the origins of contemporary france-4-第165章

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disguised　but　a　declared　bankruptcy。　　386；000　fund…holders　and

pensioners　are　deprived　of　two…thirds　of　their　revenue　and　of　their

capital。＇104＇　A　forced　loan　of　100　millions　is　levied　progressively；

and　wholly　on　〃the　well…off　class。〃　Finally；　there　is　the　law　of

hostages；　this　being　atrocious；　conceived　in　the　spirit　of　September；

1792；　suggested　by　the　famous　motions　of　Collot　d'Herbois　against

those　in　confinement；　and　of　Billaud…Varennes　against　the　youth；　Louis

XVII。；　but　extended；　elaborated　and　drawn　up　with　cool　legal　acumen；

and　enforced　and　applied　with　the　foresight　of　an　administrator。　　

Remark　that；　without　counting　the　Belgian　departments；　where　an

extensive　insurrection　is　under　way　and　spreading；　more　than　one…half

of　the　territory　falls　under　the　operation　of　this　law。　　for；　out　of

the　eighty…six　departments　of　France；＇105＇　properly　so　called；　forty…

five　are　at　this　moment；　according　to　the　terms　of　the　decree；＇106＇　〃

declared　to　be　in　a　state　of　civil　uprising。〃　Actually；　in　these

departments；　according　to　official　reports；　armed　mobs　of　conscripts

are　resisting　the　authorities　charged　with　recruiting　them；　bands　of

two　hundred；　three　hundred　and　eight　hundred　men　overrun　the　country；

troops　of　brigands　force　open　the　prisons；　assassinate　the　gendarmes

and　set　their　inmates　free；　the　tax…collectors　are　robbed；　killed　or

maimed；　municipal　officers　slain；　proprietors　ransomed；　estates

devastated；　and　diligences　stopped　on　the　highways。〃　Now；　in　all　these

cases；　in　all　the　departments；　cantons　or　communes；　three　classes　of

persons；　at　first　the　relations　and　allies　of　the　émigrés；　next　the

former　nobles　and　ennobled；　and　finally　the　〃fathers；　mothers；

grandfathers　and　grandmothers　of　persons　who；　without　being　ex…nobles

or　relations　of　émigrés；〃　nevertheless　form　a　part　of　the　bands　or

mobs；　are　declared　〃personally　and　civilly　responsible〃　for　the

violent　acts　committed。　　Even　when　these　acts　are　only　〃imminent；〃　the

administration　of　the　department　must；　in　its　report；　give　a　list　of

all　the　men　and　women　who　are　responsible；　these　are　to　be　taken　as

〃hostages；〃　and　kept　in　confinement　at　their　own　expense　in　the　local

jail。　　If　they　escape；　they　must　be　put　on　the　same　footing　as

émigrés；　that　is　to　say　punished　with　death。　　If　any　damage　is

sustained；　they　are　to　pay　costs；　if　any　murder　is　committed　or

abduction　effected；　four　amongst　them　must　be　deported。　　Observe；

moreover；　that　the　local　authorities　are　obliged；　under　severe

penalties；　to　execute　the　law　at　once。　　Note　that；　at　this　date；　they

are　ultra　Jacobin；　since　to　inscribe　on　the　list　of　hostages；　not　a

noble　or　a　bourgeois；　but　an　honest　peasant　or　respectable　artisan；　it

suffices　for　these　local　sovereigns　to　designate　his　son　or　grandson；

who　might　either　be　absent；　fugitive　or　dead；　as　being　〃notoriously

〃insurgent　or　refractory。　　The　fortunes；　liberties　and　lives　of　every

individual　in　easy　circumstances　are　thus　legally　surrendered　to　the

despotism；　cupidity　and　hostility　of　the　levelers　in　office。　　…

Contemporaries　estimate　that　200；000　persons　were　affected　by　this

law。＇107＇　　The　Directory；　during　the　three　months　of　existence　yet

remaining　to　it；　enforces　it　in　seventeen　departments；　thousands　of

women　and　old　men　are　arrested；　put　in　confinement；　and　ruined；　while

several　are　sent　off　to　Cayenne　　and　this　is　called　respect　for　the

rights　of　man。



VIII。　　Propaganda　and　Foreign　Conquests。



Propaganda　and　foreign　conquests。　　…　Proximity　and　advantages　of

Peace。　　…　Motives　of　the　Fructidorians　for　breaking　off　peace

negotiations　with　England；　and　for　abandoning　the　invasion　of　foreign

countries。　　…　How　they　found　new　republics。　　…　How　governed。　　…

Estimate　of　foreign　rapine。　　…　Number　of　French　lives　sacrificed　in

the　war。



After　the　system　which　the　Fructidoreans　establish　in　France；　we　may

consider　the　system　they　impose　abroad　…　always　the　same　contrast；

