the origins of contemporary france-3-第67章

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plain　of　Saint…Denis；　and　there　decimated；　previous　to　this；　the　most

notorious　patriots　will　be　singled　out　together　with　forty　or　fifty

market…women　and　broken　on　the　wheel。　Already；　on　the　11th　of　August；

a　rumor　is　current　that　800　men　of　the　late　royal　guards　are　ready　to

make　a　descent　on　Paris；＇133＇　that　very　day　the　dwelling　of

Beaumarchais　is　ransacked　for　seven　hours；＇134＇　the　walls　are　pierced；

the　privies　sounded；　and　the　garden　dug　down　to　the　rock。　The　same

search　is　repeated　in　the　adjoining　house。　The　women　are　especially

〃enraged　at　not　finding　anything；〃　and　wish　to　renew　the　attempt；

swearing　that　they　will　discover　where　things　are　hidden　in　ten

minutes。　The　nightmare　is　evidently　too　much　for　these　unballasted

minds。　They　break　down　under　the　weight　of　their　accidental　kingship；

their　inflamed　pride；　extravagant　desires；　and　intense　and　silent

fears　which　form　in　them　that　morbid　and　evil　concoction　which；　in

democracy　as　well　as　in　a　monarchy；　fashions　a　Nero。＇135＇



Their　leaders；　who　are　even　more　upset；　conceited；　and　despotic；　have

no　scruples　holding　them　back；　for　the　most　noteworthy　are　corrupt；

acting　alone　or　as　leaders。　　Of　the　three　chiefs　of　the　old

municipality；　Pétion；　the　mayor；　actually　in　semi…retirement；　but

verbally　respected；　is　set　aside　and　considered　as　an　old　decoration。

The　other　two　remain　active　and　in　office；　Manuel；＇136＇　the　syndic…

attorney；　son　of　a　porter；　a　loud…talking；　untalented　bohemian；　stole

the　private　correspondence　of　Mirabeau　from　a　public　depository；

falsified　it；　and　sold　it　for　his　own　benefit。　Danton；＇137＇　Manuel's

deputy；　faithless　in　two　ways；　receives　the　King's　money　to　prevent

the　riot；　and　makes　use　of　it　to　urge　it　on。　　Varlet；　〃that

extraordinary　speech…maker；　led　such　a　foul　and　prodigal　life　as　to

bring　his　mother　in　sorrow　to　the　grave；　afterwards　he　spent　what　was

left；　and　soon　had　nothing。〃＇138＇　　Others　not　only　lacked　honor　but

even　common　honesty。　Carra；　with　a　seat　in　the　secret　Directory　of　the

Federates；　and　who　drew　up　the　plan　of　the　insurrection；　had　been

condemned　by　the　Macon　tribunals　to　two　years'　imprisonment　for　theft

and　burglary。＇139＇　Westermann；　who　led　the　attacking　column；　had　stolen

a　silver　dish；　with　a　coat　of　arms　on　it；　from　Jean　Creux；　keeper　of　a

restaurant；　rue　des　Poules；　and　was　twice　sent　away　from　Paris　for

swindling。＇140＇　Panis；　chief　of　the　Committee　of　Supervision；＇141＇　was

turned　out　of　the　Treasury　Department；　where　his　uncle　was　a　sub

cashier；　in　1774；　for　robbery。　　His　colleague；　Sergent；　appropriates

to　himself　〃three　gold　watches；　an　agate　ring；　and　other　jewels；〃　left

with　him　on　deposit。＇142＇　　〃Breaking　seals；　false　charges；　breaches　of

trust；〃　embezzlements；　are　familiar　transactions。　In　their　hands　piles

of　silver　plate　and　1；100；000　francs　in　gold　are　to　disappear。＇143＇

Among　the　members　of　the　new　Commune；　Huguenin；　the　president；　a　clerk

at　the　barriers；　is　a　brazen　embezzler。＇144＇　Rossignol；　a　journeyman

jeweller；　implicated　in　an　assassination；　is　at　this　moment　subject　to

judicial　prosecution。＇145＇　　Hébert；　a　journalistic　garbage　bag；

formerly　check…taker　in　a　theatre；　is　turned　away　from　the　Variétés

for　larceny。＇146＇　Among　men　of　action；　Fournier；　the　American；

Lazowski；　and　Maillard　are　not　only　murderers；　but　likewise

robbers；＇147＇　while；　by　their　side；　arises　the　future　general　of　the

Paris　National　Guard；　Henriot；　at　first　a　domestic　in　the　family　of　an

attorney　who　turned　him　out　for　theft；　then　a　tax…clerk；　again　turned

adrift　for　theft；　and；　finally；　a　police　spy；　and　still　incarcerated

in　the　Bicêtre　prison　for　another　theft；　and；　at　last；　a　battalion

officer；　and　one　of　the　September　executioners。＇148＇　…　Simultaneously

with　the　bandits　and　rascals；　monstrous　maniacs　come　out　of　their

holes。　De　Sades；＇149＇　who　lived　the　life　of　〃Justine〃　before　he　wrote

