第485章

Legendre is a choleric butcher， who even in the Convention maintains his butchering traits. There are three or four foreign adventurers， experienced in all kinds of deadly operations， using the saber or the bayonet without warning people to get out of the way. Rotonde， the first one， is an Italian， a teacher of English and professional rioter， who， convicted of murder and robbery， is to end his days in Piedmont on the gallows. The second， Lazowski， is a Pole， a former dandy， a conceited fop， who， with Slave facility， becomes the barest of naked sans-culottes； former enjoying a sinecure， then suddenly turned out in the street， and shouting in the clubs against his protectors who he sees put down； he is elected captain of the gunners of the battalion St. Marcel， and is to be one of the September slaughterers. His drawing-room temperament， however， is not rigorous enough for the part he plays in the streets， and at the end of a year he is to die， consumed by a fever and by brandy. The third is another chief slaughterer at the September massacres. Fournier， known as the American， a former planter， who has brought with him from St. Domingo a contempt for human life； "with his livid and sinister countenance， his mustache， his triple belt of pistols， his coarse language， his oaths， he looks like a pirate." By their side we encounter a little hump-backed lawyer named Cuirette-Verrières， an unceasing speaker， who， on the 6th of October， 1789， paraded the city on a large white horse and afterwards pleaded for Marat， which two qualifications with his Punch figure， fully establish him in the popular imagination； the rugged guys， moreover， who hold nocturnal meetings at Santerre's needed a writer and he probably met their requirements. - This secret society can count on other faithfuls. "Brière， wine-dealer， Nicolas， a sapper in the 'Enfants Trouvés' battalion， Gonor， claiming to be one of the victors of the Bastille，"[27] Rossignol， an old soldier and afterwards a journeyman-jeweler， who， after presiding at the massacres of La Force， is to become an improvised general and display his incapacity， debauchery， and thievery throughout La Vendée. "There are yet more of them，" Huguenin undoubtedly， a ruined ex-lawyer， afterwards carabineer， then a deserter， next a barrier-clerk， now serving as spokesman for the Faubourg St. Honoré and finally president of the September commune； there was also， doubtless， St. Huruge alias Père Adam， the great barker of the Palais-Royal， a marquis fallen into the gutter， drinking with and dressing like a common porter， always flourishing an enormous club and followed by the riffraff.[28]

-- These are all the leaders. The Jacobins of the municipality and of the Assembly confine their support of the enterprise to conniving at it and to giving it their encouragement.[29] It is better for the insurrection to seem spontaneous. Through caution or shyness the Girondins， Pétion， Manual and Danton himself， keep in the background -- there is not reason for their coming forward. -- The rest， affiliated with the people and lost in the crowd， are better qualified to fabricate the story which their flock will like. This tale， adapted to the crowd's intellectual limits， form and activity， is both simple and somber， such as children like， or rather a melodrama taken from an alien stage in which the good appear on one side， and the wicked on the other with an ogre or tyrant in the center， some infamous traitor who is sure to be unmasked at the end of the piece and punished according to his deserts， the whole grandiloquent terms and， as a finale， winding up with a grand chorus. In the raw brain of an over-excited workman politics find their way only in the shape of rough-hewn， highly-colored imagery， such as is furnished by the Marseillaise， the Carmagnole， and the ？a ira. The requisite motto is adapted to his use； through this misshapen magnifying glass the most gracious figure appears under a diabolical aspect. Louis XVI. is represented here "as a monster using his power and treasure to oppose the regeneration of the French. A new Charles IX.， he desires to bring on France death and desolation. Be gone， cruel man， your crimes must end！ Damiens was less guilty than thou art！ He was punished with the most horrible torture for having tried to rid France of a monster， while you， attempting twenty-five million times more， are allowed full immunity！[30] Let us trample under our feet this simulacra of royalty ！ Tremble tyrants， Sc？volas are still amongst you！"All this is pronounced， declaimed or rather shouted， publicly， in full daylight， under the King's windows， by stump-speakers mounted on chairs， while similar provocations daily flow from the committee installed in Santerre's establishment， now in the shape of displays posted in the faubourgs， now in that of petitions circulated in the clubs and sections， now through motions which are gotten up "among the groups in the Tuileries， in the Palais-Royal， in the Place de Grève and especially on the Place de la Bastille." After the 2nd of June the leaders founded a new club in the church of the "Enfants Trouvés"that they might have their special laboratory and thus do their work on the spot.[31] Like Plato's demagogues， they understand their business. They have discovered the cries which make the popular animal take note， what offense offends him， what charm attracts him， and on what road he should be made to follow. Once drawn in and under way， he will march blindly on， borne along by his own involuntary inspiration and crushing with his mass all that he encounters on his path.

IV.

The 20th of June. -- The programme. -- The muster. -- The procession before the Assembly. -- Irruption into the Chateau. -- The King in the presence of the people.