the origins of contemporary france-4-第96节

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find　a　coal…dealer　and　his　wife　with　their　seven　sons　and　daughters；

from　seventeen　down　to　six　years　of　age；　a　widow　with　her　four

children　from　nineteen　down　to　twelve　years　of　age；　another　noble

widow　with　her　nine　children；　from　seventeen　down　to　three　years　of

age；　and　six　children；　without　father　or　mother；　from　twenty…three

down　to　nine　years　of　age。＇14＇　…　These　prisoners　of　State　were

treated；　almost　everywhere；　worse　than　robbers　and　assassins　under　the

ancient　régime。　　They　began　by　subjecting　them　to　rapiotage；　that　is

to　say；　stripping　them　naked　or；　at　best；　feeling　their　bodies　under

their　shirts；　women　and　young　girls　fainted　away　under　this

examination；　formerly　confined　to　convicts　on　entering　the　bagnio。＇15＇

…　Frequently；　before　consigning　them　to　their　dungeons　or　shutting

them　up　in　their　cells；　they　would　be　left　two　or　three　nights　pell…

mell　in　a　lower　hall　on　benches；　or　in　the　court　on　the　pavement；

〃without　beds　or　straw。〃　〃The　feelings　are　wounded　in　all　directions；

every　point　of　sensibility；　so　to　say；　being　played　upon。　　They　are

deprived　one　after　the　other　of　their　property；　assignats；　furniture；

and　food；　of　daylight　and　lamp…light；　of　the　assistance　which　their

wants　and　infirmities　demand；　of　a　knowledge　of　public　events；　of　all

communication；　either　immediate　or　written；　with　fathers；　sons　and

husbands。〃＇16＇　They　are　obliged　to　pay　for　their　lodgings；　their

keepers；　and　for　what　they　eat；　they　are　robbed　at　their　very　doors　of

the　supplies　they　send　for　outside；　they　are　compelled　to　eat　at　a

mess…table；　they　are　furnished　with　scant　and　nauseous　food；　〃spoilt

codfish；　putrid　herrings　and　meat；　rotten　vegetables；　all　this

accompanied　with　a　mug　of　Seine　water　colored　red　with　some　drug　or

other。〃＇17＇　They　starve　them；　bully　them；　and　vex　them　purposely　as　if

they　meant　to　exhaust　their　patience　and　drive　them　into　a　revolt；　so

as　to　get　rid　of　them　in　a　mass；　or；　at　least；　to　justify　the

increasing　rapid　strokes　of　the　guillotine。　　They　are　huddled　together

in　tens；　twenties　and　thirties；　in　one　room　at　La　Force；　〃eight　in　a

chamber；　fourteen　feet　square；〃　where　all　the　beds　touch；　and　many

overlap　each　other；　where　two　out　of　the　eight　inmates　are　obliged　to

sleep　on　the　floor；　where　vermin　swarm；　where　the　closed　sky…lights；

the　standing　tub；　and　the　crowding　together　of　bodies　poisons　the

atmosphere。　　…　In　many　places；　the　proportion　of　the　sick　and　dying　is

greater　than　in　the　hold　of　a　slave…ship。　　〃Of　ninety　individuals　with

whom　I　was　shut　up　two　months　ago；〃　writes　a　prisoner　at　Strasbourg；

〃sixty…six　were　taken　to　the　hospital　in　the　space　of　eight　days。〃＇18＇

In　the　prisons　of　Nantes；　3000　out　13；000　prisoners　die　of　typhoid

fever　and　of　the　rot　in　two　months。＇19＇　　400　priests＇20＇　confined　on　a

vessel　between　decks；　in　the　roadstead　of　Aix；　stowed　on　top　of　each

other；　wasted　with　hunger；　eaten　up　by　vermin；　suffocated　for　lack　of

air；　half…frozen；　beaten；　mocked　at；　and　constantly　threatened　with

death；　suffer　still　more　than　Negroes　in　a　slave…hold；　for；　through

interest　in　his　freight；　the　captain　of　the　slaver　tries　to　keep　his

human　consignment　in　good　health；　whilst；　through　revolutionary

fanaticism；　the　crew　of　the　Aix　vessel　detests　its　cargo　of　〃black…

frocks〃　and　would　gladly　send　them　to　the　bottom。　　…　According　to　this

system；　which；　up　to　Thermidor　9；　grows　worse　and　worse；　imprisonment

becomes　a　torture；　oftentimes　mortal；　slower　and　more　painful　than　the

guillotine；　and　to　such　an　extent　that；　to　escape　it；　Champfort　opens

his　veins　and　Condorcet　swallows　poison。＇21＇The　third　expedient

consists　of　murder；　with　or　without　trial。　　…　178　tribunals；　of　which

40　are　ambulatory；　pronounce　in　every　part　of　the　territory　sentences

of　death　which　are　immediately　executed　on　the　spot。＇22＇　　Between

April　6；　1793；　and　Thermidor　9；　year　II。；　（July　27th；　1794）　that　of

Paris　has　2；625　persons　guillotined；＇23＇　while　the　provincial　judges

do　as　much　work　as　the　Paris　judges。　　In　the　small　town　of　Orange

alone；　they　guillotine　331　persons。　　In　the　single　town　of　Arras　they

have　299　men　and　93　women　guillotined。　　At　Nantes；　the　revolutionary

tribunals　and　military　committees　have；　on　the　average；　100　persons　a

day　guillotined；　or　shot；　in　all　1；971。　　In　the　city　of　Lyons　the

revolutionary　committee　admit　1；684；　while　Cadillot；　one　of

Robespierre's　correspondents；　advises　him　of　6；000。＇24＇　…　The

