the origins of contemporary france-4-第113章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



p。33。　　Report　of　Fran？ois　de　Nantes。）　At　Troyes；　out　of　164　brought　in

in　year　IV。；　134　die；　out　of　147　received　in　year　VII。；　136　die。

（Albert　Babeau；　II。；　452。）　At　Paris；　in　year　IV。；　out　of　3；122　infants

received　2；907　perish。　　（Moniteur；　year　V。；　No。　　231。）　…　The　sick

perish　the　same。　　〃At　Toulon；　only　seven　pounds　of　meat　are　given　each

day　to　eighty　patients；　I　saw　in　the　civil　Asylum；〃　says　Fran？ois　de

Nantes；　〃a　woman　who　had　just　undergone　a　surgical　operation　to　whom

they　gave　for　a　restorative　a　dozen　beans　on　a　wooden　platter。〃

（Ibid。；　16；　31；　and　passim；　especially　for　Bordeaux；　Caen；　Alen？on；

St。　　L？；　etc。）　…　As　to　beggars；　these　are　innumerable：　in　year　IX。；　it

is　estimated　that　there　are　3　or　4；000　by　department；　at　least　300；000

in　France。　　〃In　the　four　Brittany　departments　one　can　truly　say　that　a

third　of　the　population　live　at　the　expense　of　the　other　two…thirds；

either　by　stealing　from　them　or　through　compelling　assistance。〃

（Rocquain；　〃Report　by　Barbé…Marbois；〃　p。93。）



3rd。　　In　year　IX。；　the　Consells…generaux　are　called　upon　to　ascertain

whether　the　departments　have　increased　or　diminished　in　population

since　1789。　　（〃Analyse　des　procés…verbaux　des　Conseils…Generaux　de

l'an　XI。〃　In　four　volumes。）　Out　of　58　which　reply；　37　state　that　the

population　with　them　has　diminished；　12；　that　it　has　increased；　9；

that　it　remains　stationary。　　Of　the　22　others；　13　attribute　the

maintenance　or　increase　of　population；　at　least　for　the　most　part；　to

the　multiplication　of　early　marriages　in　order　to　avoid　conscription

and　to　the　large　number　of　natural　children。　　…　Consequently；　the

average　rate　of　population　is　kept　up　not　through　preserving　life；　but

through　the　substitution　of　new　lives　for　the　old　ones　that　are

sacrificed。　　Bordeaux；　nevertheless；　lost　one…tenth　of　its　population；

Angers　one…eighth；　Pau　one…seventh；　Chambery　one…fourth；　Rennes　one…

third。　　In　the　departments　where　the　civil…war　was　carried　on；

Argenton…Chateau　lost　two…thirds　of　its　population；　Bressuire　fell

from　3；000　to　630　inhabitants；　Lyons；　after　the　siege；　fell　from　a

population　of　140；000　thousand　to　80；000。　　（〃Analyse　des　procés…

verbaux　des　Conseils…Generaux〃　and　Statistiques　des　Prefets。〃）



＇152＇　Lareveillère…Lepeaux；　〃Mémoires。　　〃　I；　248。　　（He　belongs　to　the

Committee　and　is　an　eye…witness。）







BOOK　FIFTH。　　　　The　End　of　the　Revolutionary　Government。



CHAPTER　I。



I。　　　　The　Convention。



The　Convention　after　Thermidor　9。　　…　Reaction　against　the　Terrorists。

…　Aversion　to　the　Constitutionalists。　　…　The　danger　they　run　if　they

lose　power。



Nevertheless　they　too；　these　glutted　sovereigns；　are　anxious；　and　very

much　so；　we　have　just　seen　why；　it's　a　question　of　remaining　in　office

in　order　to　remain　alive；　and　henceforth　this　is　their　sole　concern。

…　A　good　Jacobin；　up　to　the　9th　of　Thermidor；　could；　by　shutting　his

eyes；　still　believe　in　his　creed。＇1＇　After　the　9th　of　Thermidor；

unless　born　blind；　like　Soubrany；　Romme　and　Goujon；　a　fanatic　whose

intellectual　organs　are　as　rigid　as　the　limbs　of　a　fakir；　nobody　in

the　Convention　can　any　longer　believe　in　the　Contrat…Social；　in　a

despotic　equalizing　socialism；　in　the　merits　of　Terror；　in　the　divine

right　of　the　pure。　　　For；　to　escape　the　guillotine　of　the　pure；　the

purest　had　to　be　guillotined；　Saint…Just；　Couthon　and　Robespierre；　the

high…priest　of　the　sect。　　　That　very　day　the　〃Montagnards；〃　in　giving

up　their　doctor；　abandoned　their　principles；　and　there　is　no　longer

any　principle　or　man　to　which　the　Convention　could　rally。　　　In　effect；

