the origins of contemporary france-3-第39节
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a rifle butt; women are flogged。 〃All citizens that with an interest
in law and order;〃 nearly five thousand families; have emigrated;
their houses in town and in the country are pillaged; while in the
surrounding boroughs; along the road leading from Arles to Marseilles;
the villains forming the hard core of the Marseilles army; rove about
and gorge themselves as in a vanquished country。'30'
They eat and drink voraciously; force the closets; carry off linen and
food; steal horses and valuables; smash the furniture; tear up books;
and burn papers。'31' All this is only the appropriate punishment of
the aristocrats。 Moreover; it is no more than right that patriots
should be indemnified for their toil; and a few blows too many are not
out of place in securing the rule of the right party。 For example;
on the false report of order being disturbed at Chateau…Renard; Bertin
and Rebecqui send off a detachment of men; while the municipal body in
uniform; followed by the National Guard; with music and flags; comes
forth to meet and salute it。 Without uttering a word of warning; the
Marseilles troop falls upon the cortège; strikes down the flags;
disarms the National Guard; tears the epaulettes off the officers'
shoulders; drags the mayor to the ground by his scarf; pursues the
counselors; sword in hand; puts the mayor and syndic…attorney in
arrest; and; during the night; sacks four dwellings; the whole under
the direction of three Jacobins of the place under indictment for
recent crimes or misdemeanors。 Henceforth at Chateau…Renard they will
look twice before subjecting patriots to indictment。'32' At Vélaux
〃the country house of the late seignior is sacked; and everything is
carried away; even to the tiles and window…glass。〃 A troop of two
hundred men 〃overrun the village; levy contributions; and put all
citizens who are well…off under bonds for considerable sums。〃 Camo?n;
the Marseille chief; one of the new department administrators; who is
in the neighborhood; lays his hand on everything that is fit to be
taken; and; a few days after this; 30;000 francs are found in his
carpet…bag。…Taught by the example others follow and the commotion
spreads。 In every borough or petty town the club profits by these
acts to satiate its ambition its greed; and its hatred。 That of Apt
appeals to its neighbors; whereupon 1;500 National Guards of Gordes;
St。 Saturnin; Gouls and Lacoste; with a thousand women and children
armed with clubs and scythes; arrive one morning before the town。 On
being asked by whose orders they come in this fashion; they reply; 〃by
the orders which their patriotism has given them。〃 〃The fanatics;〃
or partisans of the sworn priests; 〃are the cause of their journey〃:
they therefore 〃want lodgings at the expense of the fanatics only。〃
The three day's occupation results for the latter and for the town in
a cost of 20;000 livres。'33' They begin by breaking everything in the
church of the Récollets; and wall up its doors。 They then expel
unsworn ecclesiastics from the town; and disarm their partisans。 The
club of Apt; which is the sole authority; remains in session three
days: 〃the municipal bodies in the vicinity appear before it;
apologize for themselves; protest their civism; and ask as a favor
that no detachment be sent to their places。 Individuals are sent for
to be interrogated〃; several are proscribed; among whom are
administrators; members of the court; and the syndic…attorney。 A
number of citizens have fled; the town is purged; while the same
purging is pursued in numbers of places in and out of the
district。'34' It is; indeed; attractive business。 It empties the
purses of the ill…disposed; and fills the stomachs of patriots; it is
agreeable to be well entertained; and especially at the expense of
one's adversaries; the Jacobin is quite content to save the country
through a round of feastings。 Moreover; he has the satisfaction of
playing king among his neighbors; and not only do they feed him for
doing them this service; but; again; they pay him for it。'35' … All
this is enlivening; and the expedition; which is a 〃sabbath;〃 ends in
a carnival。 Of the two Marseilles divisions; one; led back to Aix;
sets down to 〃a grand patriotic feast;〃 and then dances fandangoes; of
which 〃the principal one is led off by the mayor and commandant〃;'36'
the other makes its entry into Avignon the same day; with still
