第 25 节
作者:开了      更新:2021-02-18 23:01      字数:9316
  1789)。  〃Ravages du Maconnais。〃   Arthur Young; July 27th。  …
  Buchez and Roux; IV。  215; 214。   Mercure de France; September 12;
  1789。  (Letter by a volunteer of Orleans。) 〃On the 15th of August;
  eighty…eight ruffians; calling themselves reapers; present
  themselves at Bascon; in Beauce; and; the next day; at a chateau in
  the neighborhood; where they demand within an hour the head of the
  son of the lord of the manor; M。 Tassin; who can only redeem himself
  by a contribution of 1;600 livres and the pillaging of his cellars。
  '44' Letter of the Count de Courtivron。  …  Arthur Young; July 31st。
  …  Buchez and Roux; II。  243。  …  Mercure de France; August 15; 1789
  (sitting of the 8th; discourse of a deputy from Dauphiné。)
  Mermet; 〃Histoire de la Ville de Vienne;〃 445   〃 Archives
  Nationales;〃 ibid。  (Letter of the commission of the States of
  Dauphiny; July 31st。)  〃The list of burnt or devastated chateaux
  is immense。〃 The committee already cites sixteen of them。
  Puthod de la Maison…Rouge; ibid。  : 〃Were all devastated places to
  be mentioned; it would be necessary to cite the whole province 〃
  (Letter from Macon)。  〃They have not the less destroyed most of the
  chateaux and bourgeois dwellings; either burning them and or else
  tearing them down。〃
  '45' Lally…Tollendal; 〃Second Letter to my Constituents;〃 104。
  '46' Doniol; 〃La Révolution et la Féodalité;〃 p。60 (a few days after
  the 4th of August)。  …  〃Archives Nationales;〃 H。  784。  Letters of
  M。 de Langeron; military commander at Besan?on; October 16th and
  18th 。   Ibid。  ; D。  XXIX。  I。  Letter of the same; September
  3rd。 Arthur Young (in Provence; at the house of Baron de la Tour…
  d'Aignes)。  〃The baron is an enormous sufferer by the Revolution; a
  great extent of country which belonged in absolute right to his
  ancestors; has been granted for quit…rents; ceus; and other feudal
  payments; so that there is no comparison between the lands retained
  and those thus granted by his family。  。  。  。  The solid payments
  which the Assembly have declared to be redeemable are every hour
  falling to nothing; without a shadow of recompense 。  。  。  The
  situation of the nobility in this country is pitiable; they are
  under apprehensions that nothing will be left them; but simply such
  houses as the mob allows to stand unburned; that the small farmers
  will retain their farms without paying the landlord his half of the
  produce; and that; in case of such a refusal; there is actually
  neither law nor authority in the country to prevent it。  This
  chateau; splendid even in ruins; with the fortune and lives of the
  owners; is at the mercy of an armed rabble。〃
  CHAPTER IV。  PARIS。
  I。
  Paris。   Powerlessness and discords of the authorities。  The
  people; king。
  THE powerlessness; indeed; of the heads of the Government; and the
  lack of discipline among all its subordinates; are much greater in
  the capital than in the provinces。  Paris possesses a mayor;
  Bailly; but 〃from the first day; and in the easiest manner
  possible;〃'1' his municipal council; that is to say; 〃the assembly
  of the representatives of the commune; has accustomed itself to
  carry on the government alone; overlooking him entirely。〃 There is a
  central administration; the municipal council; presided over by the
  mayor; but; 〃at this time; authority is everywhere except where the
  preponderating authority should be; the districts have delegated it
  and at the same time retained it;〃 each of them acts as if it were
  alone and supreme。   There are secondary powers; the district…
  committees; each with its president; its clerk; its offices; and
  commissioners; but the mobs of the street march on without awaiting
  their orders; while the people; shouting under their〃 windows;
  impose their will on them;  in short; says Bailly again;
  〃everybody knew how to command; but nobody knew how to obey。〃
  〃Imagine;〃 writes Loustalot'2' himself; 〃a man whose feet; hands;
  and limbs possessed each its own intelligence and will; whose one
  leg would wish to walk when the other one wanted to rest; whose
  throat would close when the stomach demanded food; whose mouth would
  sing when the eyelids were weighed down with sleep; and you will
  have a striking picture of the condition of things in the capital〃
  There are 〃sixty Republics〃'3' in Paris; each district is an
  independent; isolated power; which receives no order without
  criticizing it; always in disagreement and often in conflict with
