the origins of contemporary france-4-第148节

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a　cruise；　who　after　ravaging　their　own　coast；　go　further　off　and

capture　bodies　and　goods；　men　and　things。　　Having　eaten　France；　the

Parisian　band　undertakes　to　eat　all　Europe；　〃leaf　by　leaf；　like　the

head　of　an　artichoke。〃＇119＇



Why　recount　the　tragic　comedy　they　play　at　home　and　which　they　repeat

abroad？　The　piece　abroad　is　the　same　as　that　played　in　Paris　for　the

past　eight　years；＇120＇　an　absurd；　hasty　translation　in　Flemish；　Dutch；

German；　and　Italian；　a　local　adaptation；　just　as　it　happens；　with

variations；　elisions　and　abbreviations；　but　always　with　the　same

ending；　a　shower　of　blows　with　gun　and　sword　on　all　property…owners；

communities；　and　individuals；　compelling　the　surrender　of　their　purses

and　valuables　of　every　description；　and　which　they　gave　up；　even　to

remaining　without　a　sou　or　even　a　shirt。　　As　a　rule；　the　nearest

general；　or　resident　titulary　in　every　small　state　which　has　to　be

turned　to　account；　stirs　up　malcontents　against　the　established

authorities；　never　lacking　under　the　ancient　régime；　especially　all

social　outcasts；　adventurers；　coffee…house　ranters　and　young　hot…

heads；　in　short　the　Jacobins　of　the　country　；　these；　to　the　French

representative；　are　henceforth　the　people　of　the　country；　if　only　a

knot　of　the　vilest　sort。　　The　legal　authorities　are　forbidden　to

repress　them；　or　punish　them；　they　are　inviolable。　　Employing　threats

or　main　force；　he　interferes　in　their　support；　or　to　sanction　their

assaults；　he　breaks　up；　or　obliges　them　to　break　up；　the　vital　organ

of　society；　here；　royalty　or　aristocracy；　there；　the　senate　and　the

magistracy；　everywhere　the　old　hierarchy；　all　cantonal；　provincial　and

municipal　statutes　and　secular　federation　or　constitutions。　　He　then

inaugurates　on　this　cleared　ground　the　government　of　Reason；　that　is

to　say；　some　artificial　imitation　of　the　French　constitution；　he

himself；　to　this　end；　appoints　the　new　magistrates。　　If　he　allows　them

to　be　elected；　it　is　by　his　clients　and　under　his　bayonets；　this

constitutes　a　subject　republic　under　the　name　of　an　ally；　and　which

commissioners　dispatched　from　Paris　manage　to　the　beat　of　the　drum。

The　revolutionary　régime　with　anti…Christian　despoiling　and　leveling

laws；　is　despotically　applied。　　The　18th　of　Fructidor　is　carried　out

over　and　over　again；　the　constitution　is　revised　according　to　the　last

Parisian　pattern；　while　the　Legislative　Corps　and　Directory　are

repeatedly　purged　in　military　fashion。＇121＇　　Only　valets　are　tolerated

at　the　head　of　it：　its　army　is　added　to　the　French　army；　twenty

thousand　Swiss　are　drafted　in　Switzerland　and　made　to　fight　against

the　Swiss　and　the　friends　of　Switzerland。　　Belgium；　incorporated　with

France；　is　subjected　to　the　conscription。　　National　and　religious

sentiment　suppressed；　exploited；　offended；　to　the　extend　of　stirring

up　insurrections；＇122＇　religious　and　national。　　Five　or　six　rural　and

lasting　Vendées　take　place　in　Belgium；　Switzerland；　Piedmont；　Venetia；

Lombardy；　the　Roman　States　and　Naples；　while　fire；　pillaging　and

shooting　are　employed　to　repress　them。　　Any　description　of　this　would

be　feeble；　statements　in　figures　are　necessary　and　I　can　give　but　two。



One　of　them　is　the　list　of　robberies　committed　abroad；＇123＇　and　this

comprises　only　the　rapine　executed　according　to　order；　it　omits

private　plunderings　without　any　orders　by　officers；　generals；　soldiers

and　commissaries；　these　are　enormous；　but　cannot　be　estimated。　　The

only　approximate　total　which　can　be　arrived　at；　is　the　authentic　list

of　robberies　which　the　Jacobin　corsair；　authorized　by　letters　of

marque；　had　already　committed　in　December；　1798；　outside　of　France；　on

public　or　on　private　parties；　exactions　in　coin　imposed　in　Belgium；

Holland；　Germany　and　Italy；　amounting　to　655　millions；　seizure　and

removal　of　gold　and　silver　objects；　plate；　jewels；　works　of　art　and

other　precious　objects；　305　millions；　requisitions　of　provisions；　361

millions；　confiscations　of　the　property；　real　estate　and　movables；　of

deposed　sovereigns；　that　of　the　regular　and　secular　clergy；　that　of

corporations　and　associations　even　laic；　of　absent　or　fugitive

proprietors；　700　millions；　in　all；　in　three　years　2　billion　livres。　　…

If　we　closely　examine　this　monstrous　sum；　we　find；　as　in　the　coffers

of　an　Algerian　pirate；　a　booty　which　up　to　this　time；　belligerent

Christians；　commanders　of　regular　armies；　would　have　shrunk　from

