《the origins of contemporary france-2》

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and the rest of the royal family; who have in vain barricaded

themselves in the ?il…de…Boeuf; a door of which is broken in: here

they stand; awaiting death; when Lafayette arrives with his

grenadiers and saves all that can be save    their lives; and

nothing more。  For; from the crowd huddled in the marble court the

shout rises; 〃To Paris with the King !〃 a command to which the King

submits。



Now that the great hostage is in their hands; will they deign to

accept the second one? This is doubtful。  On the Queen approaching

the balcony with her son and daughter; a howl arises of 〃No

children!〃 They want to have her alone in the sights of their guns;

and she understands that。  At this moment M。 de Lafayette; throwing

the shield of his popularity over her; appears on the balcony at her

side and respectfully kisses her hand。  The reaction is

instantaneous in this over…excited crowd。  Both the men and

especially the women; in such a state of nervous tension; readily

jump from one extreme to another; rage bordering on tears。  A

portress; who is a companion of Maillard's;'43' imagines that she

hears Lafayette promise in the Queen's name 〃to love her people and

be as much attached to them as Jesus Christ to his Church。〃 People

sob and embrace each other; the grenadiers shift their caps to the

heads of the body…guard。  Everything will be fine : 〃the people have

won their King back。〃  Nothing is to be done now but to rejoice;

and the cortege moves on。  The royal family and a hundred deputies;

in carriages; form the center; and then comes the artillery; with a

number of women bestriding the cannons; next; a convoy of flour。

Round about are the King's Guards; each with a National Guard

mounted behind him; then comes the National Guard of Paris; and

after them men with pikes and women on foot; on horseback; in cabs;

and on carts; in front is a band bearing two severed heads on the

ends of two poles; which halts at a hairdresser's; in Sèvres; to

have these heads powdered and curled;'44' they are made to bow by

way of salutation; and are daubed all over with cream; there are

jokes and shouts of laughter; the people stop to eat and drink on

the road; and oblige the guards to clink glasses with them; they

shout and fire salvos of musketry; men and women hold each other's

hands and sing and dance about in the mud。   Such is the new

fraternity: a funeral procession of legal and legitimate

authorities; a triumph of brutality over intelligence; a murderous

and political Mardi…gras; a formidable masquerade which; preceded by

the insignia of death; drags along with it the heads of France; the

King; the ministers; and the deputies; that it may constrain them to

rule to until according to its frenzy; that it may hold them under

its them pikes until it is pleased to slaughter them。



 VI。



The Government and the nation in the hands of the revolutionary

party。



This time there can be no mistake: the Reign of Terror is fully and

firmly established。  On this very day the mob stops a vehicle; in

which it hopes to find M。 de Virieu; and declares; on searching it;

that 〃they are looking for the deputy to massacre him; as well as

others of whom they have a list。〃'45'  Two days afterwards the Abbé

Grégoire tells the National Assembly that not a day passes without

ecclesiastics being insulted in Paris; and pursued with 〃horrible

threats。〃 Malouet is advised that 〃as soon as guns are distributed

among the militia; the first use made of them will be to get rid of

those deputies who are bad citizens;〃 and among others of the Abbé

Maury。  〃The moment I stepped out into the streets;〃 writes Mounier;

〃I was publicly followed。  It was a crime to be seen in my company。

Wherever I happened to go; along with two or three of my companions;

it was stated that an assembly of aristocrats was forming。  I had

become such an object of terror that they threatened to set fire to

a country…house where I had passed twenty…four hours; and; to

relieve their minds; a promise had to be given that neither myself

nor my friends should be again received into it。〃 In one week five

or six hundred deputies have their passports'46' made out; and hold

themselves ready to depart。  During the following month one hundred

and twenty give in their resignations; or no longer appear in the

Assembly。  Mounier; Lally…Tollendal; the Bishop of Langres; and

others besides; quit Paris; and afterwards France。  Mallet du Pan

writes; 〃Opinion now dictates its judgment with steel in hand。

Believe or die is the anathema which vehement spirits pronounce; and

this in the name of Liberty。  Moderation has become a crime。〃 After

the 7th of October; Mirabeau says to the Comte de la Marck:



