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the public department and sold them for 2;000 crowns。〃 (testimony of
Boquillon; juge…de~paix)。
'137' Lafayette; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。 467; 471。 〃The queen had 50;000
crowns put into Danton's hands a short time before these terrible
days。〃 〃 The court had Danton under pay for two years; employing
him as a spy on the Jacobins。〃 〃 Correspondance de Mirabeau et du
Comte de la Marck;〃 III。 82。 Letter from Mirabeau; March 10; 1791:
〃Danton received yesterday 30;000 livres〃。 Other testimony;
Bertrand de Molleville; I。 354; II。 288。 Brissot; IV。 193 。
Miot de Melito; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。 40; 42。 Miot was present at the
conversations which took place between Danton; Legendre; etc。; at the
table of Desforges; Minister of Foreign Affairs。 〃Danton made no
concealment of his love of pleasure and money; and laughed at all
conscientious and delicate scruples。〃 〃 Legendre could not say
enough in praise of Danton in speaking of his talents as a public man;
but he loudly censured his habits and cxpensive tastes; and never
joined him in any of his odious speculations。〃 The opposite thesis
has been maintained by Robinet and Bougeart in their articles on
Danton。 The discussion would require too much space。 The important
points are as follows:
Danton; a barrister in the royal council in March; 1787; loses about
10;000 francs on the refund of his charge。 In his marriage…contract
dated June; 1787; he admits 12;000 francs patrimony in lands and
houses; while his wife brings him only 20;000 francs dowry。 From 1787
to 1791 he could not earn much; being in constant attendance at the
Cordeliers club and devoted to politics; Lacretelle saw him in the
riots of 1788。 He left at his death about 85;000 francs in national
property bought in 1791。 Besides; he probably held property and
valuables under third parties; who kept them after his death。 (De
Martel; 〃Types Révolutionnaires;〃 2d part; p。139。 Investigations of
Blache at Choisy…sur…Seine; where a certain Fauvel seems to have been
Danton's assumed name。) See on this question; 〃Avocats aux conseils
du Roi;〃 by Emil Bos; pp。513…520。 According to accounts proved by M。
Bos; it follows that Danton; at the end of 1791; was in debt to the
amount of 53;000 francs; this is the hole stopped by the court。 On the
other side; Danton before the Revolution signs himself Danton even in
authentic writing; which is an usurpation of nobility and at that time
subject to the penalty of the galleys。 The double…faced infidelity
in question must have been frequent; for their leaders were anything
else but sensitive。 On the 7th of August Madame Elizabeth tells M。 de
Montmorin that the insurrection would not take place; that Pétion and
Santerre were concerned in it; and that they had received 750;000
francs to prevent it and bring over the Marseilles troop to the king's
side (Malouet; II。 223)。 There is no doubt that Santerre; in using
the king's money against the king; thought he was acting
patriotically。 Money is at the bottom of every riot; to pay for drink
and to stimulate subordinate agents。
'138' Buchez et Roux; XXVIII。 92。 Letter of Gadolle to Roland;
October; 1792; according to a narrative by one of the teachers in the
college d'Harcourt; in which Varlet was placed。
'139' Buchez et Roux; XIII。 254。
'140' 〃C。 Desmoulins;〃 by Claretie; 238 (in 1786 and in 1775)。 〃The
inquest still exists; unfortunately it is convincing。〃 Westermann
was accused of these acts in December; 1792; by the section of the
Lombards; 〃proofs in hand。〃 Gouverneur Morris; so well informed;
writes to Washington; Jan。 10; 1793: The retreat of the King of
Prussia 〃was worth to Westermann about 10;000 pounds。 。 。 The council
。 。 。 exerted against him a prosecution for old affairs of no higher
rank than petty larceny。〃
'141' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 F7; 4434 (papers of the committee of
general safety)。 Note on Panis; with full details and references to
the occurrence。
'142' 〃Révolutions de Paris;〃 No。177 (session of the council…general
at the Hotel…de…ville; Nov。 8; 1792; report of the committee of
surveillance)。 Sergent admits; except as to one of the watches; that
he intended to pay for the said object the price they would have
brought。 It was noticed; as he said this; that he had on his finger
the agate ring that was claimed。〃
