the origins of contemporary france-5-第33部分

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inhabitants　killed；　and　the　survivors　keep　this　in　mind。　In　the　twelve

western　departments；＇13＇　at　the　beginning　of　the　year　1800；　the

royalists　were　masters　of　nearly　the　whole　country　and　had　control　of

forty　thousand　armed　men　in　regimental　order；　undoubtedly　these　were

to　be　overcome　and　disarmed；　but　they　were　not　to　be　deprived　of　their

opinions；　as　of　their　guns。　…　In　the　month　of　August；　1799；＇14＇

sixteen　thousand　insurgents　in　Haute　Garonne　and　the　six　neighboring

departments；　led　by　Count　de　Paulo；　had　unfurled　the　royal　white　flag；

one　of　the　cantons；　Cadours；　〃had　risen　almost　entirely；〃　a　certain

town；　Muret；　sent　all　its　able…bodied　men。　They　had　penetrated　even　to

the　outskirts　of　Toulouse；　and　several　engagements；　including　a

pitched　battle；　were　necessary　to　subdue　them。　On　one　occasion；　at

Montréjean；　2000　were　slain　or　drowned。　The　peasants　fought　with　fury；

〃　a　fury　that　bordered　on　frenzy；〃　〃some　were　heard　to　exclaim　with

their　last　breath；　'Vive　le　Roi！'　and　others　were　cut　to　pieces　rather

than　shout；　'Vive　la　République！'〃　…　From　Marseilles　to　Lyons　the

revolt　lasted　five　years　on　both　banks　of　the　Rh？ne；　under　the　form　of

brigandage；　the　royalist　bands；　increased　by　refractory　conscripts　and

favored　by　the　inhabitants　whom　they　spared；　killed　or　pillaged　the

agents　of　the　republic　and　the　buyers　of　national　possessions。＇15＇

There　were　thus；　in　more　than　thirty　departments；　intermittent　and

scattered　Vendées。　In　all　the　Catholic　departments　there　was　a　latent

Vendée。　Had　the　elections　been　free　during　this　state　of　exasperation

it　is　probable　that　one…half　of　France　would　have　voted　for　men　of　the

ancient　régime　…　Catholics；　Royalists；　or；　at　least；　the　Monarchists

of　1790。



Let　the　reader　imagine　facing　this　party；　in　the　same　chamber；　about

an　equal　number　of　representatives　elected　by　the　other　party；　the

only　ones　it　could　select；　its　notables；　that　is　to　say；　the　survivors

of　preceding　assemblies；　probably　Constitutionalists　of　the　year　IV

and　the　year　V；　Conventionalists　of　the　Plain　and　of　the　Feuillants　of

1792；　from　Lafayette　and　Dumolard　to　Daunou；　Thibaudeau　and　Grégoire；

among　them　Girondists　and　a　few　Montagnards；　Barère；＇16＇　with　others；

all　of　them　wedded　to　the　theory　the　same　as　their　adversaries　to

traditions。　To　one　who　is　familiar　with　the　two　groups；　behold　two

inimical　doctrines　confronting　each　other；　two　irreconcilable　systems

of　opinions　and　passions；　two　contradictory　modes　of　conceiving

sovereignty；　law；　society；　the　State；　property；　religion；　the　Church；

the　ancient　régime；　the　Revolution；　the　present　and　the　past；　it　is

civil　war　transferred　from　the　nation　to　the　parliament。　Certainly　the

Right　would　like　to　see　the　First　Consul　a　Monck；　which　would　lead　to

his　becoming　a　Cromwell；　for　his　power　depends　entirely　on　his　credit

with　the　army；　then　the　sovereign　force；　at　this　date　the　army　is

still　republican；　at　least　in　feeling　if　not　intelligently；　imbued

with　Jacobin　prejudices；　attached　to　revolutionary　interests；　and

hence　blindly　hostile　to　aristocrats；　kings；　and　priests。＇17＇　　At　the

first　threat　of　a　monarchical　and　Catholic　restoration　it　will　demand

of　him　an　eighteenth　Fructidor＇18＇；　otherwise；　some　Jacobin　general；

Jourdan；　Bernadotte；　or　Augereau；　will　make　one　without　him；　against

him；　and　they　fall　back　into　the　rut　from　which　they　wished　to　escape；

into　the　fatal　circle　of　revolutions　and　coups　d'état。





VII。　Establishment　of　a　new　Dictatorship。



The　electoral　and　legislative　combinations　of　Sieyès。　…　Bonaparte's

use　of　them。　…　Paralysis　and　submission　of　the　three　legislative

bodies。　…　The　Senate　as　the　ruler's　tool。　…Senatus…consultes　and

Plebiscites。　…　Final　establishment　of　the　Dictatorship。　…　Its　dangers

and　necessity。　…　Public　power　now　able　to　do　its　work。



Sieyès　comprehended　this：　he　detects　on　the　horizon　the　two　specters

which；　for　ten　years；　have　haunted　all　the　governments　of　France；

legal　anarchy　and　unstable　despotism；　he　has　found　a　magic　formula

with　which　to　exorcise　these　two　phantoms；　henceforth　〃power　is　to

come　from　above　and　confidence　from　below。〃＇19＇　…　Consequently；　the

new　constitutional　act　withdraws　from　the　nation　the　right　to　elect

its　deputies；　it　will　simply　elect　candidates　to　the　deputation　and

through　three　degrees　of　election；　one　above　the　other；　thus；　it　is　to

take　part　in　the　choice　of　its　candidates　only　through　〃an　illusory

