　in　irons。〃　Accordingly；　in　Agen；　〃he　keeps　constantly　and

needlessly　inspecting　the　vehicle；〃　winking　at　the　spectators；　〃more

triumphant　than　if　he　had　made　a　dozen　Austrians　prisoners　and　brought

them　along　himself。〃　At　last；　to　show　the　crowd　in　the　street　the

importance　of　his　capture；　he　summons　two　blacksmiths　to　come　out　and

rivet；　on　the　legs　of　each　prisoner；　a　cross…bar　cannon…ball　weighing

eighty　pounds。＇152＇　The　more　display　these　henchmen　make　of　their

brutality；　the　greater　they　think　themselves。　　At　Belfort；　a　patriot

of　the　club　dies；　and　a　civic　interment　takes　place；　a　detachment　of

the　revolutionary　army　joins　the　procession；　the　men　are　armed　with

axes；　on　reaching　the　cemetery；　the　better　to　celebrate　the　funeral；

〃they　cut　down　all　the　crosses　（over　the　graves）　and　make　a　bonfire　of

them；　while　the　carmagnole　ends　this　ever　memorable　day。〃＇153＇　…

Sometimes　the　scene；　theatrical　and　played　by　the　light　of　flambeaux；

makes　the　actors　think　that　they　have　performed　an　extraordinary　and

meritorious　action；　〃that　they　have　saved　the　country。〃　　〃This　very

night；〃　writes　the　agent　at　Bordeaux；＇154＇　nearly　three　thousand　men

have　been　engaged　in　an　important　undertaking；　with　the　members　of　the

Revolutionary　Committee　and　of　the　municipality　at　the　head　of　it。

They　visited　every　wholesale　dealer's　store　in　town　and　in　the

Faubourg　des　Chartrons；　taking　possession　of　their　letter…books；

sealing　up　their　desks；　arresting　the　merchants　and　putting　them　in

the　Seminiare。　　。　　。　　。　　Woe　to　the　guilty　！　〃　…　If　the　prompt

confinement　of　an　entire　class　of　individuals　is　a　fine　thing　for　a

town；　the　seizure　of　a　whole　town　itself　is　still　more　imposing。

Leaving　Marseilles　with　a　small　army；＇155＇　commanded　by　two　sans…

culottes；　they　surround　Martigne　and　enter　it　as　if　it　were　a　mill。

The　catch　is　superb；　in　this　town　of　five　thousand　souls　there　are

only　seventeen　patriots；　the　rest　are　Federalists　or　Moderates。　　Hence

a　general　disarmament　and　domiciliary　visits。　　The　conquerors　depart；

carrying　off　every　able…bodied　boy；　〃five　hundred　lads　subject　to　the

conscription；　and　leave　in　the　town　a　company　of　sans…culottes　to

enforce　obedience。〃　It　is　certain　that　obedience　will　be　maintained

and　that　the　garrison；　joined　to　the　seventeen　patriots；　will　do　as

they　like　with　their　conquest。



In　effect；　all；　both　bodies　and　goods；　are　at　their　disposal；　and　they

consequently　begin　with　the　surrounding　countryside；　entering　private

houses　to　get　at　their　stores；　also　the　farmhouses　to　have　the　grain

threshed；　in　order　to　verify　the　declarations　of　their　owners　and　see

if　these　are　correct：　if　the　grain　is　not　threshed　out　at　once　it　will

be　done　summarily　and　confiscated；　while　the　owner　will　be　sentenced

to　twelve　months　in　irons；　if　the　declaration　is　not　correct；　he　is

condemned　as　a　monopolist　and　punished　with　death。　　Armed　with　this

order；＇156＇　each　band　takes　the　field　and　gathers　together　not　only

grain；　but　supplies　of　every　description。　　〃That　of　Grenoble；　the

agent　writes；＇157＇　does　wonderfully；　in　one　little　commune　alone；　four

hundred　measures　of　wheat；　twelve　hundred　eggs；　and　six　hundred　pounds

of　butter　had　been　found。　　All　this　was　quickly　on　the　way　to

Grenoble。〃　In　the　vicinity　of　Paris；　the　forerunners　of　the　throng；

provided　〃with　pitchforks　and　bayonets；　rush　to　the　farms；　take　oxen

out　of　their　stalls；　grab　sheep　and　chickens；　burn　the　barns；　and　sell

their　boot