it；　and　whom　the　Revolution　delivered　from　the　Bastille；　is　secretary

of　the　section　of　the　Place　Vend？me。　　Marat；　the　homicidal　monomaniac；

constitutes　himself；　after　the　23rd　　of　August；　official　journalist　at

the　H？tel…de…ville；　political　advisor　and　consciousness　of　the　new

Commune；　and　the　obsessive　plan；　which　he　preaches　for　three　years；　is

merely　an　instant　and　direct　wholesale　butchery。



〃Give　me；〃　said　he　to　Barbaroux；＇150＇　〃two　hundred　Neapolitans　armed

with　daggers；　and　with　only　a　hand…kerchief　on　their　left　arms　for　a

buckler；　and　I　will　overrun　France　and　build　the　Revolution。〃



According　to　him　it　is　necessary　to　do　away　with　260；000　men　〃on

humane　grounds；〃　for；　unless　this　is　done；　there　is　no　safety　for　the

rest。



　〃The　National　Assembly　may　still　save　France；　let　it　decree　that　all

aristocrats　shall　wear　a　blue　ribbon；　and　the　moment　that　three　of

them　are　seen　in　company；　let　them　be　hung。〃



Another　way　would　be



〃to　lay　in　wait　in　dark　streets　and　at　corners　for　the　royalists　and

Feuillants；　and　cut　their　throats。　Should　ten　patriots　happen　to　be

killed　among　a　hundred　men；　what　does　it　matter？　It　is　only　ninety　for

ten；　which　prevents　mistakes。　Fall　upon　those　who　own　carriages；

employ　valets；　wear　silk　coats；　or　go　to　the　theatres。　You　may　be　sure

that　they　are　aristocrats。〃



The　Jacobin　proletariat　has　obviously　found　the　leadership　that　suits

them。　　They　will　get　on　with　each　other　without　difficulty。　In　order

that　this　spontaneous　massacre　may　become　an　administrative　measure；

the　Neros　of　the　gutter　have　but　to　await　the　word　of　command　from　the

Neros　of　the　H？tel…de…ville。

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Notes：



＇1＇An　expression　of　Lafayette's　in　his　address　to　the　Assembly。



＇2＇Lafayette；　〃Mémoires；〃　I。　452。　　Malouet　（II。　213）　states　that

there　were　seventy。



＇3＇Cf。；　for　example；　〃Archives　Nationales；〃　A。F。　II。116。　Petition　of

228　notables　of　Montargis。



＇4＇　Petition　of　the　20；000；　so…called；　presented　by　Messrs。　Guillaume

and　Dupont　de　Nemours。　…　Cf。。　Mortimer…Ternaux；　I。　278。　　According

to　Buchez　et　Roux；　the　petition　containing　only　7；411　names。



＇5＇　Mortimer…Ternaux；　I。277。



＇6＇　Moniteur；　XIII。　89。　The　act　（July　7）　is　drawn　up　with　admirable

precision　and　force。　On　comparing　it　with　the　vague；　turgid

exaggerations　of　their　adversaries；　it　seems　to　　measure　the

intellectual　distance　between　the　two　parties。



＇7＇　339　against　224　　R？derer　（〃Chronique　des　cinquante　jours；〃

p。79）。　〃A　strong　current　of　opinion　by　a　majority　of　the　inhabitants

of　Paris　sets　in　　favor　of　the　King。〃　…　C。　Desmoulins；　〃That　class　of

petty　traders　and　shopkeepers；　who　are　more　afraid　of　the

revolutionaries　than　of　so　many　Uhlans。　。　。　〃



＇8＇　Mortimer…Ternaux；　I。　236。　Letter　of　R？derer　to　the　president　of

the　National　Assembly；　June　25。　〃Mr。　President；　I　have　the　honor　to

inform　the　Assembly　that　an　armed　mob　is　marching　towards　the

Chateau。〃



＇9＇　Mortimer…Ternaux；　I。　245；　246。　…　II。　81；　131；　148；　170。



＇10＇　The　murder　of　M。　Duhamel；　sub…lieutenant　of　the　national　guard。



＇11＇　Letter　of　Vergniaud　and　Guadet　to　the　painter　Boze　（in　the

〃Mémoires　de　Dumouriez〃）。　　R？derer；　〃Chronique　des　cinquante　jours；〃

295。　　Bertrand　de　Molleville；　〃Mémoires；〃　III。　29。



＇12＇　Moniteur；　XIII。　155　（session　of　July　16）。　　Mortimer…Ternaux；

II。　69。　〃Favored　by　you；〃　says　Manuel；　〃all　citizens　are　entitled　to

visit　the　first　functionary　of　the　nation。　。　。　The　prince's　dwelling

should　be　open；　like　a　church。　Fear　of　the　people　is　an　insult　to　the

people。　If　Louis　XVI。　possessed　the　soul　of　a　Marcus　Aurelius；　he

would　have　descended　into　his　gardens　and　tried　to　console　a　hundred

thousand　beings；　on　account　of　the　slowness　of　the　Revolution。　。　。

Never　had　there　been　fewer　thieves　in　the　Tuileries　than　on　that　day；

for　the　courtiers　had　fled。　。　。The　red　cap　was　an　honor　to　Louis　XVI。s

head；　and　ought　to　be　his　crown。〃　　At　this　solemn　moment　the

fraternization　of　the　king　with　the　people　took　place