第691章

[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 (According to the unpublished memoirs of Baudot.)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.