the origins of contemporary france-4-第141节

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livres；　and　orders　a　new　trial　in　another　form。　　Next；　after

Vendémiaire　13；　a　representative　arrives　at　Blois　and　his　first　care

is　to　set　the　butchers　free。　　…　About　thirty　knaves　ruled　the　town

during　the　reign　of　Terror；　all　strangers；　save　four　or　five；　〃all

more　or　less　befouled　with　crime。〃　At　first；　the　principal

slaughterers：



*　Hézine；　Gidouin；　and　their　accomplices　of　the　neighboring　districts；



*　　Simon　and　Bonneau　the　ex…mayor　of　Blois；



*　Bézard；　a　former　soldier；　convicted　of　peculation　and　of　robbing

cellars　which　he　had　put　under　sequestration；



*　Berger；　an　ex…monk；　and　then　dragoon　who；　with　pistol　in　hand；

forced　the　superior　of　his　old　convent　to　give　up　the　funds　of　the

community；




*　Giot；　formerly　a　chief…butler　of　Monsieur　（the　King's　brother）；

next；　a　judge　in　the　September　massacres　and　then　a　quartermaster　in

the　Pyrenees　army　and　a　pillager　in　Spain；　then　secretary　to　the　Melun

tribunal　of　which　he　stole　the　cash；　　along　with　other　nomads　and

outlaws　of　the　same　stamp；　most　of　them　sots　and　roisterers；　one　an

ex…schoolmaster；　another　an　ex…ladies　hair…dresser；　another　an　ex…

chair…bearer；　all　of　them　a　vile　lot；　chosen　by　the　government　for　its

agents；　and；　under　new　titles；　resuming　their　old　positions。　　At　the

head　of　the　armed　force　is　Gen。　Bonnard；　who　is　accompanied　by　a

prostitute　and　who　passes　his　time　in　orgies；　pilfering　wherever　he

can；　and　so　shameless　in　his　thievery　as　to　be　condemned；　six　months

later；　to　three　months　in　irons。＇36＇　　On　arriving　at　Blois；　he

organizes　〃a　paid　guard；　composed　of　all　the　most　abject　Jacobins。〃　…

Elsewhere；　as　here；＇37＇　it　is　the　full　staff　of　the　reign　of　Terror；

the　petty　potentates　dethroned　after　Thermidor；　the　political

Bohemians　restored　to　their　functions。







IV。　　　Public　Opinon。



Resistance　of　public　opinion。　　…　Elections；　year　IV。　　at　Paris　and　in

the　provinces。　　…　The　Directory　threatened　by　ultra　Jacobins。　　…

Forced　amelioration　of　the　Jacobin　administration。



So；　that　after　Vendémiaire　13；　it　looks　as　if　the　Jacobin　band　had

made　the　conquest　of　France　a　second　time。　　This；　however　not　yet　so；

for；　if　it　has　recovered　its　authority；　it　has　not　yet　recovered　the

dictatorship。　　…　In　vain　do　Barras　and　Tallien；　Dubois…Crancé；　Merlin

de　Douai　and　Marie　Chénier；　Delmas；　Louvet；　Siéyès　and　their　corrupt

gang；　the　habitués　of　power；　the　despotic；　unscrupulous　theorists；　try

to　postpone　indefinitely　the　opening　of　the　legislative　bodies；　to

annul　the　elections；　to　purge　the　Convention；　to　restore　for　their　own

advantage　that　total　concentration　of　powers　which；　under　the　title　of

revolutionary　government；　has　converted　France　into　a　pachalic＇38＇　in

the　hands　of　the　old　Committee　of　Public　Safety。＇39＇　But　the

Convention　has　become　frightened　for　its　own　safety；　at　the　last

moment　the　plot　is　exposed；　and　the　blow　frustrated。＇40＇　The

Constitution；　decreed；　is　put　in　operation；　and　a　system　of　the　law

has　replaced　the　system　of　arbitrariness。　　The　Jacobin　invasion；

through　that　alone；　is　checked　and　then　arrested。　　The　nation　is　in　a

condition　to　defend　itself　and　does　defend　itself。　　It　gradually

regains　lost　ground；　even　at　the　center。　　…　At　Paris；　the　electoral

body；＇41＇　which　is　obliged　to　take　two…thirds　of　its　deputies　from　the

Convention；　takes　none　of　the　regicide　deputation　representing　Paris。

All　who　are　chosen；　Lanjuinais；　Larivière；　Fermon；　Saladin；　Boissy

d'Anglas；　wished　to　save　the　King；　and　nearly　all　were　proscribed

after　the　31st　May。　　The　departments　show　the　same　spirit。　　The

members　of　the　Convention　for　whom　the　provinces　show　a　decided

preference　are　the　most　prominent　of　the　anti…Jacobins：　Thibaudeau　is

re…elected　by　32　electoral　colleges；　Pelet　de　la　Lozére　by　71；　Boissy

d'Anglas　by　72；　Lanjuinais　by　73。　　As　to　the　250　of　the　new　third；

these　are　liberals　of　1789　or　moderates　of　1791；＇42＇　most　of　them

honorable　men　and　many　of　them　well…informed　and　of　real　merit；

jurisconsults；　officers；　administrators；　members　of　the　Constitutional

Assembly　or　Feuillants　in　the　Legislative　Assembly；　Mathieu　Dumas；

Vaublanc；　Dupont　de　Nemours；　Siméon；　Barbé…Marbois　and　Tron？on…

Ducoudray。　　The　capital；　especially；　chose　Dambray；　former　general…

advocate　to　the　Paris　parliament；　and　Pastoret；　former　minister　of

Louis　XVI。。　　Versailles　sends　the　two　celebrated　lawyers　who　defended

