One might shrug his shoulders at these prescriptions of cuistres and these parades of puppets， if， behind the apostles who compose moral allegories， we did not detect the persecutor who imprisons， tortures and murders. - By the decree of Fructidor 19， not only were all the laws of the reign of Terror against unsworn priests， their harborers and their followers， enforced again， but the Directory arrogated to itself the right of banishing， "through individual acts passed for cause，" every ecclesiastic "who disturbed the public peace，" that is to say who exercised his ministry and preached his faith；[93] and， moreover， the right of shooting down， within twenty-four hours， every priest who， banished by the laws of 1792 and 1793， has remained in or returned to France. Almost all the ecclesiastics， even those who are sworn， are comprised within the first category； the administration enumerates 366 in the department of Doubs alone，[94] and 556 in that of Hérault. Thousands of ecclesiastics are comprised in the second category； the administration enumerates over 800 who， returned from the frontier of Spain alone， still wander about the southern departments. On the strength of this the moralists in office proclaim a hunt for the black game in certain places， an universal destruction without exception or reprieve. For instance， in Belgium， recently incorporated with France， the whole of the regular and secular clergy is proscribed en masse and tracked for transportation； 560ecclesiastics in "Ourthe and the forests"， 539 in Escaut， 883 in Jemmapes， 884 in Sambre-et-Meuse， 925 in la Lys， 957 in Deux-Nèthes， 1，043 in Meuse-Inférieure， 1，469 in Dyle， in all 7，260， without counting the missing names.[95] A number of them escape abroad or hide away； but the rest are caught， and quite enough of them to load and fill the carts constantly. - "Not a day passes，" says an inhabitant of Blois，[96] "when from seven to twenty and more are lodged at the Carmelites." The next day they set out for the casemates of Rhé and Oléron， or for the Sinnamary marshes， where it is known what becomes of them： after a few months， three-fourths of them lie in the cemetery. - In the interior， from time to time， some are shot as an example - seven at Besan？on， one at Lyons， three in the Bouches-du-Rh？ne， while the opponents of fanaticism， the official philanthropists， the enlightened deists of Fructidor， use all these disguised or declared murders as a basis on which to rear the cult of Reason.
It remains now to consolidate the worship of Reason with the reign of Equality， which is the second article in the Jacobin credo. The object now is to mow down all the heads which rise above the common level， and， this time， to mow them down， not one by one， but in large groups. Saint-Just himself had only covertly proposed so extensive and so sweeping an operation. Siéyès， Merlin de Douai， Reubell， Chazal， Chénier， and Boulay de la Meurthe， more openly and decidedly insist on a radical amputation. According to them，[97] it is necessary "to regulate this ostracism，" by banishing "all those whose prejudices， pretensions， even existence， in a word， are incompatible with republican government." That is to say， not alone priests， but likewise nobles and the ennobled， all parliamentarians， those who are well-off and distinguished among the bourgeoisie and former notables， about two hundred thousand property-holders， men and women； in short， all who still remained among those oppressed and ruined by the Revolution.[98] - The proposal was turned down by the ex-noble Barras and by the public out-cry "of merchants and workmen themselves，" and banishment is replaced by civic degradation. Henceforth，[99] every noble or ennobled person， even if he has not left the territory， even if he has constantly and punctually obeyed revolutionary laws， even if he be not related to， or allied with， any émigré， finds himself deprived of his quality as a Frenchman. The fact alone of his being ennobled or noble before 1789， obliged him to be naturalized according to legal forms and conditions. - As to the 150，000 gentlemen， artisans and farmers who have emigrated or who have been accused of emigration， if they have returned to， or remain in France， they are to leave Paris and all communes above 20，000 souls within twenty-four hours， and France in fifteen days. If not， they are to be arrested， brought before the military commissions and shot on the spot；[100] in fact， in many places， at Paris， Besan？on and Lyons， they are shot. -Now， a large number of pretended emigrants， who had never left France，[101] nor even their province， nor even their commune， and whose names have been put on the lists simply to strip them of their property， find that they are no longer protected either by the constancy or the notoriety of their residence. The new law is no sooner read than they begin to imagine the firing squad； the natal soil is too warm for them and they speedily emigrate.[102] On the other hand， once the name is down on the list， rightly or wrongly， it is never removed. The government purposely refuses to strike it off， while two decrees are applied which render its removal impossible；[103] each name maintained on the list of spoliation and death relieves the Revolution of a probable adversary， and places one more domain at its disposal.