the origins of contemporary france-3-第61部分

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perilous　leap；　with　consciences　distorted　like　the　muscles　of　a　tight…

rope　dancer。　Were　it　not　for　the　Revolution；　they　would　still　grovel

in　their　native　filth；　awaiting　prison　or　forced　labor　to　which　they

were　destined。　Can　one　imagine　their　growing　intoxication　as　they

drink　deep　draughts　from　the　bottomless　cup　of　absolute　power？　　For

it　is　absolute　power　which　they　demand　and　which　they　exercise。＇23＇

Raised　by　a　special　delegation　above　the　regular　authorities；　they　put

up　with　these　only　as　subordinates；　and　tolerate　none　among　them　who

may　become　their　rivals。　Consequently；　they　reduce　the　Legislative

body　simply　to　the　function　of　editor　and　herald　of　their　decrees；

they　have　forced　the　new　department　electors　to　〃abjure　their　title；〃

to　confine　themselves　to　tax　assessments；　while　they　lay　their

ignorant　hands　daily　on　every　other　service；　on　the　finances；　the

army；　supplies；　the　administration；　justice；　at　the　risk　of　breaking

the　administrative　wheels　or　of　interrupting　their　action。



One　day　they　summon　the　Minister　of　War　before　them；　or；　for　lack　of

one；　his　chief　clerk；　another　day　they　keep　the　whole　body　of

officials　in　his　department　in　arrest　for　two　hours；　under　the　pretext

of　finding　a　suspected　printer。＇24＇　At　one　time　they　affix　seals　on

the　funds　devoted　to　extraordinary　expenses；　at　another　time　they　do

away　with　the　commission　on　supplies；　at　another　they　meddle　with　the

course　of　justice；　either　to　aggravate　proceedings　or　to　impede　the

execution　of　sentences　rendered。＇25＇　There　is　no　principle；　no　law；　no

regulation；　no　verdict；　no　public　man　or　establishment　that　is　not

subject　to　the　risk　of　their　arbitrariness。　　And；　as　they　have　laid

hands　on　power；　they　do　the　same　with　money。　Not　only　do　they　extort

from　the　Assembly　850；000　francs　a　months；　with　arrears　from　the　1st

of　January；　1792；　more　than　six　millions　in　all；　to　defray　the

expenses　of　their　military　police；　which　means　to　pay　their　bands；＇26＇

but　again；　〃invested　with　the　municipal　scarf；〃　they　seize；　〃in　the

public　establishment　belonging　to　the　nation；　all　furniture；　and

whatever　is　of　most　value。〃　〃In　one　building　alone；　they　carry　off　the

value　of　100；000　crowns。〃＇27＇　Elsewhere；　in　the　hands　of　the　treasurer

of　the　civil　list；　they　appropriate　to　themselves；　a　box　of　jewels；

other　precious　objects；　and　340；　000　francs。＇28＇　Their　commissioners

bring　in　from　Chantilly　three　wagons　each　drawn　by　three　horses

〃loaded　with　the　spoils　of　M。　de　Condé；〃　and　they　undertake　〃removing

the　contents　of　the　houses　of　the　émigrés。〃＇29＇　They　confiscate　in　the

churches　of　Paris　〃the　crucifixes；　music…stands；　bells；　railings；　and

every　object　in　bronze　or　of　iron；　chandeliers；　cups；　vases；

reliquaries；　statues；　every　article　of　plate；〃　as　well　〃on　the　altars

as　in　the　sacristies；〃＇30＇　and　we　can　imagine　the　enormous　booty

obtained；　to　cart　away　the　silver　plate　belonging　to　the　single　church

of　Madeleine…de…la…ville　required　a　vehicle　drawn　by　four　horses。　

Now　they　use　all　this　money；　so　freely　seized；　as　freely　as　they　do

power　itself。　One　fills　his　pockets　in　the　Tuileries　without　the

slightest　concern；　another；　in　the　Garde…Meuble；　rummages　secretaries；

