第283章

Two advantages give this party the ascendancy， and these advantages are of such importance that henceforth whoever possesses them is sure of being master. - In the first place the prevailing theory is on the side of the revolutionaries， and they alone are， in the second place， determined thoroughly to apply it. This party， therefore， is the only one which is consistent and popular in the face of adversaries who are unpopular and inconsequent. Nearly all of the latter， indeed， defenders of the ancient régime， or partisans of a limited monarchy， are likewise imbued with abstract principles and philosophical speculation. The most refractory nobles have advocated the rights of man in their memorials. Mounier， the principal opponent of the demagogues， was the leader of the commons when they proclaimed themselves to be the National -Assembly.[33]

This is enough： they have entered the narrow defile which leads to the abyss. They had no idea of it at the first start， but one step leads to another， and， willing or unwilling， they march on， or are pushed on. When the abyss comes in sight it is too late； they have been driven there by the logical results of their own concessions；they can do nothing but wax eloquent and indignant； having abandoned their vantage ground， they find no halting-place remaining. - There is an enormous power in general ideas， especially if they are simple， and appeal to the passions. None are simpler than these， since they are reducible to the axiom which assumes the rights of man， and subordinate to them every institution， old or new. None are better calculated to inflame the sentiments， since the doctrine enlists human arrogance and pride in its service， and， in the name of justice， consecrates all the demands of independence and domination. Consider three-fourths of the deputies， immature and prejudiced， possessing no information but a few formulas of the current philosophy， with no thread to guide them but pure logic， abandoned to the declamation of lawyers， to the wild utterances of the newspapers， to the promptings of self-esteem， to the hundred thousand tongues which， on all sides， at the bar of the Assembly， at the tribune， in the clubs， in the streets， in their own breasts， repeat unanimously to them， and every day， the same flattery：

"You are sovereign and omnipotent. Right is vested in you alone.

The King exists only to execute your will. Every order， every corporation， every power， every civil or ecclesiastical association is illegitimate and null the moment you declare it to be so. You may even transform religion. You are the fathers of the country.

You have saved France， you will regenerate humanity. The whole world looks on you in admiration； finish your glorious work --forward， always forward."Superior good sense and rooted convictions could alone stand firm against this flood of seductions and solicitations； but vacillating and ordinary men are carried away by it. In the harmony of applause which rises， they do not hear the crash of the ruins they produce. In any case， they stop their ears， and shun the cries of the oppressed； they refuse to admit that their work could possibly bring about evil results； they accept the sophisms and untruths which justify it； they allow the assassinated to be calumniated in order to excuse the assassins； they listen to Merlin de Douay， who， after three or four jacqueries， when pillaging， arson， and murder are going on in all the provinces， has just declared in the name of the Committee on Feudalism[34] that "a law must be presented to the people， the justice of which may enforce silence on the feudatory egoists who， for the past six months， so indecently protest against plunder； the wisdom of which may restore to a sense of duty the peasant who has been led astray for a moment by his resentment of a long oppression." And when Raynal， the surviving patriarch of the philosophic party， one day， for a wonder， takes the plain truth with him into their tribune， they resent his straightforwardness as an outrage， and excuse it solely on the ground of his imbecility. An omnipotent legislator cannot depreciate himself； like a king he is condemned to self-admiration in his public capacity. "There were not thirty deputies amongst us，" says a witness， "who thought differently from Raynal，" but "in each other's presence the credit of the Revolution， the perspective of its blessings， was an article of faith which had to be believed in；" and， against their own reason， against their conscience， the moderates， caught in the net of their own acts， join the revolutionaries to complete the Revolution.

Had they refused， they would have been compelled； for， to obtain the power， the Assembly has， from the very first， either tolerated or solicited the violence of the streets. But， in accepting insurrectionists for its allies， it makes them masters， and henceforth， in Paris as in the provinces， illegal and brutal force becomes the principal power of the State. "The triumph was accomplished through the people； it was impossible to be severe with them；"[35] hence， when insurrections were to be put down， the Assembly had neither the courage nor the force necessary. "They blame for the sake of decency； they frame their deeds by expediency." and in turn justly undergo the pressure which they themselves have sanctioned against others. Only three or four times do the majority， when the insurrection becomes too daring --after the murder of the baker Fran？ois， the insurrection of the Swiss Guard at Nancy， and the outbreak of the Champ de Mars -- feel that they themselves are menaced， vote for and apply martial law， and repel force with force. But， in general， when the despotism of the people is exercised only against the royalist minority， they allow their adversaries to be oppressed， and do not consider themselves affected by the violence which assails the party of the "right：" they are enemies， and may be given up to the wild beasts.