第720章

It is well for you to know that a few lines from me could send you to the guillotine in two days."[63] Buchez et Roux， XXX.， 185. (Reply of Billaud， Collot， Vadier and Barère to the renewed charges against them by Lecointre.) - Moniteur， XXIV.， 84. (Session of Germinal 7， year III.) Words of Barère： "On the 4th of Thermidor， in the Committee， Robespierre speaks like a man who had orders to give and victims to point out." - " And you， Barère，" he replies， "remember the report you made on the2nd of Thermidor，"[64] Heraclitus ( c. 540-480 BC) pre-Socratic philosopher， who believed in a cosmic justice where sinners would be punished and haunted by the Erinyes， (the furies) the handmaids of justice. (SR).

[65] Saint-Just， report on the Girondists， July 8， 1793； on the necessity of imprisoning persons inimical to the Revolution， Feb.26， 1794； on the Hébertists， March 13； on the arrest of Herault-Séchelles and Simond， March 17； on the arrest of Danton and associates March 31；on a general policy， April 15. - Cf.， likewise， his report on declaring the government revolutionary until peace is declared， Oct.

10， 1793， and his report of the 9th of Thermidor， year II.

[66] Buchez et Roux， XXXI.， 346. (Report of March 13， 1794.) -XXXII.， 314. (Report of April 15.)[67] See "The Revolution，" II.， 313.

[68] A single phrase often suffices to give the measure of a man's intellect and character. The following by Saint-Just has this merit.

(Apropos of Louis XVI. who， refraining from defending himself， left the Tuileries and took refuge in the Assembly on the 10th of August.)"He came amongst you； he forced his way here. . . . He resorted to the bosom of the legislature； his soldiers burst into the asylum. .

. . He made his way， so to say， by sword thrusts into the bowels of his country that he might find a place of concealment."[69] Particularly in the long report on Danton containing a historic survey of the factions， (Buchez et Roux， XXXII.， 76，) and the report on the general police， (Ibid.， 304，) with another historic document of the same order. "Brissot and Ronsin (were) recognized royalists. .

. . Since Necker a system of famine has been devised. . . .

Necker had a hand in the Orleans faction. . . . Double representation (of the Third Estate) was proposed for it." Among other charges made against Danton； after the fusillade on the Champ de Mars in July， 1791 "You went to pass happy days at Arcis-sur-Aube， if it is possible for a conspirator against his country to be happy. . . .

When you knew that the tyrant's fall was prepared and inevitable you returned to Paris on the 9th of August. You wanted to go to bed on that evil night. . . . Hatred， you said， is insupportable to me and (yet) you said to us 'I do not like Marat，' etc." There is an apostrophe of nine consecutive pages against Danton， who is absent.

[70] Buchez et Roux， Ibid.， 312. "Liberty emanated from the bosom of tempests； its origin dates with that of the world issuing out of chaos along with man， who is born dissolved in tears." (Applause.) - Ibid.， 308. Cf. his portrait， got up for effect， of the "revolutionary who is "a treasure of good sense and probity."[71] Ibid.， 312. "Liberty is not the chicanery of a palace； it is rigidity towards evil."[72] Barère， " Mémoires，" I. 347. "Saint-Just . . . discussed like a vizier."[73] Buchez et Roux， XXXII.， 314. "Are the lessons furnished by history， the examples afforded by all great men， lost to the universe？

These all counsel us to lead obscure lives； the lowly cot and virtue form the grandeurs of this world. Let us seek our habitations on the banks of streams， rock the cradles of our children and educate them in Disinterestedness and Intrepidity." - As to his political or economic capacity and general ideas， read his speeches and his "Institutions，"(Buchez et Roux， XXVIII.， 133； XXX.， 305， XXXV.， 369，) a mass of chemical and abstract rant.

[74] Carnot， I.， 527. (Narrated by Prieur.) "Often when hurriedly eating a bit of dry bread at the Committee table， Barère with a jest， brought a smile on our lips."[75] Veron， II.， 14.-Arnault， II.， 74. - Cf.， passim， "Mémoires de Barère，" and the essay on Barère by Macaulay.

[76] Vilate， Barère Edition， 184， 186， 244. " Fickle， frank， affectionate， fond of society， especially that of women， in quest of luxuries and knowing how to spend money." - Carnot， II. 511. In Prieur's eyes， Barère was simply "a good fellow."[77] Moniteur， XXI.， 173. (Justification of Joseph Lebon and "his somewhat harsh ways.") "The Revolution is to be spoken of with respect， and revolutionary measures with due regard. Liberty is a virgin， to raise whose veil is a crime." - And again： "The tree of Liberty grows when watered with the blood of tyrants."[78] Moniteur， XX.， 580， 582， 583， 587. - "Campagnes de la Révolution Fran？aise dans les Pyrénées-Orientales，" by Fervel， II.， 36 and following pages. - General Dugommier， after the capture of Toulouse， spared the English general O'Hara， taken prisoner in spite of the orders of the Convention. and received the following letter from the committee of Public Safety. "The Committee accepts your victory and your wound as compensations." On the 24th of December， Dugommier， that he may not be present at the Toulon massacres， asks to return to the convention and is ordered off to the army of the eastern Pyrenees. -In 1797， there were thirty thousand French prisoners in England.