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the origins of contemporary france-3-第24章

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mind which renders the sentiments livelier。〃'14' Henceforth this will

no longer be a chain but 〃the acquittance of an agreeable debt which

every citizen owes to his country。 。 。  Divorce is the protecting

spirit of marriage。〃'15'



On a background of classic pedantry; with only vague and narrow

notions of ordinary instruction; lacking exact and substantial

information; flow obscenities and enlarged commonplaces enveloped in a

mythological gauze; spouting in long tirades as maxims from the

revolutionary manual。 Such is the superficial culture and verbal

argumentation from which vulgar and dangerous ingredients the

intelligence of the new legislators is formed。'16'







III。





Aspects of their sessions。  Scenes and display at the club。  Co…

operation of spectators。





From this we can imagine what their sessions were。  〃More in…coherent

and especially more passionate than those of the Constituent

Assembly〃'17' they present the same but intensified characteristics。

The argument is weaker; the invective more violent; and the dogmatism

more intemperate。  Inflexibility degenerates into insolence; prejudice

into fanaticism; and near…sightedness into blindness。  Disorder

becomes a tumult and constant din an uproar。 Suppose; says an eye…

witness;



〃a classroom with hundreds of pupils quarreling and every instant on

the point of seizing each other by the hair。 Their dress neglected;

their attitudes angry; with sudden transitions from shouting to

hooting 。  。   is a sight hard to imagine and to which nothing can be

compared。〃



It lacks nothing for making it a club of the lowest species。  Here; in

advance; we contemplate the ways of the future revolutionary

inquisition。 They welcome burlesque denunciations; enter into petty

police investigations; weigh the tittle…tattle of porters and the

gossip of servant…girls; devote an all…night session to the secrets of

a drunkard。'18' They enter on their official report and without any

disapproval; the petition of M。 Huré; 〃living at Pont…sur…Yonne; who;

over his own signature; offers one hundred francs and his arm to

become a killer of tyrants。〃 Repeated and multiplied hurrahs and

applause with the felicitations of the president is the sanction of

scandalous or ridiculous private misconduct seeking to display itself

under the cover of public authority。 Anacharsis Clootz; 〃a Mascarille

officially stamped;〃 who proposes a general war and who hawks about

maps of Europe cut up in advance into departments beginning with

Savoy; Belgium and Holland 〃and thus onward to the Polar Sea;〃 is

thanked and given a seat on the benches of the Assembly。'19'

Compliments are made to the Vicar of Sainte…Marguerite and his wife is

given a seat in the Assembly and who; introducing 〃his new family;〃

thunders against clerical celibacy。'20'  Crowds of men and women are

permitted to traverse the hall letting out political cries。 Every sort

of indecent; childish and seditious parade is admitted to the bar of

the house。'21' To…day it consists of 〃citoyennes of Paris;〃 desirous

of being drilled in military exercises and of having for their

commandants 〃former French guardsmen;〃 to…morrow children come and

express their patriotism with 〃touching simplicity;〃 regretting that

〃their trembling feet do not permit them to march; no; fly against the

tyrants;〃 next to these come convicts of the Chateau … Vieux escorted

by a noisy crowd; at another time the artillerymen of Paris; a

thousand in number; with drums beating; delegates from the provinces;

the faubourgs and the clubs come constantly; with their furious

harangues; and imperious remonstrances; their exactions; their threats

and their summonses。  In the intervals between the louder racket a

continuous hubbub is heard in the clatter of the tribunes。'22' At each

session 〃the representatives are chaffed by the spectators; the nation

in the gallery is judge of the nation on the floor;〃 it interferes in

the debates; silences the speakers; insults the president and orders

the reporter of a bill to quit the tribune。 One interruption; or a

simple murmur; is not all; there are twenty; thirty; fifty in an hour;

clamoring; stamping; yells and personal abuse。 After countless useless

entreaties; after repeated calls to order; 〃received with hooting;〃

after a dozen 〃regulations that are made; revised; countermanded and

posted up〃 as if better to prove the impotence of the law; of the

authorities and of the Assembly itself; the usurpations of these

intruders keep on increasing。 They have shouted for ten months 〃Down

with the civil list! Down with the ministerials! Down with those curs!

