the origins of contemporary france-2-第41节

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

（The　first　months　of　1790。）



＇37＇　Moniteur；　V。　　　237　（July　26；　1790）；　V。　　　594。　　　（September　8；

1790）；　V。　　　631　（September　12；　1790）；　VI。　　　310　（October　6；　1790）。

（Letter　of　the　Abbé　Peretti。）



＇38＇　De　Ferrières；　II。　　　75。　　…　　Moniteur；　VI。　　　373　（September　6；

1790）。　　…　　M。　de　Virieu。　　　〃Those　who　insult　certain　members　and

hinder　the　freedom　of　debate　by　hooting　or　applause　must　be

silenced。　　　Is　it　the　three　hundred　spectators　who　are　to　be　our

judges；　or　the　nation？〃　M。　Chasset；　President：　〃Monsieur　opinionist；

I　call　you　to　order。　　　You　speak　of　hindrances　to　a　free　vote；　there

has　never　been　anything　of　the　kind　in　this　Assembly。〃



＇39＇　Sauzay；　I　140。　　Letter　of　M。　Lompré；　liberal　deputy；　to　M。

Séguin；　chanoine　（towards　the　end　of　November；　1789）。　　　〃The　service

becomes　more　difficult　every　day；　we　have　become　objects　of　popular

fury；　and；　when　no　other　resource　was　left　to　us　to　avoid　the

tempest　but　to　get　rid　of　the　endowments　of　the　clergy；　we　yielded

to　force。　　　It　had　become　a　pressing　necessity；　and　I　should　have

been　sorry　to　have　had　you　still　here；　exposed　to　the　outrages　and

violence　with　which　I　have　been　repeatedly　threatened。〃



＇40＇　Mercure　de　France；　Nos。　　　of　January　15；　1791；　October　2；　1790；

May　14；1791。　Buchez　and　Roux；　V。　　　343　（April　13；　1790）；　VII。　　　76

（September　2；　1790）；　X。　　　225　（　June　21；　1791）。　　…　　De　Montlosier；

I。　　　357。　　…　　Moniteur；　IV；　427。



＇41＇　Archives　of　the　Police；　exposed　by　the　Committee　of　the

district　of　Saint…Roch。　　　Judgment　of　the　Police　Tribunal；　May　15；

1790。



＇42＇　Malouet；　II。　　　68。　　…　　De　Montlosier；　II。　　　217；　257　（Speech　of

M。　Lavie；　September　18；　1791）。



＇43＇　I。e。　　　members　of　the　old　local　parlements。



＇44＇　Mercure；　October　1；　1791。　　　（Article　by　Mallet　du　Pan。）



＇45＇　Malouet　II。　　　66。　　　〃Those　only　who　were　not　intimidated　by

insults　or　threats；　nor　by　actual　blows；　could　come　forward　as

opponents。〃



＇46＇　Buchez　and　Roux；　X。　　　432；　465。



＇47＇　Malouet；　II；　153。



＇48＇　Decrees　of　July　23rd　and　28th；　1789。　　…　　〃Archives　Nationales。〃

Papers　of　Committee　of　Investigation；　passim。　　　Among　other　affairs

see　that　of　Madame　de　Persan　（Moniteur；　V。　611；　sitting　of　September

9；　1790）；　and　that　of　Malouet　（〃Mémoires　II。　　　12）。



＇49＇　Buchez　and　Roux；　IV。　56　（Report　of　Garan　de　Coulon）；　V。　49

（Decision　of　the　Committee　of　Investigation；　December　28；　1789）。



＇50＇　The　arrests　of　M。　de　Riolles；　M。　de　Bussy；　etc。；　of　Madame　de

Jumilhac；　of　two　other　ladies；　one　at　Bar…le…Duc　and　the　other　of

Nancy；　etc。



＇51＇　Sitting　of　July　28；　1789；　the　speeches　of　Duport　and　Rewbell；

etc。　　…　　Mercure；　No。　　　of　January　1；　1791　（article　by　Mallet　du

Pan）。　　…　　Buchez　and　Roux；　V。　　　146l　〃Behold　five　or　six　successive

conspiracies　　that　of　the　sacks　of　flour；　that　of　the　sacks　of

money；　etc。　　　（Article　by　Camille　Desmoulins。）



＇52＇　〃Archives　de　la　Préfecture　de　Police。〃　Extract　from　the

registers　of　the　deliberations　of　the　Conseil…Général　of　the

district　of　Saint…Roch；　October　10　1789：　Arrête：　to　request　all　the

men　in　the　commune　to　devote　themselves；　with　all　the　prudence；

activity；　and　force　of　which　they　are　capable；　to　the　discovery；

exposure；　and　publication　of　the　horrible　plots　and　infernal

treachery　which　are　constantly　meditated　against　the　inhabitants　of

the　capital；　to　denounce　to　the　public　the　authors；　abettors；　and

adherents　of　the　said　plots；　whatever　their　rank　may　be；　to　secure

their　persons　and　insure　their　punishment　with　all　the　rigor　which

outrages　of　this　kind　call　for。〃　The　commandant　of　the　battalion　and

the　district　captains　come　daily　to　consult　with　the　committee。

〃While　the　alarm　lasts；　the　first　story　of　each　house　is　to　be

lighted　with　lamps　during　the　night：　all　citizens　of　the　district

are　requested　to　be　at　home　by　ten　o'clock　in　the　evening　at　the

latest；　unless　they　should　be　on　duty。　。　。　　。　　　All　citizens　are

invited　to　communicate　whatever　they　may　learn　or　discover　in

relation　to　the　abominable　plots　which　are　secretly　going　on　in　the

capital。〃



＇53＇　Letter　of　M。　de　Guillermy；　July　31；　1790　（〃Actes　des　Ap？tres；〃

V。　56）。　〃During　these　two　nights　（July　13th　and　14th；　1789）　that　we

remained　in　session　I　heard　one　deputy　try　to　get　it　believed　that

an　artillery　corps　had　been　ordered　to　point　its　guns　against　our

hall；　another；　that　it　was　undermined；　and　that　it　was　to　be　blown

