第446章

The Parties.- The "Right." - "Center." - The "Left." - Opinions and sentiments of the Girondins. - Their Allies of the extreme "left."In an assembly thus composed and surrounded， it is easy to foresee on which side the balance will turn. -- Through the meshes of the electoral net which the Jacobins have spread over the whole country， about one hundred well-meaning individuals of the common run， tolerably sensible and sufficiently resolute， Mathieu Dumas， Dumolard， Becquet， Gorguereau， Vaublanc， Beugnot， Girardin， Ramond， Jaucourt， were able to pass and form the party of the "Right."[24] They resist to as great an extent as possible， and seem to have obtained a majority. -- For， of the four hundred deputies who have their seats in the center， one hundred and sixty-four are inscribed on the rolls with them at the Feuillants club， while the rest， under the title of "Independents，" pretend to be of no party.[25] Besides， the whole of these four hundred， through monarchical traditions， respect the King；timid and sensible， violence is repugnant to them. They distrust the Jacobins， dread what is unknown， desire to be loyal to the Constitution and to live in peace. Nevertheless， the pompous dogmas of the revolutionary catechism still have their prestige with them； they cannot comprehend how the Constitution which they like produces the anarchy which they detest； they are "foolish enough to bemoan the effects while swearing to maintain their causes； totally deficient in spirit， in union and in boldness，" they float backwards and forwards between contradictory desires， while their predisposition to order merely awaits the steady impulsion of a vigorous will to turn it in the opposite direction. -- On such docile material the "Left" can work effectively. It comprises， indeed， but one hundred and thirty-six registered Jacobins and about a hundred others who， in almost all cases， vote with the party；[26] rigidity of opinion， however， more than compensates for lack of numbers. In the front row are Guadet， Brissot， Gensonné， Veygniaud， Ducos， and Condorcet， the future chiefs of the Girondists， all of them lawyers or writers captivated by deductive politics， absolute in their convictions and proud of their faith. According to them principles are true and must be applied without reservation；[27] whoever would stop half-way is wanting in courage or intelligence. As for themselves their minds are made up to push through. With the self-confidence of youth and of theorists they draw their own conclusions and hug themselves with their strong belief in them. "These gentlemen，" says a keen observer，[28]

"professed great disdain for their predecessors， the Constituents， treating them as short-sighted and prejudiced people incapable of profiting by circumstances.""To the observations of wisdom， and disinterested wisdom，[29] they replied with a scornful smile， indicative of the aridity proceeding from self-conceit. One exhausted himself in reminding them of events and in deducing causes from these； one passed in turn from theory to experience and from experience to theory to show them their identity and， when they condescended to reply it was to deny the best authenticated facts and contest the plainest observations by opposing to these a few trite maxims although eloquently expressed. Each regarded the other as if they alone were worthy of being heard， each encouraging the other with the idea that all resistance to their way of looking at things was pusillanimity."In their own eyes they alone are capable and they alone are patriotic.

Because they have read Rousseau and Mably， because their tongue is untied and their pen flowing， because they know how to handle the formul？ of books and reason out an abstract proposition， they fancy that they are statesmen.[30] Because they have read Plutarch and "Le Jeune Anacharsis，" because they aim to construct a perfect society out of metaphysical conceptions， because they are in a ferment about the coming millennium， they imagine themselves so many exalted spirits.

They have no doubt whatever on these two points even after everything has fallen in through their blunders， even after their obliging hands are sullied by the foul grasp of robbers whom they were the first to instigate， and by that of executioners of which they are partners in complicity.[31] To this extent is self-conceit the worst of sophists.

Convinced of their superior enlightenment and of the purity of their sentiments， they put forth the theory that the government should be in their hands. Consequently they lay hold of it in the Legislative body in ways that are going to turn against them in the Convention. They accept for allies the worst demagogues of the extreme "Left，" Chabot， Couthon， Merlin， Bazière， Thuriot， Lecointre， and outside of it， Danton， Robespierre， Marat himself， all the levelers and destroyers whom they think of use to them， but of whom they themselves are the instruments. The motions they make must pass at any cost and， to ensure this， they let loose against their adversaries the low， yelping mob which others， still more factious， will to-morrow let loose on them.

V.

Their means of action. -- Dispersion of the Feuillants' club.--Pressure of the tribunes on the Assembly. -- Street mobs.