《the origins of contemporary france-2》

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impulse to break the law becomes irresistible。  Every man who can

procure a gun begins operations;'29' the crops which are still

standing are trodden under foot; the lordly residences are invaded

and the palings are scaled; the King himself at Versailles is

wakened by shots fired in his park。  Stags; fawns; deer; wild boars;

hares; and rabbits; are slain by thousands; cooked with stolen wood;

and eaten up on the spot。  There is a constant discharge of musketry

throughout France for more than two months; and; as on an American

prairie; every living animal belongs to him who kills it。  At

Choiseul; in Champagne; not only are all the hares and partridges of

the barony exterminated; but the ponds are exhausted of fish; the

court of the chateau even is entered; to fire on the pigeon…house

and destroy the pigeons; and then the pigeons and fish; of which

they have too many; are offered to the proprietor for sale   It is

〃the patriots〃 of the village with 〃smugglers and bad characters〃

belonging to the neighborhood who make this expedition; they are

seen in the front ranks of every act of violence; and it is not

difficult to foresee that; under their leadership; attacks on public

persons and public property will be followed by attacks on private

persons and private property。



 VII。



Attack upon private individuals and private property。  … Aristocrats

denounced to the people as their enemies。  … Effect of news from

Paris。… Influence of the village attorneys。  … Isolated acts of

violence。  … A general rising of the peasantry in the east。  … War

against the castles; feudal estates; and property。  … Preparations

for other Jacqueries。



Indeed; an outlawed class already exists; they are called 〃

aristocrats。〃 This deadly term; applied at first to the nobles and

prelates in the States…General who declined to take part in the

reunion of the three orders; is extended so as to embrace all whose

titles; offices; alliances; and manner of living distinguish them

from the multitude。  That which entitled them to respect is that

which marks them out as objects of ill…will; while the people; who;

though suffering from their privileges; did not regard them

personally with hatred; are now taught to consider them as their

enemies。  Each; on his own estate; is held accountable for the evil

designs attributed to his brethren at Versailles; and; on the false

report of a plot at the center; the peasants classify him as one of

the conspirators。'30'  Thus does the peasant jacquerie commence; and

the fanatics who have fanned the flame in Paris are to do the same

in the provinces。  〃You wish to know the authors of the agitation;〃

writes a sensible man to the committee of investigation; 〃you will

find them amongst the deputies of the Third…Estate;〃 and especially

among the attorneys and advocates。  〃These dispatch incendiary

letters to their constituents; which letters are received by

municipal bodies alike composed of attorneys and of advocates。。。。

they are read aloud in the public squares; while copies of them are

distributed among all the villages。  In these villages; if any one

knows how to read besides the priest and the lord of the manor; it

is the legal practitioner;〃 the born enemy of the lord of the manor;

whose place he covets; vain of his oratorical powers; embittered by

his power; and never failing to blacken everything。'31'  It is

highly probable that he is the one who composes and circulates the

placards calling on the people; in the King's name; to resort to

violence。   At Secondigny; in Poitou; on the 23rd of July;'32' the

laborers in the forest receive a letter 〃which summons them to

attack all the country gentlemen round about; and to massacre

without mercy all those who refuse to renounce their privileges。。。。

promising them that not only will their crimes go unpunished; but

that they will even be rewarded。〃 M。 Despretz…Montpezat;

correspondent of the deputies of the nobles; is seized; and dragged

with his son to the dwelling of the procurator…fiscal; to force him

to give his signature; the inhabitants are forbidden to render him

assistance 〃on pain of death and fire。〃 〃Sign;〃 they exclaim; 〃or we

will tear out your heart; and set fire to this house !〃 At this

moment the neighboring notary; who is doubtless an accomplice;

appears with a stamped paper; and says to him; 〃Monsieur; I have

just come from Niort; where the Third…Estate has done the same thing

to all the gentlemen of the town; one; who refused; was cut to

pieces before our eyes。〃  〃We are compelled to sign renunciations

of our privileges; and give our assent to one and the same taxation;

as if the nobles had not already done so。〃 The band gives notice

that it will proceed in the same fashion with all the chateaux in

the vicinity; and terror precedes or follows them。  〃Nobody dares

write;〃 M。 Despretz sends word; 〃 I attempt it at the risk of my

life。〃  Nobles and prelates become objects of suspicion

everywhere; village committees open their letters; and they have to

suffer their houses to be searched。'33'  They are forced to adopt

the new cockade: to be a gentleman; and not wear it; is to deserve

hanging。  At Mamers; in Maine; M。 de Beauvoir refuses to wear it;

