the origins of contemporary france-4-第70部分

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committee　who　had　conspired　against　him。　　He　shouted　so　loud　as　to

collect　together　a　number　of　citizens　on　the　Tuileries　terrace。〃

Finally；　〃he　pushed　hypocrisy　so　far　as　to　shed　tears。〃　The　nervous

machine；　I　imagine；　broke　down。　　…　Another　member　of　the　committee；

Prieur；　（Carnot；　〃Mémoires；〃　II。；　525）；　relates　that；　in　the　month　of

Floréal；　after　another　equally　long　and　violent　session；　〃Robespierre；

exhausted；　became　ill。〃



＇169＇　Carnot；　〃Mémoires；〃　II。　　526。　　〃As　his　bureau　was　in　a　separate

place；　where　none　of　us　set　foot；　he　could　retire　to　it　without　coming

in　contact　with　any　of　us；　as　in　effect；　he　did。　　He　even　made　a

pretence　of　passing　through　the　committee　rooms；　after　the　session　was

over；　and　he　signed　some　papers；　but　he　really　neglected　nothing；

except　our　common　discussions。　　He　held　frequent　conferences　in　his

house　with　the　presidents　of　the　revolutionary　tribunals；　over　which

his　influence　was　greater　than　ever。〃



＇170＇　Dauban；　〃Paris　en　1794；〃　563。　　…　Archives　Nationales；　AF。II。；

58。　　The　signature　of　Robespierre；　in　his　own　handwriting；　is　found

affixed　to　many　of　the　resolutions　of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；

passed　Thermidor　5　and　7；　and　those　of　St。　　Just　and　Couthon　after

this；　up　to　Thermidor　3；　6　and　7。　　On　the　register　of　the　minutes　of

the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；　Robespierre　is　always　recorded　as

