《the origins of contemporary france-4》

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unanimously。  This is the first sign of his ascendancy; although

sometimes; to save the appearance of his dictatorship; he has his

chief clerk Paré elected; whom he subsequently made minister。



'64' Buchez et Roux; IV。; 295; 298; 401; V。; 140。



'65' Ibid。; VIII。; 28 (October; 1790)。



'66' Ibid。; IX。; 408: X。; 144; 234; 297; 417。  … Lafayette 〃Mémoires;〃

I。; 359; 366。  Immediately after Mirabeau's death (April; 1791)

Danton's plans are apparent; and his initiative is of the highest

importance。



'67' 〃The Revolution;〃 II。; 238 (Note) and 283。  … Garat; 309: 〃After

the 20th of June everybody made mischief at the chateau; the power of

which was daily increasing。  Danton arranged the 10th of August and

the chateau was thunderstruck。〃 … Robinet: 〃Le Procès des

Dantonistes;〃 224; 229。  (〃Journal de la Societé des amis de la

Constitution;〃 No。  214; June 5; 1792。) Danton proposes 〃the law of

Valerius Publicola; passed in Rome after the expulsion of the

Tarquins; permitting every citizen to kill any man convicted of having

expressed opinions opposed to the law of the State; except in case of

proof of the crime。〃 (Ibid。; Nos。  230 and 231; July 13; 1792。) Danton

induces the federals present 〃to swear that they will not leave the

capital until liberty is established; and before the will of the

department is made known on the fate of the executive power。〃 Such are

the principles and the instruments; of 〃August 10th〃  and 〃September

2nd。〃



'68' Garat; 314。  〃He was present for a moment on the committee of

Public Safety。  The outbreaks of May 31st and June 2nd occurred; he

was the author of both these days。〃



'69' Decrees of April 6 and 7; 1793。



'70' Decree of September 5; 1793。



'71' Decree of March 10; 1793。



'72' August 1 and 12; 1793。



'73' See 〃The Revolution;〃 vol。  III。; ch。  I。…Buchez et Roux; XXV。;

285。  (Meeting of Nov。26; 1793。) … Moniteur; XIX。; 726。  Danton (March

16; 1794) secures the passing of a decree that 〃hereafter prose only

shall be heard at the rostrum of the house。〃



'74' Archives Nationales; Papers of the committee of General Security;

No 134。  … Letter of Delacroix to Danton; Lille; March 25; 1793; on

the situation in Belgium; and the retreat of Dumouriez。  。  。  。  〃My

letter is so long I fear that you will not read it to the end。  。  。

。Oblige me by forgetting your usual indolence。〃  Letter of Chabot to

Danton; Frimaire 12; year II。  〃 I know your genius; my dear

colleague; and consequently your natural indolent disposition。  I was

afraid that you would not read me through if I wrote a long letter。

Nevertheless I rely on your friendship to make an exception in my

favor。〃



'75' Lagrange; the mathematician; and senator under the empire; was

asked how it was that he voted for the terrible annual conscriptions。

〃It had no sensible effect on the tables of mortality;〃 he replied。



'76' Garat; 305; 310; 313。  〃 His friends almost worshipped him。〃



'77' Ibid。; 317。  … Thibeaudeau; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。; 59。



'78' Quinet; 〃La Révolution;〃 II。; 304。  (According to the unpublished

memoirs of Baudot。) These expressions by Danton's friends all bear the

mark of Danton himself。  At all events they express exactly his ideas。



'79' Riouffe; 67。



'80' Miot de Melito; 〃 Mémoires;〃 I。; 40; 42。  … Michelet; 〃 Histoire

de la Révolution Fran?aise;〃 VI。; 34; V。  178; 184。  (On the second

marriage of Danton in June; 1793; to a young girl of sixteen。  On his

journey to Arcis; March; 1794。) … Riouffe; 68。  In prison 〃He talked

constantly about trees; the country and nature。〃



'81' We can trace the effect of his attitude on the public in the

police reports; especially at the end of 1793; and beginning of the

year 1794。  (Archives Nationales; F 7; 31167 report of Charmont;

