* as for "all those who consented to soil their hands with the profits of the civil list，"* as for "the 40，000 hired assassins who were gathered at the palace on the night of August 9-10，they are all (say the Jacobins)furious monsters， who ought to be strangled to the last one. People！ you have risen to your feet； stand firm until not one of these conspirators remains alive. Your humanity requires you for once to show yourselves inexorable. Strike terror to the wicked. The proscriptions which we impose on you as a duty， are the sacred wrath of your country."There is no mistaking this； it is a tocsin sounding against all the powers that be， against all social superiority， against priests and nobles， proprietors， capitalists， the leaders of business and industry； it is sounding， in short， against the whole élite of France， whether of old or recent origin. The Jacobins of Paris， by their journals， their examples， their missionaries， give the signal； and in the provinces their kindred spirits， imbued with the same principles， only wait the summons to hurl themselves forward.
II.
In several departments it establishes itself in advance. An instance of this in the Var.
In many departments[8] they have forestalled the summons. In the Var， for example， pillages and proscriptions have begun with the month of May. According to custom， they first seize upon the castles and the monasteries， although these have become national property， at one time alleging as a reason for this that the administration "is too slow in carrying out sentence against the émigrés，" and again， that "the chateau， standing on an eminence， weighs upon the inhabitants."[9]
There is scarcely a village in France that does not contain twoscore wretches who are always ready to line their pockets， which is just the number of thieves who thoroughly sacked the chateau of Montaroux， carrying off "furniture， produce， clothing， even the jugs and bottles in the cellar." There are the same doings by the same band at the chateau of Tournon； the chateau of Salerne is burned， that of Flagose is pulled down； the canal of Cabris is destroyed； then the convent of Montrieux， the chateaux of Grasse， of Canet， of Régusse， of Brovaz， and many others， all devastated， and the devastations are made "daily." -- It is impossible to suppress this country brigandage. The reigning dogma， weakening authority in the magistrates' hands， and the clubs， "which cover the department，" have spread the fermentation of anarchy everywhere. "Administrators， judges， municipal officers， all who are invested with any authority， and who have the courage to use it in forcing respect for law， are one by one denounced by public opinion as enemies of the constitution and of liberty； because， people say， they talk of nothing but the law， as if they did not know that the will of the people makes the law， and that we are the people."[10] This is the real principle； here， as at Paris， it instantly begets its consequences. "In many of these clubs nothing is discussed but the plundering of estates and cutting off the heads of aristocrats. And who are designated by this infamous title？ In the cities， the great traders and rich proprietors； in the country， those whom we call the bourgeois； everywhere， all peaceable citizens， the friends of order， who wish to enjoy， under the shadow of the protecting law， the blessings of the Constitution. Such was the rage of their denunciations that in one of these clubs a good and brave peasant was denounced as an aristocrat； the whole of his aristocracy consisting in his having said to those who plundered the chateau of their seigneur， already mentioned， that they would not enjoy in peace the fruits of their crime." -- Here is the Jacobin programme of Paris in advance， namely， the division of the French into two classes， the spoliation of one， the despotism of the other； the destruction of the well-to-do， orderly and honest under the dictation of those who are not so.
Here， as in Paris， the programme is carried out step by step. At Beausset， near Toulon， a man named Vidal， captain of the National Guard， "twice set at liberty by virtue of two consecutive amnesties，"[11] punishes not resistance merely， but even murmurs， with death. Two old men， one of them a notary， the other a turner， having complained of him to the public prosecutor， the general alarm is beaten， a gathering of armed men is formed in the street， and the complainants are clubbed， riddled with balls， and their bodies thrown into a pit. Many of their friends are wounded， others take to flight；seven houses are sacked， and the municipality， "either overawed or in complicity，" makes no interference until all is over. There is no way of pursuing the guilty ones； the foreman of the jury， who goes， escorted by a thousand men， to hold an inquest， can get no testimony.