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republicans; will ask nothing more。  They regard their system as a

very good one for the French people; the despotic system without which

there can be no army; that which places the absolute command in the

hands of one individual。  … Let him put down other Jacobins; let him

revoke their late decrees on hostages and the forced loan; let him

restore safety and security to persons; property and consciences; let

him bring back order; economy and efficiency to the administrations;

let him provide for public services; hospitals; roads and schools; the

whole of civil France will welcome its liberator; protector and

restorer。'150' … In his own words; the system he brings is that of

〃the alliance of Philosophy with the Sword;〃 philosophy meaning; as

it was then understood; the application of abstract principles to

politics; the logical construction of a State according to general

and simple notices with a social plan; uniform and rectilinear。

Now as we have seen;'151' two of these plans square with this

theory; one anarchical and the other despotic; naturally; the

master adopts the latter; and; like a practical man; he builds

according to that theory a substantial edifice; with sand and lime;

habitable and well suited to its purposes。  All the masses of the

great work…civil code; university; Concordat; prefectoral and

centralized administration…all the details of its arrangement and

distribution of places; tend to one general effect; which is the

omnipotence of the State; the omnipresence of the government; the

abolition of local and private initiative; the suppression of

voluntary free association; the gradual dispersion of small

spontaneous groupings; the preventive ban of prolonged hereditary

works; the extinction of sentiments by which the individual lives

beyond himself in the past or in the future。  Never were finer

barracks constructed; more symmetrical and more decorative in aspect;

more satisfactory to superficial views; more acceptable to vulgar good

sense; more suited to narrow egoism; better kept and cleaner; better

adapted to the discipline of the average and low elements of human

nature; and better adapted to dispersing or perverting the superior

elements of human nature。  In this philosophical barracks we have

lived for eighty years。



THE END。



 (written in 1889)。

__________________________________________________________________________

Notes:



'1' Gaudin; Duc de Ga?te; 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 28。  Gaudin; commissioner of

the Treasury; meets the president of the revolutionary committee of

his quarter; an excellent Jacobin; who says to him: 〃Eh; well; what's

all this? Robespierre proscribed! Is it possible? What is wanted …

everything was going on so well!〃 (It is true that fifty or sixty

heads fell daily。) 〃I replied; 'Just so; there are some folks that are

never satisfied。'〃



'2' Mallet…Dupan; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。; 16。  (Letter of January 8; 1795。) …

Ibid。; 〃Correspondance avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。; 23; 25; 32; 34;

(January 8; 1795; on the four parties com posing the Convention)。



'3' Marshal Marmont: 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 120。  (Report of General

Dugommier on the capture of Toulon。) 〃That memorable day avenged the

general will of a partial and gangrened will; the delirium of which

caused the greatest misfortunes。〃



'4' Memorial of the ninety…four survivors Thermidor 30; year II。;

acquitted Fructidor 28。



'5' Carrier indicted Brumaire 21; year III。  Decree of arrest passed

by 498 out of 500 votes; Frimaire 3; execution Frimaire 26。  Fouquier…

Tinville indicted Frimaire 28; execution Floréal 28; there being 419

witnesses heard。  Joseph Lebon indicted Messidor I; year III。  Trial

adjourned to the Somme court; Messidor 29; execution Vendémiaire 24;

year IV。



'6' Cf。  chapters 4; 5 and 6 of the present volume。  Numbers of

printed documents of this epoch show what these local sovereigns were。

The principal ones in the department of Ain were 〃Anselm; who had

placed Marat's head in his shop。  Duclos; a joiner; living before the

31st of May on his earnings; he became after that a gentleman living

on his rents; owning national domains; sheep; horses and pocket books

filled with assignats。  Laimant; a tailor; in debt; furnishing his

apartment suddenly with all the luxuriousness of the ancient regime;

such as beds at one hundred pistoles etc。  Alban; mayor; placing seals

everywhere; was a blacksmith and father of a family which he supported

by his labor; all at once he stops working; and passes from a state of

dependence to one of splendor; he has diamonds and earrings; always

wearing new clothes; fine linen shirts; muslin cravates; silk

stockings; etc。; on removing the seals in the houses of those

imprisoned and guillotined; little or nothing was found in them。

Alban was denounced and incarcerated for having obliged a woman of

Macon to give him four hundred francs on promising to interest himself

in her husband。  Such are the Ain patriots。  Rollet; another; had so

frightened the rural districts that the people ran away on his

approach; on one occasion he had two of them harnessed to his carriage

and drove them along for some time in this manner 。  。  。  Another;

Charcot (of Virieu); before the Revolution; was a highway assassin;

and was banished for three years for an act of this description。〃

(Bibliotheque Nationale。  Lb。  41; No。  1318。  〃The truth in reply to

calumnious charges against the department of Ain。〃 Letter of Roux;

Vendémiaire; year III。)



'7' Decree of Germinal 12; year III: for the transportation of Collot;