the　King　before　the　Convention；　Tronchet　and　De　Séze。　　…　Now；　previous

to　the　13th　Vendémiaire；　two　hundred　members　of　the　Convention　had

already　heartily　sided　with　the　Parisian　electors＇43＇　against　the

terrorists。　　This　creates　a　strong　opposition　minority　inside　the

Legislative　Corps　which　function　protected　by　the　Constitution。

Hidden　behind　it　and　behind　them；　the　élite　and　the　plurality　of

Frenchmen　wait　for　better　days。　　The　Directory　is　obliged　to　act

cautiously　with　this　large　group；　so　well　supported　by　public　opinion；

and；　accordingly；　not　to　govern　à　la　Turk。　　So　they　respect；　if　not

the　spirit；　at　least　the　letter　of　the　law；　and　not　to　exercise　a　too

barefaced　influence　on　local　elections。　　Hence　most　of　the　local

elections　remain　free；　so　that　the　nation；



*　in　spite　of　the　decree　excluding　every　relation　of　an　émigré　and

every　notorious　opponent　of　the　government　from　present　and　future

offices；



*　in　spite　of　fear；　lassitude　and　disgust；



*　in　spite　of　the　small　number　of　votes；　the　rarity　of　candidates　and

the　frequent　refusal　of　the　elected　to　serve；＇44＇



substantially　exercises　its　privilege　of　electing　its　administrators

and　judges　according　to　its　preferences。　　Consequently；　the　very　large

majority　of　new　administrators　in　the　departments；　cantons　and

municipalities；　and　the　very　large　majority　of　new　civil　and　criminal

judges　and　justices　of　the　peace　are；　like　the　new　third　of　the

Convention；　highly　esteemed　or　estimable　men。　　They　are　untainted　with

excesses；　still　preserving　their　hopes　of　1789；　but　preserved　from　the

outset　against；　or　soon　cured　of；　the　revolutionary　fever。　　Every

decree　of　spoliation　or　persecution　loses　some　of　its　force　in　their

hands。　　Supported　by　the　steady　and　manifest　will　of　their　present

constituents；　we　see　them　resisting　the　commissioners　of　the

Directory；　at　least　protesting　against　their　exactions　and　brutality；

gaining　time　in　favor　of　the　proscribed；　dulling　the　point　of；　or

turning　aside；　the　Jacobin　sword。



Again；　on　the　other　hand；　the　government　which　holds　this　sword　dare

not；　like　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　thrust　it　in　up　to　the　hilt。

If　wielded　as　before　it　might　slip　from　its　grasp。　　The　furious　in　its

own　camp　are　ready　to　wrest　it　away　and　turn　the　blade　against　it。　　It

must　defend　itself　against　the　reviving　clubs；　against　Babeuf　and　his

accomplices；　against　the　desperadoes　who；　through　a　nocturnal　attempt；

try　to　stir　up　the　Grenelle　camp：　in　Paris；　there　are　four　or　five

thousand　now　ready　to　undertake　a　〃civic　St。　　Bartholomew；〃　with　the

old　Conventionists　who　could　not　get　themselves　elected；　at　their

head；　…　Drouet；　Amar；　Vadier；　Ricord；　Laignelot；　Chaudieu；　Huguet；

Cusset；　Javogues。　　Alongside　of　them；　the　friends　of　Chalier；

Robespierre's　and　Marat's　followers；　and　the　disciples　of　Saint…Just；

Bertrand　de　Lyon；　Buonarotti；　Antonelle；　Rossignol　and　Babeuf。　　Behind

them；　the　bandits　of　the　street；　those　〃who　gutted　houses　during　the

Revolution；〃　peculators　or　Septembriseurs　out　of　employment；　in　short；

the　relics　of　the　terrorist　gang　or　of　the　revolutionary　army。　　Their

plan；　true　to　their　precedents；　character　and　principles；　consists　not

only　in　despatching　〃the　rascals　who　keep　coaches；　the　moneyed　men　and

monopolisers；〃　all　the　deputies　and　functionaries　who　do　not　resign　at

the　first　summons；　but　also；　and　especially；　in　killing　〃the　General

of　the　Interior；　his　staff；　the　seven　ministers　and　the　five　'cocked…

hats'　（panachés）　of　the　Luxembourg；〃　that　is　to　say；　the　five

Directors　themselves。　　Such　allies　are　troublesome。　　Undoubtedly；　the

government；　which　considers　them　as　its　forlorn　hope；　and　that　it　may

have　need　of　them　in　a　crisis；　spares　them　as　much　as　possible。＇45＇

It　allows　Drouet　to　escape；　and　lets　the　trial　of　the　Babouvists　drag

along；　only　two　of　them　being　guillotined；　Babeuf　and　Darthé；　most　of

the　others　are　acquitted　or　escape。　　Nevertheless；　for　its　own

salvation；　it　is　led　to　separate　from　the　fiercest　Jacobins　and　draw

near　to　peaceable　citizens。Through　this　internal　discord　of　the

ruling　faction；　honest　people　hold　on　the　offices　they　occupy　on　the

elections　of　the　year　IV。。　　No　decree　comes　to　deprive　them　of　their

legal　arms；　while；　in　the　Legislative　Corps；　as　in　the　administrations

and　the　tribunals；　they　count　on　carrying　new　positions　in　the

elections　of　the　year　V。





V。　　　Actual　aim　of　Jacobin　Activities：　Power　and　Wealth。



Elections　of　year　V。　　…　Character　and　sentiments　of　the　elected。