第506章

This is more than clear， their declared purpose is a complete leveling， not alone of political rights， but， again， and especially， of conditions and fortunes； they promise themselves "absolute equality， real equality，" and， still better， "the magistracy and all government powers."[130] France belongs to them， if they are bold enough to seize hold of it. -- And， on the other hand， should they miss their prey， they feel themselves lost， for the Brunswick manifesto，[131] which had made no impression on the public， remains deeply impressed in their minds. They apply its threats to themselves， while their imagination， as usual， translates it into a specific legend：[132] all the inhabitants of Paris are to be led out on the plain of Saint-Denis， and there decimated； previous to this， the most notorious patriots will be singled out together with forty or fifty market-women and broken on the wheel. Already， on the 11th of August， a rumor is current that 800 men of the late royal guards are ready to make a descent on Paris；[133] that very day the dwelling of Beaumarchais is ransacked for seven hours；[134] the walls are pierced， the privies sounded， and the garden dug down to the rock. The same search is repeated in the adjoining house. The women are especially "enraged at not finding anything，" and wish to renew the attempt， swearing that they will discover where things are hidden in ten minutes. The nightmare is evidently too much for these unballasted minds. They break down under the weight of their accidental kingship， their inflamed pride， extravagant desires， and intense and silent fears which form in them that morbid and evil concoction which， in democracy as well as in a monarchy， fashions a Nero.[135]

Their leaders， who are even more upset， conceited， and despotic， have no scruples holding them back， for the most noteworthy are corrupt， acting alone or as leaders. Of the three chiefs of the old municipality， Pétion， the mayor， actually in semi-retirement， but verbally respected， is set aside and considered as an old decoration.

The other two remain active and in office， Manuel，[136] the syndic-attorney， son of a porter， a loud-talking， untalented bohemian， stole the private correspondence of Mirabeau from a public depository， falsified it， and sold it for his own benefit. Danton，[137] Manuel's deputy， faithless in two ways， receives the King's money to prevent the riot， and makes use of it to urge it on. -- Varlet， "that extraordinary speech-maker， led such a foul and prodigal life as to bring his mother in sorrow to the grave； afterwards he spent what was left， and soon had nothing."[138] -- Others not only lacked honor but even common honesty. Carra， with a seat in the secret Directory of the Federates， and who drew up the plan of the insurrection， had been condemned by the Macon tribunals to two years' imprisonment for theft and burglary.[139] Westermann， who led the attacking column， had stolen a silver dish， with a coat of arms on it， from Jean Creux， keeper of a restaurant， rue des Poules， and was twice sent away from Paris for swindling.[140] Panis， chief of the Committee of Supervision，[141] was turned out of the Treasury Department， where his uncle was a sub cashier， in 1774， for robbery. His colleague， Sergent， appropriates to himself "three gold watches， an agate ring， and other jewels，" left with him on deposit.[142] "Breaking seals， false charges， breaches of trust，" embezzlements， are familiar transactions. In their hands piles of silver plate and 1，100，000 francs in gold are to disappear.[143]

Among the members of the new Commune， Huguenin， the president， a clerk at the barriers， is a brazen embezzler.[144] Rossignol， a journeyman jeweller， implicated in an assassination， is at this moment subject to judicial prosecution.[145] Hébert， a journalistic garbage bag， formerly check-taker in a theatre， is turned away from the Variétés for larceny.[146] Among men of action， Fournier， the American， Lazowski， and Maillard are not only murderers， but likewise robbers，[147] while， by their side， arises the future general of the Paris National Guard， Henriot， at first a domestic in the family of an attorney who turned him out for theft， then a tax-clerk， again turned adrift for theft， and， finally， a police spy， and still incarcerated in the Bicêtre prison for another theft， and， at last， a battalion officer， and one of the September executioners.[148] - Simultaneously with the bandits and rascals， monstrous maniacs come out of their holes. De Sades，[149] who lived the life of "Justine" before he wrote it， and whom the Revolution delivered from the Bastille， is secretary of the section of the Place Vend？me. Marat， the homicidal monomaniac， constitutes himself， after the 23rd of August， official journalist at the H？tel-de-ville， political advisor and consciousness of the new Commune， and the obsessive plan， which he preaches for three years， is merely an instant and direct wholesale butchery.

"Give me，" said he to Barbaroux，[150] "two hundred Neapolitans armed with daggers， and with only a hand-kerchief on their left arms for a buckler， and I will overrun France and build the Revolution."According to him it is necessary to do away with 260，000 men "on humane grounds，" for， unless this is done， there is no safety for the rest.