the origins of contemporary france-3-第58章

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Bidault；　and　Guiboult。　　Reports　of　Acloque　and　de　Lachesnaye；

commanding　officers　of　the　legion。　　〃Chronique　des　cinquante　jours；〃

by　R？derer。　…　Ibid。　p。65：　〃I　have　to　state　that；　during　the

Convention；　the　butcher　Legendre　declared　to　Boissy　d'Anglas；　from

whom　I　had　it；　that　the　plan　was　to　kill　the　king。〃　　Prudhomme；

〃Crimes　de　la　Révolution；〃　III。43。　〃The　king　was　to　be　assassinated。

We　heard　citizens　all　in　rags　say　that　it　was　a　pity；　he　looks　like　a

good　sort　of　a　bastard。〃



＇50＇　Madame　Campan；　〃Mémoires；〃　II。　212。　〃M。　Vannot；　commander　of　the

battalion；　had　turned　aside　a　weapon　aimed　at　the　king。　One　of　the

grenadiers　of　the　Filles…Saint…Thomas　warded　off　a　blow　with　a　sword；

aimed　in　the　same　direction　with　the　same　intention。〃



＇51＇　Declaration　of　Lachesnaye；　in　command　of　the　legion。　…　Moniteur；

XII。　719　（evening　session　of　June　20）。　Speech　of　M。　Alos；　an　eye…

witness。　（The　king　does　this　twice；　using　about　the　same　words；　the

first　time　immediately　on　the　irruption　of　the　crowd；　and　the　second

time　probably　after　Vergniaud's　harangue。）　Declaration　of　Lachesnaye；

in　command　of　the　legion。　…　Moniteur；　　XII。　719　（evening　session　of

June　20）。　Speech　of　M。　Alos；　an　eye…witness。　（The　king　does　this

twice；　using　about　the　same　words；　the　first　time　immediately　on　the

irruption　of　the　crowd；　and　the　second　time　probably　after　Vergniaud's

harangue。）



＇52＇　The　engraving　in　the　〃Révolutions　de　Paris〃　represents　him

seated；　and　separated　from　the　crowd　by　an　empty　space；　that　is　a

falsehood　of　the　party。。



＇53＇　The　queen　produces　the　same　impression。　Prudhomme；　in　his

journal；　calls　her　〃the　Austrian　panther；〃　which　word　well　expresses

the　idea　of　her　in　the　faubourgs。　A　prostitute　stops　before　her　and

bestows　on　her　a　volley　of　curses。　The　reply　of　the　queen　is：　〃Have　I

ever　done　you　any　wrong？〃　〃No；　but　it　is　you　who　do　so　much　harm　to

the　nation。〃　You　have　been　deceived；〃　replies　the　queen。　〃I　married

the　King　of　France。　I　am　the　mother　of　the　dauphin。　I　am　a　French

woman。　I　shall　never　again　see　my　own　country。　I　shall　never　be　either

happy　or　miserable　anywhere　but　in　France。　When　you　loved　me　I　was

happy　then。〃　The　prostitute　burst　into　tears。　〃Ah。　Madame；　forgive　me！

I　did　not　know　you。　I　see　that　you　have　been　very　good。〃　　Santerre；

however；　wishing　to　put　an　end　to　this　emotion；　cries　out：　〃The　girl

is　drunk　〃　…（Madame　Campan；　II。　214。　…　Report　by　Mandat；　an　officer　of

the　legion。）



＇54＇　Mortimer…Ternaux；　I。　213。　〃Citizens；　you　have　just　legally　made

known　your　will　to　the　hereditary　representative　of　the　nation；　you

have　done　this　with　the　dignity；　with　the　majesty　　of　　a　free　people！

There　is　no　doubt　that　your　demands　will　be　reiterated　by　the　eighty…

three　departments；　while　the　king　cannot　refrain　from　acquiescing　in

the　manifest　will　of　the　people。　。　。　　Retire　now；　。　。　。　and　if　you

remain　any　longer；　do　not　give　occasion　to　anything　which　may

incriminate　your　worthy　intentions。〃











CHAPTER　VI。　The　Birth　of　the　Terrible　Paris　Commune。







I。



Indignation　of　the　Constitutionalists。　　Cause　of　their　weakness。　…

The　Girondins　renew　the　attack。　　　Their　double　plan。



As　the　blow　has　missed　the　target；　it　must　be　repeated。　This　is　the

more　urgent；　inasmuch　as　the　faction　has　thrown　off　the　mask　and

〃honest　people〃＇1＇　on　all　sides　become　indignant　at　seeing　the

Constitution　subject　to　the　arbitrariness　of　the　lowest　class。　Nearly

all　the　higher　administrative　bodies；　seventy…five　of　the　department

directories；＇2＇　give　in　their　adhesion　to　Lafayette's　letter；　or

respond　by　supporting　the　proclamation；　so　noble　and　so　moderate；　in

which　the　King；　recounting　the　violence　done　to　him；　maintains　his

legal　rights　with　mournful；　inflexible　gentleness。　Many　of　the　towns；

large　and　small；　thank　him　for　his　firmness；　the　addresses　being

signed　by　〃the　notables　of　the　place；〃＇3＇　chevaliers　of　St。　Louis；

