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the origins of contemporary france-3-第124章

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embittered by hard labor;'90' 。 。 。 jealous of the grocer's wife;

better dressed than herself; as the latter was of the wives of the

attorney and counselor; as these were of those of the financier and

noble。 The woman of the people thinks she cannot do too much to lower

the grocer's wife to her own level。〃







Thus reduced to its dregs through the withdrawal of its tolerably

honest recruits; the faction now comprises none but the scum of the

populace; first; 〃subordinate workmen who look upon the downfall of

their employers with a certain satisfaction;〃 then; the small

retailers; the old…clothes dealers; plasterers; 〃those who offer

second…hand coats for sale on the fringes of the market; fourth…rate

cooks who; at the cemetery of the Innocents; sell meat and beans under

umbrella tops;〃'91' next; domestics highly pleased with now being

masters of their masters; kitchen helpers; grooms; lackeys; janitors;

every species of valet; who; in contempt of the law; voted at the

elections'92' and at the Jacobin club form a group of 〃silly people〃

satisfied 〃that they were universal geographers because they had

ridden post once or twice;〃 and that they were politicians 〃because

they had read 'The Four Sons of Aymon。'〃'93'  But; in this mud;

spouting and spreading around in broad daylight; it is the ordinary

scum of great cities which forms the grossest flux; the outcasts of

every trade and profession; dissipated workmen of all kinds; the

irregular and marauding troops of the social army; the class which;

〃discharged from La Pitié; run through a career of disorder and end in

Bicêtre。〃'94'  〃From La Pitié to Bicêtre〃 is a well known popular

adage。  Men of this stamp are without any principle whatever。 If they

have fifty francs they live on fifty; and if they have only five they

live on five; spending everything; they are always out of pocket and

save nothing。 This is the class that took the Bastille;'95' got up the

10th of August; etc。  It is the same class which filled the galleries

in the Assembly with all sorts of characters; filling up the groups;〃

and; during all this time it never did a stroke of work。 Consequently;

〃a wife who owns a watch; ear…rings; finger…rings; any jewels; first

takes them to the pawnbrokers where they end up being sold。 At this

period many of these people owe the butcher; the baker; the wine…

dealer; etc。; nobody trusts them any more。 They have ceased to love

their wives; and their children cry for food; while the father is at

the Jacobin club or at the Tuileries。  Many of them have abandoned

their position and trade;〃 while; either through 〃indolence〃 or

consciousness 〃of their incapacity;〃 。 。 。  〃they would with a kind of

sadness see this trade come back to life。〃 That of a political gossip;

of a paid claqueur; is more agreeable; and such is the opinion of all

the idlers; summoned by the bugle to work on the camps around Paris。 …

… Here;'96' eight thousand men are paid forty sous a day 〃to do

nothing〃; 〃the workmen come along at eight; nine and ten o'clock in

the morning。  If they remain after roll…call 。 。 。 they merely trundle

about a few wheelbarrow loads of dirt。 Others play cards all day; and

most of them leave at three or four o'clock; after dinner。  On asking

the inspectors about this they reply that they are not strong enough

to enforce discipline; and are not disposed to have their throats

slit。〃 Whereupon; on the Convention decreeing piece…work; the

pretended workers fall back on their equality; remind it that they had

risen on the 10th of August; and wish to massacre the commissioners。

It is not until the 2nd  of November that they are finally dismissed

with an allowance of three sous per league mileage for those of the

departments。  Enough; however; remain in Paris to increase

immeasurably the troop of drones which; accustomed to consuming the

store of honey; think they have a right to be paid by the public for

buzzing around the State。



As a rear…guard; they have 〃the rabble of the suburbs of Paris; which

flocks in at every tap of the drum because it hopes to make

something。〃'97' As advance…guard they have 〃brigands;〃 while the front

ranks contain 〃all the robbers in Paris; which the faction has

enrolled in its party to use when required;〃 the second ranks are made

up of 〃a number of former domestics; the bullies of gambling…houses

and of houses of ill…fame; all the vilest class。〃'98'  Naturally;

lost women form a part of the crowd 〃Citoyennes;〃 Henriot says;

addressing the prostitutes of the Palais…Royal; whom he has assembled

in its garden; 〃citoyennes; are you good republicans?〃  〃Yes; general;

yes!〃  〃Have you; by chance; any refractory priest; any Austrian; any

Prussian; concealed in your apartments?〃  〃Fie; fie! We have nobody

but sans…culottes! 〃'99'  Along with these are the thieves and

prostitutes out of the Chatelet and Conciergerie; set at liberty and

then enlisted by the September slaughterers; under the command of an

old hag named Rose Lacombe;'100' forming the usual audience of the

Convention; on important days; seven or eight hundred of these may be

counted; sometimes two thousand; stationed at the entrance and in the

galleries; from nine o'clock in the morning。'101'  Male and female;

〃this anti…social vermin 〃102thus crawls around at the sessions of the

Assembly; the Commune; the Jacobin club; the revolutionary tribunal;

the sections and one may imagine the physiognomies it offers to view。

〃It would seem;〃 says a deputy;'103' 〃as if every sink in Paris and

other great cities had been scoured to find whatever was foul; the

most hideous; and the most infected。 。 。 。 Ugly; cadaverous features;

black or bronzed; surmounted with tufts of greasy hair; and with eyes

sunken half…way into the head。 。 。 。 They belched forth with their

nauseous breath the grossest insults amidst sharp cries like those of

carnivorous animals。〃  Among them there can be distinguished 〃the

September murderers; whom〃 says an observer'104' in a position to know

them; 〃I can compare to nothing but lazy tigers licking their paws;

growling and trying to find a few more drops of blood just spilled;

awaiting a fresh supply。〃 Far from hiding away they strut about and

show themselves。 One of them; Petit…Mamain; son of an innkeeper at

Bordeaux and a former soldier; 〃with a pale; wrinkled face; sharp eyes

and bold air; wearing a scimitar at his side and pistols at his belt;〃

promenades the Palais…Royal'105' 〃accompanied or followed at a

distance by others of the same species;〃 and 〃taking part in every

conversation。〃  〃It was me;〃 he says; 〃who ripped open La Lamballe and

tore her heart out。 。 。 。 All I have to regret is that the massacre

was such a short one。  But we shall have it over again。 Only wait a

fortnight!〃 and; thereupon; he calls out his own name in defiance。 

Another; who has no need of stating his well…known name; Maillard;

president of the Abbaye massacres; has his head…quarters at the café

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