the origins of contemporary france-4-第8节

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upon　himself　only；　the　willingness　to　help　one　another　and　of　saving

himself。　　Inevitably；　when　anarchy　brings　a　nation　back　to　the　state

of　nature；　the　tame　animals　will　be　eaten　by　the　savage　ones；　　these

are　now　let　loose　and　immediately　they　show　their　true　nature。







VIII。　　The　Reasons　for　the　Terror。



The　last　local　resistance。　　　Political　orthodoxy　of　the　insurgent

towns。　　　They　stipulate　but　one　condition。　　　Reasons　of　State　for

granting　this。　　　Party　arguments　against　it。



If　the　men　of　the　〃Mountain〃　had　been　statesmen；　or　even　sensible　men；

they　would　have　shown　themselves　humane；　if　not　for　the　sake　of

humanity；　at　least　through　calculation；　for　in　this　France；　so　little

republican；　all　the　republican　strength　is　not　too　great　for　the

founding　of　the　Republic；　while；　through　their　principles；　their

culture；　their　social　position　and　their　number；　the　Girondins　form

the　élite　and　the　force；　the　flower　and　the　sap　of　the　party。　　　The

death…cry　of　the　〃Mountain〃　against　the　insurgents　of　Lozére＇69＇　and

Vendée　can　be　understood：　they　had　raised　the　king's　white　flag；　they

accepted　leaders　and　instructions　from　Coblentz　and　London。　　But

neither　Bordeaux；　Marseilles　nor　Lyons　are　royalist；　or　in　alliance

with　the　foreigner。



　〃We；　rebels！〃　write　the　Lyonnese；＇70＇　〃Why　we　see　no　other　than　the

tri…color　flag　waving；　the　white　cockade；　the　symbol　of　rebellion；　has

never　been　raised　within　our　walls。　　We；　royalists！　Why；　shouts　of

'Long　live　the　Republic'　are　heard　on　all　sides；　and；　spontaneously

（in　the　session　of　July　2nd）　we　have　all　sworn　to　fall　upon　whoever

should　propose　a　king。　　。　　。　　。　　Your　representatives　tell　you　that　we

are　anti…revolutionaries；　we　who　have　accepted　the　Constitution。　　They

tell　you　that　we　protect　émigrés　when　we　have　offered　to　surrender　all

those　that　you　might　indicate。　　They　tell　you　that　our　streets　are

filled　with　refractory　priests；　when　we　have　not　even　opened　the　doors

of　Pierre…en…Cize　（prison）　to　the　thirty…two　priests　confined　there　by

the　old　municipality；　without　indictment；　without　any　charge　whatever

against　them；　solely　because　they　were　priests。〃



Thus；　at　Lyons；　the　pretended　aristocrats　were；　then；　not　only

republicans　but　democrats　and　radicals；　loyal　to　the　established

régime；　and　submissive　to　the　worst　of　the　revolutionary　laws；　while

the　same　state　of　things　prevailed　at　Bordeaux；　at　Marseilles　and　even

at　Toulon。＇71＇　And　furthermore；　they　accepted　the　outrages　of　May　31

and　June　2；＇72＇　they　stopped　contesting　the　usurpations　of　Paris；　they

no　longer　insisted　on　the　return　of　the　excluded　deputies。　　On　the　2nd

of　August　at　Bordeaux；　and　the　30th　of　July　at　Lyons；　the　Committee…

Extraordinary　of　Public　Safety　resigned；　there　no　longer　existed　any

rival　assembly　opposed　to　the　Convention。　　After　the　24th　of　July；＇73＇

Lyons　solemnly　recognized　the　supreme　and　central　authority；　reserving

nothing　but　its　municipal　franchises。　　…　And　better　still；　in　striking

testimony　of　political　orthodoxy；　the　Council…General　of　the

department　prescribed　a　civic　festival　for　the　10th　of　August

analogous　to　that　of　Paris。　　The　Lyonnese；　already　blockaded；　indulged

in　no　hostile　manifestation；　on　the　7th　of　August　they　marched　out　of

their　advanced　positions　to　fraternize　with　the　first　body　of　troops

sent　against　them。＇74＇　　They　conceded　everything；　save　on　one　point；

which　they　could　not　yield　without　destruction；　namely；　the　assurance

that　they　should　not　be　given　up　defenseless　to　the　arbitrary　judgment

of　their　local　tyrants；　to　the　spoliation；　proscriptions　and　revenge

of　the　Jacobin　rabble。　　In　sum；　at　Marseilles　and　Bordeaux；　especially

at　Lyons　and　Toulon；　the　sections　had　revolted　only　on　that　account；

acting　promptly　and　spontaneously；　the　people　had　thrust　aside　the

knife　which　a　few　ruffians　aimed　at　their　throats；　they　had　not　been；

and　were　not　now；　willing　to　be　〃Septemberised；〃　that　was　their　sole

concern。　　Provided　they　were　not　handed　over　to　the　butchers　bound

hand　and　foot；　they　would　open　their　gates。　　On　these　minimum　terms

the　〃Mountain〃　could　terminate　the　civil　war　before　the　end　of　July。

It　had　only　to　follow　the　example　of　Robert　Lindet　who；　at　Evreux　the

home　of　Buzot；　at　Caen　the　home　of　Charlotte　Corday　and　the　central

seat　of　the　fugitive　Girondins；　established　permanent　obedience

through　the　moderation　he　had　shown　and　the　promises　he　had　kept。＇75＇