statement　of　these　murders　is　not　complete；　but　17；000　have　been

enumerated；＇25＇　〃most　of　them　effected　without　any　formality；　evidence

or　direct　charge；〃　among　others　the　murder　of　〃more　than　1200　women；

several　of　whom　were　octogenarians　and　infirm；〃＇26＇　particularly　the

murder　of　60　women　or　young　girls；　condemned　to　death；　say　the

warrants；　for　having　attended　the　services　of　unsworn　priests；　or　for

having　neglected　the　services　of　a　sworn　priest。



　〃The　accused；　ranged　in　order；　were　condemned　at　sight。　　Hundreds　of

death…sentences　took　about　a　minute　per　head。　　Children　of　seven；　five

and　four　years　of　age；　were　tried。　　A　father　was　condemned　for　the

son；　and　the　son　for　the　father。　　A　dog　was　sentenced　to　death。　　A

parrot　was　brought　forward　as　a　witness。　　Numbers　of　accused　persons

whose　sentences　could　not　be　written　out　were　executed。〃



　At　Angers；　the　sentences　of　over　four　hundred　men　and　three　hundred

and　sixty　women；　executed　for　the　purpose　of　relieving　the　prisons；

were　mentioned　on　the　registers　simply　by　the　letters　S　or　G　（shot　or

guillotined）。＇27＇　At　Paris；　as　in　the　provinces；　the　slightest

pretext＇28＇　served　to　constitute　a　crime。　　The　daughter　of　the

celebrated　painter；　Joseph　Vernet；＇29＇　was　guillotined　for　being　a　〃

receiver；〃　for　having　kept　fifty　pounds　of　candles　in　her　house；

distributed　among　the　employees　of　La　Muette　by　the　liquidators　of　the

civil　list。　　Young　de　Maillé；＇30＇　aged　sixteen　years；　was　guillotined

as　a　conspirator；　〃for　having　thrown　a　rotten　herring　in　the　face　of

his　jailer；　who　had　served　it　to　him　to　eat。〃　Madame　de　Puy…Verin　was

guillotined　as　〃guilty〃　because　she　had　not　taken　away　from　her　deaf；

blind　and　senile　husband　a　bag　of　card…counters；　marked　with　the　royal

effigy。　　…　In　default　of　any　pretext；＇31＇　there　was　the　supposition　of

a　conspiracy；　blank　lists　were　given　to　paid　emissaries；　who　undertook

to　search　the　various　prisons　and　select　the　requisite　number　of

heads；　they　wrote　names　down　on　them　according　to　their　fancy；　and

these　provided　the　batches　for　the　guillotine。



　〃As　for　myself；〃　said　the　juryman　Vilate；　〃I　am　never　embarrassed。　　I

am　always　convinced。　　In　a　revolution；　all　who　appear　before　this

tribunal　ought　to　be　condemned。〃　…



　At　Marseilles；　the　Brutus　Commission；＇32＇　〃sentencing　without　public

prosecutor　or　jurymen；　sent　to　the　prisons　for　those　it　wished　to　put

to　death。　　After　having　demanded　their　names；　professions　and　wealth

they　were　sent　down　to　a　cart　standing　at　the　door　of　the　Palais　de

Justice；　the　judges　then　stepped　out　on　the　balcony　and　pronounced　the

death…sentence。〃　The　same　proceedings　took　place　at　Cambrai；　Arras；

Nantes；　Le　Mans；　Bordeaux；　N？mes；　Lyons；　Strasbourg；　and　elsewhere。　　…

Evidently；　the　judicial　comedy　is　simply　a　parade；　they　make　use　of　it

as　one　of　the　respectable　means；　among　others　less　respectable；　to

exterminate　people　whose　opinions　are　not　what　they　should　be；　or　who

belong　to　the　proscribed　classes；＇33＇　Samson；　at　Paris；　and　his

colleagues　in　the　provinces；　the　execution…platoons　of　Lyons　and

Nantes；　are　simply　the　collaborators　of　murderers　properly　so　called；

while　legal　massacres　complete　other　massacres　pure　and　simple。



Of　this　latter　description；　the　fusillades　of　Toulon　come　first；　where

the　number　of　those　who　are　shot　largely　surpasses　one　thousand；＇34＇

next　the　great　drownings　of　Nantes；　in　which　4；800　men；　women　and

children　perished；＇35＇　the　other　drownings；　for　which　no　figures　may

be　given；＇36＇　then　the　countless　popular　murders　committed　in　France

between　July　14；　1789；　and　August　10；　1792；　the　massacre　of　one　1；300

prisoners　in　Paris；　in　September；　1792；　the　long　train　of

assassinations　which；　in　July；　August　and　September；　1789；　extends

over　the　entire　territory；　finally；　the　dispatch　of　the　prisoners；

either　shot　or　sabered；　without　trial　at　Lyons　and　in　the　West。　　Even

excepting　those　who　had　died　fighting　or　who；　taken　with　arms　in　their

hands；　were　shot　down　or　sabered　on　the　spot；　there　were　10；000

persons　slaughtered　without　trial　in　the　province　of　Anjou　alone：＇37＇

accordingly；　the　instructions　of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　also

the　written　orders　of　Carrier　and　Francastel；　direct　generals　to

〃bleed　freely〃　the　insurgent　districts；＇38＇　and　spare　not　a　life：　it

is　estimated　that；　in　the　eleven　western　departments；　the　dead　of　both

sexes　and　of　all　ages　exceeded　400；000。＇39＇　…　Considering　the　program

and　principles　of　the　Jacobin　sect　this　is　no　great　number；