former　officials；　judges　and　district…administrators；　physicians；

notaries；　lawyers；　recorders；　post…masters；　manufacturers；　merchants；

people　who　are　settled　down；　in　short　the　most　prominent　and　the　most

respected　men。　　At　Paris；　a　similar　petition；　drawn　up　by　two　former

Constituents；　contains　247　pages　of　signatures　attested　by　99

notaries。＇4＇　　Even　in　the　council…general　of　the　commune　a　majority　is

in　favor　of　publicly　censuring　the　mayor　Pétion；　the　syndic…attorney

Manuel；　and　the　police　administrators　Panis；　Sergent；　Viguer；　and

Perron。＇5＇　　On　the　evening　of　June　20th；　the　department　council　orders

an　investigation；　it　follows　this　up；　it　urges　it　on；　it　proves　by

authentic　documents　the　willful　inaction；　the　hypocritical　connivance；

the　double…dealing　of　the　syndic…attorney　and　the　mayor；＇6＇　it

suspends　both　from　their　functions；　and　cites　them　before　the　courts

as　well　as　Santerre　and　his　accomplices。　　Lafayette；　finally；　adding

to　the　weight　of　his　opinion　the　influence　of　his　presence；　appears　at

the　bar　of　the　National　Assembly　and　demands　〃effectual〃　measures

against　the　usurpations　of　the　Jacobin　sect；　insisting　that　the

instigators　of　the　riot　of　the　20th　of　June　be　punished　〃as　guilty　of

lése…nation。〃　　As　a　last　and　still　more　significant　symptom；　his

proceedings　are　approved　of　in　the　Assembly　by　a　majority　of　more　than

one　hundred　votes。＇7＇



All　this　must　and　will　be　crushed　out。　　For　on　the　side　of　the

Constitutionalists；　whatever　they　may　be；　whether　King；　deputies；

ministers；　generals；　administrators；　notables　or　national…guards；　the

will　to　act　evaporates　in　words；　and　the　reason　is；　they　are　civilized

beings；　long　accustomed　to　the　ways　of　a　regular　community；　interested

from　father　to　son　in　keeping　the　law；　disconcerted　at　the　thought　of

consequences；　upset　by　multifaceted　ideas；　unable　to　comprehend　that；

in　the　state　of　nature　to　which　France　has　reverted；　but　one　idea　is

of　any　account；　that　of　the　man　who；　in　accepting　a　declared　war；

meets　the　offensive　with　the　offensive；　loads　his　gun；　descends　into

the　street　and　contends　with　the　savage　destroyers　of　human　society。　…

…　Nobody　comes　to　the　support　of　Lafayette；　who　alone　has　the　courage

to　take　the　lead；　about　one　hundred　men　muster　at　the　rendezvous　named

by　him　in　the　Champs…élysées。　　They　agree　to　march　to　the　Jacobin　club

the　following　day　and　close　it；　provided　the　number　is　increased　to

three　hundred；　but　the　next　day　only　thirty　turn　up。　　Lafayette　can　do

no　more　than　leave　Paris　and　write　a　letter　containing　another

protest。　　Protestations；　appeals　to　the　Constitution；　to　the　law；　to

public　interest；　to　common　sense；　well…reasoned　arguments；　this　side

will　never　resort　to　anything　else　than　speeches　and　paperwork；　and；

in　the　coming　conflict　words　will　be　of　no　use。　　Imagine　a　quarrel

between　two　men；　one　ably　presenting　his　case　and　the　other　indulging

in　little　more　than　invective；　the　latter；　having　encountered　an

enormous　mastiff　on　his　road；　has　caressed　him；　enticed　him；　and　led

him　along　with　him　as　an　auxiliary。　To　the　mastiff；　clever

argumentation　is　only　so　much　unmeaning　sound；　with　his　eager　eyes

fixed　on　his　temporary　master　he　awaits　only　his　signal　to　spring　on

the　adversaries　he　points　out。　　On　the　20th　of　June　he　has　almost

strangled　one　of　them；　and　covered　him　with　his　slaver。　　On　the

21st；＇8＇　he　is　ready　to　spring　again。　He　continues　to　growl　for　fifty

days；　at　first　sullenly　and　then　with　terrific　energy。　　On　the　25th　of

June；　July　14　and　27；　August　3　and　5；　he　again　makes　a　spring　and　is

kept　back　only　with　great　difficulty。＇9＇　　　Already　on　one　occasion；

July　29th；　his　fangs　are　wet　with　human　gore。＇10＇　　At　each　turn　of

the　parliamentary　debate　the　defenseless　Constitutionalists　beholds

those　open　jaws　before　him；　it　is　not　surprising　that　he　throws　to

this　dog；　or　allows　to　be　thrown　to　him；　all　the　decrees　demanded　by

the　Girondists　as　a　bone　for　him　to　gnaw　on。　　Sure　of　their　strength

the　Girondists　renew　the　a