and　carries　off　a　wardrobe　with　its　contents。＇31＇　　We　have　already

seen　that　in　the　depositories　of　the　Commune　〃most　of　the　seals　are

broken；〃　that　enormous　sums　in　plate；　in　jewels；　in　gold　and　silver

coin　have　disappeared。　　Future　inquests　and　accounts　will　charge　on

the　Committee　of　Supervision；　〃abstractions；　dilapidations；　and

embezzlements；〃　in　short；　〃a　mass　of　violations　and　breaches　of

trust。〃　When　one　is　king；　one　easily　mistakes　the　money…drawer　of

the　State　for　the　drawer　in　which　one　keeps　one's　own　money。



Unfortunately；　this　full　possession　of　public　power　and　the　public

funds　holds　only　by　a　slender　thread。　Let　the　evicted　and　outraged

majority　dare；　as　subsequently　at　Lyons；　Marseilles；　and　Toulon；　to

Return　to　the　section　assemblies　and　revoke　the　false　mandate　which

they　have　arrogated　to　themselves　through　fraud　and　force；　and；　on　the

instance；　they　again　become；　through　the　sovereign　will　of　the　people；

and　by　virtue　of　their　own　deed；　what　they　really　are；　usurpers；

extortioners；　and　robbers；　there　is　no　middle　course　for　them　between

a　dictatorship　and　the　galleys。　　The　mind；　before　such　an

alternative；　unless　extraordinarily　well…balanced；　loses　its

equilibrium；　they　have　no　difficulty　in　deluding　themselves　with　the

idea　that　the　State　is　menaced　in　their　persons；　and；　in　postulating

the　rule；　that　all　is　allowable　for　them；　even　massacre。　Has　not

Bazire　stated　in　the　tribune　that；　against　the　enemies　of　the　nation；

〃all　means　are　fair　justifiable？　Has　not　another　deputy；　Jean　Debry；

proposed　the　formation　of　a　body　of　1；200　volunteers；　who　〃will

sacrifice　themselves；〃　as　formerly　the　assassins　of　the　Old　Man　of　the

Mountain；　in　〃attacking　tyrants；　hand　to　hand；　individually；〃　as　well

as　generals？＇32＇　Have　we　not　seen　Merlin　de　Thionville　insisting　that

〃the　wives　and　children　of　the　émigrés　should　be　kept　as　hostages；〃

and　declared　responsible；　or；　in　other　words；　ready　for　slaughter　if

their　relatives　continue　their　attacks？＇33＇



That　is　all　that　is　left　to　do；　since　all　the　other　measures　have

proved　insufficient。　　In　vain　has　the　Commune　decreed　the　arrest　of

journalists　belonging　to　the　opposite　party；　and　distributed　their

printing　machinery　amongst　patriotic　printers。＇34＇　In　vain　has　it

declared　the　members　of　the　Sainte…Chapelle　club；　the　National　Guards

who　have　sworn　allegiance　to　Lafayette；　the　signers　of　the　petition　of

8；000；　and　of　that　of　20；000；　disqualified　for　any　service

whatever。＇35＇　　In　vain　has　it　multiplied　domiciliary　visits；　even　to

the　residence　and　carriages　of　the　Venetian　ambassador。　　In　vain；

through　insulting　and　repeated　examinations；　does　it　keep　at　its　bar；

under　the　hootings　and　death…cries　of　its　tribunes；　the　most　honorable

and　most　illustrious　men；　Lavoisier；　Dupont　de　Nemours；　the　eminent

surgeon　Desault；　the　most　harmless　and　most　refined　ladies；　Madame　de

Tourzel；　Mademoiselle　de　Tourzel；　and　the　Princesse　de　Lamballe。＇36＇

In　vain；　after　a　profusion　of　arrests　during　twenty　days；　it　envelopes

all　Paris　inside　one　cast　of　its　net　for　a　nocturnal　search＇37＇during

which；



1。　the　barriers　are　closed　and　doubly　guarded；



2。　sentinels　are　on　the　quays　and　boats　stationed　on　the　Seine　to

prevent　escape　by　water；



3。　the　city　is　divided　beforehand　into　circumscriptions；　and　for　each

section；　a　list　of　suspected　persons；



