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the origins of contemporary france-3-第65章

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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
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