up；　another　went　so　far　as　to　declare　that　he　smelt　powder；　upon

which　M。　le　Comte　de　Virieu　replied　that　power　had　no　odor　until　it

was　burnt。〃



＇54＇　Dumont；　351。　　〃Each　constitutional　law　was　a　party　triumph。〃



＇55＇　Here　Taine　indicates　how　subversive　parties　may　proceed　to

weaken　a　nation　prior　to　their　take…over。（SR。）









CHAPTER　II。　　DESTRUCTION。



I。

Two　principal　vices　of　the　ancient　régime。　　…　Two　principal　reforms

proposed　by　the　King　and　the　privileged　classes。　　…　They　suffice　for

actual　needs。　　…　Impracticable　if　carried　further。





In　the　structure　of　the　old　society　there　were　two　fundamental　vices

which　called　for　two　reforms　of　corresponding　importance。＇1＇



In　the　first　place；　those　who　were　privileged　having　ceased　to

render　the　services　for　which　the　advantages　they　enjoyed

constituted　their　compensation　and　their　privileges　were　no　longer

anything　but　a　gratuitous　charge　imposed　on　one　portion　of　the

nation　for　the　benefit　of　the　other。　　Hence　the　necessity　for

suppressing　them。



In　the　second　place；　the　Government；　being　absolute；　made　use　of

public　resources　as　if　they　were　its　own　private　property；

arbitrarily　and　wastefully；＇2＇　it　was　therefore　necessary　to　impose

upon　it　some　effective　and　regular　restraints。



To　render　all　citizens　equal　before　taxation；　to　put　the　purse　of

the　tax…payers　into　the　hands　of　their　representatives；　such　was　the

twofold　operation　to　be　carried　out　in　1789；　and　the　privileged

class　as　well　as　the　King　willingly　lent　themselves　to　it。　　Not

only；　in　this　respect；　were　the　memorials　of　nobles　and　clergy　in

perfect　harmony；　but　the　monarch　himself；　in　his　declaration　of　the

23rd　of　June；　1789；　decreed　the　two　articles。　　Henceforth；　every　tax

or　loan　was　to　obtain　the　consent　of　the　States…General；　this

consent　was　to　be　renewed　at　each　new　meeting　of　the　States；　the

public　estimates　were　to　be　annually　published；　discussed；

specified；　apportioned；　voted　on　and　verified　by　the　States；　there

were　to　be　no　arbitrary　assessments　or　use　of　public　funds；

allowances　were　to　be　specially　assigned　for　all　separate　services；

the　household　of　the　King　included。　　In　each　province　or　district…

general；　there　was　to　be　an　elected　Provincial　Assembly；　one…half

composed　of　ecclesiastics　and　nobles；　and　the　other　half　of　members

of　the　Third…Estate；　to　apportion　general　taxes；　to　manage　local

affairs；　to　decree　and　direct　public　works；　to　administer　hospitals；

prisons；　workhouses；　and　to　continue　its　function；　in　the　interval

of　the　sessions；　through　an　intermediary　commission　chosen　by

itself；　so　that；　besides　the　principal　control　of　the　center；　there

were　to　be　thirty　subordinate　controlling　powers　at　the　extremities。

There　was　to　be　no　more　exemption　or　distinction　in　the　matter　of

taxation；　the　roadtax　（covée）　was　to　be　abolished；　also　the　right　of

franc…fief＇3＇　imposed　on　plebeians；　the　rights　of　mortmain；＇4＇

subject　to　indemnity；　and　internal　customs　duties。　　There　was　to　be

a　reduction　of　the　captaincies；　a　modification　of　the　salt…tax　and

of　the　excise；　the　transformation　of　civil　justice；　too　costly　for

the　poor；　and　of　criminal　justice；　too　severe　for　the　humbler

classes。　　Here　we　have；　besides　the　principal　reform；　equalization

of　taxes；　the　beginning　and　inducement　of　the　more　complete

operation　which　is　to　strike　off　the　last　of　the　feudal　manacles。

Moreover；　six　weeks　later；　on　the　4th　of　August；　the　privileged；　in

an　outburst　of　generosity；　come　forward　of　their　own　accord　to　cut

off　or　undo　the　whole　of　them。　　This　double　reform　thus　encountered

no　obstacles；　and；　as　Arthur　Young　reported　to　his　friends；　it

merely　required　one　vote　to　have　it　adopted。＇5＇



This　was　enough；　for　all　real　necessities　were　now　satisfied。　　On

the　one　hand；　through　the　abolition　of　privileges　in　the　matter　of

taxation；　the　burden　of　the　peasant　and；　in　general；　on　the　small

tax…payer　was　diminished　one…half；　and　perhaps　two　thirds；　instead

of　paying　fifty…three　francs　on　one　hundred　francs　of　net　income；　he

paid　no　more　than　twenty…five　or　even　sixteen；＇6＇　an　enormous

relief；　and　one　which；　with　the　proposed　revision　of　the　excise　and

salt　duties；　made　a　complete　change　in　his　condition。　　Add　to　this

the　gradual　redemption　of　ecclesiastical　and　feudal　dues：　and　after

twenty　years　the　peasant；　already　proprietor　of　a　fifth　of　the　soil；

would；　without　the　violent　events　of　the　Revolution；　in　any