"Shut up ！ You disrespect me， you do not behave properly to the national representative."He immediately commits him to prison.[119] - One evening， at the theater， he enters a box in which the ladies， seated in front， keep their places. In a rage， he goes out， rushes on the stage and， brandishing his great saber， shouts and threatens the audience， taking immense strides across the boards and acting and looking so much like a wild beast that several of the ladies faint away：
"Look there ！" he shouts， at those muscadines who do not condescend to move for a representative of twenty-five millions of men！ Everybody used to make way for a prince - they will not budge for me， a representative， who am more than a king！"[120]
The word is spoken. But this king is frightened， and he is one who thinks of nothing but conspiracy；[121] in the street， in open daylight， the people who are passing him are plotting against him either by words or signs. Meeting in the main street of Arras a young girl and her mother talking Flemish， - that seems to him "suspect.""Where are you going？" he demands. "What's that to you？" replies the child， who does not know him. The girl， the mother and the father are sent to prison.[122] - On the ramparts， another young girl， accompanied by her mother， is taking the air， and reading a book.
"Give me that book，" says the representative. The mother hands it to him； it is the " History of Clarissa Harlowe." The young girl， extending her hand to receive back the book， adds， undoubtedly with a smile： "That is not 'suspect.'" Lebon deals her a blow with his fist on her stomach which knocks her down； both women are searched and he personally leads them to the guard-room. - The slightest expression， a gesture， puts him beside himself； any motion that he does not comprehend makes him start， as with an electric shock. Just arrived at Cambray， he is informed that a woman who had sold a bottle of wine below the maximum， had been released after a procès-verbal. On reaching the Hotel-de-ville， he shouts out： "Let everybody here pass into the Consistory！" The municipal officer on duty opens a door leading into it. Lebon， however， not knowing who he is， takes alarm.
"He froths at the mouth，" says the municipal officer， "and cries out as if possessed by a demon. 'Stop， stop， scoundrel， you are running off！' He draws his saber and seizes me by the collar； I am dragged and borne along by him and his men. 'I have hold of him， I have hold of him！' he exclaims， and， indeed， he did hold me with his teeth， legs， and arms， like a madman. At last， 'scoundrel， monster， bastard，' says he， 'are you a marquis？' ' No，' I replied， 'I am a sans-culotte.' 'Ah， well people， you hear what he says，' he exclaims， 'he says that he is a sans-culotte， and that is the way he greets a denunciation on the maximum！ I remove him. Let him be kicked in prison！'"[123] It is certain that the King of Arras and Cambray is not far from a raging fever； with such symptoms an ordinary individual would be sent to an asylum.
Not so vain， less fond of parading his royalty， but more savage and placed in Nantes amidst greater dangers， Carrier， under the pressure of more somber ideas， is much more furious and constant in his madness. Sometimes his attacks reach hallucination. "I have seen him，" says a witness， "so carried away in the tribune， in the heat of his harangue when trying to overrule public opinion， as to cut off the tops of the candles with his saber，" as if they were so many aristocrats' heads.[124] Another time， at table， after having declared that France could not feed its too numerous population， and that it was decided to cut down the excess， all nobles， magistrates， priests， merchants， etc.， he becomes excited and exclaims， "Kill， kill！" as if he were already engaged in the work and ordering the operation.[125] Even when fasting， and in an ordinary condition， he is scarcely more cooled down. When the administrators of the department come to consult with him，[126] they gather around the door to see if he looks enraged， and is in a condition to hear them. He not only insults petitioners， but likewise the functionaries under him who make reports to him， or take his orders； his foul nature rises to his lips and overflows in the vilest terms：
"Go to hell and be damned. I have no time."[127]
They consider themselves lucky if they get off with a volley of obscene oaths， for he generally draws his saber：
"The first bastard that mentions supplies， I will cut his head off."[128]
And to the president of the military commission， who demands that verdicts be rendered before ordering executions：
"You， you old rascal， you old bastard， you want verdicts， do you！ Go ahead！ If the whole pen is not emptied in a couple of hours I will have you and your colleagues shot！"His gestures， his look have such a powerful effect upon the mind that the other， who is also a "bruiser，" dies of the shock a few days after.[129] Not only does he draw his saber， but he uses it； among the petitioners， a boatman， whom he is about to strike， runs off as fast as he can； he draws General Moulins into the recess of a window and gives him a cut.[130] - People "tremble" on accosting him， and yet more in contradicting him. The envoy of the Committee of Public Safety， Julien de la Dr？me， on being brought before him， takes care to " stand some distance off， in a corner of the room，" wisely trying to avoid the first spring； wiser still， he replies to Carrier's exclamations with the only available argument：
"If you put me out of the way to-day， you yourself will be guillotined within a week！"[131]
On coming to a stand before a mad dog one must aim the knife straight at its throat； there is no other way to escape its fangs and slaver.
Accordingly， with Carrier， as with a mad dog， the brain is mastered by the steady mechanical reverie， by persistent images of murder and death. He exclaims to President Tronjolly， apropos of the Vendean children：
"The guillotine， always the guillotine！"[132]
In relation to the drownings：