present　at　all　meetings　between　Messidor　1　and　Thermidor　8；　inclusive。



＇171＇　Archives　Nationales；　F。7；　4438。　　Report　to　the　Committee　of

Public　Safety　by　Herman；　Commissioner　of　the　civil　and　Police

administrations　and　of　the　Courts；　Messidor　3；　year　II。　　〃The

committee　charged　with　a　general　surpervision　of　the　prisons；　and

obliged　to　recognize　that　all　the　rascals　mostly　concerned　with

liberticide　plots　are。　　。　　。　　。　　still　in　the　prisons；　forming　a　band

apart；　and　rendering　surveillance　very　troublesome；　they　are　a

constant　source　of　disorder；　always　getting　up　attempts　to　escape；

being　a　daily　assemblage　of　persons　devoting　themselves　wholly　to

imprecations　against　liberty　and　its　defenders。　　。　　。　　。　　It　would　be

easy　to　point　out　in　each　prison；　those　who　have　served；　and　are　to

serve；　the　diverse　factions；　the　diverse　conspiracies。　　。　　。　　。　　It

may　be　necessary；　perhaps；　to　purge　the　prisons　at　once　and　free　the

soil　of　liberty　of　their　filth；　the　refuse　of　humanity。〃　The　Committee

of　Public　Safety　consequently　〃charges　the　commission　to　ascertain　in

the　prisons　of　Paris。　　。　　。　　who　have　been　more　specially　concerned　in

the　diverse　factions　and　conspiracies　that　the　National　convention　has

destroyed。〃　The　word　〃approved〃　appears　at　the　foot　of　the　resolution

in　Robespierre's　handwriting；　then　the　signature　of　Robespierre；　and

lower　down；　those　of　Billaud　and　Barère。　　A　similar　resolution

providing　for　the　7th　of　Messidor；　signed　by　the　same　parties　and　five

others；　is　dispatched　the　same　day。　　（M。　de　Martel　came　across　and

made　use　of　this　conclusive　document　before　I　did；　most　of　it　being

quoted　in　〃Les　Types　Revolutionnaires。〃）



＇172＇　Buchez　et　Roux；　XXXIII。；　434。







CHAPTER　II。　　THE　RULERS　OF　THE　COUNTRY。



Let　us　follow　the　operations　of　the　new　government　from　top　to　bottom；

from　those　of　its　ruling　bodies　and　leaders；　to　its　assemblies；

committees；　delegates；　administrators　and　underlings　of　every　kind　and

degree。　　Like　living　flesh　stamped　with　a　red…hot　iron；　so　will　the

situation　put　one　their　brows　the　two　marks；　each　with　its　own

different　depth　and　discoloration。　　In　vain　do　they；　too；　strive　to

conceal　their　scars：　we　detect　under　the　crowns　and　titles　they　assume

the　brand　of　the　slave　or　the　mark　of　the　tyrant。



I。　　　The　Convention。



The　Convention。　　…　The　〃Plain。〃　…　The　〃Mountain。〃　…　Degradation　of

Souls。　　…　Parades　which　the　Convention　is　obligated　to　make。



At　the　Tuileries；　the　omnipotent　Convention　sits　enthroned　in　the

theater；　converted　into　an　Assembly　room。　　It　carries　on　its

deliberations　daily；　in　grand　style。　　Its　decrees；　received　with　blind

obedience；　startle　France　and　upset　all　Europe。　　At　a　distance；　its

majesty　is　imposing；　more　august　than　that　of　the　Republican　senate　in

Rome。　　Near　by；　the　effect　is　quite　otherwise；　these　undisputed

sovereigns　are　serfs　who　live　in　trances；　and　justly　so；　for；　nowhere；

even　in　prison；　is　there　more　constraint　and　less　security　than　on

their　benches。　　After　the　2nd　of　June；　1793；　their　inviolable

precincts；　the　grand　official　reservoir　from　which　legal　authority

flows；　becomes　a　sort　of　tank；　into　which　the　revolutionary　net

plunges　and　successfully　brings　out　its　choicest　fish；　singly　or　by

the　dozen；　and　sometimes　in　vast　numbers；　at　first；　the　sixty…seven

Girondist　deputies；　who　are　executed　or　proscribed；　then；　the　seventy…

three　members　of　the　〃Right；〃　swept　off　in　one　day　and　lodged　in　the

prison　of　La　Force；　next；　the　prominent　Jacobins：



Osselin；　arrested　on　the　19th　of　Brumaire；　Bazire；　Chabot；　and

Delaunay；　accused　by　decree　on　the　24th　Brumaire；　Fabre　d'Eglantine；

arrested　on　the　24th　of　Niv？se；　Bernard；　guillotined　on　the　3rd　of

Pluvi？se；　Anacharsis　Clootz　guillotined　on　the　4th　of　Germinal；

Hérault　de　Séchelles；　Lacroix；　Philippeaux；　Camille　Desmoulins　and

Danton；　guillotined　with　four　others　on　the　10th　of　Germinal；　Simon；

guillotined　on　the　24th　of　Germinal；　and　Osselin；　guillotined　on　the

8th　of　Messidor。　　…　Naturally；　the　others　take　warning　and　are

careful。　　At　the　opening　of　the　session　they　are　seen　entering　the

hall；　looking　uneasy；　full　of　distrust；〃＇1＇　like　animals　driven　into　a

pen　and　suspicious　of　a　trap。



〃Each；〃　writes　an　eye…witness；　〃acted　and　spoke　with　circumspection；

for　fear　of　being　charged　with　some　crime：　in　effect；　nothing　was

unimportant；　the　seat　one　took；　a　glance　of　the　eye；　a　gesture；　a

murmur；　a　smile。〃



Hence；　they　flock　instinctively　to　the　side　which　is　best　sheltered；

the　left　side。



　〃The　tide　flowed　towards　the　summit　of　the　Mountain；　the　right　side

was　deserted。　　。　　。　　。　　Many　took　no　side　at　all；　and；　during　the

session；　often　changed　their　seats；　thinking　that　they　might　thus

elude　the　spy　by　donning　a　mixed　hue　and　keeping　on　good　terms　with

everybody。　　The　most　prudent　never　sat　down；　they　kept　off　the

benches；　at　the　foot　of　the　tribune；　and；　on　matters　getting　to　be

serious；　slipped　quietly　out　of　the　hall。〃



Most　of　them　took　refuge　in　their　committee…rooms；　each　tries　to　be

over…looked；　to　be　obscure；　to　appear　insignificant　or　absent。＇2＇

During　the　four　months　following　the　2nd　of　June；　the　hall　of　the

Convention　is　half　or　three…quarters　empty；　the　election　of　a

president　does　not　bring　out　two　hundred　and　fifty　voters；＇3＇　only　two

hundred；　one　hundred；　fifty　votes；　elect　the　Committees　of　Public

Safety　and　General　Security；　about　fifty　votes　elect　the　judges　of　the

Revolutionary　Tribunal；　less　than　ten　votes　elect　their

substitutes；＇4＇　not　one　vote　is　cast　for　the　adoption　of　the　decree

in