His Last Speech
马克西米连·罗伯斯比尔/Maximilien Robespierre
马克西米连·罗伯斯比尔（1758—1794），法国大革命时期雅各宾派领袖。生于阿拉斯一个律师家庭，毕业于巴黎路易学院，当过律师、法官，1788年当选为阿拉斯市三级会议代表。1793年5月领导了以推翻吉伦特派统治为目标的起义，并建立了雅各宾派专政。因树敌甚多，被看作独裁。1794年7月24日，被丹东的拥护者逮捕，第二天被送上断头台。
共和国的敌人称我为暴君！假若这是真的，那他们一定会趴在我的脚下。我会用黄金塞饱他们，并赦免他们的罪行，他们定会感激不尽。假如我是个暴君，那些被我们征服的国王就绝不会谴责罗伯斯比尔，反而会伸出他们的罪恶之手来支持我了，他们和我之间定会达成联盟。暴政必须有工具，但是暴政的敌人，他们的道路又会趋向何方呢？是坟墓，还是永生！什么样的暴君是我的保护者呢？我是属于哪一派的？你们自己！有哪一派从大革命开始以来查出这许多叛徒，并粉碎、消灭这些叛徒？这就是你们，是人民——我们的原则！一个我忠于的派别，这也正是所有流氓都反对的！
确保共和国的存在一直是我的目标；而我知道共和国只能建立在永恒的道德基础之上。为了反对我，反对那些和我有共同原则的人，他们结成了联盟。至于说我的生命，我早已置之度外！我曾看见过去，也预见将来。一个忠于自己国家的人，当他不能再为自己的国家服务，不能使无辜的人免受迫害时，他怎么会希望再活下去？在这阴谋诡计永远压倒真理、正义受到嘲弄的地方，在这最鄙薄的情欲和最无稽的恐惧常凌驾于人类的神圣利益之上的地方，我还能在这样的制度下继续做些什么呢？目睹在革命的潮流中，泥沙俱下，鱼龙混杂，周围都是混迹在人类真诚朋友之中的坏人，我必须承认，在这样的环境中，有时我确实害怕我的子孙后代会认为我已同流合污了。令我高兴的是，这些反对我们国家的阴谋家，因为不顾一切地疯狂行动，现在已经在他们和所有忠诚正直的人之间划下了一条深深的界限。
只要向历史请教一下，你便可以看到，在各个时代，所有的自由卫士是如何受尽诽谤的。但那些诽谤者也终不免一死。善人与恶人同样要从世上消失，只是死法大不相同。法兰西人，我的同胞啊，不要让你的敌人用那为人唾弃的原则使你的灵魂堕落，令你的美德削弱！不，萧梅特，不！死亡并不是“长眠”！公民们！请抹去这用亵渎的手刻在墓碑上的铭文，因为它给整个自然界蒙上一层丧纱，使受压迫的清白者失去支持，使死亡失去有益的积极意义！请在墓碑上刻上这样的话吧：“死亡是不朽之始！”我为压迫人民者留下骇人的遗嘱，只有一个事业已近尽头的人才能毫无顾忌地这样说，这也是严峻的真理：“你必定要死亡！”
The enemies of the Republic call me tyrant！Were I such they would grovel at my feet. I should gorge them with gold， I should grant them impunity for their crimes， and they would be grateful.Were I such， the kings we have vanquished， far from denouncing Robespierre， would lend me their guilty support.There would be a covenant between them and me.Tyranny must have tools.But the enemies of tyranny—whither does their path tend？To the tomb， and to immortality！What tyrant is my protector？To what faction do I belong？Yourselves！What faction， since the beginning of the Revolution， has crushed and annihilated so many detected traitors？You， the people—our principles—are that faction！A faction to which I am devoted， and against which all the scoundrelism of the day is banded！
The confirmation of the Republic has been my object；andI know that the Republic can be established only on the eternal basis of morality. Against me， and against those who hold kindred principles， the league is formed.My life？Oh， my life I abandon without a regret！I have seen the Past；and I foresee the Future.What friend of his country would wish to survive the moment when he could no longer serve it—when he could no longer defend innocence against oppression？Wherefore should I continue in an order of things， where intrigue eternally triumphs over truth；where justice is mocked；where passions the most abject， or fears the most absurd， override the sacred interests of humanity？In witnessing the multitude of vices which the torrent of the Revolution has rolled in turbid communion with its civic virtues， I confess that I have sometimes feared that I should be sullied， in the eyes of posterity， by the impure neighborhood of unprincipled men， who had thrust themselves into association with the sincere friends of humanity；and I rejoice that these conspirators against my country have now， by their reckless rage， traced deep the line of demarcation between themselves and all true men.
Question history， and learn how all the defenders of liberty， in all times， have been overwhelmed by calumny. But their traducers died also.The good and the bad disappear alike from the earth；but in very different conditions.O Frenchmen！O my countrymen！Let not your enemies， with their desolating doctrines， degrade your souls， and enervate your virtues！No， Chaumette， no！Deathis not "an eternal sleep！" Citizens！Efface from the tomb that motto， graven by sacrilegious hands， which spreads over all nature a funereal crape， takes from oppressed innocence its support， and affronts the beneficent dispensation of death！Inscribe rather thereon these words "Death is the commencement of immortality！" I leave to the oppressors of the people a terrible testament， which I proclaim with the independence befitting one whose career is so nearly ended；it is the awful truth："Thou shalt die！"