第523章

* Panis， president of the Committee of Supervision， a good subordinate， his born disciple and bootlicker， an admirer of Robespierre's whom he proposes for the dictatorship， as well as of Marat， whom he extols as a prophet；[66]

* Henriot， Hébert， and Rossignol， simple evil-doers in uniform or in their scarves；* Collot d'Herbois， a stage poetaster， whose theatrical imagination delights in a combination of melodramatic horrors；[67]

* Billaud-Varennes， a former oratorian monk， irascible and gloomy， as cool before a murder as an inquisitor at an auto-da-fé；finally， the wily Robespierre， pushing others without committing himself， never signing his name， giving no orders， haranguing a great deal， always advising， showing himself everywhere， getting ready to reign， and suddenly， at the last moment， pouncing like a cat on his prey， and trying to slaughter his rivals， the Girondists.[68]

Up to this time， in slaughtering or having it done， it was always as insurrectionists in the street； now， it is in places of imprisonment， as magistrates and functionaries， according to the registers of a lock-up， after proofs of identity and on snap judgments， by paid executioners， in the name of public security， methodically， and in cool blood， almost with the same regularity as subsequently under "the revolutionary government." September， indeed， is the beginning of it， a summary and a model； they will not do it differently or better than during the best days of the guillotine. Only， as they are as yet poorly supplied with tools， they are obliged to use pikes instead of the guillotine， and， as decency has not entirely disappeared， the chiefs conceal themselves behind maneuvers. Nevertheless， we can track them， take them in the act， and we have their signatures； they planned commanded， and conducted the operation. On the 30th of August， the Commune decided that the sections should try accused persons， and， on the 2nd of September， five trusted sections reply to it by resolving that the accused shall be murdered.69 The same day， September 2， Marat takes his place on the Committee of Supervision.

The same day， September 2， Panis and Sergent sign the commissions of "their comrades，" Maillard and associates， for the Abbaye， and "order them to judge，" that is to say， kill the prisoners.[70] The same and the following days， at La Force， three members of the Commune， Hébert， Monneuse， and Rossignol， preside in turn over the assassin court.[71]

The same day， a commissar of the Committee of Supervision comes and demands a dozen men of the Sans-Culottes section to help massacre the priests of Saint Firmin.[72] The same day， a commissar of the Commune visits the different prisons during the slaughter， and finds that "things are going on well in all of them."[73] The same day， at five o'clock in the afternoon， BillaudVarennes， deputy-attorney for the Commune， "in his well-known puce-colored coat and black perruque，"walking over the corpses， says to the Abbaye butchers： "Fellow-citizens， you are immolating your enemies， you are performing your duty." He returns during the night， highly commends them， and confirms the promise of the "agreed wages." On the following any at noon， he again returns， congratulates them more warmly， allows each one twenty francs， and urges them to keep on.[74] -- In the mean time， Santerre， summoned to the general staff headquarters by Roland， hypocritically deplores his voluntary inability， and persists in not giving the orders， without which the National Guard cannot move.[75]

At the sections， the presidents， Chénier， Ceyrat， Boula， Momoro， Collot d'Herbois， dispatch or take their victims back under pikes. At the Commune， the council-general votes 12，000 francs， to be taken from the dead， to defray the expenses of the operation.[76] In the Committee of Supervision， Marat sends off dispatches to spread murder through the departments. -- It is evident that the leaders and their subordinates are unanimous， each at his post and in the service he performs； through the spontaneous co-operation of the whole party， the command from above meets the impulse from below；[77] both unite in a common murderous disposition， the work being done with the more precision in proportion to its being easily done. -- Jailers have received orders to open the prison doors， and give themselves no concern. Through an excess of precaution， the knives and forks of the prisoners have been taken away from them.[78] One by one， on their names being called， they will march out like oxen in a slaughter-house， while about twenty butchers to each prison， from to two to three hundred in all，[79] will suffice to do the work.

V. Abasement and Stupor.

Common workers. -- Their numbers. -- Their condition. -- Their sentiments.-- Effect of murder on the murderers. -- Their degradation. -- Their insensibility.

Two kinds of men make up the recruits， and it is especially on their crude brains that we have to admire the effect of the revolutionary dogma.

First， there are the Federates of the South， lusty fellows， former soldiers or old bandits， deserters， bohemians， and scoundrels of all lands and from every source， who， after finishing their work at Marseilles and Avignon， have come to Paris to begin over again.