4。　the　circulation　of　vehicles　is　stopped；



5。　every　citizen　is　ordered　to　stay　at　home；



6。　the　silence　of　death　reigns　after　six　o'clock　in　the　evening；　and

then；



7。　　in　each　street；　a　patrol　of　sixty　pikemen；　seven　hundred　squads　of

sans…culottes；　all　working　at　the　same　time；　and　with　their　usual

brutality；



8。　doors　are　burst　in　with　pile　drivers；



9。　wardrobes　are　picked　by　locksmiths；



10。　walls　are　sounded　by　masons；



11。　cellars　are　searched　even　to　digging　in　the　ground；



12。　papers　are　seized；



13。　arms　are　confiscated；



14。　three　thousand　persons　are　arrested　and　led　off；＇38＇　priests；　old

men；　the　infirm；　the　sick。



The　action　lasts　from　ten　in　the　evening　to　five　o'clock　in　the

morning；　the　same　as　in　a　city　taken　by　assault；　the　screams　of　women

rudely　treated；　the　cries　of　prisoners　compelled　to　march；　the　oaths

of　the　guards；　cursing　and　drinking　at　each　grog…shop；　never　was　there

such　an　universal；　methodical　execution；　so　well　calculated　to

suppress　all　inclination　for　resistance　in　the　silence　of　general

stupefaction。



And　yet；　at　this　very　moment；　there　are　those　who　act　in　good　faith　in

the　sections　and　in　the　Assembly；　and　who　rebel　at　being　under　such

masters。　A　deputation　from　the　Lombards　section；　and　another　from　the

Corn…market；　come　to　the　Assembly　and　protest　against　the　Commune's

usurpations。＇39＇　　Choudieu；　the　Montagnard；　denounces　its　blatant

corrupt　practices。　　Cambon；　a　stern　financier；　will　no　longer　consent

to　have　his　accounts　tampered　with　by　thieving　tricksters。＇40＇　The

Assembly　at　last　seems　to　have　recovered　itself。　It　extends　its

protection　to　Géray；　the　journalist；　against　whom　the　new　pashas　had

issued　a　warrant；　it　summons　to　its　own　bar　the　signers　of　the

warrant；　and　orders　them　to　confine　themselves　in　future　to　the　exact

limits　of　the　law　which　they　transgress。　　Better　still；　it　dissolves

the　interloping　Council；　and　substitutes　for　it　ninety…six　delegates；

to　be　elected　by　the　sections　in　twenty…four　hours。　　And；　even　still

better；　it　orders　an　account　to　be　rendered　within　two　days　of　the

objects　it　has　seized；　and　the　return　of　all　gold　or　silver　articles

to　the　Treasury。　　Quashed；　and　summoned　to　disgorge　their　booty；　the

autocrats　of　the　H？tel…de…ville　come　in　vain　to　the　Assembly　in　force

on　the　following　day＇41＇　to　extort　from　it　a　repeal　of　its　decrees；

the　Assembly；　in　spite　of　their　threats　and　those　of　their　satellites；

stands　its　ground。　　So　much　the　worse　for　the　stubborn；　if　they　are

not　disposed　to　regard　the　flash　of　the　saber；　they　will　feel　its

sharp　edge　and　point。　The　Commune；　on　the　motion　of　Manuel；　decides

that；　so　long　as　public　danger　continues；　they　will　stay　where　they

are；　it　adopts　an　address　by　Robespierre　to　〃restore　sovereign　power

to　the　people；〃　which　means　to　fill　the　streets　with　armed　bands；＇42＇

it　collects　together　its　brigands　by　giving　them　the　ownership　of　all

that　they　stole　on　the　10th　of　August。＇43＇　The　session；　prolonged　into

the　night；　does　not　terminate　until　one　o'clock　in　the　morning。　Sunday

has　come　and　there　is　no　time　to　lose；　for；　in　a　few　hours；　the

sections；　by　virtue　of　the　decree　of　the　National　Assembly；　and

following　the　example　of　the　Temple　section　the　evening　before；　may

revoke　the　pretended　representatives　at　the