the origins of contemporary france-4-第43章
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the effect he intended。〃
'104' Courrier de Provence; III。; No。 52; (Oct。 7 and 8; 1789)。 …
Buchez et Roux; VI。; 372。 (Session of July 10; 1790。) Another similar
blunder was committed by him on the occasion of an American
deputation。 The president had made his response; which was
〃unanimously applauded。〃 Robespierre wanted to have his say
notwithstanding the objections of the Assembly; impatient at his
verbiage; and which finally put him down。 Amidst the laughter; 〃M。
l'Abbé Maury demands ironically the printing of M。 Robespierre's
discourse。〃
'105' L。 Villiers; 2。
'106' Cf。 his principal speeches in the constituent Assembly;
against martial law; against the veto; even suspensive; against the
qualification of the silver marc and in favor of universal suffrage;
in favor of admitting into the National Guard non…acting citizens; of
the marriage of priests; of the abolition of the death penalty; of
granting political rights to colored men; of interdicting the father
from favoring any one of his children; of declaring the 〃Constituants〃
ineligible to the Legislative Assembly; etc。 On royalty: 〃The King is
not the representative but the clerk of the nation。〃 On the danger of
allowing political rights to colored men: 〃Let the colonies perish if
they cost you your honor; your glory; your liberty!〃
'107' Hamel; I。; 76。77; (March; 1789)。 〃My heart is an honest one and
I stand firm; I have never bowed beneath the yoke of baseness and
corruption。〃 He enumerates the virtues that a representative of the
Third Estate should possess (26; 83)。 He already shows his blubbering
capacity and his disposition to regard himself as a victim: 〃They
undertake making martyrs of the people's defenders。 Had they the
power to deprive me of the advantages they envy; could they snatch
from me my soul and the consciousness of the benefits I desire to
confer on them。〃
'108' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。 〃Who am I that am thus accused? The
slave of freedom; a living martyr to the Republic; at once the victim
and the enemy of crime!〃 See this speech in full。
'109' Especially in his address to the French people; (Aug。; 1791);
which; in a justificatory form; is his apotheosis。 … Cf。 Hamel; II。;
212; Speech in the Jacobin club; (April 27; 1792)。
'110' Hamel; I。; 517; 532; 559; II。; 5。
'111' Laréveillère…Lepeaux;〃 Mémoires。〃 … Barbaroux; 〃Mémoires;〃 358。
(Both; after a visit to him。)
'112' Robespierre's devotees constantly attend at the Jacobin club and
in the convention to hear him speak and applaud him; and are called;
from their condition and dress; 〃 the fat petticoats。〃
'113' Buchez et Roux; XX。; 197。 (Meeting of Nov。 I; 1792。) …
〃Chronique de Paris;〃 Nov。 9; 1792; article by Condorcet。 With the
keen insight of the man of the world; he saw clearly into
Robespierre's character。 〃Robespierre preaches; Robespierre censures;
he is animated; grave; melancholy; deliberately enthusiastic and
systematic in his ideas; and conduct。 He thunders against the rich
and the great; he lives on nothing and has no physical necessities。
His sole mission is to talk; and this he does almost constantly。 。 。
His characteristics are not those of a religious reformer; but of the
chief of a sect。 He has won a reputation for austerity approaching
sanctity。 He jumps up on a bench and talks about God and Providence。
He styles himself the friend of the poor; he attracts around him a
crowd of women and 'the poor in spirit; and gravely accepts their
homage and worship。 。 。 。 Robespierre is a priest and never will
be anything else。〃 Among Robespierre's devotees Madame de Chalabre
must be mentioned; (Hamel; I。; 525); a young widow (Hamel; III。; 524);
who offers him her hand with an income of forty thousand francs。
〃Thou art my supreme deity;〃 she writes to him; 〃and I know no other
on this earth! I regard thee as my guardian angel; and would live only
under thy laws。〃
'114' Fievée; 〃Correspondance;〃 (introduction)。
'115' Report of Courtois on the papers found in Robespierre's
domicile。 Justificatory documents No。20; letter of the Secretary of
the Committee of Surveillance of Saint Calais; Niv?se 15; year II。
'116' Ibid。; No。 18。 Letter of V…; former inspector of 〃droits
reservés;〃 Feb。 5; 1792。
'117' Ibid。; No。8。 Letter of P。 Brincourt; Sedan; Aug。29; 1793。
'118' Ibid。; No。 I。 Letter of Besson; with an address of the popular
club of Menosque; Prairial 23; year II
'119' Ibid。; No。14。 Letter of D…; member of the Cordeliers Club;
and former mercer; Jan。31; 1792
'120' Ibid。; No。12。 Letter by C; Chateau Thierry; Prairial 30;
year II。
'121' Hamel; III。; 682。 (Copied from Billaud…Varennes' manuscripts;
in the Archives Nationales)。
'122' Moniteur; XXII。; '75。 (Session of Vendémiaire i8; year III。
Speech by Laignelot。) 〃Robespierre had all the popular clubs under his
thumb。〃
'123' Garat; 85。 〃The most conspicuous sentiment with Robespierre;
and one; indeed; of which he made no mystery; was that the defender of
the people could never see amiss。 … (Bailleul; quoted in Carnot's
Memoirs; I。 516。) 〃He regarded himself as a privileged being;
destined to become the people's regenerator and instructor。〃
'124' Speech of May 16; 1794; and of Thermidor 8; year II。
'125' Buchez et Roux; X。; 295; 296。 (Session June 22; 1791; of the
Jacobin Club。) … Ibid。; 294。 … Marat spoke in the same vein: 〃I have
