That Book About Le Bas--Again, finally
Saturday, 29 March 2008 16:40![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
montagnarde1793Le Bas as a deputy to the National Convention. – He embraces Robespierre’s principles. – He gives an account of his political conduct to his father. – The reasons for his self-effacing attitude in the Convention. – The trial of Louis XVI. – Dumouriez. – The moral situation of the Assembly. – The
Soon the wish he had secretly formed will be fulfilled:
The zeal that he deployed in his administrative functions, the success he had obtained as a lawyer, the friendship founded on a profound esteem that Maximilien Robespierre, his former classmate, had for him, had fixed public attention upon him; and when the National Convention was to be convoked, he was one of the deputies sent by the department of Pas-de-Calais to this assembly.[1]
Convinced of the purity of Robespierre’s intentions, he embraced his principles and remained faithful to them, despite the dangers that he saw accumulate upon his head: “Upright, modest, silent,” said Lamartine, “he believed in the virtue as in the infallibility of Robespierre.” In the Convention he followed the thought of this last “like the immovable star of his opinions”; but he had not placed his conscience as his votes in his hands, as Lamartine claims; his votes conformed to those of Robespierre because the two friends fought for the same cause; and Le Bas’ conscience, far from being subjugated, guided Robespierre more than once along the path of clemency and generosity, unfamiliar to the awesome Jacobin.
Le Bas, who was present at the Convention’s gravest debates since 21 September 1792 until the end of 1793, wrote almost every day to his old father, and gave him, in a way, a account of his political conduct; I reproduce the letters that have remained to us, those of the father as well as those of the son:
Letter from the Conventionnel.
Of
I arrived here yesterday at
LE
Letter from the Conventionnel.
I am addressing some papers to you, my dear father. I hope they will interest you. I will make sure to send you more from time to time. The Convention goes well enough. The news from the armies are satisfying and everything seems to promise the success of the good cause. There are two songs that are very popular here in the package. Bonvallet salutes you. A thousand friendly sentiments to my brothers and sisters.
LE
Letter from the Conventionnel.
I address the bulletin of the Convention to you, my dear father. Nothing new here. We hope soon to have news of the army of Dumouriez. I have not yet received any letters from François. Have you been happier? I embrace you.
LE
Letter from his father.
At Frévent,
Year I of the Republic.[7]
I received yesterday, at
It seems to me that patriotism is starting to awaken here. We must furnish forty-seven men for the complement of our contingent. They assembled yesterday afternoon, and, my word, the great part of the enlistees are fine men, and ça ira.
The same thing is being done in neighboring localities; I believe that they will follow the [same] example and that we will succeed in assembly a mass of forces so imposing that our enemies will be forced to retreat and abandon the attempt they have made on
Berceau wrote to me, on the 27th, from the camp of Dampierre-sur-Aube, army of the Centre. Here is what he tells me; he was at the affair of the 20th: “Firing commenced at
François wrote your sister Roode two days ago; he is still in Sainte-Menehould or its environs; he complains of having no news, and yet I wrote him twice and you know well that you wrote him before departing for
Your linen is ready; you sisters will send it to Mme Mimerel on the first occasion.
Adieu, my friend. Fare well. We are all doing well.
LE
Letter from the Conventionnel.
I received your letter today, my dear father. I cannot give you surer news but in continuing to send you the bulletin. François wrote me; his letter is dated from the 27th of last month. He is doing well, and shares the ardor of the good army in which he serves. The news that we received today, and that you will know in detail through the bulletin that I will address to you tomorrow, augment our hopes of soon seeing the land of liberty purged of the brigands who wanted to desolate it, and who had already commenced the execution of their dreadful plans. Independently of a few little divisions inseparable from great Assemblies, especially in times of revolution, the Convention still seems generally animated by a good spirit, and decided to fulfill its lofty destinies.
Too many great talents have distinguished themselves here for me to give out an opinion that others will develop better than I unnecessarily. The essential is to do well, to listen well to opine well, and to speak only when one has a truth to tell that without you would escape the others. It is not our personal glory of which it is question today, but of the safety of the Republic. There are my principles, and I hold to them that much more strongly since they are those of many deputies to whose superiority I am pleased to render homage. I have made the acquaintance of Merlin de Douai, whom I have found in good principles. I embrace you. Bonvallet salutes you.
LE
[1] Here are the two passports I have fond in the papers conserved by my father-in-law: one comes from the municipality of Saint-Pol and bears an oval wax seal with these words: “The law and the king”; the second is sealed with a round seal of red wax, with a fleur-de-lys, with the mention: “District of Saint-Pol of Pas-de-Calais; municipality of Frévent.”
“EQUALITY,
“In the name of the Nation.
“Department of Pas-de-Calais, district of Saint-Pol,
“Delivered to the maison commune on
(Beneath the signatures of the mayor, the municipal officers, Le Bas, and Caron, secretary and clerk, are written these words:)
“We, abovementioned mayor and municipal officers, certify to all that it will pertain that the abovementioned Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas merits public esteem and veneration, and that he has acquired an infinite price for the recognition of all good patriots, by propagating public spirit and love of the patrie in this commune, which is honored to procure a defender so devoted to the cause of Liberty and Equality to the National Convention; in testimony of which we have delivered him these present documents to which we have had the seal of the municipality apposed.
