the origins of contemporary france-4-第34章

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around　him；　on　the　floor；　on　the　walls；　on　the　ceiling；　toads；

scorpions；　spiders；　swarms　of　crawling；　loathsome　vermin；　he　thinks

only　of　crushing　them；　and　the　disease　enters　on　its　last　stage：　after

the　ambitious　delirium；　the　mania　for　persecution　and　the　settled

nightmare；　comes　the　homicidal　mania。



With　Marat；　this　broke　out　at　the　very　beginning　of　the　Revolution。

The　disease　was　innate；　he　was　inoculated　with　it　beforehand。　　He　had

contracted　it　in　good　earnest；　on　principle；　never　was　there　a　plainer

case　of　deliberate　insanity。　　…　On　the　one　hand；　having　derived　the

rights　of　man　from　physical　necessities；　he　concluded；　〃that　society

owes　to　those　among　its　members　who　have　no　property；　and　whose　labor

scarcely　suffices　for　their　support；　an　assured　subsistence；　the

wherewithal　to　feed；　lodge　and　clothe　oneself　suitably；　provision　for

attendance　in　sickness　and　when　old　age　comes　on；　and　for　bringing　up

children。　　Those　who　wallow　in　wealth　must　（then）　supply　the　wants　of

those　who　lack　the　necessaries　of　life。〃　Otherwise；　〃the　honest

citizen　whom　society　abandons　to　poverty　and　despair；　reverts　back　to

the　state　of　nature　and　the　right　of　forcibly　claiming　advantages

which　were　only　alienated　by　him　to　procure　greater　ones。　　All

authority　which　is　opposed　to　this　is　tyrannical；　and　the　judge　who

condemns　a　man　to　death　（through　it）　is　simply　a　cowardly

assassin。〃＇31＇



Thus　do　the　innumerable　riots　which　the　dearth　excites；　find

justification；　and；　as　the　dearth　is　permanent；　the　daily　riot　is

legitimate。　　…　On　the　other　hand；　having　laid　down　the　principle　of

popular　sovereignty　he　deduces　from　this；　〃the　sacred　right　of

constituents　to　dismiss　their　delegates；　〃　to　seize　them　by　the　throat

if　they　prevaricate；　to　keep　them　in　the　right　path　by　fear；　and　wring

their　necks　should　they　attempt　to　vote　wrong　or　govern　badly。　　Now；

they　are　always　subject　to　this　temptation。



　〃If　there　is　one　eternal　truth　of　which　it　is　important　to　convince

man；　it　is　that　the　mortal　enemy　of　the　people；　the　most　to　be　dreaded

by　them；　is　the　Government。〃　〃Any　minister　who　remains　more　than　2

days　in　office；　once　the　ministry　is　able　to　plot　against　the　country

is　'suspect。'　〃＇32＇　…　Bestir　yourselves；　then；　ye　unfortunates　in　town

and　country；　workmen　without　work；　street　stragglers　without　fuel　or

shelter　sleeping　under　bridges；　prowlers　along　the　highways；　beggars；

tattered　vagabonds；　cripples　and　tramps；　and　seize　your　faithless

representatives！　…　On　July　14th　and　October　5th　and　6th；　〃the　people

had　the　right　not　only　to　execute　some　of　the　conspirators　in　military

fashion；　but　to　immolate　them　all；　to　put　to　the　sword　the　entire　body

of　royal　satellites　leagued　together　for　our　destruction；　the　whole

herd　of　traitors　to　the　country；　of　every　condition　and　degree。〃＇33＇

Never　go　to　the　Assembly；　〃without　filling　your　pockets　with　stones

and　throwing　them　at　the　impudent　scoundrels　who　preach　monarchical

maxims；〃　〃I　recommend　to　you　no　other　precaution　but　that　of　telling

their　neighbors　to　look　out。〃＇34＇　…　〃We　do　not　demand　the　resignation

of　the　ministers…we　demand　their　heads。　　We　demand　the　heads　of　all

the　cabinet　officials　in　the　Assembly；　your　mayor's；　your　general's；

the　heads　of　most　of　the　staff…officers；　of　most　of　the　municipal

council；　of　the　principal　agents　of　the　executive　power　in　the

kingdom。　　〃　…　Of　what　use　are　half…way　measures；　like　the　sack　of　the

hotel　de　Castries？＇35＇



　〃Avenge　yourselves　wisely！　Death！　Death！　is　the　sole　penalty　for

traitors　raging　to　destroy　you　It　is　the　only　one　that　strikes　terror

