[112] Robespierre's devotees constantly attend at the Jacobin club and in the convention to hear him speak and applaud him， and are called， from their condition and dress， " the fat petticoats."[113] Buchez et Roux， XX.， 197. (Meeting of Nov. I， 1792.) -"Chronique de Paris，" Nov. 9， 1792， article by Condorcet. With the keen insight of the man of the world， he saw clearly into Robespierre's character. "Robespierre preaches， Robespierre censures；he is animated， grave， melancholy， deliberately enthusiastic and systematic in his ideas， and conduct. He thunders against the rich and the great； he lives on nothing and has no physical necessities.
His sole mission is to talk， and this he does almost constantly. . .
His characteristics are not those of a religious reformer， but of the chief of a sect. He has won a reputation for austerity approaching sanctity. He jumps up on a bench and talks about God and Providence.
He styles himself the friend of the poor； he attracts around him a crowd of women and 'the poor in spirit， and gravely accepts their homage and worship. . . . Robespierre is a priest and never will be anything else." Among Robespierre's devotees Madame de Chalabre must be mentioned， (Hamel， I.， 525)， a young widow (Hamel， III.， 524)， who offers him her hand with an income of forty thousand francs.
"Thou art my supreme deity，" she writes to him， "and I know no other on this earth！ I regard thee as my guardian angel， and would live only under thy laws."[114] Fievée， "Correspondance，" (introduction).
[115] Report of Courtois on the papers found in Robespierre's domicile. Justificatory documents No.20， letter of the Secretary of the Committee of Surveillance of Saint Calais， Niv？se 15， year II.
[116] Ibid.， No. 18. Letter of V---， former inspector of "droits reservés，" Feb. 5， 1792.
[117] Ibid.， No.8. Letter of P. Brincourt， Sedan， Aug.29， 1793.
[118] Ibid.， No. I. Letter of Besson， with an address of the popular club of Menosque， Prairial 23， year II[119] Ibid.， No.14. Letter of D---， member of the Cordeliers Club， and former mercer， Jan.31， 1792[120] Ibid.， No.12. Letter by C----， Chateau Thierry， Prairial 30， year II.
[121] Hamel， III.， 682. (Copied from Billaud-Varennes' manuscripts， in the Archives Nationales).
[122] Moniteur， XXII.， '75. (Session of Vendémiaire i8， year III.
Speech by Laignelot.) "Robespierre had all the popular clubs under his thumb."[123] Garat， 85. "The most conspicuous sentiment with Robespierre， and one， indeed， of which he made no mystery， was that the defender of the people could never see amiss. - (Bailleul， quoted in Carnot's Memoirs， I. 516.) "He regarded himself as a privileged being， destined to become the people's regenerator and instructor."[124] Speech of May 16， 1794， and of Thermidor 8， year II.
[125] Buchez et Roux， X.， 295， 296. (Session June 22， 1791， of the Jacobin Club.) - Ibid.， 294. - Marat spoke in the same vein： "I have made myself a curse for all good people in France." He writes， the same date： "Writers in behalf of the people will be dragged to dungeons. 'The friend of the people，' whose last sigh is given for his country， and whose faithful voice still summons you to freedom， is to find his grave in a fiery furnace." The last expression shows the difference in their imaginations.
[126] Hamel， II.， 122. (Meeting of the Jacobin Club， Feb.10， 1792.)"To obtain death at the hands of tyrants is not enough - one must deserve death. If it be true that the earliest defenders of liberty became its martyrs they should not suffer death without bearing tyranny along with them into the grave." - Cf.， ibid.， II.， 215.
(Meeting of April 27， 1792.)
[127] Hamel， II.， 513. (Speech in the Convention， Prairial 7， year II.)[128] Buchez et Roux， XXXIII.， 422， 445， 447， 457. (Speech in the Convention， Thermidor 8， year II.)[129] Buchez et Roux， XX.， 11， 18. (Meeting of the Jacobin Club， Oct.29， 1792.) Speech on Lafayette， the Feuillants and Girondists.
XXXI.， 360， 363. (Meeting of the Convention， May 7， 1794.) On Lafayette， the Girondists， Dantonists and Hébertists. - XXXIII.， 427.
(Speech of Thermidor 8， year II.)
[130] Garat， "Mémoires，" 87， 88.
[131] Buchez et Roux， XXI.， 107. (Speech of Pétion on the charges made against him by Robespierre.) Petion justly objects that "Brunswick would be the first to cut off Brissot's head， and Brissot is not fool enough to doubt it."[132] Garat， 94. (After the King's death and a little before the 10th of March， 1793.)[133] Ibid.， 97. In 1789 Robespierre assured Garat that Necker was plundering the Treasury， and that people had seen mules loaded with the gold and silver he was sending off by millions to Geneva. -Carnot， "Mémoires，" I. 512. "Robespierre，" say Carnot and Prieur， "paid very little attention to public business， but a good deal to public officers； he made himself intolerable with his perpetual mistrust of these， never seeing any but traitors and conspirators."[134] Buchez et Roux， XXXIII.， 417. (Speech of Thermidor 8， year II.)[135] Ibid.， XXXII.， 361， (Speech May 7， '794，) and 359. "Immorality is the basis of despotism， as virtue is the essence of the Republic."[136] Ibid.， 371.
[137] Buchez et Roux， XXXIII.， 195. (Report of Couthon and decree in conformity therewith， Prairial 22， year II.) "The revolutionary tribunal is organised for the punishment of the people's enemies . .
. . The penalty for all offences within its jurisdiction is death.