第879章

The phrases in vogue form a decent， academical drapery for his ideas， or serve him as a red cap for the club； he is not bewildered by democratic illusions， and entertains no other feeling than disgust for the revolution and the sovereignty of the populace. - At Paris， in April，1792， when the struggle between the monarchists and the revolutionaries is at its height， he tries to find "some successful speculation，"[23] and thinks he will hire and sublet houses at a profit. On the 20th of June he witnesses， only as a matter of curiosity， the invasion of the Tuileries， and， on seeing the king at a window place the red cap on his head， exclaims， so as to be heard， "Che Caglione！" Immediately after this： "How could they let that rabble enter！ Mow down four or five hundred of them with cannons and the rest would run away." On August 10， when the tocsin sounds， he regards the people and the king with equal contempt； he rushes to a friend's house on the Carrousel and there， still as a looker-on， views at his ease all the occurrences of the day.[24] Finally， the chateau is forced and he strolls through the Tuileries， looks in at the neighboring cafés， and that is all： he is not disposed to take sides， he has no Jacobin or royalist inclination. His features， even， are so calm "as to provoke many hostile and distrustful stares， as someone who is unknown and suspicious." - Similarly， after the 31st of May and the 2nd of June， his "Souper de Beaucaire" shows that if he condemns the departmental insurrection it is mainly because he deems it futile： on the side of the insurgents， a defeated army， no position tenable， no cavalry， raw artillerymen， Marseilles reduced to its own troops， full of hostile sans-culottes and so besieged， taken and pillaged. Chances are against it： "Let the impoverished regions， the inhabitants of Vivaris， of the Cevennes， of Corsica， fight to the last extremity， but if you lose a battle and the fruit of a thousand years of fatigue， hardship， economy， and happiness become the soldier's prey."[25] Here was something with which the Girondists could be converted！ - None of the political or social convictions which then exercised such control over men's minds have any hold on him. Before the 9th of Thermidor he seemed to be a "republican montagnard，" and we follow him for months in Provence. "the favorite and confidential adviser of young Robespierre，" "admirer" of the elder Robespierre，[26] intimate at Nice with Charlotte Robespierre. After the 9th of Thermidor has passed， he frees himself with bombast from this compromising friendship： "Ithought him sincere，" says he of the younger Robespierre， in a letter intended to be shown， "but were he my father and had aimed at tyranny， I would have stabbed him myself." On returning to Paris， after having knocked at several doors， he takes Barras for a patron. Barras， the most brazen of the corrupt， Barras， who has overthrown and contrived the death of his two former protectors.[27] Among the contending parties and fanaticisms which succeed each other he keeps cool and free to dispose of himself as he pleases， indifferent to every cause and concerning himself only with his own interests. - On the evening of the 12th of Vendémiaire， on leaving the Feydeau theatre， and noticing the preparations of the sectionists，[28] he said to Junot：

"Ah， if the sections put me in command， I would guarantee to place them in the Tuileries in two hours and have all those Convention rascals driven out！ "Five hours later， summoned by Barras and the Conventionalists， he takes "three minutes" to make up his mind， and， instead of "blowing up the representatives，" he mows down the Parisians. Like a good condottière， he does not commit himself， considers the first that offers and then the one who offers the most， only to back out afterwards， and finally， seizing the opportunity， to grab everything.

- He will more and more become a true condottière， that is to say， leader of a band， increasingly independent， pretending to submit under the pretext of the public good， looking out only for his own interest， self-centered， general on his own account and for his own advantage in his Italian campaign before and after the 18th of Fructidor.[29] He is， however， a condottière of the first class， already aspiring to the loftiest summits， "with no stopping-place but the throne or the scaffold，"[30] "determined[31] to master France， and through France Europe. Without distraction， sleeping only three hours during the night，" he plays with ideas， men， religions， and governments， exploiting people with incomparable dexterity and brutality. He is， in the choice of means as of ends， a superior artist， inexhaustible in glamour， seductions， corruption， and intimidation， fascinating， and yet more terrible than any wild beast suddenly released among a herd of browsing cattle. The expression is not too strong and was uttered by an eye-witness， almost at this very date， a friend and a competent diplomat： "You know that， while I am very fond of the dear general， Icall him to myself the little tiger， so as to properly characterize his figure， tenacity， and courage， the rapidity of his movements， and all that he has in him which maybe fairly regarded in that sense."[32]