Niv?se 6; year II。) 〃Robespierre gains singularly in public

estimation; especially since his speech in the Convention; calling on

his colleagues to rally and crush out the monsters in the interior;

also in which he calls on all to support the new revolutionary

government with their intelligence and talents。  。  。  。  I have to

state that I have everywhere heard his name mentioned with admiration。

They wound up by saying that it would be well for all members of the

Convention to adopt the measures presented by Robespierre。〃 … (Report

of Robin; Niv?se 8。) 〃Citizen Robespierre is honored everywhere; in

all groupes and in the cafe's。  At the Café Manouri it was given out

that his views of the government were the only ones which; like the

magnet; would attract all citizens to the Revolution。  It is not the

same with citizen Billaud…Varennes。〃 (Report of the Purveyor; Niv?se

9。) 〃 In certain clubs and groups there is a rumor that Robespierre is

to be appointed dictator。。  。  。  。  The people do justice to his

austere virtues; it is noticed that he has never changed his opinions

since the Revolution began。〃



'82' 〃Souvenirs d'un déporté。〃 by P。  Villiers; (Robespierre's

secretary for seven months in 1790;) p。  2。  〃Of painstaking

cleanliness。〃 … Buchez et Roux; XXXIV。; 94。  Description of

Robespierre; published in the newspapers after his death: 〃His clothes

were exquisitely clean and his hair always carefully brushed。〃



'83' D'Hericault; 〃La Revolution du 9 Thermidor;〃 (as stated by

Daunou)。  … Meillan; 〃Mémoires;〃 p。4。  〃His eloquence was nothing but

diffusive declamation without order or method; and especially with no

conclusions。  Every time he spoke we were obliged to ask him what he

was driving at。。。。。  Never did he propose any remedy。  He left the

task of finding expedients to others; and especially to Danton。〃



'84' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。; 437; 438; 440; 442。  (Speech by

Robespierre; Thermidor 8; year II。)



'85' Ibid。; XXX。; 225; 226; 227; 228 (Speech; Nov。  17; 1793); and

XXXI。; 255 (Speech; Jan。26; '794)。  〃The policy of the London Cabinet

largely contributed to the first movement of our Revolution。。。。

Taking advantage of political tempests (the cabinet) aimed to effect

in exhausted and dismembered France a change of dynasty and to place

tke Duke of York on the throne of Louis XVI。  。。  。  Pitt。。。。is an

imbecile; whatever may be said of a reputation that has been much too

greatly puffed up。  A man who; abusing the influence acquired by him

on an island placed haphazard in the ocean; is desirous of contending

with the French people; could not have conceived of such an absurd

plan elsewhere than in a madhouse。〃 … Cf。  Ibid。; XXX。; 465。



'86' Ibid。; XXVI。; 433; 441; (Speech on the Constitution; May 10;

1793); XXXI。; 275。  〃Goodness consists in the people preferring itself

to what is not itself; the magistrate; to be good; must sacrifice

himself to the people。〃。  。  。  。  〃Let this maxim be first adopted

that the people are good and that its delegates are corruptible。〃。  。

。  XXX。; 464。  (Speech; Dec。25; 1793): 〃The virtues are the appanages

of the unfortunate and the patrimony of the people。〃



'87' Cf。  passim; Hamel; 〃Histoire de Robespierre;〃 3 vols。  An

elaborate panegyric full of details。  Although eighty years have

elapsed; Robespierre still makes dupes of people through his attitudes

and rhetorical flourishes。  M。 Hamel twice intimates his resemblance

to Jesus Christ。  The resemblance; indeed; is that of Pascal's Jesuits

to the Jesus of the Gospel。



'88' 〃The Ancient Regime;〃 p。262。



'89' Garat; 〃Mémoires;〃 84。  Garat who is himself an ideologist; notes

〃his eternal twadle about the rights of man; the sovereignty of the

people; and other principles which he was always talking about; and on

which he never gave utterance to one precise or fresh idea。〃



'90' Read especially his speech on the constitution; (May 10; 1793);

his report on the principles of Republican Government; (Dec。15; 1793);

his speech on the relationship between religious and national ideas

and republican principles (May 7; 1794) and speech of Thermidor 8。…

Carnot: 〃Memoires;〃 II。; 512。  〃In all deliberations on affairs he

contributed nothing but vague generalities。〃



'91' During this century all important Jacobin leaders; Hitler;

Mussolini; Lenin; Stalin; Castro etc。  have in their turn followed

robespierre's example and bored their captive audiences with their

interminable speeches。  (SR)。



'92' Buchez et Roux; XXXIII。; 406。  (Speech delivered Thermidor 8th。)

The printed copy of the manuscript with corrections and erasures。



'93' Ibid。; 420; 422; 427。



'94' Ibid。; 428; 435; 436。  〃O day forever blessed! What a sight to

behold; the entire French people assembled together and rendering to

the author of nature the only homage worthy of him! How affecting each

object that enchants the eye and touches the heart of man! O honored

old age! O generous ardor of the young of our country! O the innocent;

pure joy of youthful citizens! O the exquisite tears of tender

mothers! O the divine charms of innocence and 
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