and　metaphysical　participation。〃＇20＇　The　right　of　the　electors　of　the

first　degree　is　wholly　reduced　to　designating　one…tenth　among

themselves；　the　right　of　those　of　the　second　degree　is　also　reduced　to

designating　one…tenth　among　themselves；　the　right　of　those　of　the

third　degree　is　finally　reduced　to　designating　one…tenth　of　their

number；　about　six　thousand　candidates。　On　this　list；　the　government

itself；　by　right　and　by　way　of　increasing　the　number；　inscribes　its

own　high　functionaries；　evidently；　on　such　a　long　list；　it　will　have

no　difficulty　in　finding　men　who；　as　simple　tools；　will　be　devoted　to

it。　Through　another　excess　of　precaution；　the　government；　on　its　sole

authority；　in　the　absence　of　any　list；　alone　names　the　first

legislature。　Last　of　all；　it　is　careful　to　attach　handsome　salaries　to

these　legislative　offices；　10；000　f。；　15；000　f。；　and　30；000　f。　a　year；

parties　canvass　with　it　for　these　places　the　very　first　day；　the

future　depositaries　of　legislative　power　being；　to　begin　with；

solicitors　of　the　antechamber。　…　To　render　their　docility　complete；

there　is　a　dismemberment　of　this　legislative　power　in　advance；　it　is

divided　among　three　bodies；　born　feeble　and　passive　by　institution。

Neither　of　these　has　any　initiative；　their　deliberations　are　confined

to　laws　proposed　by　the　government。　Each　possesses　only　a　fragment　of

function；　the　〃Tribunat〃　discusses　without　passing　laws；　the　〃Corps

Législatif〃　decrees　without　discussion；　the　conservative〃　Sénat〃　is　to

maintain　this　general　paralysis。　〃What　do　you　want？〃　said　Bonaparte　to

Lafayette。＇21＇　〃Sieyès　everywhere　put　nothing　but　ghosts；　the　ghost　of

a　legislative　power；　the　ghost　of　a　judiciary；　the　ghost　of　a

government。　Something　substantial　had　to　be　put　in　their　place。　Ma

foi；　I　put　it　there；〃　in　the　executive　power。



There　it　is；　completely　in　his　hands；　other　authorities　to　him　are

merely　for　show　or　as　instruments。＇22＇　The　mutes　of　the　Corps

Législatif　come　annually　to　Paris　to　keep　silent　for　four　months；　one

day　he　will　forget　to　convoke　them；　and　nobody　will　remark　their

absence。　…　As　to　the　Tribunat；　which　talks　too　much；　he　will　at　first

reduce　its　words　to　a　minimum　〃by　putting　it　on　the　diet　of　laws；〃

afterward；　through　the　interposition　of　the　senate；　which　designates

retiring　members；　he　gets　rid　of　troublesome　babblers；　finally；　and

always　through　the　interposition　of　the　senate；　titular　interpreter；

guardian；　and　reformer　of　the　constitution；　he　ventilates　and　then

suppresses　the　Tribunat　itself。　…　The　senate　is　the　grand　instrument

by　which　he　reigns；　he　commands　it　to　furnish　the　senatus…consultes　of

which　he　has　need。　Through　this　comedy　played　by　him　above；　and

through　another　complementary　comedy　which　he　plays　below；　the

plebiscite；　he　transforms　his　ten…year　consulate　into　a　consulate　for

life；　and　then　into　an　empire；　that　is　to　say；　into　a　permanent；

legal；　full；　and　perfect　dictatorship。　In　this　way　the　nation　is

handed　over　to　the　absolutism　of　a　man　who；　being　a　man；　cannot　fail

to　think　of　his　own　interest　before　all　others。　It　remains　to　be　seen

how　far　and　for　how　long　a　time　this　interest；　as　he　comprehends　it；

or　imagines　it；　will　accord　with　the　interest　of　the　public。　All　the

better　for　France　should　this　accord　prove　complete　and　permanent；　all

the　worse　for　France　should　it　prove　partial　and　temporary。　It　is　a

terrible　risk；　but　inevitable。　There　is　no　escape　from　anarchy　except

through　despotism；　with　the　chance　of　encountering　in　one　man；　at

first　a　savior　and　then　a　destroyer；　with　the　certainty　of　henceforth

belonging　to　an　unknown　will　fashioned　by　genius　and　good　sense；　or　by

imagination　and　egoism；　in　a　soul　fiery　and　disturbed　by　the

temptations　of　absolute　power；　by　success　and　universal　adulation；　in

a　despot　responsible　to　no　one　but　himself；　in　a　conqueror　condemned

by　the　impulses　of　conquest　to　regard　himself　and　the　world　under　a

light　growing　falser　and　falser。



Such　are　the　bitter　fruits　of　social　dissolution：　the　authority　of　the

state　will　either　perish　or　become　perverted；　each　uses　it　for　his　own

purposes；　and　nobody　is　disposed　to　entrust　it　to　an　external

arbitrator；　and　the　usurpers　who　seize　it　only　remain　trustee　on

condition　that　they　abuse　it；　when　it　works　in　their　hands　it　is　only

to　work　against　its　office。　It　must　be　accepted　when；　for　want　of

better　or　fear　of　worse；　through　a　final　usurpation；　it　falls　into　the

only　hands　able　to　restore　it；　organize　it