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he shall be dropped down or whether he should die in some other way;

the Chevalier d'Ambly; torn from his chateau and dragged naked into

the village; placed on a dung…heap after having his eyebrows and all

his hair pulled out; while the crowd kept on dancing around him。〃



In the midst of a disintegrated society; under the semblance only of

a government; it is manifest that an invasion is under way; an

invasion of barbarians which will complete by terror that which it

has begun by violence; and which; like the invasions of the Normans

in the tenth and eleventh centuries; ends in the conquest and

dispossession of an entire class。  In vain the National Guard and

the other troops that remain loyal succeed in stemming the first

torrent; in vain does the Assembly hollow out a bed for it and

strive to bank it in by fixed boundaries。  The decrees of the 4th of

August and the regulations which follow are but so many spiders'

webs stretched across a torrent。  The peasants; moreover; putting

their own interpretation on the decrees; convert the new laws into

authority for continuing in their course or beginning over again。

No more rents; however legitimate; however legal!



〃Yesterday;〃'46' writes a gentleman of Auvergne; we were notified

that the fruit…tithe (percières) would no longer be paid; and that

the example of other provinces was only being followed which no

longer; even by royal order; pay tithes。〃 In Franche…Comté 〃numerous

communities are satisfied that they no longer owe anything either to

the King or to their lords。  。  。  。  The villages divide amongst

themselves the fields and woods belonging to the nobles。〃 



 It must be noted that charter…holding and feudal titles are still

intact in three…fourths of France; that it is the interest of the

peasant to ensure their disappearance; and that he is always armed。

To secure a new outbreak of jacqueries; it is only necessary that

central control; already thrown into disorder; should be withdrawn。

This is the work of Versailles and of Paris; and there; at Paris as

well as at Versailles; some; through lack of foresight and

infatuation; and others; through blindness and indecision   the

latter through weakness and the former through violence  all are

laboring to accomplish it。



____________________________________________________________________



Notes:



'1' Dusaulx; 374。  〃 I remarked that if there were a few among the

people at that time who dared commit crime; there were several who

wished it; and that every one endured it。〃   〃 Archives

Nationales;〃 DXXIX; 3。  (Letter of the municipal authorities of

Crémieu; Dauphiny; November 3; 1789。) 〃The care taken to lead them

first to the cellars and to intoxicate them; can alone give a

conception of the incredible excesses of rage to which they gave

themselves up in the sacking and burning of the chateaux。〃



'2' Mercure de France; January 4; 1792。  (〃Revue politique de

l'année 1791;〃 by Mallet du Pan。)



'3' Albert Babeau; I。  206。  (Letter of the deputy Camuzet de

Belombre; August 22; 1789。) The executive power is absolutely gone

to…day。〃   Gouverneur Morris; letter of July 31; 1789: 〃This

country is now as near in a state of anarchy as it is possible for a

community to be without breaking up。〃



'4' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 H。  1453。  Letter of M。 Amelot; July

24th; H。  784; of M。 de Langeron; October 16th and 18th 。   KK。

1105。  correspondence of M。 de Thiard; October 7th and 30th;

September 4th。   Floquet; VII。  527; 555。  …  Guadet; 〃Histoire

des Girondins〃 (July 29; 1789)。



'5' M。 de Rochambeau; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。  353 (July 18th)。  …  Sauzay;

〃Histoire de la Persécution Révolutionnaire dans le Département de

Doubs;〃 I。  128 (July 19th。)   〃Archives Nationales;〃 F7; 3253。

(Letter of the deputies of the provincial commission of Alsace;