greater pomp and jollity。
IV。
The Jacobins of Avignon。 How they obtain recruits。 … …Their
robberies in the Comtat。 The Avignon municipality in flight or in
prison。 Murder of Lécuyer and the Glacière massacre。 Entry of
the murderers; supported by their Marseilles allies。 Jacobin
dictatorship in Vaucluse and the Buches…du…Rh?ne。
Nowhere else in France was there another nest of brigands like it: not
that a great misery might have produced a more savage uprising; on the
contrary; the Comtat; before the Revolution; was a land of plenty。
There was no taxation by the Pope; the taxes were very light; and were
expended on the spot。 〃For one or two pennies; one here could have
meat; bread; and wine。〃'37' But; under the mild and corrupt
administration of the Italian legates; the country had become 〃the
safe asylum of all the rogues in France; Italy; and Genoa; who by
means of a trifling sum paid to the Pope's agents; obtained protection
and immunity。〃 Smugglers and receivers of stolen goods abounded here
in order to break through the lines of the French customs。 〃Bands of
robbers and assassins were formed; which the vigorous measures of the
parliaments of Aix and Grenoble could not wholly extirpate。 Idlers;
libertines; professional gamblers;〃'38' kept…cicisbeos; schemers;
parasites; and adventurers; mingle with men with branded shoulders;
the veterans 〃of vice and crime; 〃the scapegraces of the Toulon and
Marseilles galleys。〃 Ferocity here is hidden in debauchery; like a
serpent hidden in its own slime; here all that is required is some
chance event and this bad place will be transformed into a death trap。
The Jacobin leaders; Tournal; Rovère; the two Duprats; the two
Mainvielles; and Lécuyer; readily obtain recruits in this sink。 … They
begin; aided by the rabble of the town and of its suburbs; peasants
enemies of the octroi; vagabonds opposed to order of any kind; porters
and watermen armed with scythes; turnspits and clubs; by exciting
seven or eight riots。 Then they drive off the legate; force the
Councils to resign; hang the chiefs of the National Guard and of the
conservative party;'39' and take possession of the municipal offices。
After this their band increases to the dimensions of an army; which;
with license for its countersign and pillage for its pay; is the same
as that of Tilly and Wallenstein; 〃a veritable roving Sodom; at which
the ancient city would have stood aghast。〃 Out of 3;000 men; only 200
belong in Avignon; the rest are composed of French deserters;
smugglers; fugitives from justice; vagrant foreigners; marauders and
criminals; who; scenting a prey; come from afar; and even from
Paris;'40' along with them march the women belonging to them; still
more base and bloodthirsty。 In order to make it perfectly plain that
with them murder and robbery are the order of the day; they massacred
their first general; Patrix; guilty of having released a prisoner; and
elected in his place an old highway tramp named Jourdan; condemned to
death by the court at Valence; but who had escaped on the eve of his
execution; and who bore the nickname of Coupe…tête; because he is said
to have cut off the heads at Versailles of two of the King's
guards。'41' Under such a commander the troop increases until it
forms a body of five or six thousand men; which stops people in the
streets and forcibly enrolls them; they are called Mandrins; which is
severe for Mandrin;'42' because their war is not merely on public
persons and property; as his was; but on the possessions; the
proprieties; and the lives of private individuals。 One detachment
alone; at one time; extorts in Cavaillon 25;000 francs; in Baume
12;000; in Aubignon 15;000; in Pioline 4;800; while Caumont is taxed
2;000 francs a week。 At Sarrians; where the mayor gives them the keys;
they pillage houses from top to bottom; carry off their plunder in
carts; set fire; violate and slay with all the refinements of torture
of so many Hurons。 An old lady of eighty; and a paralytic; is shot at
arms length; and left weltering in her blood in the midst of the
flames。 A child five years of age is cut in two; its mother
decapitated; and its sister mutilated; they cut off the ears of the
curé; set them on his brow like a cockade; and then cut his throat;
along with that of a pig; and tear out the two hearts and dance around
them。'43' After this; for fifty days around Carpentras; to which they
lay siege in vain; the unprovoked; cruel instincts of the chauffeur