  the central authority or with the other districts。  It receives
  denunciations; orders domiciliary visits; sends deputations to the
  National Assembly; passes resolutions; posts its bills; not only in
  its own quarter but throughout the city; and sometimes even extends
  its jurisdiction outside of Paris。  Everything comes within its
  province; and particularly that which ought not to do so。   On the
  18th of July; the district of Petits…Augustins'4' 〃decrees in its
  own name the establishment of justices of the peace;〃 under the
  title of tribunes; and proceeds at once to elect its own; nominating
  the actor Molé。  On the 30th; that of the Oratoire annuls the
  amnesty which the representatives of the commune in the H?tel…de…
  Ville had granted; and orders two of its members to go to a distance
  of thirty leagues to arrest M。 de Bezenval。  On the 19th of August;
  that of Nazareth issues commissions to seize and bring to Paris the
  arms deposited in strong places。  From the beginning each assembly
  sent to the Arsenal in its own name; and 〃obtained as many
  cartridges and as much powder as it desired。〃 Others claim the right
  of keeping a watchful eye over the H?tel…de…Ville and of
  reprimanding the National Assembly。  The Oratoire decides that the
  representatives of the commune shall be invited to deliberate in
  public。  Saint…Nicholas des Champs deliberates on the veto and begs
  the Assembly to suspend its vote。   It is a strange spectacle;
  that of these various authorities each contradicting and destroying
  the other。  To…day the H?tel…de…Ville appropriates five loads of
  cloth which have been dispatched by the Government; and the district
  of Saint…Gervais opposes the decision of the H?tel…de…Ville。  To…
  morrow Versailles intercepts grain destined for Paris; while Paris
  threatens; if it is not restored; to march on Versailles。  I omit
  the incidents that are ridiculous:'5' anarchy in its essence is both
  tragic and grotesque; and; in this universal breaking up of things;
  the capital; like the kingdom; resembles a bear…garden when it does
  not resemble a Babel。
  But behind all these discordant authorities the real sovereign; who
  is the mob; is very soon apparent。   On the 15th of July it
  undertakes the demolition of the Bastille of its own accord; and
  this popular act is sanctioned ; for it is necessary that
  appearances should be kept up; even to give orders after the blow is
  dealt; and to follow when it is impossible to lead。'6'  A short time
  after this the collection of the octroi at the barriers is ordered
  to be resumed; forty armed individuals; however; present themselves
  in their district and say; that if guards are placed at the octroi
  stations; 〃they will resist force with force; and even make use of
  their cannon。〃   On the false rumor that arms are concealed in the
  Abbey of Montmartre; the abbess; Madame de Montmorency; is accused
  of treachery; and twenty thousand persons invade the monastery。
  The commander of the National Guard and the mayor are constantly
  expecting a riot; they hardly dare absent themselves a day to attend
  the King fête at Versailles。  As soon as the multitude can assemble
  in the streets; an explosion is imminent。  〃On rainy days;〃 says
  Bailly; 〃I was quite at my ease。〃  It is under this constant
  pressure that the Government is carried on; and the elect of the
  people; the most esteemed magistrates; those who are in best repute;
  are at the mercy of the throng who clamor at their doors。  In the
  district of St。  Roch;'7' after many useless refusals; the General
  Assembly; notwithstanding all the reproaches of its conscience and
  the resistance of its reason; is obliged to open letters addressed
  to Monsieur; to the Duke of Orleans; and to the Ministers of War; of
  Foreign Affairs; and of the Marine。  In the committee on
  subsistence; M。 Serreau; who is indispensable and who is confirmed
  by a public proclamation; is denounced; threatened; and constrained
  to leave Paris。  M。 de la Salle; one of the strongest patriots among
  the nobles; is on the point of being murdered for having signed an
  order for the transport of gunpowder;'8' the multitude; in pursuit
  of him; attach a rope to the nearest street…lamp; ransack the H?tel…
  de…Ville; force every door; mount into the belfry; and seek for the
  traitor even under the carpet of the bureau and between the legs of
  the electors; and are only stayed in their course by the arrival of
  the National Guard。
  The people not only