into　them。　　Follow　the　example　of　your　implacable　enemies！　Keep　always

armed；　so　that　they　may　not　escape　through　the　delays　of　the　law！　Stab

them　on　the　spot　or　blow　their　brains　out！　〃　…　〃　Twenty…four　millions

of　men　shout　in　unison：　If　the　black；　gangrened；　archi…gangrened

officials　dare　pass　a　bill　reducing　and　reorganizing　the　army；

citizens；　then　you　build　eight　hundred　scaffolds　in　the　Tuileries

garden　and　hang　on　them　every　traitor　to　his　country　…　that　infamous

Riquetti；　Comte　de　Mirabeau；　at　the　head　of　them　…　and；　at　the　same

time；　erect　in　the　middle　of　the　fountain　basin　a　big　pile　of　logs　to

roast　the　ministers　and　their　tools！〃＇36＇　…　Could　〃the　Friend　of　the

People〃　rally　around　him　two　thousand　men　determined　〃to　save　the

country；　he　would　go　and　tear　the　heart　out　of　that　infernal　Mottié　in

the　very　midst　of　his　battalions　of　slaves；　he　would　go　and　burn　the

monarch　and　his　imps　in　his　palace；　impale　the　deputies　on　their

benches；　and　bury　them　beneath　the　flaming　ruins　of　their　den。〃＇37＇…

On　the　first　cannon　shot　being　fired　on　the　frontier；



　〃it　is　indispensable　that　the　people　should　close　the　gates　of　the

towns　and　unhesitatingly　make　way　with　every　priest；　public

functionary　and　anti…revolutionary；　known　instigators　and　their

accomplices。〃　…　〃　It　would　be　wise　for　the　people's　magistrates　to

keep　constantly　manufacturing　large　quantities　of　strong；　sharp；

short…bladed；　double…edged　knives；　so　as　to　arm　each　citizen　known　as

a　friend　of　his　country。　　Now；　the　art　of　fighting　with　these　terrible

weapons　consists　in　this：　Use　the　left　arm　as　buckler；　and　cover　it　up

to　the　arm…pit　with　a　sleeve　quilted　with　some　woollen　stuff；　filled

with　rags　and　hair；　and　then　rush　on　the　enemy；　the　right　hand

wielding　the　knife。〃＇38＇　…　Let　us　use　these　knives　as　soon　as

possible；　for　〃what　means　are　now　remaining　for　us　to　put　an　end　to

the　problems　which　overwhelm　us？　I　repeat　it；　no　other　but　executions

by　the　people。〃＇39＇　…　The　Throne　is　at　last　down；　but　〃be　careful　not

to　give　way　to　false　pity！　。　　。　　。　　。　　No　quarter！　I　advise　you　to

decimate　the　anti…revolutionary　members　of　the　municipality；　of　the

justices　of　the　peace；　of　the　members　of　the　departments　and　of　the

National　Assembly。〃＇40＇　…　At　the　outset；　a　few　lives　would　have

sufficed：　〃five　hundred　heads　ought　to　have　fallen　when　the　Bastille

was　taken；　and　all　would　then　have　gone　on　well。〃　But；　through　lack　of

foresight　and　timidity；　the　evil　was　allowed　to　spread；　and　the　more

it　spread　the　larger　the　amputation　should　have　been。　　…　With　the

sure；　keen　eye　of　the　surgeon；　Marat　gives　its　dimensions；　he　has　made

his　calculation　beforehand。　　In　September；　1792；　in　the　Council　at　the

Commune；　he　estimates　forty　thousand　as　the　number　of　heads　that

should　be　laid　low。＇41＇　Six　weeks　later；　the　social　abscess　having

enormously　increased；　the　figures　swell　in　proportion；　he　now　demands

two　hundred　and　seventy　thousand　heads；＇42＇　always　on　the　score　of

humanity；　〃to　ensure　public　tranquility；〃　on　condition　that　the

operation　be　entrusted　to　him；　as　the　temporary　enforcer　of　the

justice。　　…　Except　for　this　last　point；　the　rest　is　granted　to　him；　it

is　unfortunate　that　he　could　not　see　with　his　own　eyes　the　complete

fulfillment　of　his　programme；　the　batches　condemned　by　the

revolutionary　Tribunal；　the　massacres　of　Lyons　and　Toulon；　the

drownings　of　Nantes。　　…　From　the　beginning　to　the　end；　he　was　in

keeping　with　the　Revolution；　lucid　on　account　of　his　blindness；　thanks

to　his　crazy　logic；　thanks　to　the　concordance　of　his　personal　malady

with　the　public　malady；　to　the　early　manifestation　of　his　complete

