But more than all this they are now Jacobins， and after nearly three years of preaching， the dogma of popular sovereignty has taken deep root in their empty brains. "In these groups，" writes a police commissioner， "the Constitution is held to be useless and the people alone are the law. The citizens of Paris on the public square think themselves the people， populus， what we call the universality of citizens."[22] -- It is of no use to tell them that， alongside of Paris， there is a France. Danton has shown them that the capital " is composed of citizens belonging one way or another to the eighty-three departments； that is has a better chance than any other place to appreciate ministerial conduct； that it is the first sentinel of the nation，" which makes them confident of being right.[23] -- It is of no use to tell them that there are better-informed and more competent authorities than themselves. Robespierre assures them that "in the matter of genius and public-spiritedness the people are infallible， whilst every one else is subject to mistakes，"[24] and here they are sure of their capacity. -- In their own eyes they are the legitimate， competent authorities for all France， and， during three years， the sole theme their courtiers of the press， tribune， and club， vie with each other in repeating to them， is the expression of the Duc de Villeroy to Louis XIV. when a child： "Look my master， behold this great kingdom！ It is all for you， it belongs to you， you are its master！" -- Undoubtedly， to swallow and digest such gross irony people must be half-fools or half-brutes； but it is exactly their capacity for self-deception which makes them different from the sensible or passive crowd and casts them into a band whose ascendancy is irresistible. Convinced that a street mob is entitled to absolute rule and that the nation expresses its sovereignty through its gatherings， they alone assemble the street mobs， they alone， by virtue of their conceit and lack of judgment， believe themselves kings .
Such is the new power which， in the early months of the year 1792， starts up alongside of the legal powers. It is not foreseen by the Constitution； nevertheless it exists and declares itself； it is visible and its recruits can be counted.[25] On the 29th of April， with the Assembly consenting， and contrary to the law， three battalions from the suburb of St. Antoine， about 1500 men，[26] march in three columns into the hall， one of which is composed of fusiliers and the other two of pikemen， "their pikes being from eight to ten feet long，" of formidable aspect and of all sorts， "pikes with laurel leaves， pikes with clover leaves， pikes à carlet， pikes with turn-spits， pikes with hearts， pikes with serpents tongues， pikes with forks， pikes with daggers， pikes with three prongs， pikes with battle-axes， pikes with claws， pikes with sickles， lance-pikes covered with iron prongs." On the other side of the Seine three battalions from the suburb of St. Marcel are composed and armed in the same fashion.
This constitutes a kernel of 3，000 more in other quarters of Paris.
Add to these in each of the sixty battalions of the National guard the gunners， almost all of them blacksmiths， locksmiths and horse-shoers， also the majority of the gendarmes， old soldiers discharged for insubordination and naturally inclined to rioting， in all an army of about 9，000 men， not counting the usual accompaniment of vagabonds and mere bandits； ignorant and eager， but men who do their work， well armed， formed into companies， ready to march and ready to strike.
Alongside of the talking authorities we have the veritable force that acts， for it is the only one which does act. As formerly the praetorian guard of the Caesars in Rome， or the Turkish guards of the Caliphs of Baghdad， it is henceforth master of the capital， and through the capital， of the Nation.
III.
Its leaders. - Their committee. -. Methods for arousing the crowd.
As the troops are so are their leaders. Bulls must have drovers to conduct them， one degree superior to the brute but only one degree， dressed， talking and acting in accordance with his occupation， without dislikes or scruples， naturally or willfully hardened， fertile in jockeying and in the expedients of the slaughterhouse， themselves belonging to the people or pretending to belong to them. Santerre is a brewer of the Faubourg St. Antoine， commander of the battalion of "Enfants Trouvés，" tall， stout and ostentatious， with stentorian lungs， shaking the hand of everybody he meets in the street， and when at home treating everybody to a drink paid for by the Duke of Orleans.