the origins of contemporary france-3-第93章

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of　the　villages＇61＇　collect　together；　betake　themselves　to　different

chateaux；　seize　the　wives　and　children　of　their　proprietors；　and　keep

them　as　bail　for　promises　of　reimbursement　which　they　force　the　latter

to　sign；　not　merely　for　feudal　taxes；　but；　again；　for　expenses　to

which　this　taxation　may　have　given　rise；〃　first　under　the　actual

proprietor　and　then　under　his　predecessors；　in　the　mean　time　they

install　themselves　on　the　premises；　demand　payments　for　their　time；

devastate　the　buildings　on　the　place；　and　sell　the　furniture。　　　All

this　is　accompanied　with　the　usual　slaughter。　The　Directory　of　the

department　of　Orne　advises　the　Minister＇62＇　that　〃a　former　noble　has

been　killed　（homicide）　in　the　canton　of　Sepf；　an　ex…curé　in　the　town

of　Bellême；　an　unsworn　priest　in　the　canton　of　Putanges；　an　ex…

capuchin　in　the　territory　of　Alen？on。〃　The　same　day；　at　Caen；　the

syndic…attorney　of　Calvados；　M。　Bayeux；　a　man　of　sterling　merit；

imprisoned　by　the　local　Jacobins；　has　just　been　shot　down　in　the

street　and　bayoneted；　while　the　National　Assembly　was　passing　a　decree

proclaiming　his　innocence　and　ordering　him　to　be　set　at　liberty。＇63＇



Route　of　the　East。　　At　Rouen；　in　front　of　the　H？tel…de…ville；　the

National　Guard；　stoned　for　more　than　an　hour；　finally　fire　a　volley

and　kill　four　men；　throughout　the　department　violence　is　committed　in

connection　with　grain；　while　wheat　is　stolen　or　carried　off　by

force；＇64＇　but　Roland　is　obliged　to　restrict　himself；　he　can　note　only

political　disturbances。　Besides；　he　is　obliged　to　hurry　up；　for

murders　abound　everywhere。　In　addition　to　the　turmoil　of　the　army　and

the　capital；＇65＇　each　department　in　the　vicinity　of　Paris　or　near　the

frontier　furnishes　its　quota　of　murders。　They　take　place　at　Gisors；　in

the　Eure；　at　Chantilly；　and　at　Clermont　in　the　Oise；　at　Saint…Amand　in

the　Pas…de…Calais；　at　Cambray　in　the　Nord；　at　Retel　and　Charleville　in

the　Ardennes；　at　Rheims　and　at　Chalons　in　the　Marne；　at　Troyes　in　the

Aube；　at　Meaux　in　Seine…et…Marne；　and　at　Versailles　in　Seine…et…

Oise。＇66＇　　Roland；　I　imagine；　does　not　open　this　file；　and　for　a

good　reason；　he　knows　too　well　how　M。　de　Brissac　and　M。　Delessart；　and

the　other　sixty…three　persons　killed　at　Versailles；　it　was　he　who

signed　Fournier's　commission；　the　commander　of　the　murderers。　At　this

very　moment　he　is　forced　to　correspond　with　this　villain；　to　send　him

certificates　of　〃zeal　and　patriotism；〃　and　to　assign　him；　over　and

above　his　robberies；　30；000　francs　to　defray　the　expenses　of　the

operation。＇67＇　　But　among　the　dispatches　there　are　some　he　cannot

overlook；　if　he　desires　to　know　to　what　his　authority　is　reduced；　in

what　contempt　all　authority　is　held；　how　the　civil　or　military　rabble

exercises　its　power；　with　what　promptitude　it　disposes　of　the　most

illustrious　and　most　useful　lives；　especially　those　who　have　been；　or

are　now；　in　command；　the　Minister　perhaps　saying　to　himself　that　his

turn　will　come　next。



Let　us　look　at　the　case　of　M。　de　la　Rochefoucauld。　A　philanthropist

since　he　was　young；　a　liberal　on　entering　the　Constituent　Assembly；

elected　president　of　the　Paris　department；　one　of　the　most　persistent；

most　generous；　and　most　respected　patriots　from　first　to　last；　　who

better　deserved　to　be　spared　than？　　Arrested　at　Gisors＇68＇　by　order　of

the　Paris　Commune；　he　left　the　inn；　escorted　by　the　Parisian

commissary；　surrounded　by　the　municipal　council；　twelve　gendarmes　and

one　hundred　National　Guards；　behind　him　walked　his　mother；　eighty

years　of　age；　his　wife　following　in　a　carriage；　there　could　be　no　fear

of　an　escape。　　But；　for　a　suspected　person；　death　is　more　certain　than

a　prison；　three　hundred　volunteers　of　the　Orne　and　the　Sarthe

departments；　on　their　way　through　Gisors；　collect　and　cry　out：　〃We

must　have　his　head　　nothing　shall　stop　us！〃　A　stone　hits　M。　de　la

Rochefoucauld　on　the　temple；　he　falters；　his　escort　is　broken　up；　and

