As a rear-guard， they have "the rabble of the suburbs of Paris， which flocks in at every tap of the drum because it hopes to make something."[97] As advance-guard they have "brigands，" while the front ranks contain "all the robbers in Paris， which the faction has enrolled in its party to use when required；" the second ranks are made up of "a number of former domestics， the bullies of gambling-houses and of houses of ill-fame， all the vilest class."[98] -- Naturally， lost women form a part of the crowd "Citoyennes，" Henriot says， addressing the prostitutes of the Palais-Royal， whom he has assembled in its garden， "citoyennes， are you good republicans？" "Yes， general， yes！" "Have you， by chance， any refractory priest， any Austrian， any Prussian， concealed in your apartments？" "Fie， fie！ We have nobody but sans-culottes！ "[99] -- Along with these are the thieves and prostitutes out of the Chatelet and Conciergerie， set at liberty and then enlisted by the September slaughterers， under the command of an old hag named Rose Lacombe，[100] forming the usual audience of the Convention； on important days， seven or eight hundred of these may be counted， sometimes two thousand， stationed at the entrance and in the galleries， from nine o'clock in the morning.[101] -- Male and female， "this anti-social vermin "102thus crawls around at the sessions of the Assembly， the Commune， the Jacobin club， the revolutionary tribunal， the sections and one may imagine the physiognomies it offers to view.
"It would seem，" says a deputy，[103] "as if every sink in Paris and other great cities had been scoured to find whatever was foul， the most hideous， and the most infected. . . . Ugly， cadaverous features， black or bronzed， surmounted with tufts of greasy hair， and with eyes sunken half-way into the head. . . . They belched forth with their nauseous breath the grossest insults amidst sharp cries like those of carnivorous animals." Among them there can be distinguished "the September murderers， whom" says an observer[104] in a position to know them， "I can compare to nothing but lazy tigers licking their paws， growling and trying to find a few more drops of blood just spilled， awaiting a fresh supply." Far from hiding away they strut about and show themselves. One of them， Petit-Mamain， son of an innkeeper at Bordeaux and a former soldier， "with a pale， wrinkled face， sharp eyes and bold air， wearing a scimitar at his side and pistols at his belt，"promenades the Palais-Royal[105] "accompanied or followed at a distance by others of the same species，" and "taking part in every conversation." "It was me，" he says， "who ripped open La Lamballe and tore her heart out. . . . All I have to regret is that the massacre was such a short one. But we shall have it over again. Only wait a fortnight！" and， thereupon， he calls out his own name in defiance. --Another， who has no need of stating his well-known name， Maillard， president of the Abbaye massacres， has his head-quarters at the caféChrétien，[106] Rue Favart， from which， guzzling drams of brandy， "he dispatches his mustached men， sixty-eight cutthroats， the terror of the surrounding region；" we see them in coffee-houses and in the foyers of the theaters "drawing their huge sabers，" and telling inoffensive people： "I am Mr. so and so； if you look at me with contempt I'll cut you down！ -- A few months more and， under the command of one of Henriot's aids， a squad of this band will rob and toast (chauffer) peasants in the environment of Corbeil and Meaux.[107] In the meantime， even in Paris， they toast， rob， and rape on grand occasions. On the 25th and 26th of February， 1793，[108] they pillage wholesale and retail groceries， "save those belonging to Jacobins，" in the Rue des Lombards， Rue des Cinq-Diamants， Rue Beaurepaire， Rue Montmartre， in the Ile Saint-Louis， on the Port-au-Blé， before the H？tel-de-ville， Rue Saint-Jacques， in short， twelve hundred of them， not alone articles of prime necessity， soap and candles， but again， sugar， brandy， cinnamon， vanilla， indigo and tea.
"In the Rue de la Bourdonnaie， a number of persons came out with loaves of sugar they had not paid for and which they re-sold." The affair was arranged beforehand， the same as on the 5th of October， 1789； among the women are seen "several men in disguise who did not even take the precaution of shaving，" and in many places， thanks to the confusion， they heartily abandon themselves to it. With his feet in the fire or a pistol at his head， the master of the house is compelled to give them "gold， money， assignats and jewels，" only too glad if his wife and daughters are not raped before his eyes as in a town taken by assault.
VII. The Jacobin Chieftains.
The make up of the rulers. -- The nature and scope of their intellect.
-- The political views of M. Saule.
Such are the politicians who， after the last months of the year 1792， rule over Paris， and， through Paris， over the whole of France， five thousand brutes and blackguards with two thousand hussies， just about the number a good police force would expel from the city， were it important to give the capital a cleaning out；[109] they too， were convinced of their rights， all the more ardent in their revolutionary faith， because the creed converts their vices into virtues， and transforms their misdeeds into public services.[110] They are the actual sovereign people， this is why we should try to unravel their innermost thoughts. If we truly are to comprehend the past events we must discern the spontaneous feelings moving them on the trial of the King， the defeat of Neerwinden， at the defection of Dumouriez， on the insurrection in La Vendée， at the accusation of Marat， the arrest of Hébert， and each of the dangers which in turn fall on their heads.