the origins of contemporary france-4-第70章
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they are re…arrested shortly afterwards and shot。 … The last band;
which is styled 〃The German Legion;〃 is formed out of German deserters
and mercenaries speaking little or no French。 They are employed by
the Military Commission to dispatch the Vendeans picked up along the
highways; and who are usually shot in groups of twenty five。 〃I
came;〃 says an eye…witness;'169' 〃to a sort of gorge where there was a
semi…circular quarry; there; I noticed the corpses of seventy…five
women naked and lying on their backs。〃 The victims of that day
consisted of girls from sixteen to eighteen years of age。 One of them
says to her conductor; 〃I am sure you are taking us to die;〃 and the
German replies in his broken jargon; probably with a coarse laugh;〃
No; it is for a change of air。 They are placed in a row in front of
the bodies of the previous day and shot。 Those who do not fall; see
the guns reloaded; these are again shot and the wounded dispatched
with the butt ends of the muskets。 Some of the Germans then rifle the
bodies; while others strip them and 〃place them on their backs。〃 … To
find workmen for this task; it is necessary to descend; not only to
the lowest wretches in France but; again; to the brutes of a foreign
race and tongue; and yet lower still; to an inferior race degraded by
slavery and perverted by license。
Such; from the top to the bottom of the ladder; at every stage of
authority and obedience; is the ruling staff of the revolutionary
government。'170' Through its recruits and its work; through its morals
and modes of proceeding; it evokes the almost forgotten image of its
predecessors; for there is an image of it in the period from the
fourteenth to the seventeenth century。 At that time also; society was
frequently overcome and ravaged by barbarians; dangerous nomads;
malevolent outcasts; bandits turned into soldiers suddenly pounced
down on an industrious and peaceful population。 Such was the case in
France with the 〃Routiers〃 and the 〃Tard…venus;〃 at Rome with the army
of the Constable of Bourbon; in Flanders with the bands of the Duke of
Alba and the Duke of Parma; in Westphalia and in Alsace; with
Wallenstein's veterans; and those of Bernard of Saxe…Weimar。 They
lived upon a town or province for six months; fifteen months; two
years; until the town or province was exhausted。 They alone were
armed; master of the inhabitants; using and abusing things and persons
according to their caprices。 But they were declared bandits; calling
themselves scorchers; (ecorcheurs) riders and adventurers; and not
pretending to be humanitarian philosophers。 Moreover; beyond an
immediate and personal enjoyment; they demanded nothing; they employed
brutal force only to satiate their greed; their cruelty; their lust。
… The latter add to private appetites a far greater devastation; the
systematic and gratuitous ravages enforced upon them by the
superficial theory with which they are imbued。
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Notes:
'1' 〃The Revolution;〃 II。; pp。 298…304; and p。 351。
'2' 〃The Revolution;〃 II。; pp。298…304; and p。 351。 Should the
foregoing testimony be deemed insufficient; the following; by those
foreigners who had good opportunities for judging; may be added:
(Gouverneur Morris; letter of December 3; 1794。) 〃The French are
plunged into an abyss of poverty and slavery; a slavery all the more
degrading because the men who have plunged them into it merit the
utmost contempt。〃… Meissner; 〃Voyage à Paris;〃 (at the end of 1795;)
p。 160。 〃The (revolutionary) army and the revolutionary committees
were really associations organized by crime for committing every
species of injustice; murder; rapine; and brigandage with impunity。
The government had deprived all men of any talent or integrity of
their places and given these to its creatures; that is to say; to the
dregs of humanity。〃 … Baron Brinckmann; Chargé d'Affaires from Sweden。
(Letter of July 11; 1799。) 〃I do not believe that the different
classes of society in France are more corrupt than elsewhere; but I
trust that no people may ever be ruled by as imbecile and cruel
scoundrels as those that have ruled France since the advent of its new
state of freedom。 。 。 The dregs of the people; stimulated from
above by sudden and violent excitement; have everywhere brought to the
surface the scum of immorality。〃
'3' Fleury; 〃Babeuf;〃 139; 150。 … Granier de Cassagnac; 〃Histoire du
Directoire;〃 II。; 24…170。 … (Trial of Babeuf; passim。) The above
quotations are from documents seized in Babeuf's house; also from
affidavits made by witnesses; and especially by captain Grizel。
'4' Moniteur; session of September 5; 1793。 〃Since our virtue; our
moderation; our philosophic ideas; are of no use to us; let us be
brigands for the good of the people; let us be brigands!〃
'5' Babeuf; 〃Le Tribun du Peuple;〃 No。40。 Apologia for the men of
September; 〃who have only been the priests; the sacrificers of a just
immolation for public security。 If anything is to be regretted it is
that a larger and more general Second of September did not sweep away
all starvers and all despoilers。〃
'6' Granier de Cassagnac; II。; 90。 (Deposition of Grisel。) Rossignol
said; 〃That snuff…box is all I have left; here it is so that I may