and is at the point of being put into the pillory and felled。  Near

La F1èche; M。 de Brissac is arrested; and a message is sent to Paris

to know if he shall be taken there; 〃or be beheaded in the

meantime。〃 Two deputies of the nobles; MM。 de Montesson and de Vassé

who had come to ask the consent of their constituents to their

joining the Third…Estate; are recognized near Mans; their honorable

scruples and their pledges to the constituents are considered of no

importance; nor even the step that they are now taking to fulfill

them; it suffices that they voted against the Third…Estate at

Versailles; the populace pursues them and breaks up their carriages;

and pillages their trunks。   Woe to the nobles; especially if they

have taken any part in local rule; and if they are opposed to

popular panics! M。 Cureau; deputy…mayor of Mans;'34' had issued

orders during the famine; and; having retired to his chateau of

Nouay; had told the peasants that the announcement of the coming of

brigands was a false alarm; he thought that it was not necessary to

sound the alarm bell; and all that was necessary was that they

should remain quiet。  Accordingly he is set down as being in league

with the brigands; and besides this he is a monopolist; and a buyer

of standing crops。  The peasants lead him off; along with his son…

in…law; M。 de Montesson; to the neighboring village; where there

are judges。  On the way 〃they dragged their victims on the ground;

pummeled them; trampled on them; spit in their faces; and besmeared

them with filth。〃 M。 de Montesson is shot; while M。 Cureau is killed

by degrees; a carpenter cuts off the two heads with a double…edged

ax; and children bear them along to the sound of drums and violins。

Meanwhile; the judges of the place; brought by force; draw up an

official report stating the finding of thirty louis and several

bills of the Banque d'Escompte in the pockets of M。 de Cureau; on

the discovery of which a shout of triumph is set up: this evidence

proves that they were going to buy up the standing wheat !  Such

is the course of popular justice。  Now that the Third…Estate has

become the nation; every mob thinks that it has the right to

pronounce sentences; which it carries out; on lives and on

possessions。



These explosions are isolated in the western; central and southern

provinces; the conflagration; however; is universal in the east。  On

a strip of ground from thirty to fifty leagues broad; extending from

the extreme north down to Provence。  Alsace; Franche…Comté;

Burgundy; Maconnais; Beaujolais; Auvergne; Viennois; Dauphiny; the

whole of this territory resembles a continuous mine which explodes

at the same time。  The first column of flame which shoots up is on

the frontiers of Alsace and Franche…Comté; in the vicinity of

Belfort and Vésoul; a feudal district; in which the peasant; over…

burdened with taxes; bears the heavier yoke with greater impatience。

An instinctive argument is going on in his mind without his knowing

it。  〃The good Assembly and the good King want us to be happy;

suppose we help them! They say that the King has already relieved us

of the taxes; suppose we relieve ourselves of paying rents! Down

with the nobles! They are no better than the tax…collectors! 〃  On

the 16th of July; the chateau of Sancy; belonging to the Princesses

de Beaufremont; is sacked; and on the 18th those of Lure; Bithaine;

and Molans。'35'  On the 29th; an accident which occurs with some

fire…works at a popular festival at the house of M。 de Mesmay; leads

the lower class to believe that the invitation extended to them was

a trap; and that there was a desire to get rid of them by

treachery。'36'  Seized with rage they set fire to the chateau; and

during the following week'37' destroy three abbeys; ruin eleven

chateaux and pillage others。  〃 All records are destroyed; the

registers and court…rolls are carried off; and the deposits

violated。〃  Starting from this spot; 〃the hurricane of

insurrection〃 stretches over the whole of Alsace from Huningue to

Landau。'38'  The insurgents display placards; signed Louis; stating

that for a certain lapse of time they shall be permitted to exercise

justice themselves; and; in Sundgau; a well…dressed weaver;

decorated with a blue belt; passes for a prince; the King's second

son。  They begin by falling on the Jews; their hereditary leeches;

they sack their dwellings; divide their money among themselves; and

hunt them down like so many fallow…deer。  At Bale alone; it is said

that twelve hundred of these unfortunate fugitives arrived with

their families。   The distance between the Jew creditor and the

Christian proprietor is not great; and this is soon c
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