taking；　and　on　which　the　Jacobin　chiefs　incontinently　and　preferably

lay　hands：



*　the　plate　and　furniture　of　churches　in　the　Netherlands；　in　Liège；

and　in　the　Electoral　sections　of　the　Lower　Rhine；　25　millions；



*　the　plate　and　furniture　of　churches　in　Lombardy；　in　the　three

Legations；　in　the　State　of　Venice；　in　Modena；　and　the　States　of　the

Church；　65　millions；



*　diamonds；　plate；　gold　crosses　and　other　depots　of　the　Monts。de…piété

at　Milan；　Bologna；　Ravenna；　Modena；　Venice　and　Rome；　56　millions；



*　furniture　and　works　of　art　at　Milan　and　in　other　towns；　5　millions；



*　furniture　and　works　of　art　in　the　Venetian　towns　and　palaces　of

Brenta；　6；　500；000；



*　the　spoils　of　Rome　sacked；　as　formerly　by　the　mercenaries　of　the　Duc

de　Bourbon；　collections　of　antiques；　pictures；　bronzes；　statues；　the

treasures　of　the　Vatican　and　of　palaces；　jewels；　even　the　pastoral

ring　of　the　Pope；　which　the　Directorial　commissary　himself　wrests　from

the　Pope's　finger；　43　millions；



and　all　this　without　counting　analogous　articles；　and　especially

direct　assessments　levied　on　this　or　that　individual　as　rich　or　a

proprietor；＇124＇　veritable　ransoms；　similar　to　those　demanded　by　the

bandits　of　Calabria　and　Greece；　extorted　from　any　traveler　they

surprise　on　the　highway。　　…



Naturally　operations　of　this　kind　cannot　be　carried　on　without

instruments　of　constraint；　the　Parisian　manipulators　must　have

military　automatons；　〃saber　hilts　〃　in　sufficient　numbers。　　Now；

through　constant　slashing；　a　good　many　hilts　break；　and　the　broken

ones　must　be　replaced；　in　October；　1798；　200；000new　ones　are　required；

while　the　young　men　drafted　for　the　purpose　fail　to　answer　the　summons

and　fly；　and　even　resist　with　arms；　especially　in　Belgium；＇125＇　by

maintaining　a　revolt　for　many　months；　with　this　motto：　〃Better　die

here　than　elsewhere。〃＇126＇　　To　compel　their　return；　they　are　hunted

down　and　brought　to　the　depot　with　their　hands　tied。　　If　they　hide

away；　soldiers　are　stationed　in　their　parents'　houses。　　If　the

conscript　or　drafted　man　has　sought　refuge　in　a　foreign　country；　even

in　an　allied　country　as　in　Spain；　he　is　officially　inscribed　on　the

list　of　émigrés；　and　therefore；　in　case　of　return；　shot　within　twenty…

four　hours；　meanwhile；　his　property　is　sequestrated　and　likewise　that

of　〃his　father；　mother　and　grandparents。〃＇127＇　　〃Formerly；〃　says　a

contemporary；　〃reason　and　philosophy　thundered　against　the　rigors　of

punishment　inflicted　on　deserters；　but；　since　French　reason　has

perfected　Liberty　it　is　no　longer　the　small　class　of　regular　soldiers

whose　evasion　is　punished　with　death；　but　an　entire　generation。　　An

extreme　penalty　no　longer　suffices　for　these　legislative

philanthropists：　they　add　confiscation；　they　despoil　parents　for　the

misdemeanors　of　their　children；　and　render　even　women　responsible　for

a　military　and　personal　offence。〃



　Such　is　the　admirable　calculation　of　the　Directory　…　that；　if　it

loses　a　soldier　it　gains　a　patrimony；　and　if　the　patrimony　fails；　it

recovers　the　soldier：　in　any　event；　it　fills　its　coffers　and　its

ranks；　while　the　faction；　well　supplied　with　men；　may　continue　turning

all　Europe　to　account；　wasting；　in　the　operation；　as　many　French　lives

as　it　pleases；　requiring　more　than　one　hundred　thousand　men　per　annum；

which；　including　those　which　the　Convention　has　squandered；　makes

nearly　nine　hundred　thousand　in　eight　years。＇128＇　　At　this　moment　the

five　Directors　and　their　minions　are　completing　the　mowing　down　of　the

virile；　adult　strength　of　the　nation；＇129＇　and　we　have　seen　through

what　motives　and　for　what　object。　　I　do　not　believe　that　any　civilized

nation　was　ever　sacrificed　in　the　same　way；　for　such　a　purpose　and　by

such　rulers：　　the　crippled　remnant　of　a　faction　and　sect；　some

hundreds　of　preachers　no　longer　believing　in　their　creed；　usurpers　as

despised　as　they　are　detested；　second…rate　parvenus　raised　their　heads

not　through　their　capacity　or　merit；　but　through　the　blind　upheavals

of　a　revolution；　swimming　on　the　surface　for　lack　of　weight；　and；　like

foul　scum；　borne　along　to　the　crest　of　the　wave…such　are　the　wretches

who　strangle　France　under　the　pretence　of　setting　her　free；　who　bleed

her　under　the　pretence　of　making　her　strong；　who　conquer　populations

under　the　pretence　of　emancipating　them；　who　despoil　people　under　the

pretence　of　regenerating　them；　and　who；　from　Brest　to　Lucerne；　from

Amsterdam　to　Naples；　slay　and　rob　wholesale；　systematically；　to

strengthen　the　incoherent　dictatorship　of　their　brutality；