between　the　name　and　the　thing；　the　same　phrases　covering　the　same

misdeeds；　and；　under　proclamations　of　liberty　the　institution　of

brigandage。　　…　Undoubtedly；　in　any　invaded　province　which　thus　passes

from　an　old　to　a　new　despotism；　fine　words　cleverly　spoken　produce　at

first　the　intended　effect。　　But；　in　a　few　weeks　or　months；　the

ransomed；　enlisted　and　forcibly　〃Frenchified〃　inhabitants；　discover

that　the　revolutionary　right　is　much　more　oppressive；　more　harassing

and　more　rapacious　than　divine　right。



It　is　the　right　of　the　strongest。　　The　reigning　Jacobins　know　no

other；　abroad　as　well　as　at　home；　and；　in　the　use　they　make　of　it；

they　are　not　restrained　like　ordinary　statesmen；　by　a　thorough

comprehension　of　the　interests　of　the　State；　by　experience　and

tradition；　by　far…reaching　plans；　by　an　estimate　of　present　and　future

strength。　　Being　a　sect；　they　subordinate　France　to　their　dogmas；　and；

with　the　narrow　views；　pride　and　arrogance　of　the　sectary；　they

profess　the　same　intolerance；　the　same　need　of　domination　and　his

instincts　for　propagandas　and　invasion。　　…　This　belligerent　and

tyrannical　spirit　they　had　already　displayed　under　the　Legislative

Assembly；　and　they　are　intoxicated　with　it　under　the　Convention。

After　Thermidor；＇108＇　and　after　Vendémiaire；　they　remained　the　same；

they　became　rigid　against　〃the　faction　of　old　boundaries；〃　and　against

any　moderate　policy；　at　first；　against　the　pacific　minority；　then

against　the　pacific　majority；　against　the　entreaties　of　all　France；

against　their　own　military　director；　〃the　organizer　of　victory　〃

Carnot；　who；　as　a　good　Frenchman；　is　not　desirous　of　gratuitously

increasing　the　embarrassments　of　France　nor　of　taking　more　than　France

could　usefully　and　surely　keep。　　…　If；　before　Fructidor；　his　three

Jacobin　colleagues；　Reubell；　Barras　and　La　Révellière；　broke　with　him；

it　was　owing　not　merely　to　inside　matters；　but　also　to　outside

matters；　as　he　opposed　their　boundless　violent　purposes。　　They　were

furious　on　learning　the　preliminary　treaty　of　Leoben；　so　advantageous

to　France；　they　insulted　Carnot；　who　had　effected　it；＇109＇　when

Barthélémy；　the　ablest　and　most　deserving　diplomat　in　France；　became

their　colleague；　his　recommendations；　so　sensible　and　so　well

warranted；　obtained　from　them　no　other　welcome　than　derision。＇110＇

They　already　desire；　and　obstinately；　to　get　possession　of

Switzerland；　lay　hands　on　Hamburg；　〃humiliate　England；〃　and　〃persevere

in　the　unlucky　system　of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；〃　that　is　to

say；　in　the　policy　of　war；　conquest　and　propaganda。　　Now　that　the　18th

Fructidor　is　accomplished；　Barthélémy　deported；　and　Carnot　in　flight；

this　policy　is　going　to　be　applied　everywhere。



Never　had　peace　been　so　near　at　hand；＇111＇　they　almost　had）it　in　their

grasp；　conference　at　Lille　it　was　only　necessary　to　take　complete　hold

of　it。　　England；　the　last　and　most　tenacious　of　her　enemies；　was

disarming；　not　only　did　she　accept　the　aggrandizement　of　France；　the

acquisition　of　Belgium　and　the　left　bank　of　the　Rhine；　the　avowed　as

well　as　the　disguised　annexations；　the　great　Republic　as　patron　and

the　smaller　ones　as　clients；　Holland；　Genoa；　and　the　Cis…Alpine

country；　but；　again；　she　restored　all　her　own　conquests；　all　the

French　colonies；　all　the　Dutch　colonies；　except　the　Cape　of　Good

Hope；＇112＇　and　all　the　Spanish　colonies　except　Trinidad。　　All　that

amour…propre　could　demand　was　obtained；　and　they　obtained　more　than

could　be　prudently　expected；　there　was　not　a　competent　and　patriotic

statesman　in　France　who　would　not　have　signed　the　treaty　with　the

greatest　satisfaction。　　…　But　the　motives　which；　before　Fructidor；

animated　Carnot　and　Barthélémy；　the　motives　which；　after　Fructidor；

animated　Colchen　and　Maret；　do　not　animate　the　Fructidoreans。　　France

is　of　but　little　consequence　to　them；　they　are　concerned　only　for

their　faction；　for　power；　and　for　their　own　persons。　　La　Révellière；

president　of　the　Directory；　through　vainglory；　〃wanted　to　have　h