the origins of contemporary france-3-第123章

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club；＇123＇　〃to　pounce　down　on　the　Commission　of　Twelve；〃　and　another

Jacobin　declares　that　〃those　who　have　usurped　dictatorial　power；〃

meaning　by　that　the　Girondists；　〃are　outlawed。〃



All　this　is　extreme；　clumsily　done；　useless　and　dangerous；　or；　at

least；　premature；　and　the　chiefs　of　the　〃Mountain；〃　Danton；

Robespierre；　and　Marat　himself；　better　informed　and　less　shortsighted；

are　well　aware　that　brutal　murder　would　be　revolting　to　the　already

half…aroused　departments。＇124＇　　The　legislative　machinery　is　not　to　be

shattered；　but　made　use　of；　it　must　be　employed　against　itself　to

effect　the　required　injury；　in　this　way　the　operation　at　a　distance

will　appear　legal；　and；　garnished　with　the　usual　high…flown　speeches；

impose　on　the　provincial　mind。＇125＇　From　the　3rd　of　April；

Robespierre；　in　the　Jacobin　club；　always　circumspect　and　considerate；

had　limited　and　defined　in　advance　the　coming　insurrection。　〃Let　all

good　citizens；〃　he　says；　〃meet　in　their　sections；　and　come　and　force

us　to　place　the　disloyal　deputies　under　arrest。〃　　Nothing　can　be　more

moderate；　and；　if　they　refer　to　principles；　nothing　can　be　more

correct。　　The　people　always　reserves　the　right　to　cooperate　with　its

mandatories；　which　right　it　practices　daily　in　the　galleries。　Through

extreme　precaution；　which　well　describes　the　man；＇126＇　Robespierre

refuses　to　go　any　further　in　his　interference。　〃I　am　incapable　of

advising　the　people　what　steps　to　take　for　its　salvation。　　That　is　not

given　to　one　man　alone。　I；　who　am　exhausted　by　four　years　of

revolution；　and　by　the　heart…rending　spectacle　of　the　triumph　of

tyranny；　am　not　thus　favored。　。　。　。　I；　who　am　wasted　by　a　slow　fever；

and；　above　all　by　the　fever　of　patriotism。　As　I　have　said；　there

remains　for　me　no　other　duty　to　fulfill　at　the　present　moment。〃

What's　more；　he　enjoins　the　municipality　〃to　unite　with　the　people；

and　form　a　close　alliance　with　it。〃　　In　other　words；　the　blow　must

be　struck　by　the　Commune；　the　〃Mountain〃　must　appear　to　have　nothing

to　do　with　it。　But；　〃it　is　privy　to　the　secret〃；＇127＇　its　chiefs　pull

the　wires　which　set　the　brutal　dancing…jacks　in　motion　on　the　public

trestles　of　the　H？tel…de…ville。　　Danton　and　Lacroix　wrote　in　the

bureau　of　the　Committee　of　〃Public　Safety；〃　the　insolent　summons　which

the　procureur　of　the　Commune　is　to　read　to　the　Convention　on　the　31st

of　May；　and；　during　seven　days　of　crisis；　Danton；　Robespierre　and

Marat　are　the　counselors；　directors　and　moderators　of　all　proceedings；

and　lead；　push　on　or　restrain　their　stooges　of　the　insurrection　within

the　limits　of　this　program。







VII。　　The　central　Jacobin　committee　in　power。



The　27th　day　of　May。　…　The　central　revolutionary　committee。　…　The

municipal　body　displaced　and　then　restored。　…　Henriot；　commanding

general。　…



It　is　a　tragicomic　drama　in　three　acts；　each　winding　up　with　a　coup　de

théatre；　always　the　same　and　always　foreseen。　Legendre；　one　of　the

principal　stage　hands；　has　taken　care　to　announce　beforehand　that；



〃If　this　lasts　any　longer；〃　said　he；　at　the　Cordeliers　club；＇128＇　〃if

the　'Mountain'　remains　quiet　any　longer；　I　shall　call　in　the　people；

and　tell　the　galleries　to　come　down　and　take　part　with　us　in　the

deliberations。〃



At　first；　on　the　27th　of　May；　in　relation　to　the　arrest　of　Hébert　and

his　companions；　the　〃Mountain；〃　supported　by　the　galleries；　becomes

furious。＇129＇　　In　vain　does　the　majority　again　and　again　demonstrate

its　numerical　superiority。　〃We　shall　resist；〃　says　Danton；　〃so　long　as

there　are　a　hundred　true　citizens　to　help　us。〃　　　〃President；〃

exclaims　Marat　to　Isnard；　　you　are　a　tyrant！　　a　despicable　tyrant！〃　

〃I　demand；〃　says　Couthon；　〃that　the　President　be　impeached！〃　　　〃Off

with　the　President　to　the　Abbaye！〃　　The　〃Mountain〃　has　decided　that

he　shall　not　preside；　it　springs　from　the　benches　and　rushes　at　him；

shouts　〃death　to　him；〃　becomes　hoarse　with　its　vociferations；　and

