第668章

Thus， whilst other despots raise a moderate weight， calling around them either the majority or the flower of the nation， employing the best strength of the country and lengthening their lever (of despotism) as much as possible， the Jacobins attempt to raise an incalculable weight， repel the majority as well as the flower of the nation， discard the best strength of the country， and shorten their lever to the utmost. They hold on only to the shorter end， the rough， clumsy， iron-bound， creaking and grinding extremity， that is to say， to physical force， - the means for physical constraint， the heavy hand of the gendarme on the shoulder of the suspect， the jailer's bolts and keys turned on the prisoner， the club used by the sans-culottes on the back of the bourgeois to quicken his pace， and， better still， the Septembriseur's pike thrust into the aristocrat's belly， and the blade falling on the neck held fast in the clutches of the guillotine. -Such， henceforth， is the only machinery they posses for governing the country， for they have deprived themselves of all other. Their engine has to be exhibited， for it works only on condition that its bloody image be stamped indelibly on every body's imagination； if the Negro monarch or the pasha desires to see heads bowing as he passes along， he must be escorted by executioners. They must abuse their engine because fear losing its effect through habit， needs example to keep it alive； the Negro monarch or the pasha who would keep the fear alive by which he rules， must be stimulated every day； he must slaughter too many to be sure of slaughtering enough； he must slaughter constantly， in heaps， indiscriminately， haphazard， no matter for what offense， on the slightest suspicion， the innocent along with the guilty. He and his are lost the moment they cease to obey this rule. Every Jacobin， like every African monarch or pasha， must it that he may be and remain at the head of his band. - That is the reason why the chiefs of the party， its natural and pre-determined leaders， are theoreticians able to grasp its principle and logicians capable of drawing its consequences. They are， however， so inept as to be unable to understand that their enterprise exceeds both their own and all other human resources， but shrewd enough to see that brutal force is their only tool， inhuman enough to apply it unscrupulously and without reserve， and perverted enough to murder at random in order to disseminate terror.

Notes：

[1] Buchez et Roux， XXXII， 354. (Speech by Robespierre in the Convention， Floréal 18， year II.) " Sparta gleams like a flash of lightening amidst profoundest darkness".

[2] Milos taken by the Athenians； Thebes， after Alexander's victory；Corinth， after its capture by the Romans. - In the Peloponnesian war， the Plateans， who surrender at discretion， are put to death. Nicias is murdered in cold blood after his defeat in Sicily. The prisoners at ？gos-Potamos have their thumbs cut off.

[3] Fustel de Coulanges，"La Cité Antique"， ch. XVII.

[4] Plato， "The Apology of Socrates." - See also in the "Crito"Socrates' reasons for not eluding the penalty imposed on him. The antique conception of the State is here clearly set forth.

[5] Cf. the code of Manu， the Zendavesta， the Pentateuch and the Tcheou-Li. In this last code (Biot's translation)， will be found the perfection of the system， particularly in vol. I.， 241， 247， II.， 393， III.， 9， 11， 21， 52. "Every district chief， on the twelfth day of the first moon， assembles together the men of his district and reads to them the table of rules； he examines their virtue， their conduct， their progress in the right path， and in their knowledge， and encourages them； he investigates their errors， their failings and prevents them from doing evil. . . . Superintendents of marriages see that young people marry at the prescribed age." The reduction of man to a State automaton is plain enough in the institution of "Overseer of Gags. . ." At all grand hunts， at all gatherings of troops， he orders the application of gags. In these cases gags are put in the soldiers' mouths； they then fulfill their duties without tumult or shouting."[6] These two words have no exact equivalents in Greek or Latin， Conscientia， dignitas， honos denote different shade of meaning. This difference is most appreciable in the combination of the two modern terms delicate conscience， scrupulous conscience， and the phrase of stake one's honour on this or that， make it a point of honor， the laws of honor， etc. The technical terms of antique morality： the beautiful， truthfulness， the sovereign good， indicate ideas of another stamp and origin.

[7] Alas， modern 20th century democratic Man has given up honor and conscience， all he has got to do is to be correct and follow the thousands of rules governing his life. And ， of course， make sure that he is following orders or sure of not being caught when he breaks the natural rules of friendship， honor or conscience. Conscience， on the other had， will always lurk somewhere in the shadows of our mind， because we all know how we would like to be treated by others， and will be forced not to transgress certain boundaries in case an intended victim might be in a position to take his revenge. That I am not alone in seeing things this way I noted in an interview with the 79 year old French author Michel Déon in Le Figaro on the 16th of May 1998 in which Mr. Déon said： " Everywhere we are still in a nursery.