they　finish　him　with　clubs　and　sabers；　while　the　municipal　council

〃have　barely　time　to　drive　off　the　carriage　containing　the　ladies。〃　

Accordingly；　national　justice；　in　the　hands　of　the　volunteers；　has　its

sudden　outbursts；　its　excesses；　its　reactions；　the　effect　of　which　it

is　not　advisable　to　wait　for。　　For　example；　at　Cambray；＇69＇　a　division

of　foot…gendarmerie　had　just　left　the　town；　and　it　occurs　to　them　that

they　had　forgotten　〃to　purge　the　prison〃。　It　returns；　seizes　the

keeper；　takes　him　to　the　H？tel…de…ville；　examines　the　prison　register；

sets　at　liberty　those　whose　crimes　seem　to　it　excusable；　and　provides

them　with　passports。　On　the　other　hand；　it　kills　a　former　royal

procureur；　on　whom　addresses　are　found　tainted　with　〃aristocratic

principles；〃　an　unpopular　lieutenant…colonel；　and　a　suspected　captain。

　However　slight　or　ill…founded　a　suspicion；　so　much　the　worse　for

the　officer　on　whom　it　falls！　At　Charleville；＇70＇　two　loads　of　arms

having　passed　through　one　gate　instead　of　another；　to　avoid　a　bad

road；　M。　Juchereau；　inspector　of　the　manufacture　of　arms　and　commander

of　the　place；　is　declared　a　traitor　by　the　volunteers　and　the　crowd；

torn　from　the　hands　of　the　municipal　officers；　clubbed　to　the　ground；

stamped　on；　and　stabbed。　His　head；　fixed　to　a　pike；　is　paraded　through

Charleville；　then　into　Mézières；　where　it　is　thrown　into　the　river

running　between　the　two　towns。　　The　body　remains；　and　this　the

municipality　orders　to　be　interred；　but　it　is　not　worthy　of　burial；

the　murderers　get　hold　of　it；　and　cast　it　into　the　water　that　it　may

join　the　head。　　In　the　meantime　the　lives　of　the　municipal　officers

hang　by　a　single　thread。　　One　is　seized　by　the　throat；　another　is

knocked　out　of　his　chair　and　threatened　with　hanging；　a　gun　is　aimed

at　him　and　he　is　beaten　and　kicked；　subsequently　a　plot　is　devised　〃to

cut　off　their　heads　and　plunder　their　houses。〃



He　who　disposes　of　lives；　indeed；　also　disposes　of　property。　Roland

has　only　to　flick　through　two　or　three　reports　to　see　how　patriotism

furnishes　a　cloak　for　brutal　license　and　greed。　　At　Coucy；　in　the

department　of　Aisne；＇71＇　the　peasantry　of　seventeen　parishes；

assembled　for　the　purpose　of　furnishing　their　military　quota；　rush

with　a　loud　clamor　to　two　houses；　the　property　of　M。　des　Fossés；　a

former　deputy　to　the　Constituent　Assembly；　and　the　two　finest　in　the

town；　one　of　them　had　been　occupied　by　Henry　IV。　　Some　of　the

municipal　officers　who　try　to　interfere　are　nearly　cut　to　pieces；　and

the　entire　municipal　body　takes　to　flight。　　M。　des　Fossés；　with　his

two　daughters；　succeed　in　hiding　themselves　in　an　obscure　corner　in

the　vicinity；　and　afterwards　in　a　small　tenement　offered　to　them　by　a

humane　gardener；　and　finally；　after　great　difficulty；　they　reach

Soissons。　Of　his　two　houses；　〃nothing　remains　but　the　walls。　Windows；

casings；　doors；　and　wainscoting；　all　are　shattered〃；　twenty　thousand

francs　of　assignats　in　a　portfolio　are　destroyed　or　carried　off；　the

title…deeds　of　the　property　are　not　to　be　found；　and　the　damage　is

estimated　at　200；000　francs。　The　pillage　lasted　from　seven　o'clock　in

the　morning　to　seven　o'clock　in　the　evening；　and；　as　is　always　the

case；　ended　in　a　fête。　The　plunderers；　entering　the　cellars；　drank

〃two　hogsheads　of　wine　and　two　casks　of　brandy；　thirty　or　forty

remained　dead　drunk；　and　were　taken　away　with　considerable

difficulty。〃　There　is　no　prosecution；　no　investigation；　the　new　mayor；

who；　one　month　after；　makes　up　his　mind　to　denounce　the　act；　begs　the

Minister　not　to　give　his　name；　for；　he　says；　〃the　agitators　in　the

council…general　of　the　Commune　threaten；　with　fearful　consequences；

whoever　is　discovered　to　have　written　to　you。〃＇72＇　　　Such　is　the

ever…present　menace　under　which　the　gentry　live；　even　when　veterans　in

the　service　of　freedom；　Roland；　foremost　in　his　files；　finds

heartrending　letters　addressed　directly　to　him；　as　a　last　recourse。

Early　in　1789；　M。　de　Gouy　d'Arcy＇73＇　was　the　first　to　put　his　pen　to

paper　in　behalf　of　popular　rights。　A　deputy　of　t