madness　in　the　midst　of　the　incomplete　or　tardy　madness　of　the　rest；

he　alone　steadfast；　remorseless；　triumphant；　perched　aloft　at　the

first　bound　on　the　sharp　pinnacle　which　his　rivals　dared　not　climb　or

only　stumbled　up。



II。　　Danton。



Danton。　　…　Richness　of　his　faculties。　　…　Disparity　between　his

condition　and　instincts。　　…　The　Barbarian。　　…　His　work。　　…　His

weakness。



There　is　nothing　of　the　madman　about　Danton；　on　the　contrary；　not　only

is　his　intellect　sound；　but　he　possesses　political　aptitudes　to　an

eminent　degree；　and　to　such　an　extent　that；　in　this　particular；　none

of　his　associates　or　adversaries　compare　with　him；　while；　among　the

men　of　the　Revolution；　only　Mirabeau　equals　or　surpasses　him。　　He　is

an　original；　spontaneous　genius　and　not；　like　most　of　his

contemporaries；　a　disputatious；　quill…driving　theorist；＇43＇　that　is　to

say；　a　fanatical　pedant；　an　artificial　being　composed　of　his　books；　a

mill…horse　with　blinkers；　and　turning　around　in　a　circle　without　an

issue。　　His　free　judgment　is　not　hampered　by　abstract　prejudices：　he

does　not　carry　about　with　him　a　social　contract；　like　Rousseau；　nor；

like　Siéyès；　a　social　art　and　cabinet　principles　or　combinations；＇44＇

he　has　kept　aloof　from　these　instinctively　and；　perhaps；　through

contempt　for　them；　he　had　no　need　of　them；　he　would　not　have　known

what　to　do　with　them。　　Systems　are　crutches　for　the　impotent；　while　he

is　able…bodied；　formulas　serve　as　spectacles　for　the　short…sighted；

while　his　eyes　are　good。　　〃He　had　read　and　meditated　very　little；〃

says　a　learned　and　philosophical　witness；＇45＇　〃his　knowledge　was

scanty　and　he　took　no　pride　in　investigation；　but　he　observed　and　saw

。　　。　　His　native　capacity；　which　was　very　great　and　not　absorbed　by

other　things；　was　naturally　closed　to　vague；　complex　and　false

notions；　and　naturally　open　to　every　notion　of　experience　the　truth　of

which　was　made　manifest。〃　Consequently；　〃his　perceptions　of　men　and

things；　sudden；　clear；　impartial　and　true；　were　instinct　with　solid；

practical　discretion。〃　To　form　a　clear　idea　of　the　divergent　or

concordant　dispositions；　fickle　or　earnest；　actual　or　possible；　of

different　parties　and　of　twenty…six　millions　of　souls；　to　justly

estimate　probable　resistances；　and　calculate　available　forces；　to

recognize　and　take　advantage　of　the　one　decisive　moment；　to　combine

executive　means；　to　find　men　of　action；　to　measure　the　effect

produced；　to　foresee　near　and　remote　contingencies；　to　regret　nothing

and　take　things　coolly；　to　accept　crimes　in　proportion　to　their

political　efficacy；　to　dodge　before　insurmountable　obstacles；　even　in

contempt　of　current　maxims；　to　consider　objects　and　men　the　same　as　an

engineer　contracting　for　machinery　and　calculating　horse…power＇46＇　…

such　are　the　faculties　of　which　he　gave　proof　on　the　10th　of　August

and　the　2nd　of　September；　during　his　effective　dictatorship　between

the　10th　of　August　and　the　21st　of　September；　afterwards　in　the

Convention；　on　the　first　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　on　the　31st　of

May　and　on　the　2nd　of　June：＇47＇　we　have　seen　him　busy　at　work。　　Up　to

the　last；　in　spite　of　his　partisans；　he　has　tried　to　diminish　or；　at

least；　not　add　to；　the　resistance　the　government　had　to　overcome。

Nearly　up　to　the　last；　in　spite　of　his　adversaries；　he　tried　to

increase　or；　at　least；　not　destroy　the　available　forces　of　the

government。　　In　defiance　of　the　outcries　of　the　clubs；　which　clamor

for　the　extermination　of　the　Prussians；　the　capture　of　the　King　of

Prussia；　the　overthrow　of　all　thrones；　and　the　murder　of　Louis　XVI。；

he　negotiated　the　almost　pacific　withdrawal　of　Brunswick；＇48＇　he

strove　to　d