In short， the largest portion of the army has deserted. However kind a superior officer might be， the fact of his being a superior officer secures for him the treatment of an enemy. The governor， "M. de Sombreuil， against whom these people could utter no reproach，" will soon see his artillerists point their guns at his apartment， and will just escape being hung on the iron-railings by their own hands. Thus the force which is brought forward to suppress insurrection only serves to furnish it with recruits. And even worse， for the display of arms that was relied on to restrain the mob， furnished the instigation to rebellion.
VI.
July 13th and 14th 1789.
The fatal moment has arrived； it is no longer a government which falls that it may give way to another； it is all government which ceases to exist in order to make way for an intermittent despotism， for factions blindly impelled on by enthusiasm， credulity， misery， and fear.[33] Like a tame elephant suddenly become wild again， the mob throws off it ordinary driver， and the new guides who it tolerates perched on its neck are there simply for show. In future it will move along as it pleases， freed from control， and abandoned to its own feelings， instincts， and appetites. -- Apparently， there was no desire to do more than anticipate its aberrations. The King has forbidden all violence； the commanders order the troops not to fire；[34] but the excited and wild animal takes all precautions for insults； in future， it intends to be its own conductor， and， to begin， it treads its guides under foot. -- On the 12th of July， near noon，[35] on the news of the dismissal of Necker， a cry of rage arises in the Palais-Royal； Camille Desmoulins， mounted on a table， announces that the Court meditates "a St. Bartholomew of patriots."The crowd embrace him， adopt the green cockade which he has proposed， and oblige the dancing-saloons and theaters to close in sign of mourning： they hurry off to the residence of Curtius， and take the busts of the Duke of Orleans and of Necker and carry them about in triumph. -- Meanwhile， the dragoons of the Prince de Lambesc， drawn up on the Place Louis-Quinze， find a barricade of chairs at the entrance of the Tuileries， and are greeted with a shower of stones and bottles.[36] Elsewhere， on the Boulevard， before the H？tel Montmorency， some of the French Guards， escaped from their barracks， fired on a loyal detachment of the "Royal Allemand." - The alarm bell is sounding on all sides， the shops where arms are sold are pillaged， and the H？tel-de-Ville is invaded；fifteen or sixteen well-disposed electors， who meet there， order the districts to be assembled and armed. -- The new sovereign， the people in arms and in the street， has declared himself.
The dregs of society at once come to the surface. During the night between the 12th and 13th of July，[37] "all the barriers， from the Faubourg Saint-Antoine to the Faubourg Saint-Honoré， besides those of the Faubourgs Saint-Marcel and Saint-Jacques， are forced and set on fire." There is no longer an octroi； the city is without a revenue just at the moment when it is obliged to make the heaviest expenditures； but this is of no consequence to the mob， which， above all things， wants to have cheap wine. "Ruffians， armed with pikes and sticks， proceed in several parties to give up to pillage the houses of those who are regarded as enemies to the public welfare.""They go from door to door crying， 'Arms and bread！' During this fearful night， the bourgeoisie kept themselves shut up， each trembling at home for himself and those belonging to him." On the following day， the 13th， the capital appears to be given up to bandits and the lowest of the low. One of the bands hews down the gate of the Lazarists， destroys the library and clothes-presses， the pictures， the windows and laboratory， and rushes to the cellars；where it staves in the casks and gets drunk： twenty-four hours after this， about thirty of them are found dead and dying， drowned in wine， men and women， one of these being at the point of childbirth.
In front of the house[38] the street is full of the wreckage， and of ruffians who hold in their hands， " some， eatables， others a jug， forcing the passers-by to drink， and pouring out wine to all comers.
Wine runs down into the gutter， and the scent of it fills the air；"it is a drinking bout： meanwhile they carry away the grain and flour which the monks kept on hand according to law， fifty-two loads of it being taken to the market. Another troop comes to La Force， to deliver those imprisoned for debt； a third breaks into the Garde Meuble， carrying away valuable arms and armour. Mobs assemble before the hotel of Madame de Breteuil and the Palais-Bourbon， which they intend to ransack， in order to punish their proprietors. M. de Crosne， one of the most liberal and most respected men of Paris， but， unfortunately for himself a lieutenant of the police， is pursued， escaping with difficulty， and his hotel is sacked. --During the night between the 13th and 14th of May， the baker's shops and the wine shops are pillaged； "men of the vilest class， armed with guns， pikes， and turnspits， make people open their doors and give them something to eat and drink， as well as money and arms."Vagrants， ragged men， several of them "almost naked，" and "most of them armed like savages， and of hideous appearance；" they are " such as one does not remember to have seen in broad daylight；" many of them are strangers， come from nobody knows where.[39] It is stated that there were 50，000 of them， and that they had taken possession of the principal guard-houses.