'143' Mortimer…Ternaux; II。 638; III。 500 and following pages; IV。
132。 Cf。 II。 451。
'144' Mortimer…Ternaux; II。 456。
'145' Buchez et Roux; XVI。 138; 140 (testimony of Mathon de la
Varenne; who was engaged in the case)。
'146' 〃Dictionnaire biographique;〃 by Eymery (Leipsic; 1807); article
HéBERT。
'147' Mortimer…Ternaux; III。 484; 601。 Cf。 letter of the
representative Cavaignac; Ibid。; 399。
'148' 〃Dictionnaire biographique;〃 article HENRIOT。…The lives of many
of these subordinate leaders are well done。 Cf。 〃Stanislas Maillard;〃
by AL Sorel; 〃Le Patriote Palloy;〃 by V Fournel。
'149' Granier de Cassagnac; 〃Histoire des Girondins;〃 409。 … 〃Archives
Nationales;〃 F7 3196。 Letters of de Sades on the sacking of his house
near Apt; with supporting document and proofs of his civism; among
others a petition drawn up by him in the name of the Pique section and
read at the Convention year II。 brumaire 25。 〃Legislators; the reign
of philosophy has at last annihilated that of imposture。 。 。 The
worship of a Jewish slave of the Romans is not adapted to the
descendants of Sc?vola。 The general prosperity which is certain to
proceed from individual happiness will spread to the farthest regions
of the universe and everywhere the dreaded hydra of ultramontane
superstition; chased by the combined lights of reason and virtue; no
longer finding a refuge in the hateful haunts of a dying aristocracy;
will perish at her side in despair at finally beholding on this earth
the triumph of philosophy!〃
'150' Barbaroux; 〃Mémoires;〃 57; 59。 The latter months of the
legislative assembly。
BOOK THIRD。 THE SECOND STAGE OF THE CONQUEST。
CHAPTER I。
I。
Government by gangs in times of anarchy。 … Case where anarchy is
recent and suddenly brought on。 The band that succeeds the fallen
government and its administrative tools。
The worst feature of anarchy is not so much the absence of the
overthrown government as the rise of new governments of an inferior
grade。 In every state which breaks up; new groups will form to conquer
and become sovereign: it was so in Gaul on the fall of the Roman
empire; also under the latest of Charlemagne's successors; the same
state of things exists now (1875) in Rumania and in Mexico。
Adventurers; gangsters; corrupted or downgraded men; social outcasts;
men overwhelmed with debts and lost to honor; vagabonds; deserters;
dissolute troopers; born enemies of work; of subordination; and of the
law; unite to break the worm…eaten barriers which still surround the
sheep…like masses; and as they are unscrupulous; they slaughter on all
occasions。 On this foundation their authority rests; each in turn
reigns in its own area; and their government; in keeping with its
brutal masters; consists in robbery and murder; nothing else can be
looked for from barbarians and brigands。
But never are they so dangerous as when; in a great State recently
fallen; a sudden revolution places the central power in their hands;
for they then regard themselves as the legitimate inheritors of the
shattered government; and; under this title; they undertake to manage
the commonwealth。 Now in times of anarchy the ruling power does not
proceed from above; but from below; and the chiefs; therefore; who
would remain such; are obliged to follow the blind impulsion of their
flock。'1' Hence the important and dominant personage; the one whose
ideas prevail; the veritable successor of Richelieu and of Louis XIV。
is here the subordinate Jacobin; the pillar of the club; the maker of
motions; the street rioter; Panis Sergent; Hébert; Varlet; Henriot;
Maillard; Fournier; Lazowski; or; still lower in the scale; the
Marseilles 〃rough;〃 the Faubourg gunner; the drinking market…porter
who elaborates his political conceptions in the interval between his
hiccups。'2' For information he has the rumors circulating in the
streets which tell of a traitor to each house; and for confirmed
knowledge the club slogans inciting him to rule over the vast machine。
A machinery so vast and complicated; a whole assembly of entangled
services ramifying in innumerable offices; with so much apparatus of
special import; so delicate as to require constant adaptation to
changing circumstances; diplomacy; finances; justice; army
administration all this surpasses his limited comprehension; a
bottle cannot be made to contain the bulk of a hogshead。'3' In his
narrow brain; perverted and turned topsy…turvy by the disproportionate
notions put into it; only one idea suited to his gross instincts and
ap