exist。〃 … 〃Massard owned a pair of boots which he could not collect
because he had no money with which to pay the shoemaker。〃
'7' Archives Nationales; Cf。 31167。 (Report of Robin; Niv?se 9。):
〃The women always had a deliberative voice in the popular assemblies
of the Pantheon section;〃 and in all the other clubs they attended the
meetings。
'8' Moniteur; XIX。; 103。 (Meeting of the Jacobin club; Dec。 28;
1793。) Dubois…Crancé introduces the following question to each member
who is subjected to the weeding…out vote: 〃What have you done that
would get you hung in case of a counter revolution?〃
'9' Ibid。; XVII。; 410。 (Speech by Maribon…Montaut; Jacobin club;
Brumaire 21; year II。)
'10' Dauban; 〃Paris in 1794;〃 142。 (Police report of Vent?se 13; year
II。)
'11' Morellet; 〃 Mémoires;〃 II。 449。
'12' Dauban; ib。;; 35。 (Note drawn up in January; 1794; probably by
the physician Quêvremont de Lamotte。) … Ibid。; 82。 … Cf。 Morellet;
II。; 434…470。 (Details on the issue of certificates of civism; in
September; 1793。)
'13' Archives Nationales; F。7; 31167。 (Report by Latour…Lamontagne;
Vent?se 1; year II。): 〃 It is giving these associations too much
influence; it is destroying the jurisdiction of the general assemblies
(of the section。) We find accordingly; that these are being deserted
and that the plotters and intriguers succeed in making popular clubs
the centers of public business in order to control affairs more
easily。〃
'14' Dauban; ibid。; 203。 (Report by Bacon…Tacon; Ventose 19。) 〃In the
general assembly of the Maison Commune section all citizens of any
rank in the companies have been weeded out。 The slightest stain of
incivism; the slightest negligence in the service; caused their
rejection。 Out of twenty…five who passed censorship…nineteen at least
were rejected。 。 。 。Most of them due to their trade such as eating…
house keeper; shoe…maker; cook; carpenter; tailor etc。〃
'15' Ibid。; 141。 (Report by Charmont; Vent?se 12。) … Ibid; 140。
〃There is only one way; it is said at the Café des Grands Hommes; on
the boulevard; to keep from being arrested; and that is to scheme for
admission into the civil and revolutionary committees when there
happens to be a vacancy。 Before salaries were attached to these
places nobody wanted them; since that; there are disputes as to who
shall be appointed。〃
'16' Ibid。; 307。 (Report of Germinal 7。)
'17' Wallon; 〃 Histoire du Tribunal Revolutionaire;〃 IV。; 129。
'18' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 46。 (Act of the Committee of
Public Safety; Prairial 15。): 〃Citizens Pillon; Gouste and Né; members
of the Revolutionary committee of the Marat section; are removed。
Their duties will be performed by citizens Martin; Majon and Mirel。
Mauvielle; rue de la Liberté; No。 32; is appointed on the said
Revolutionary Committee to complete it; as it was only composed of
eleven members。〃 … And other similar acts。
'19' Duverger; decree of Frimaire 14; year II。 〃The application of
revolutionary laws and measures of general security and public safety
is confided to the municipalities and revolutionary committees。〃 See;
in chapter II。; the extent of the domain thus defined。 It embraces
nearly everything。 It suffices to run through the registers of a few
of the revolutionary committees; to verify this enormous power and see
how they interfere in every detail of individual life
'20' Archives Nationales; F。7; 31167。 (Report; Niv?se 1; year II。; by
Leharival。)
'21' Dauban; 〃Paris en 1794;〃 307。 (Report of March 29; 1794。) It
here relates to the 〃Piques〃 Section; Place Vendome。
'22' Dauban; ib。; 308。 (Note found among Danton's papers and probably
written by the physician; Quevremont de Lamotte。)
'23' Dauban; ib。; 125。 (Report of Bérard; Vent?se 10。) In the words
of a woman belonging to the Bonne…Novelle section: 〃My husband has
been in prison four months。 And what for? He was one of the first at
the Bastille; he has always refused places so that the good sans…
culottes might have them; and; if he has made enemies; it was because
he was unwilling to see these filled by ignoramuses or new…comers;
who; vociferating and apparently thirsting for blood; have created a
barrier of partisans around them。〃
'24' Dauban; ibid。; 307。 (Report of March 29; 1794。)
'25' Ibid。; 150。 (Report of Vent?se 14。) … Archives Nationales; F。7;
31167。 (Reports of Niv?se 9 and 25。): 〃A great many citizens are
found in the sections who are called out after the meeting; to get
forty sous。 I notice that most of them are masons; and even a few
coach drivers belonging to the nation; who can do without the nation's
indemnity; which merely serves them for drink to make them very
noisy。〃 … 〃 The people complain; because the persons to whom the forty
sous are given; to attend the section assemblies do nothing all day;
being able to work at different trades。。。。 and they relay upon these
forty sous。〃
'26' Dauban; ibid。; 312。 (Note by Quevremont。) … Moniteur; XVIII。;
568; (Meeting of the commune; Frimaire 11; year II。): 〃The Beaurepaire
section advertises that wishing to put a stop to the cupidity of the
wine…dealers of the arrondissement; it has put seals on all their
cellars。〃
'27' Dauban; ibid。; 345。 (Order of the day by Henriot; Floreal 9。)
'28' Mallet…Dupan; II。; 56。 (March; 1794。)
'29' Buchez et Roux; XXVII。; 10。 (Speech by Barbaroux; May 14; 1793。)
… Report on the papers found in Robespierre's apartment by Courtois;
285。 (Lett