But behind all these discordant authorities the real sovereign， who is the mob， is very soon apparent. -- On the 15th of July it undertakes the demolition of the Bastille of its own accord， and this popular act is sanctioned ； for it is necessary that appearances should be kept up； even to give orders after the blow is dealt， and to follow when it is impossible to lead.[6] A short time after this the collection of the octroi at the barriers is ordered to be resumed； forty armed individuals， however， present themselves in their district and say， that if guards are placed at the octroi stations， "they will resist force with force， and even make use of their cannon." -- On the false rumor that arms are concealed in the Abbey of Montmartre， the abbess， Madame de Montmorency， is accused of treachery， and twenty thousand persons invade the monastery. --The commander of the National Guard and the mayor are constantly expecting a riot； they hardly dare absent themselves a day to attend the King fête at Versailles. As soon as the multitude can assemble in the streets， an explosion is imminent. "On rainy days，" says Bailly， "I was quite at my ease." -- It is under this constant pressure that the Government is carried on； and the elect of the people， the most esteemed magistrates， those who are in best repute， are at the mercy of the throng who clamor at their doors. In the district of St. Roch，[7] after many useless refusals， the General Assembly， notwithstanding all the reproaches of its conscience and the resistance of its reason， is obliged to open letters addressed to Monsieur， to the Duke of Orleans， and to the Ministers of War， of Foreign Affairs， and of the Marine. In the committee on subsistence， M. Serreau， who is indispensable and who is confirmed by a public proclamation， is denounced， threatened， and constrained to leave Paris. M. de la Salle， one of the strongest patriots among the nobles， is on the point of being murdered for having signed an order for the transport of gunpowder；[8] the multitude， in pursuit of him， attach a rope to the nearest street-lamp， ransack the H？tel-de-Ville， force every door， mount into the belfry， and seek for the traitor even under the carpet of the bureau and between the legs of the electors， and are only stayed in their course by the arrival of the National Guard.
The people not only sentence but they execute， and， as is always the case， blindly. At Saint-Denis， Chatel， the mayor's lieutenant， whose duty it is to distribute flour， had reduced the price of bread at his own expense： on the 3rd of August his house is forced open at two o'clock in the morning， and he takes refuge in a steeple； the mob follow him， cut his throat and drag his head along the streets.
-- Not only do the people execute， but they pardon -- and with equal discernment. On the 11th of August， at Versailles， as a parricide is about to be broken on the wheel， the crowd demand his release， fly at the executioner， and set the man free.[9] Veritably this is sovereign power like that of the oriental sovereign who arbitrarily awards life or death！ A woman who protests against this scandalous pardon is seized and comes near being hung； for the new monarch considers as a crime whatever is offensive to his new majesty.
Again， he receives public and humble homage. The Prime Minister， on imploring the pardon of M. de Bezenval at the H？tel-de-Ville， in the presence of the electors and of the public， has put it in appropriate words：
"It is before the most unknown， the obscurest citizen of Paris that I prostrate myself； at whose feet I kneel."A few days before this， at Saint-Germain-en-Laye， and at Poissy， the deputies of the National Assembly not only kneel down in words， but actually， and for a long time， on the pavement in the street， and stretch forth their hands， weeping， to save two lives of which only one is granted to them. - Behold the monarch by these brilliant signs！ Already do the young， who are eager imitators of all actions that are in fashion， ape them in miniature； during the month which follows the murder of Berthier and Foulon， Bailly is informed that the gamins in the streets are parading about with the heads of two cats stuck on the ends of two poles.[10]
II. .
The distress of the people. - The dearth and the lack of work. -How men of executive ability are recruited.