第698章

Of course， previous to the 9th of Thermidor， none of them open their mouths； it is only the "Montagnards" who make speeches， and on the countersign being given. If Legendre， the admirer， disciple and confidential friend of Danton， dares at one time interfere in relation to the decree which sends his friend to the scaffold， asking that he may first be heard， it is only to retract immediately； that very evening， at the Jacobin club， for greater security， "he wallows in the mud；"[9] he declares "that he submits to the judgment of the revolutionary Tribunal，" and swears to denounce "whoever shall oppose any obstacle to the execution of the decree."[10] Has not Robespierre taught him a lesson， and in his most pedantic manner？ What is more beautiful， says the great moralist， more sublime， than an Assembly which purges itself？[11] - Thus， not only is the net which has already dragged out so many palpitating victims still intact， but it is enlarged and set again， only， the fish are now caught on the "Left" as well as on the "Right，" and preferably on the topmost benches of the "Mountain."[12] And better still， through the law of Prairial 22， its meshes are reduced in size and its width increased； with such admirable contraption， the fishpond could not fail to be exhausted. Alittle before the 9th of Thermidor， David， who was one of Robespierre's devoted adherents， himself exclaimed： "Will twenty of us be left on the Mountain？" About the same time， Legendic， Thuriot， Léonard Bourdon， Tallien， Bourdon de l'Oise， and others， each has a spy all day long at his heels. There are thirty deputies to be proscribed and their names are whispered about； whereupon， sixty stay out all night， convinced that they will be seized the next morning before they can get up.[13]

Subject to such a system， prolonged for so many months， people sink down and become discouraged. "Everybody made themselves small so as to pass beneath the popular yoke.[14] Everybody became one of the low class. . . . Clothes， manners， refinement， cleanliness， the conveniences of life， civility and politeness were all renounced." -People wear their clothes indecently and curse and swear； they try to resemble the sans-culottes Montagnards "who are profane and dress themselves like so many dock-loafers；"[15] at Armonville， the carder， who presides (at a meeting) wears a woolen cap， and similarly at Cusset， a gauze-workman， who is always drunk. Only Robespierre dares appear in neat attire； among the others， who do not have his influence， among the demi-suspects with a pot-belly， such a residue of the ancient régime might become dangerous； they do well not to attract the attention of the foul-mouthed spy who cannot spell；[16] especially is it important at a meeting to be one of the crowd and remain unnoticed by the paid claqueurs， drunken swaggerers and "fat petticoats" of the tribunes. It is even essential to shout in harmony with them and join in their bar-room dances. The deputations of the popular clubs come for fourteen months to the bar of the house and recite their common-place or bombastic tirades， and the Convention is forced to applaud them. For nine months，[17] street ballad-singers and coffee-house ranters attend in full session and sing the rhymes of the day， while the Convention is obliged to join in the chorus. For six weeks，[18] the profaners of churches come to the hall and display their dance-house buffooneries， and the Convention has not only to put up with these， but also to take part in them. - Never， even in imperial Rome， under Nero and Heliogabalus， did a senate descend so low.

II.

How the parades are carried out. - Its slavery and servility - Its participation in crime.