compels　him　to　leave　the　chair　through　weariness　and　exhaustion。　It

drives　out　his　successor；　Fonfrède；　in　the　same　manner；　and　ends　by

putting　Hérault…Séchelles；　one　of　its　own　accomplices；　in　the　chair。

　Meanwhile；　at　the　entrance　of　the　Convention；　〃the　regulations　have

been　violated〃；　a　crowd　of　armed　men　〃have　spread　through　the　passages

and　obstructed　the　approaches〃；　the　deputies；　Meillan；　Chiappe　and

Lydon；　on　attempting　to　leave；　are　arrested；　Lydon　being　stopped　〃by

the　point　of　a　saber　at　his　breast；〃＇130＇　while　the　leaders　on　the

inside　encourage；　protect　and　justify　their　trusty　aids　outdoors。　

Marat；　with　his　usual　audacity；　on　learning　that　Raffet；　the

commandant；　was　clearing　the　passages；　comes　to　him　〃with　a　pistol　in

his　hand　and　puts　him　under　arrest；〃＇131＇　on　the　ground　that　the

people　and　its　sacred　rights　of　petition　and　the　petitioners　must　be

respected。　There　are　〃five　or　six　hundred；　almost　all　of　them

armed；〃＇132＇　stationed　for　three　hours　at　the　doors　of　the　hall；　at

the　last　moment；　two　other　troops；　dispatched　by　the　Gravilliers　and

Croix…Rouge　sections；　arrive　and　bring　them　their　final　afflux。　Thus

strengthened；　they　spring　over　the　benches　assigned　to　them；　spread

through　the　hall；　and　mingle　with　the　deputies　who　still　remain　in

their　seats。　It　is　after　midnight；　many　of　the　representatives；　worn

out　with　fatigue　and　disgust；　have　left；　Pétion；　Lasource；　and　a　few

others；　who　wish　to　get　in；　〃cannot　penetrate　the　threatening　crowd。〃

To　compensate　themselves；　and　in　the　places　of　the　absent；　the

petitioners；　constituting　themselves　representatives　of　France；　vote

with　the　〃Mountain；〃　while　the　Jacobin　president；　far　from　turning

them　out；　himself　invites　them　〃to　set　aside　all　obstacles　prejudicial

to　the　welfare　of　the　people。。〃　In　this　gesticulating　crowd；　in　the

half…light　of　smoky　lamps；　amidst　the　uproar　of　the　galleries；　it　is

difficult　to　hear　well　what　motion　is　put　to　vote；　it　is　not　easy　to

see　who　rises　or　sits　down；　and　two　decrees　pass；　or　seem　to　pass；　one

releasing　Hébert　and　his　accomplices；　and　the　other　revoking　the

commission　of　the　Twelve。＇133＇　Forthwith　the　messengers　who　await　the

issue　run　out　and　carry　the　good　news　to　the　H？tel…de…ville；　the

Commune　celebrating　its　triumph　with　an　explosion　of　applause。



The　next　morning；　however；　notwithstanding　the　terrors　of　a　call　of

the　House　and　the　fury　of　the　〃Mountain；〃　the　majority；　as　a　defensive

stroke；　revokes　the　decree　by　which　it　is　disarmed；　while　a　new　decree

maintains　the　commission　of　the　Twelve；　the　operation；　accordingly；　is

to　be　done　over　again；　but　not　the　whole　of　it；　for　Hébert　and　the

others　imprisoned　remain　at　liberty；　while　the　majority；　which；

through　a　sense　of　propriety　or　the　instinct　of　self…preservation；　had

again　placed　its　sentinels　on　the　outposts；　consents；　either　through

weakness　or　hopes　of　conciliation；　to　let　the　prisoners　remain　free。

The　result　is　they　have　had　the　worst　of　the　fight。　Their　adversaries；

accordingly；　are　encouraged；　and　at　once　renew　the　attack；　their

tactics；　very　simple；　being　those　which　have　already　proved　so

successful　on　the　10th　of　August。



The　matter　now　in　hand　is　to　invoke　against　the　derived　and

provisional　rights　of　the　government；　the　superior　and　inalienable

right　of　the　people；　also；　to　substitute　for　legal　authority；　which；

in　its　nature；　is　limited；　revolutionary　power；　which；　in　its　essence；

is　absolute。　To　this　end　the　section　of　the　City；　under　the　vice…

presidency　of　Maillard；　the　〃Septemberizer；〃　invites　the　other　forty…

seven　sections　each　to　elect　two　commissaries；　with　〃unlimited

powers。〃　In　thirty…three　sections；　purged；　terrified；　or　deserted；　the

Jacobins；　alone；　or　almost　alone；＇134＇　elect　the　most　determined　of

their　band；　particularly　strangers　and　rascals；　in　all　sixty…six

commissaries；　who；　on　the　evening　of　the　29th；　meet　at　the　Evêché；　and

select　nine　from　their　midst　to　form；　under　the　presidency　of　Dobsen；

a　central　and　revolutionary　executive　committe