“Drawn up at Saint-Pol, in the maison commune, the fifteenth September seventeen ninety-two, year 4 of
(Follow the same signatures as above, to which are joined those of the members of the counsel of the Commune.)
“The law.
“Let pass the sieur Philippe Le Bas, Frenchman domiciled in the city of Saint-Pol, department of Pas-de-Calais, district of Saint-Pol, aged twenty-eight years, height five feet five inches, chestnut-brown [châtain] hair and eyebrows, grey eyes, broad nose, medium-sized mouth, long chin, oval face, high forehead; and lend him aid and help in case of need.
“Given in Frévent, same department and district, under our signature and his, the sixteenth September seventeen ninety-two, year four of
(Follow four signatures, including those of Detoeuf, mayor, and Le Bas).
Other than these two passports, the collection Le Bas contains the following document:
“LIVE
“Equality.
“We the undersigned, president and secretary of the Society of the Friends of Liberty and Equality sitting in Saint-Pol, district of Saint-Pol, department of Pas-de-Calais, affiliated to the mother-society sitting at the Jacobins, in Paris, certify that Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas, elector and deputy to the National Convention, is one of the founders of this Society, that he has always distinguished himself here by his assiduity in the sessions of the Society, his patriotism and his devotion to the chose publique, that he has helped birth and propagate public spirit in this commune, that he brings the esteem and the regrets of all good citizens, of true sans-culottes, that he is currently fulfilling the functions of president, that he has fulfilled them several times since the establishment of this Society, as well as those of secretary; in consequence, we pray our brothers, the members of the societies affiliated to the one of the Jacobins, to regard him as one of their members.
“Given in the ordinary session hall, the fifteenth day of the month of September, the thirty-fifth of Equality, Year 4 of the French Revolution.”
(Signatures of the vice-president and secretary).
[2] Arch. Nat., A. B., XIX, 179 (gift of Le Bas).
[3] I have found in the papers conserved by the family a document, dated from 20 September and signed illegibly, which reads: “Monsieur Le Bas, deputy of the department of Pas-de-Calais to the National Convention, has been registered in the archives.”
[4] Arch. nat. (loc. cit.)
[5] The previous evening, Le Bas had had himself inscribed in the register of declarations of residence. This formality is thus observed:
“MUNCIPALITY OF
“Section of Good Advice
“Extract of the open Register in execution of the law of
“We, the undersigned commissary, certify that on the register enounced above, was inscribed this day, under the n°6; that he has affirmed his true declaration, that he has signed, that he has his passport.
“In faith of which we have delivered the present declaration.
“Drawn up in the Committee 27 September, fourth year of
“BADIN, commissary LE
“GAUVET, Secretary-clerk of Police.”
(these last three words are crossed out with a pen-stroke).
(Document from the collection Le Bas.)
[6] Collection Le Bas.
[7] This letter, like those that follow, bears the address: “To the deputies of the department of Pas-de-Calais to the National Convention, (some read: “to the conventional assembly”) at the home of the citizen Le Bas, Rue Françoise n°6; in
[8] Arch. Nat., A. B., XIX, 179: gift of Le Bas.
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(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2008 06:56 (UTC)Convinced of the purity of Robespierre’s intentions, he embraced his principles and remained faithful to them, despite the dangers that he saw accumulate upon his head: “Upright, modest, silent,” said Lamartine, “he believed in the virtue as in the infallibility of Robespierre.” In the Convention he followed the thought of this last “like the immovable star of his opinions”; but he had not placed his conscience as his votes in his hands, as Lamartine claims; his votes conformed to those of Robespierre because the two friends fought for the same cause; and Le Bas’ conscience, far from being subjugated, guided Robespierre more than once along the path of clemency and generosity, unfamiliar to the awesome Jacobin.
This part is my favorite. It's just so virtuous. And positive!
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2008 07:18 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2008 22:28 (UTC)Conspiracy?(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2008 22:34 (UTC)Not in less you mean, is there a conspiracy of authors who ignore Le Bas so that people won't notice how cute and virtuous he was?(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 30 March 2008 22:50 (UTC)There must be. :O I don't see how he'd get ignored so much otherwise.(no subject)
Date: Monday, 31 March 2008 01:16 (UTC)Evidently... If I ever manage to write that novel I've been researching, he'll definitely have a prominent place in it. I can do that much against the conspiracy, at least.(no subject)
Date: Monday, 31 March 2008 01:33 (UTC)Oh, yey. :D(no subject)
Date: Saturday, 17 May 2008 17:29 (UTC)François wrote your sister Roode two days ago; he is still in Sainte-Menehould or its environs; he complains of having no news, and yet I wrote him twice and you know well that you wrote him before departing for Paris.
XDD I find this amusing.
Also, is 'Roode' short for something or what, do you know? It just seems like a bit of an odd name.
(no subject)
Date: Monday, 19 May 2008 15:35 (UTC)Well, you know, the post in the 18th century = slightly less than reliable. XD I'm really trying to think where a name like Roode could have come from... It sounds almost Dutch, but that wouldn't make much sense. I haven't been able to discover the origins of the name, or whether it's a nickname. It's a bit annoying that there are so many references in these letters that aren't explained. All the more reason Le Bas needs a real biography. >.>