Barère; Billaud…Varennes and Vadier。  Eight Montagnards are put under

arrest。  …   Decree of Germinal 14: the same against nine other

Montagnards。  ?Decree of Germinal 29: the same against Maribon…

Montant。  …   Decree of Prairial 6: twenty…nine Montagnards are

indicted。  …   Decree of Prairial 8: putting six Montagnards under

arrest。  …   Decree of Prairial 9: the same against nine members of

former committees。  …   Decrees of Prairial 10 to Thermidor 22; year

III: condemning 6 Montagnards to death; one to transportation and

twenty put under arrest。



'8' Barbé…Marbois;〃 Mémoires;〃 preface; p。  VIII。  〃Except about fifty

men who are honest and intelligent; history presents no sovereign

assembly containing so much vice; abjectness and ignorance。〃 ??Buchez

et Roux; XXXVII。; 7。  (Speech by Legendre; Thermidor 17; year III。)

〃It is stated in print that; at most; there are but twenty pure men in

this Assembly。〃 …   Ibid。; 27。  Order of the Lepelletier section;

Vendemiaire 10; year IV。  〃It is certain that we owe the dearth and

all its accompanying evils to the incapacity and brigandage of the

present government。〃



'9' Mallet…Dupan; 〃 Correspondance;〃 etc。; I。; 211。  (May 27; 1795。)



'10' 〃Un Sejour en France;〃 267。  271; (Amiens; March 13; April 12;

1795。)



'11' Meissner; 〃Voyage à Paris;〃 123; 351。  (The author arrives in

Paris; September 22; 1795。)



'12' Decrees of Fructidor 5 and 13; year III。



'13' Mallet…Dupan (〃Correspondance avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。; 292;

August 30; 1795)。  …   Moniteur; XXV。; 518; 551。  (Session of

Fructidor 3。) The first idea of the commission of Eleven was to have

the Convention itself choose the two…thirds。  〃Its opponents took

advantage of the public outcry and broke off this plan。  。  。  。  of

the Girondist cabal。〃 Louvet; Fructidor 3; mounted three times into

the tribune to support this project; still more scandalous than the

other。  〃Eh; what electoral assembly could be better than yours! You

all know each other well。〃 Louvet adds this significant expression:

〃The armies also will vote the new constitution。  I have no fears of

its fate。〃



'14' Moniteur; XXII; 22。  (Report of Lindet; 4th sans…culottide; year

II。) 〃Each man confines himself to his family and calculates his

resources。〃



'15' Meissner; 58。



'16' Decree of Fructidor s。  〃All Frenchmen who voted at the last

primary assemblies will be admitted to vote on the acceptance of the

Constitution。〃 … Archives Nationales; A。  II。  B。  638。  (General

recapitulation of the vote on the Constitution of the year III and on

the decrees of Fructidor 5 and 13 printed by order of the Convention

Vendémiaire; year IV。) Number of voters on the constitutional bill;

1;107;368。



'17' Moniteur; XXV。; 637。  (Address to Frenchmen by Lareveillère…

Lepeaux; in the name of the Commission of Eleven; affixed to the

decree of Fructidor 13。) 〃Let all opposition to the legitimacy of this

measure cease! The only legitimate measure is that which saves the

country! Besides; if the majority of the primary assemblies of France

approve of it; who dares say that the people would have renounced its

sovereignty in thus expressing its will! 〃 … Cf。  Sauzay; VII。; 653 to

667; on the details and circumstances of the elections in one of the

departments。



'18' Archives Nationales1 A。  II。  B。; 688。  (Procés…verbaux of the

primary meetings of Seine…Inférieure; Dieppe; 〃Liberté〃 section;

session of Fructidor 20。) The constitution is unanimously accepted by

forty…four voters; on a call of names。  Then; 〃before proceeding to

the nomination of electors the law was read; concerning the mode of

electing the two…thirds of the National Convention。  The President

having asked if any one wished to speak on this law the order of the

day was immediately called for on all sides。〃 The electors are

appointed forthwith and the assembly adjourns。…The clerk; who has to

draw up the minutes; writes on the margin 〃forty…four voters

unanimously accept the Constitution as well as the decrees of

Fructidor 5 and 13;〃 which is false。  It is clear that the scribe had

been instructed to enlarge the number of votes accepting the decrees;

which suggests doubts on the truth of the total furnished by the

convention。



'19' Ibid。; A。  II。  B。; 638 (General recapitulation)。  I have taken

the number of primary assemblies in the twenty…two first departments

on the alphabetical list; that is to say; one quarter of the

territory; which warrants a conclusion; proportionately; on the whole

country。  In these twenty…two departments; 1;570 assemblies vote on

the constitution and only three hundred and twenty…eight on the

decrees。  The figures are herewith given: in the C?tes…du…Nord;

eighty…four primary assemblies; only one votes in favor of the

decrees。  Bouches du Rhone; ninety primary assemblies; four vote on

the decrees; two for and two against。  Aude; eighty…three primary

assemblies; four vote on the decrees; three for and one against。

Arriége; fifty…nine primary assemblies; two vote on the decrees。

Basses…Alpes; forty…eight primary assemblies: two vote on the decrees。

Maritime Alps; twenty…three primary assemblies; not one votes on the

decrees。



'20' Ibid。; (Procés…verbaux of the primary assemblies of the

department of the Seine; Popincourt section; 

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