《the origins of contemporary france-2》

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〃treason against the nation。〃'48'  What could be more vague than

such a term? What could be more mischievous than such an

institution?   Renewed every month; deprived of special agents;

composed of credulous and inexperienced deputies; this committee;

set to perform the work of a Lenoir or a Fouché; makes up for its

incapacity by violence; and its proceedings anticipate those of the

Jacobine inquisition。'49'  Alarmist and suspicious; it encourages

accusations; and; for lack of plots to discover; it invents them。

Inclinations; in its eyes; stand for actions; and floating projects

become accomplished outrages。   On the denunciation of a domestic

who has listened at a door; on the gossip of a washerwoman who has

found a scrap of paper in a dressing…gown; on the false

interpretation of a letter; on vague indications which it completes

and patches together by the strength of its imagination; it forges a

coup d'état; makes examinations; domiciliary visits; nocturnal

surprises and arrests;'50' it exaggerates; blackens; and comes in

public session to denounce the whole affair to the National

Assembly。   First comes the plot of the Breton nobles to deliver

Brest to the English;'51' then the plot for hiring brigands to

destroy the crops; then the plot of 14th of July to burn Paris; then

the plot of Favras to murder Lafayette; Necker; and Bailly; then the

plot of Augeard to carry off the King; and many others; week after

week; not counting those which swarm in the brains of the

journalists; and which Desmoulins; Fréron; and Marat reveal with a

flourish of trumpets in each of their publications。



 〃All these alarms are cried daily in the streets like cabbages and

turnips; the good people of Paris inhaling them along with the

pestilential vapors of our mud。〃'52'



 。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Now; in this aspect; as well as in a good many others; the

Assembly is the people; satisfied that it is in danger;'53' it makes

laws as the former make their insurrections; and protects itself by

strokes of legislation as the former protects itself by blows with

pikes。   Failing to take hold of the motor spring by which it might

direct the government machine; it distrusts all the old and all the

new wheels。   The old ones seem to it an obstacle; and; instead of

utilizing them; it breaks them one by one  parliaments; provincial

states; religious orders; the church; the nobles; and royalty。   The

new ones are suspicious; and instead of harmonizing them; it puts

them out of gear in advance   the executive power; administrative

powers; judicial powers; the police; the gendarmerie; and the

army。'54'  Thanks to these precautions it is impossible for any of

them to be turned against itself; but; also; thanks to these

precautions; none of them can perform their functions。'55'



 In building; as well as in destroying; the Assembly had two bad

counselors; on the one hand fear; on the other hand theory; and on

the ruins of the old machine which it had demolished without

discernment; the new machine; which it has constructed without

forecast; will work only to its own ruin。



__________________________________________________________________



Notes:



'1' Arthur Young; June 15; 1789。  …  Bailly; passim;  Moniteur;

IV。   522 (June 2; 1790)。  …  Mercure de France (Feb。   11 1792)。



'2' Moniteur; v。   631 (Sep。   12; 1790); and September 8th (what is

said by the Abbé Maury)。  …  Marmontel; book XIII。   237。  …

Malouet; I。   261。  …  Bailly; I。   227。



'3' Sir Samuel Romilly; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。   102; 354。  …  Dumont; 158。

(The official rules bear are dated July 29; 1789。)



'4' Cf。   Ferrières; I。   3。   His repentance is affecting。



'5' Letter from Morris to Washington; January 24; 1790 See page 382;

〃A diary of the French revolution〃; Greenwood Press; Westport; Conn。

1972。 … Dumont 125 … Garat; letter to Condorcet。



'6' Arthur Young; I。   46。  〃Tame and elegant; uninteresting and

polite; the mingled mass of communicated ideas has power neither to

offend nor instruct。 。 。 。 。 All vigor of thought seems excluded

from expression。 。 。 。 。  Where there is much polish of character

there is little argument。〃   Cabinet des Estampes。   See

engravings of the day by Moreau; Prieur; Monet; representing the

opening of the States…General。   All the figures have a graceful;

elegant; and genteel air。



'7' Marmontel; book XIII。 237。 …  Malouet; I。 261。 … Ferrières; I。

19。



'8' Gouverneur Morris; January 24; 1790。  …  Likewise (De Ferrières;

