these vague and sublime images moved before their eyes when they climbed
the escarpment of Jemmapes under a storm of grapeshot, or when they
wintered, with naked feet, among the snows of the Vosges. These ideas,
in descending from heaven to earth, were not dishonored and distorted
under their feet, they did not see them transformed in their hands to
frightful caricatures. These men are not pillars of clubs, nor
brawlers in the sections, nor the inquisitors of a committee, nor
hired informers, nor providers for the scaffold. Apart from the sabbath
revolutionaire, brought back to earth by their danger, and having
understood the inequality of talents and the need for discipline, they
do the work of men; they suffer, they fast, they face bullets, they are
conscious of their generosity and their sacrifices; they are heroes, and
they look upon themselves as liberators.[34188] They are proud of this.
According to an astute observer[34189] who knew their survivors,

"many of them believed that the French alone were reasonable beings. ..
In our eyes the people in the rest of Europe, who were fighting to keep
their chains, were only pitiable imbeciles or knaves sold to the despots
who were attacking us. Pitt and Cobourg seemed to us the chiefs of these
knaves and the personification of all the treachery and stupidity in the
world... In 1794 our inmost, serious sentiment was wholly contained in
this idea: to be useful to our country; all other things, our clothes,
our food, advancement, were poor ephemeral details. As society did not
exist, there was no such thing for us as social success, that leading
element in the character of our nation. Our only gatherings were
national festivals, moving ceremonies which nourished in us the love of
our country. In the streets our eyes filled with tears when we saw an
inscription in honor of the young drummer, Barra... This sentiment was
the only religion we had."[34190]

But it was a religion. When the heart of a nation is so high it will
deliver itself, in spite of its rulers, whatever their excesses may be,
whatever their crimes; for the nation atones for their follies by its
courage; it hides their crimes beneath its great achievements.

*****

[Footnote 3401: "Archives Nationales," AF II, 45, May 6, 1793 (in
English).]

[Footnote 3402: Moore, II. 185 (October 20). "It is evident that all the
departments of France are in theory allowed to have an equal share in
the government; y