第714章

Some， who are shrewd， think of the more substantial and look out for the future. Foremost among these is Tallien， the king of robbers， but prodigal， whose pockets， full of holes， are only filled to be at once emptied； Javogues， who makes the most of Montbrison； Rovère， who， for eighty thousand francs in assignats， has an estate adjudged to him worth five hundred thousand francs in coin； Fouché， who， in Nièvre， begins to amass the twelve or fourteen millions which he secures later on；[144] and so many others， who were either ruined or impoverished previous to the outbreak of the Revolution， and who are rich when it ends： Barras with his domain of Gros Bois； André Dumont， with the Hotel de Plouy， its magnificent furniture， and an estate worth four hundred thousand livres； Merlin de Thionville， with his country-houses， equipages， and domain of Mont-Valérien， and other domains；Salicetti， Reubell， Rousselin， Chateauneuf-Randon， and the rest of the gluttonous and corrupted members of the Directory. Without mentioning the taxes and confiscations of which they render no account， they have， for their hoard， the ransoms offered underhandedly by "suspects"and their families； what is more convenient？[145] And all the more， because the Committee of General Security， even when informed， let things take their course： to prosecute "Montagnards，" would be "making the Revolution take a step backward." One is bound to humor useful servants who have such hard work， like that of the September killings， to do. Irregularities， as with these September people， must be overlooked； it is necessary to allow them a few perquisites and give them gratuities.[146]

All this would not suffice to keep them at work if they had not been held by an even greater attraction. - To the common run of civilized men， the office of Septembriseur is at first disagreeable； but， after a little practice， especially with a tyrannical nature， which， under cover of the theory， or under the pretext of public safety， can satiate its despotic instincts， all repugnance subsides. There is keen delight in the exercise of absolute power； one is glad， every hour， to assert one's omnipotence and prove it by some act， the most conclusive of all acts being some act of destruction. The more complete， radical and prompt the destruction is， the more conscious one is of one's strength. However great the obstacle， one is not disposed to recede or stand still； one breaks away all the barriers which men call good sense， humanity， justice， and the satisfaction of breaking them down is great. To crush and to subdue becomes voluptuous pleasure， to which pride gives keener relish， affording a grateful incense of the holocaust which the despot consumes on his own altar； at this daily sacrifice， he is both idol and priest， offering up victims to himself that he may be conscious of his divinity. -Such is Saint-Just， all the more a despot because his title of representative on mission is supported by his rank on the Committee of Public Safety： to find natures strained to the same pitch as his， we must leave the modern world and go back to a Caligula， or to a caliph Hakem in Egypt in the tenth century.[147] He also， like these two monsters， but with different formulae， regards himself as a God， or God's vicegerent on earth， invested with absolute power through Truth incarnated in him， the representative of a mysterious， limitless and supreme power， known as the People； to worthily represent this power， it is essential to have a soul of steel.[148] Such is the soul of Saint-Just， and only that. All other sentiments merely serve to harden it； all the metallic agencies that compose it - sensuality， vanity， every vice， every species of ambition， all the frantic outbursts and melancholy vaporings of his youth - are violently commingled and fused together in the revolutionary mold， so that his soul may take the form and rigidity of trenchant steel. Suppose this an animated blade， feeling and willing in conformity with its temper and structure； it would delight in being brandished， and would need to strike； such is the need of Saint-Just. Taciturn， impassible， keeping people at a distance， as imperious as if the entire will of the people and the majesty of transcendent reason resided in his person， he seems to have reduced his passions to the desire of dashing everything to atoms， and to creating dismay. It may be said of him that， like the conquering Tartars， he measures his self-attributed grandeur by what he fells； no other has so extensively swept away fortunes， liberties and lives； no other has so terrifically heightened the effect of his deeds by laconic speech and the suddenness of the stroke. He orders the arrest and close confinement of all former nobles， men and women， in the four departments， in twenty-four hours； he orders the bourgeoisie of Strasbourg to pay over nine millions in twenty-four hours； ten thousand persons in Strasbourg must give up their shoes in twenty-four hours； random and immediate discharges of musketry on the officers of the Rhine army - such are the measures.[149] So much the worse for the innocent； there is no time to discern who they are； "a blind man hunting for a pin in a dust-heap takes the whole heap."[150]