before　guillotining　Robespierre　and　his　associates　as　orthodox；　it

guillotined　the　Girondins；　Hébert　and　Danton；　as　heretics。　　　Now；　〃the

existence　of　popular　idols　and　of　head　charlatans　is　irrevocably

ended。〃＇2＇　Ever　the　same　conventional　symbol　before　the　empty

sanctuary　in　the　blood…stained　temple；　and　ever　the　same　loud…intoned

anthem；　but　faith　is　gone；　and　only　the　acolytes　remain　to　drone　out

the　revolutionary　litany；　old　train…bearers　and　swingers　of　incense；

the　subaltern　butchers　who；　through　a　sudden　stroke；　have　become

pontiffs；　in　short；　the　valets　of　the　church　who　have　donned　the

mitres　and　croziers　of　their　masters　after　having　assassinated　them。



From　month　to　month；　under　the　pressure　of　public　opinion；　they　detach

themselves　from　the　worship　at　which　they　have　officiated；　for；

however　blunted　or　perverted　their　consciences；　they　cannot　avoid

admitting　that　Jacobinism；　as　they　have　practiced　it；　was　the　religion

of　robbery　and　murder。　　　Previous　to　Thermidor　an　official

phraseology＇3＇　drowned　with　its　doctrinal　roar　the　living　truth；　while

each　Conventional　sacristan　or　beadle；　confined　to　his　own　chapel；　saw

clearly　only　the　human　sacrifices　in　which　he　himself　had　taken　part。

After　Thermidor；　the　friends　and　kindred　of　the　dead；　the　oppressed；

make　their　voices　heard；　and　he　is　forced　to　see　collectively　and　in

detail　all　the　crimes　to　which；　nearly　or　remotely；　he　has　contributed

either　through　his　assent　or　through　his　vote；　the　same　as　in　Mexico；

the　priest　of　Huichilobos　walks　about　in　the　midst　of　the　six　hundred

thousand　skulls　amassed　in　the　vaults　of　his　temple。　　…　　　In　quick

succession；　during　the　whole　of　year　III。；　through　the　freedom　of　the

press　and　the　great　public　discussions；　the　truth　becomes　known。

First；　comes　an　account　of　the　funereal　journey　of　one　hundred　and

thirty…two　Nantese；　dragged　from　Nantes　to　Paris；＇4＇　and　the　solemn

acquittal；　received　with　transports；　of　the　ninety…four　who　survive。

After　this；　come　the　trials　of　the　most　prominent　terrorists；　that　of

Carrier　and　the　Revolutionary　Committee　of　Nantes；　that　of　Fouquier…

Tinville　and　the　old　revolutionary　Tribunal　of　Paris；　that　of　Joseph

Lebon；＇5＇　and；　during　thirty　or　forty　consecutive　sessions；　hundreds

of　minute；　verified　depositions　ending　in　the　most　complete　and

satisfactory　testimony。　　…　　　In　the　mean　time；　revelations　multiply　at

the　tribune　of　the　Convention；　these　consist　of　the　letters　of　the　new

representatives　on　mission　and　the　denunciations　of　the　towns　against

their　overthrown　tyrants；　against　Maignet；　Dartigoyte；　Piochefer…

Bernard；　Levasseur；　Crassous；　Javogues；　Lequinio；　Lefiot；　Piorry；

Pinet；　Monestier；　Fouché；　Laplanche；　Lecarpentier；　and　many　others。

Add　to　these　the　reports　of　commissions　charged　with　examining　into

the　conduct　of　old　dictators；　Collot　d'Herbois；　Billaud…Varennes；

Barère；　Amar；　Vouland；　Vadier　and　David；　the　reports　of　the

representatives　charged　with　investigating　certain　details　of　the

abolished　system；　that　of　Grégoire　on　revolutionary　vandalism；　that　of

Cambon　on　revolutionary　taxes；　that　of　Courtois　on　Robespierre's

papers。　　…　　　All　these　rays　combine　in　a　terrible　illumination　which

imposes　itself　even　on　the　eyes　that　turn　away　from　it：　It　is　now　but

too　plain　that　France；　for　fourteen　months；　has　been　devastated　by　a

gang　of　bandits。　　All　that　can　be　said　in　favor　of　the　least　perverted

and　the　least　vile　is　that　they　were　born　so；　or　had　become　crazy。＇6＇

…　　　The　majority　of　the　Convention　cannot　evade　this　growing　testimony

and　the　Montagnards　excite　its　horror；　and　all　the　more；　because　it

bears　them　a　grudge：　the　73　who　were　imprisoned　and　the　sixteen　who