September 8th。) D。  XXIX。  I。  note of M。 de Latour…du…Pin; October

28; 1789。  …  Letter of M。 de Langeron; September 3rd; of Breitman;

garde…marteau; Val Saint…Amarin (Upper Alsace); July 26th。



'6' Léonce de Lavergne; 197。  (Letter of the intermediate commission

of Poitou; the last month in 1789。)   Cf。  Brissot (Le patriote

fran?ais; August; 1789)。  〃General insubordination prevails in the

provinces because the restraints of executive power are no longer

felt。  What were but lately the guarantees of that power? The

intendants; tribunals; and the army。  The intendants are gone; the

tribunals are silent; and the army is against the executive power

and on the side of the people。  Liberty is not a nourishment for

unprepared stomachs。〃



'7' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 D。  XXIX。  I。  (Letter of the clergy;

consuls; présidial…councillors and principal merchants of Puy…en…

Velay; September 16; 1789。)   H。  1453。  (letter of the Intendant

or Alen?on; July 18th)。  〃I must not leave you in ignorance of the

multiplied outbreaks we have in all parts of my jurisdiction。  The

impunity with which they flatter themselves; because the judges are

afraid of irritating the people by examples of severity; only

emboldens them。  Mischief…makers; confounded with honest folks;

spread false reports about particular persons whom they accuse of

concealing grain; or of not belonging to the Third…Estate; and;

under this pretext; they pillage their houses; taking whatever they

can find; the owners only avoiding death by flight。〃



'8' A body of magistrates forming one of the lower tribunals。…'Tr。'



'9' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 H。  942。  (Observations of M。 de

Ballainvilliers; October 30; 1789。)



'10' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 D; XXIX。  1。  Letter of the municipal

assembly of Louviers; the end of August; 1789。  …  Letter of the

communal assembly of Saint…Bris (bailiwick of Auxerre); September

25th。  …  Letter of the municipal officers of Ricey…Haut; near Bar…

sur…Seine; August 25th; of the Chevalier d'Allouville; September

8th。



'11' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 D; XXIX。  I。  Letter of M。 Briand…

Delessart (Angoulême; August 1st)。   Of M。 Bret; Lieutenant…

General of the provostship of Mardogne; September 5th。   Of the

Chevalier de Castellas (Auvergue); September 15th (relating to the

night between the 2nd and 3rd of August)。  …  Madame Campan; II。

65。



'12' Arthur Young; 〃Voyages in France;〃 July 24th and 31st; August

13th and 19th。



'13' De Bouillé; 108。  …  〃 Archives Nationales;〃 KK。  1105。

Correspondence of M。 deThiard; September 20; 1789 (apropos of one

hundred guns given to the town of Saint…Brieuc)。  〃They are not of

the slightest use; but this passion for arms is a temporary epidemic

which must be allowed to subside of itself。  People are determined

to believe in brigands and in enemies; whereas neither exist。〃  

September 25th; 〃Vanity alone impels them; and the pride of having

cannon is their sole motive。〃



'14' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 H。  1453。  Letters of M。 Amelot; July

17th and 24th。  〃Several wealthy private persons of the town

(Auxonne) have been put to ransom by this band; of which the largest

portion consists of ruffians。〃 … Letter of nine cultivators of

Breteuil (Picardy) July 23rd (their granaries were pillaged up to

the last grain the previous evening)。  〃They threaten to pillage our

crops and set our barns on fire as soon as they are full。  M。

Tassard; the notary; has been visited in his house by the populace;

and his life has been threatened。〃 Letter of Moreau; Procureur du

Roi at the Senechal's Court at Bar…le…Duc; September 15; 1789; D;

XXIX; 1。  〃On the 27th of July the people rose and most cruelly

assassinated a merchant trading in wheat。  On the 27th and 28th his

house and that of another were sacked;〃 etc。



'15' Chronicle of Dominick Schmutz (〃Revue d'Alsace;〃 V。  III。  3rd

series。  These are his own expressions: Gesindel; Lumpen…gesindel。

 De Rochambeau; 〃Mémoires;〃 I。  353。  …  Arthur Young (an eye…

witness); July 21st。   Of Dampmartin (eye…witness); I。  105。  M。

de Rochambeau shows the u

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