made myself a curse for all good people in France。〃 He writes; the
same date: 〃Writers in behalf of the people will be dragged to
dungeons。 'The friend of the people;' whose last sigh is given for
his country; and whose faithful voice still summons you to freedom; is
to find his grave in a fiery furnace。〃 The last expression shows the
difference in their imaginations。
'126' Hamel; II。; 122。 (Meeting of the Jacobin Club; Feb。10; 1792。)
〃To obtain death at the hands of tyrants is not enough … one must
deserve death。 If it be true that the earliest defenders of liberty
became its martyrs they should not suffer death without bearing
tyranny along with them into the grave。〃 … Cf。; ibid。; II。; 215。
(Meeting of April 27; 1792。)
'127' Hamel; II。; 513。 (Speech in the Convention; Prairial 7; year
II。)
'128' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。; 422; 445; 447; 457。 (Speech in the
Convention; Thermidor 8; year II。)
'129' Buchez et Roux; XX。; 11; 18。 (Meeting of the Jacobin Club;
Oct。29; 1792。) Speech on Lafayette; the Feuillants and Girondists。
XXXI。; 360; 363。 (Meeting of the Convention; May 7; 1794。) On
Lafayette; the Girondists; Dantonists and Hébertists。 … XXXIII。; 427。
(Speech of Thermidor 8; year II。)
'130' Garat; 〃Mémoires;〃 87; 88。
'131' Buchez et Roux; XXI。; 107。 (Speech of Pétion on the charges
made against him by Robespierre。) Petion justly objects that
〃Brunswick would be the first to cut off Brissot's head; and Brissot
is not fool enough to doubt it。〃
'132' Garat; 94。 (After the King's death and a little before the 10th
of March; 1793。)
'133' Ibid。; 97。 In 1789 Robespierre assured Garat that Necker was
plundering the Treasury; and that people had seen mules loaded with
the gold and silver he was sending off by millions to Geneva。 …
Carnot; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。 512。 〃Robespierre;〃 say Carnot and Prieur;
〃paid very little attention to public business; but a good deal to
public officers; he made himself intolerable with his perpetual
mistrust of these; never seeing any but traitors and conspirators。〃
'134' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。; 417。 (Speech of Thermidor 8; year II。)
'135' Ibid。; XXXII。; 361; (Speech May 7; '794;) and 359。 〃Immorality
is the basis of despotism; as virtue is the essence of the Republic。〃
'136' Ibid。; 371。
'137' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。; 195。 (Report of Couthon and decree in
conformity therewith; Prairial 22; year II。) 〃The revolutionary
tribunal is organised for the punishment of the people's enemies 。 。
。 。 The penalty for all offences within its jurisdiction is death。
Those are held to be enemies of the people who shall have misled the
people; or the representatives of the people; into measures opposed to
the interests of liberty; those who shall have sought to create
discouragement by favoring the undertakings of tyrants leagued against
the Republic; those who shall have spread false reports to divide or
disturb the people; those who shall have sought to misdirect opinion
and impede popular instruction; produce depravity and corrupt the
public conscience; diminish the energy and purity of revolutionary and
republican principles; or stay their progress Those who; charged
with public functions; abuse them to serve the enemies of the
Revolution; vex patriots; oppress the people; etc。〃
'138' Buchez et Roux; XXXV。; 290。 (〃 Institutions;〃 by Saint…Just。)
〃The Revolution is chilled。 Principles have lost their vigor。
Nothing remains but red…caps worn by intrigue。〃 … Report by Courtois;
〃Pièces justificatives〃 No。20。 (Letter of Pays and Rompillon;
president and secretary of the committee of Surveillance of Saint…
Calais; to Robespierre; Niv?se 15; year II。) 〃The Mountain here is
composed of only a dozen or fifteen men on whom you can rely as on
yourself; the rest are either deceived; seduced; corrupted or enticed
away。 Public opinion is debauched by the gold and intrigues of honest
folks。〃
'139' Report by Courtois; N。 43。 … Cf。 Hamel; III。; 43; 71。 … (The
following important document is on file in the Archives Nationales; F
7; 4446; and consists of two notes written by Robespierre in June and
July; 1793): 〃Who are our enemies? The vicious and the rich。 。 。 。
How may the civil war be stopped? Punish traitors and conspirators;
especially guilty deputies and administrators 。 。 。 。 make
terrible examples 。 。 。 。 proscribe perfidious writers and anti…
revolutionaries 。 。 。 。 Internal danger comes from the bourgeois;
to overcome the bourgeois; rally the people。 The present insurrection
must be kept up 。 。 。 。 The insurrection should gradually continue
to spread out 。 。 。 The sans…culottes should be paid and remain in
the towns。 They ought to be armed; worked up; taught。〃
'140' The committee of Public Safety; and Robespierre especially; knew
of and commanded the drownings of Nantes; as well as the principal
massacres by Carrier; Turreau; etc。 (De Martel; 〃Etude sur Fouché;〃
257…265。) … Ibid。; (〃Types revolutionnaires;〃 41…49。) … Buchez et
Roux; XXXIII。; 101 (May 26; 1794。) Report by Barère and decree of the
convention ordering that 〃No English prisoners should be taken。〃
Robespierre afterwards speaks in the same sense。 Ibid。; 458。 After
the capture of Newport; where they took five thousand English
prisoners; the French soldiers were unwilling to execute the
convention's decree; on which Ro