I。71) the decree on the abolition of nobility was not the order of

the day; and was carried by surprise。



'9' Ferrières; I。   189。  …  Dumont; 146。



'10' Letter of Mirabeau to Sieyès; June 11; 1790。 〃Our nation of

monkeys with the throats of parrots。〃  Dumont; 146。 〃Sieyès and

Mirabeau always entertained a contemptible opinion of the

Constituent Assembly。〃



'11' Moniteur; I; 256; 431 (July 16 and 31; 1789)。  …  Journal des

Débats et Décrets; 105; July 16th 〃A member demands that M。 de Lally

should put his speech in writing。 〃The whole Assembly has repeated

this request。〃



'12' Moniteur。 (March 11; 1790)。 〃A nun of St。 Mandé; brought to the

bar of the house; thanks the Assembly for the decree by which the

cloisters are opened; and denounces the tricks; intrigues; and even

violence exercised in the convents to prevent the execution of the

decree。〃   Ibid。 March 29; 1790。 See the various addresses which

are read。 〃 At Lagnon; the mother of a family assembled her ten

children; and swore with them and for them to be loyal to the nation

and to the King。〃  Ibid。 June 5; 1790。 〃M。 Chambroud reads the

letter of the collector of customs of Lannion; in Brittany; to a

priest; a member of the National Assembly。   He implores his

influence to secure the acceptance of his civic oath and that of all

his family; ready to wield either the censer; the cart; the scales;

the sword; or the pen。 On reading a number of these addresses the

Assembly appears to be a supplement of the Petites Affiches (a small

advertising journal in Paris)。



'13' Moniteur; October 23; 1789。



'14' A well…known writer of children's stories。…'Tr。'



'15' Ferrières; II。   65 (June 10;1790)。  …  De Montlosier; I。

402。   〃One of these puppets came the following day to get his money

of the Comte de Billancourt; mistaking him for the Duc de Liancourt。

'Monsieur;' says he; 'I am the man who played the Chaldean

yesterday。'



'16' Buchez and Roux; X。 118 (June 16; 1791)。



'17' See the printed list of deputies; with the indication of their

baillage or sénéchaussée; quality; condition; and profession。



'18' De Bouillé; 75。 …  When the King first saw the list of the

deputies; he exclaimed;〃 What would the nation have said if I had

made up my council or the Notables in this way?〃 (Buchez and Roux;

IV。 39。)



'19' Gouverneur Morris; July 31; 1789。



'20' Gouverneur Morris; February 25; 1789。  …  Lafayette;

〃Mémoires;〃 V。   492。   Letter of Jefferson; February 14; 1815。  …

Arthur Young; June 27 and 29; 1789。



'21' Morris; July 1; 1789。



'22' Morris; July 4; 1789。



'23' Mallet du Pan; Mercure; September 26; 1789。



'24' Gouverneur Morris; January 24; 1790; November 22; 1790。



'25' Dumont; 33; 58; 62。



'26' Sir Samuel。   Romilly; 〃Mémoirs;〃 I。   102。   〃It was their

constant course first; decree the principle and leave the drawing up

of what they had so resolved (or; as they called it; la rédaction)

for later。   It is astonishing how great an influence it had on

their debates and measures。  …  Ibid。   I。   354。   Letter by

Dumont; June 2; 1789。   〃They prefer their own folly to all the

results of British experience。   They revolt at the idea of

borrowing anything from our government; which is scoffed at here as

one of the iniquities of human reason; although they admit that you

have two or three good laws; but that you should presume to have a

constitution is not to be sustained。〃



'27' Dumont; 138; 151。



'28' Morris; January 24; 1790。



'29' Marmontel; XII。   265。  …  Ferrières; 。   I。   48? II。   50;

58; 126。  …  Dumont; 74。



'30' Gouverneur Morris; January 24; 1790。  …  According to Ferrières

this party comprised about three hundred members。



'31' Here Ambassador Morris describes the kind of man who should

form the backbone of all later revolutions whether communist or

fascist ones。   (SR。)



'32' Dumont; 33; 58; 62。



'33' De Lavergne; 〃Les Assemblées Provinciales;〃 384。

Deliberations of the States of Dauphiny; drawn up by Mournier and

signed by two hundred gentlemen (July; 1788)。   〃The rights of man

are derived from nature alone; and are independent of human

conventions。



'34' Report by Merlin de Douai; February 8; 1790; p。2。    Malouet;

II; 51。



'35' Dumont; 133。  …  De Montlosier; I; 355; 361。



'36' Bertrand de Molleville; II。   221 (according to a police

report)。  …  Schmidt; 〃Tableaux de la Révolution;〃 I。   215。

(Report of the agent Dutard; May 13; 1793)  Lacretelle; 〃Dix Ans

d'Epreuves;〃 p。35。   〃It was about midnight when we went out in the

rain; sleet; and snow; in the piercing cold; to the church of the

Feuillants; to secure places for the galleries of the Assembly;

which we were not to occupy till noon on the following day。   We

were obliged; moreover; to contend for them with a crowd animated by

passions; and even by interests; very different from our own。   We

were not long in perceiving that a considerable part of the

galleries was under pay; and that the scenes of cruelty which gave

pain to us were joy to them。   I cannot express the horror I felt on

hearing those women; since called tricoteuses; take a delight in the

already homicidal doctrines of Robespierre; enjoying his sharp voice

and feasting their eyes on his ugly face; the living type of envy。〃

(The first months of 1790。)



'37' Moniteur
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