were　proscribed　have　resumed　their　seats；　the　400　silent　who　have　for

so　long　held　their　seats　under　the　knife；　remember　the　oppression　to

which　they　have　been　subject。　　They　now　recover　and　turn　first　against

the　most　tainted　scoundrels；　and　then　against　the　members　of　the　old

committees。　　…　Whereupon　the　〃Mountain；〃　as　was　its　custom；　launches

its　customary　supporters；　the　starved　populace；　the　Jacobin　rabble；　in

the　riots　of　Germinal　and　Prairial；　in　year　III。；　and　proclaims　anew

the　reign　of　Terror；　the　Convention　again　sees　the　knife　over　its

head。　　Saved　by　young　men；　by　the　National　Guard；　it　becomes

courageous　through　fear；　and；　in　its　turn；　it　terrorizes　the

terrorists。　　The　Faubourg　Saint…Antoine　is　disarmed；　ten　thousand

Jacobins　are　arrested；＇7＇　and　more　than　sixty　Montagnards　are　decreed

under　indictment；　Collot；　Billaud；　Barère　and　Vadier　are　to　be

deported；　nine　other　members　of　former　committees　are　to　be

imprisoned。　　The　last　of　the　veritable　fanatics；　Romme；　Goujon；

Soubrany；　Duquesnoy；　Bourbotte　and　Duroy　are　condemned　to　death；

Immediately　after　the　sentence　five　of　them　stab　themselves　on　the

stairs　of　the　tribunal；　two　of　the　wounded　who　survive　are　borne；

along　with　the　sixth；　to　the　scaffold　and　guillotined。　　Two

Montagnards　of　the　same　stamp；　Rhul　and　Maure；　kill　themselves　before

their　sentence。　　…　　　Henceforth　the　purged　Convention　regards　itself

as　pure；　its　final　rigor　has　expiated　its　former　baseness；　the　guilty

blood　which　it　spills　washing　away　the　stains　of　the　innocent　blood　it

had　shed　before。



Unfortunately；　in　condemning　the　terrorists；　it　pronounced　its　own

condemnation；　for　it　has　authorized　and　sanctioned　all　their　crimes。

On　its　benches；　in　its　committees；　often　in　the　president's　chair；　at

the　head　of　the　ruling　coterie；　still　figure　the　members　of　the

revolutionary　government；　many　of　the　avowed　terrorists　like　Bourdon

de　l'Oise；　Bentabolle；　Delmas；　and　Reubell；　presidents　of　the

September　commune　like　Marie　Chénier；　those　who　carried　out　〃the　31st

of　May；〃　like　Legendre　and　Merlin　de　Douai；　author　of　the　decree　which

created　six　hundred　thousand　suspects　in　France；　provincial

executioners　of　the　most　brutal　and　most　ferocious　sort；　the　greatest

and　most　cynical　robbers　like　André　Dumont；　Fréron；　Tallien　and

Barras。　　Under　Robespierre；　the　four　hundred　mutes　〃du　ventre〃　were

the　reporters；　the　voters；　the　claqueurs；　and　the　agents　of　the　worst

decrees　against　religion；　property　and　persons。　　The　foundations　of

Terror　were　all　laid　by　the　seventy…three　in　confinement　before　they

were　imprisoned；　and　by　the　sixteen　who　were　proscribed　before　their

proscription。　　Excepting　ten　or　a　dozen　who　stayed　away；　the

Convention；　in　a　mass；　pronounced　judgment　against　the　King　and

declared　him　guilty；　more　than　one…half　of　the　Convention；　the

Girondists　at　the　head　of　them；　voted　his　death。　　The　hall　does　not

contain　fifty　honorable　men　in　whom　character　sustains　conscience；　and

who　had　a　right　to　carry　their　heads　erect。＇8＇　　In　no　law　they

passed；　good　or　bad；　did　the　other　seven　hundred　have　in　view　the

interests　of　their　constituents。　　In　all　their　laws；　good　or　bad；　they

solely　regarded　their　own　interests。　　So　long　as　the　attacks　of　the

〃Mountain〃　and　of　the　rabble　affected　the　public　only；　they　lauded

them；　decreed　them　and　had　them　executed。　　If　they　finally　rebelled

against　the　〃Mountain；〃　and　against　the　rabble；　it　was　at　the　last

moment；　and　solely　to　save　their　lives。　　Before；　as　after　the　9th　of

Thermidor；　before；　as　after　the　1st　of　Prairial；　the　incentives　of　the

conduct　of　these　pusillanimous　oppressors　or　in