The　measures　that　had　pacified　the　most　compromised　province　would

have　brought　back　the　others；　and　through　this　policy；　Paris；　without

striking　a　blow；　would　have　secured　the　three　largest　cities　in

France；　the　capital　of　the　South…west；　that　of　the　South；　and　the

capital　of　the　Center。



On　the　contrary；　should　Paris　persist　in　imposing　on　them　the

domination　of　its　local　Jacobins　there　was　a　risk　of　their　being

thrown　into　the　arms　of　the　enemy。　　Rather　than　fall　back　into　the

hands　of　the　bandits　who　had　ransomed　and　decimated　them；　Toulon；

starved　out；　was　about　to　receive　the　English　within　its　walls　and

surrender　to　them　the　great　arsenal　of　the　South。　　Not　less　famished；

Bordeaux　might　be　tempted　to　demand　aid　from　another　English　fleet；　a

few　marches　would　brings　the　Piedmontese　army　to　Lyons；　France　would

then　b　cut　in　two；　while　the　plan　of　stirring　up　the　South　against　the

North　was　proposed　to　the　allies　by　the　most　clear…sighted　of　their

councilors。＇76＇　Had　this　plan　been　carried　out　it　is　probably　that　the

country　would　have　been　lost。　　　In　any　event；　there　was　danger　in

driving　the　insurgents　to　despair：　for；　between　the　unbridled

dictatorship　of　their　victorious　assassins　and　the　musketry　of　the

besieging　army；　there　could　be　no　hesitation　by　men　of　any　feeling；　it

was　better　to　be　beaten　on　the　ramparts　than　allow　themselves　to　be

bound　for　the　guillotine；　brought　to　a　stand　under　the　scaffold；　their

sole　resource　was　to　depend　on　themselves　to　the　last。　　　Thus；

through　its　unreasonableness；　the　〃Mountain〃　condemns　itself　to　a

number　of　sieges　or　blockades　which　lasted　several　months；＇77＇　to

leaving　Var　and　Savoy　unprotected；　to　exhausting　the　arsenals；　to

employing　against　Frenchmen＇78＇　troops　and　munitions　needed　against

foreigners；　and　all　this　at　the　moment　the　foreigner　was　taking

Valenciennes＇79＇　and　Mayence；　when　thirty　thousand　royalist　were

organizing　in　Lozére；　when　the　great　Vendean　army　was　laying　siege　to

Nantes；　when　each　new　outbreak　of　fighting　was　threatening　to　connect

the　flaming　frontier　with　the　conflagration　in　the　Catholic

countries。＇80＇　　With　a　jet　of　cold　water　aptly　directed；　the

〃Mountain〃　could　extinguish　the　fires　it　had　kindled　in　the　great

republican　towns；　otherwise；　nothing　remained　but　to　let　them　increase

at　the　risk　of　consuming　the　whole　country；　with　no　other　hope　than

that　they　might　at　last　die　out　under　a　mass　of　ruins；　and　with　no

other　object　but　to　rule　over　captives　and　the　dead。



But　this　is　precisely　the　Jacobin　aim；　for；　he　is　not　satisfied　with

less　than　absolute　submission　；　he　must　rule　at　any　cost；　just　as　he

pleases；　by　fair　means　or　foul；　no　matter　over　what　ruins。　　A　despot

by　instinct　and　installation；　his　dogma　has　consecrated　him　King　；　he

is　King　by　natural　and　divine　right；　in　the　name　of　eternal　verity；

the　same　as　Philip　II。；　enthroned　by　his　religious　system　and　blessed

by　his　Holy　Office。　　Hence　he　can　abandon　no　jot　or　title　of　his

authority　without　a　sacrifice　of　principle；　nor　treat　with　rebels；

unless　they　surrender　at　discretion；　simply　for　having　risen　against

legitimate　authority；　they　are　traitors　and　villains。　　And　who　are

greater　rascals　the　renegades　who；　after　three　years　of　patient

effort；　just　as　the　sect　finally　reaches　its　goal；　oppose　its

accession　to　power！＇81＇　At　N？mes；　Toulouse；　Bordeaux；　Toulon；　and

Lyons；　not　only　have　they　interfered　with　or　arrested　the　blow　which

Paris　struck；　but　they　have　put　down　the　aggressors；　closed　the　club；

disarmed　the　fanatical　and　imprisoned　the　leading　Maratists；　and　worse

still；　at　Lyons　and　at　Toulon；　five　or　six　massacreurs；　or　promoters

of　massacre；　Chalier　and　Riard；　Jassaud；　Sylvestre　and　Lemaille；

brought　before　the　courts；　have　been　condemned　and　executed　after　a

trial　in　which　all　the　forms　were　strictly　adhered　to。　　　That　is　the

inexpiable　crime；　for；　in　this　trial；　the　〃Mountain〃　is　involved；　the

principles　of　Sylvestre　and　Chalier　are　its　principles；　what　is

accomplished　in　Paris；　they　have　attempted　in　the　provinces；　if　they

are　guilty；　it　is　also　guilty；　it　cannot　tolerate　their　punishment

without　assenting　to　its　own　punishment。　　Accordingly；



*　it　must　proclaim　them　heroes　and　martyrs；



*　it　must　canonize　their　memory；＇82＇



*　it　must　avenge　their　tortures；



*　it　must　resume　and　complete　their　assaults；



*　it　must　restore　their　accomplices　to　their　places；



*　it　must　render　them　omnipotent；



*　it　must　force　each　rebel　city　to