Silence; slaves!'  On the 26th of July; Brissot himself is to appear

lukewarm and be struck on the face with two plums。 〃Three or four

hundred individuals without either property; title; or means of

subsistence 。 。 。 have become the auxiliaries; petitioners and umpires

of the legislature;〃 their paid violence completely destroying

whatever is still left of the Assembly's reason。'23'







IV。



The Parties。… The 〃Right。〃 … 〃Center。〃 … The 〃Left。〃 … Opinions and

sentiments of the Girondins。 … Their Allies of the extreme 〃left。〃



In an assembly thus composed and surrounded; it is easy to foresee on

which side the balance will turn。  Through the meshes of the

electoral net which the Jacobins have spread over the whole country;

about one hundred well…meaning individuals of the common run;

tolerably sensible and sufficiently resolute; Mathieu Dumas; Dumolard;

Becquet; Gorguereau; Vaublanc; Beugnot; Girardin; Ramond; Jaucourt;

were able to pass and form the party of the 〃Right。〃'24'  They resist

to as great an extent as possible; and seem to have obtained a

majority。  For; of the four hundred deputies who have their seats in

the center; one hundred and sixty…four are inscribed on the rolls with

them at the Feuillants club; while the rest; under the title of

〃Independents;〃 pretend to be of no party。'25'  Besides; the whole of

these four hundred; through monarchical traditions; respect the King;

timid and sensible; violence is repugnant to them。 They distrust the

Jacobins; dread what is unknown; desire to be loyal to the

Constitution and to live in peace。 Nevertheless; the pompous dogmas of

the revolutionary catechism still have their prestige with them; they

cannot comprehend how the Constitution which they like produces the

anarchy which they detest; they are 〃foolish enough to bemoan the

effects while swearing to maintain their causes; totally deficient in

spirit; in union and in boldness;〃 they float backwards and forwards

between contradictory desires; while their predisposition to order

merely awaits the steady impulsion of a vigorous will to turn it in

the opposite direction。  On such docile material the 〃Left〃 can work

effectively。 It comprises; indeed; but one hundred and thirty…six

registered Jacobins and about a hundred others who; in almost all

cases; vote with the party;'26' rigidity of opinion; however; more

than compensates for lack of numbers。 In the front row are Guadet;

Brissot; Gensonné; Veygniaud; Ducos; and Condorcet; the future chiefs

of the Girondists; all of them lawyers or writers captivated by

deductive politics; absolute in their convictions and proud of their

faith。 According to them principles are true and must be applied

without reservation;'27' whoever would stop half…way is wanting in

courage or intelligence。 As for themselves their minds are made up to

push through。 With the self…confidence of youth and of theorists they

draw their own conclusions and hug themselves with their strong belief

in them。  〃These gentlemen;〃 says a keen observer;'28'



〃professed great disdain for their predecessors; the Constituents;

treating them as short…sighted and prejudiced people incapable of

profiting by circumstances。〃



〃To the observations of wisdom; and disinterested wisdom;'29' they

replied with a scornful smile; indicative of the aridity proceeding

from self…conceit。 One exhausted himself in reminding them of events

and in deducing causes from these; one passed in turn from theory to

experience and from experience to theory to show them their identity

and; when they condescended to reply it was to deny the best

authenticated facts and contest the plainest observations by opposing

to these a few trite maxims although eloquently expressed。 Each

regarded the other as if they alone were worthy of being heard; each

encouraging the other with the idea that all resistance to their way

of looking at things was pusillanimity。〃



In their own eyes they alone are capable and they alone are patriotic。

Because they have read Rousseau and Mably; because their tongue is

untied and their pen flowing; because they know how to handle the

formul? of books and reason out an abstract proposition; they fancy

that they are statesmen。'30'  Because they have read Plutarch and 〃Le

Je
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