 〃If you have any influence with the King or the Queen; persuade

them that they and France are lost if the royal family does not

leave Paris。  I am busy with a plan for getting them away。〃



He prefers everything to the present situation; 〃even civil war;〃

for 〃war; at least; invigorates the soul;〃 while here; 〃under the

dictatorship of demagogues; we are being drowned in slime。〃 Given up

to itself; Paris; in three months; 〃will certainly be a hospital;

and; perhaps; a theater of horrors。〃 Against the rabble and its

leaders; it is essential that the King should at once coalesce 〃with

his people;〃 that he should go to Rouen; appeal to the provinces;

provide a Centre for public opinion; and; if necessary; resort to

armed resistance。  Malouet; on his side; declares that 〃the

Revolution; since the 5th of October; 〃horrifies all sensible men;

and every party; but that it is complete and irresistible。〃 Thus the

three best minds that are associated with the Revolution  those

whose verified prophecies attest genius or good sense; the only ones

who; for two or three years; and from week to week; have always

predicted wisely; and who have employed reason in their

demonstrations  these three; Mallet du Pan; Mirabeau; Mabuet;

agree in their estimate of the event; and in measuring its

consequences。  The nation is gliding down a declivity; and no one

possesses the means or the force to arrest it。  The King cannot do

it : 〃undecided and weak beyond all expression; his character

resembles those oiled ivory balls which one vainly strives to keep

together。〃'47'  And as for the Assembly; blinded; violated; and

impelled on by the theory it proclaims; and by the faction which

supports it; each of its grand decrees only renders its fall the

more precipitate。



________________________________________________________________



Notes:





'1' Bailly; 〃 Mémoires;〃 II。 195; 242。



'2' Elysée Loustalot; journalist; editor of the paper 〃Révolutions

de Paris;〃 was a young lawyer who had shown a natural genius for

innovative journalism。  He was to die already in 1790。  (SR。)



'3' Montjoie; ch。 LXX; p。 65。



'4' Bailly; II。 74; 174; 242; 261; 282; 345; 392。



'5' Such as domiciliary visits and arrests apparently made by

lunatics。  (〃Archives de la Préfecture de Police de Paris。〃)  And

Montjoie; ch。  LXX。  p。67。  Expedition of the National Guard against

imaginary brigands who are cutting down the crops at Montmorency and

the volley fired in the air。  Conquest of Ile…Adam and Chantilly。



'6' Bailly; II。 46; 95; 232; 287; 296。



'7' 〃Archives de la Préfecture de Police;〃 minutes of the meeting of

the section of Butte des Moulins; October 5; 1789。



'8' Bailly; II。  224。  Dusaulx; 418; 202; 257; 174; 158。  The

powder transported was called poudre de traite (transport); the

people understood it as poudre de tra?tre (traitor)。  M。 de la Salle

was near being killed through the addition of an r。  It is he who

had taken command of the National Guard on the 13th of July。



'9' Floquet; VII。 54。 There is the same scene at Granville; in

Normandy; on the 16th of October。  A woman had assassinated her

husband; while a soldier who was her lover is her accomplice; the

woman was about to he hung and the man broken on the wheel; when the

populace shout; 〃The nation has the right of pardon;〃 upset the

scaffold; and save the two assassins。



'10' Bailly; II。  274 (August 17th)。



'11' Bailly; II; 83; 202; 230; 235; 283; 299。



'12' Mercure de France; the number for September 26th。  …  De

Goncourt; p。  111。



'13' Mercier; 〃Tableau de Paris;〃 I; 58; X。  151。



'14' De Ferrières; I。  178。  Buchez and Roux; II。 311; 316。 

Bai11y; II。  104; 174; 207; 246; 257; 282。



'15' Mercure de France; September 5th; 1789。  Horace Walpole's

Letters; September 5; 1789。  M。 de Lafayette; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。  272。

During the week following the 14th of July; 6;000 soldiers deserted

and went over to the people; besides 400 and 800 Swiss Guards and

six battalions of the French Guards; who remain without officers;

and do as they please。  Vagabonds from the neighboring villages

flock in; and there are more than 〃30;000 strangers and vagrants〃 in

Paris。



'16' Bailly; II。  282。  The crowd of deserters was so great that

Lafayette was obliged to place a guard at the barriers to keep them

from entering the city。  〃Without this precaution the whole army

would have come in。〃



'17' De Ferrières; I。  103。  De Lavalette; I。 39。  Bailly; I。 53

(on the lawyers)。  〃It may be said that the success of the

Revolution is due to this class。〃  Marmontel; II。  243 〃Since the

first elections of Paris; in 1789; I remarked;〃 he says; 〃this

species of restless intriguing men; contending with each other to be

heard; impatient to make themselves prominent。。。。It is well known

what interest this body (the lawyers) had to change Reform into

Revolution; the Monarchy into a Republic; the object was to organize

for itself a perpetual aristocracy。〃  Buchez and Roux; II。  358

(article by C。  Desmoulins)。 〃In the districts everybody exhausts

his lungs and his time in trying to be president; vice…president;

secretary or v
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