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making all due allowances; suffer more than the ordinary people。  It

is obvious that the Jacobin wood…chopper persecutes; insistently and

selectively; the veterans of labor and savings; the large cultivators

who from father to son and for many generations have possessed the

same farm; the master…craftsmen whose shops are well stocked and who

have good customers; the respectable; well…patronized retailers; who

owe nothing; the village…syndics and trades…syndics; all those showing

more deeply and visibly than the rest of their class; the five or six

blazes which summon the ax。  They are better off; better provided with

desirable comforts and conveniences; which is of itself an offense

against equality。  Having accumulated a small hoard; a few pieces of

plate; sometimes a few crowns;'108' a store of linen and clothes; a

stock of provisions or goods; they do not willingly submit to being

plundered; which is the offense of egoism。  Being egoists; it is

presumed that they are hostile to the system of fraternity; at least

indifferent to it; as well as lukewarm towards the Republic; that is

to say; Moderates; which is the worst offense of all。'109' Being the

foremost of their class; they are haughty like the nobles or the

bourgeois and regard themselves as superior to a poor man; to a

vagabond; to a genuine sans…culotte; the fourth and most inexcusable

of all offenses。  Moreover; from the fact of their superior condition;

they have contracted familiarities and formed connections with the

proscribed class; the farmer; the intendant; the overseer is often

attached to his noble proprietor or patron;'110' many of the farmers;

shopkeepers and craftsmen belonging to old families are considered as

affiliated with the bourgeoisie or the clergy;'111' through a son or

brother who has risen a degree in trade; or by some industrial

pursuit; or who; having completed his studies; has become a curé or

lawyer; or else through some daughter; or well…married sister; or

through one who has become a nun: now; this relation; ally; friend or

comrade of a 〃suspect 〃 is himself a 〃suspect;〃 … the last anti…

revolutionary and decisive barrier。  Sober and well…behaved persons;

having prospered or maintained themselves under the ancient régime;

must naturally cherish respect for former institutions; they must

involuntarily retain a deep feeling of veneration for the King; and

especially for religion; they are devout Catholics; and therefore are

chagrined to see the churches shut up; worship prohibited and

ecclesiastics persecuted; and would again be glad to go to Mass; honor

Easter; and have an orthodox curé who could administer to them

available sacraments; a baptism; an absolution; a marriage…rite; a

genuine extreme unction。'112' … Under all these headings; they have

made personal enemies of the rascals who hold office; on all these

grounds; they are struck down; what was once meritorious with them is

now disgraceful。  Thus; the principal swath consists of the élite of

the people; selected from amongst the people itself; it is against the

〃subordinate aristocracy;〃 those most capable of doing and conducting

manual labor; the most creditable workmen; through their activity;

frugality and good habits; that the Revolution; in its rigor against

the inferior class; rages with the greatest fury。



VIII。  Rigor against the Upper Classes。



The rigor of the revolutionary laws increase according to the

elevation of the class。  … The Notables properly so called attacked

because of their being Notables。  … Orders of Taillefer; Milhaud; and

Lefiot。  … The public atonement of Montargis。



For the same reason; as far as the notables; properly so…called; are

concerned; it bears down still more heavily; not merely on the nobles

because of ancient privileges; not merely on ecclesiastics on the

score of being insubordinate Catholics; but on nobles; ecclesiastics

and bourgeois in their capacity of notables; that is to say; born and

bred above others; and respected by the masses on account of their

superior condition。  …  In the eyes of the genuine Jacobin; the

notables of the third class are no less criminal than the members of

the two superior classes。  〃The bourgeois;'113' the merchants; the

large proprietors;〃 writes a popular club in the South; 〃all have the

pretension of the old set (des ci…dévants)。〃 And the club complains of

〃the law not providing means for opening the eyes of the people with

respect to these new tyrants。〃 It is horrible! The stand they take is

an offense against equality and they are proud of it! And what is

worse; this stand attracts public consideration! Consequently; 〃the

club requests that the revolutionary Tribunal be empowered to consign

this proud class to temporary confinement;〃 and then 〃the people would

see the crime it had committed and recover from the sort of esteem in

which they had held it。〃 … Incorrigible and contemptuous heretics

against the new creed; they are only too lucky to be treated somewhat

like infidel Jews in the middle…ages。  Accordingly; if they are

tolerated; it is on the condition that they let themselves be pillaged

at discretion; covered with opprobrium and subdued through fear。  … At

one time; with insulting irony; they are called upon to prove their

dubious civism by forced donations。  〃Whereas;〃'114' says

Representative Milhaud; 〃all the citizens and citoyennes of Narbonne

being in requisition for the discharge and transport of forage;

whereas; this morning; the Representative; in person; having inspected

the performance of this duty;〃 and having observed on the canal 〃none

but sans…culottes and a few young citizens; whereas; not finding at

their posts any muscadin and no muscadine; whereas; the persons; whose

hands are no doubt too delicate; even temporarily; for the glorious

work of robust sans…culottes; have; on the other hand; greater

resources in their fortune; and; desiring to afford to the rich of

Narbonne the precious advantage of being equally useful to the

republic;〃 hereby orders that 〃the richest citizens of Narbonne pay

within twenty…four hours〃 a patriotic donation of one hundred thousand

livres; one…half to be assigned to the military hospitals; and the

other half; on the designation thereof by a 〃Committee of Charity;

composed of three reliable revolutionary sans…culottes;〃 to be

distributed among the poor of the Commune。  Should any 〃rich egoist

refuse to contribute his contingent he is to be immediately

transferred to the jail at Perpignan。〃 … Not to labor with one's own

hands; to be disqualified for work demanding physical strength; is of

itself a democratic stain; and the man who is sullied by this draws

down on himself; not alone an augmentation of pecuniary taxation; but

frequently an augmentation of personal compulsory labor。  At

Villeneuve; Aveyron; and throughout the department of Cantal;'115'

Representative Taillefer and his delegate Deltheil; instruct the

Revolutionary Committees to 〃place under military requisition and

conscription all muscadins above the first class;〃 that is to say; all

between twenty…five and forty years of age who are not reached by the

law。  〃By muscadins is meant all citizens of that age not married; and

exercising no useful profession;〃 in other words; those who live on

their income。  And; that none of the middle or upper class may escape;

the edict subjects to special rigor; supplementary taxes; and

arbitrary arrest; not alone property…holders and fund…holders; but

again all persons designated under the following heads; … aristocrats;

Feuillants; moderates; Girondists; federalists; muscadins; the

superstitious; fanatics the abettors of royalism; of superstition and

of federation; monopolists; jobbers; egoists; 〃suspects 〃 of incivism;

and; generally; all who are indifferent to the Revolution; of which

local committees are to draw up the lists。




Occasionally; in a town; some steps taken collectively; either a vote

or petition;。  furnish a ready…made list;'116' it suffices to read

this to know who are notables; the most upright people of the place;

henceforth; under the pretext of political repression; the levellers

may give free play to their social hatred。  … At Montargis; nine days

after the attempt of June 20; 1792;'117' two hundred and twenty…eight

notables sign an address in testimony of their respectful sympathy for

the King; a year and nine months later; in consequence of a

retroactive stroke; all are hit; and; with the more satisfaction;

inasmuch as in their persons the most respected in the town fall

beneath the blow; all whom flight and banishment had left there

belonging to the noble; ecclesiastic; bourgeois or popular

aristocracy。  Already; 〃on the purification of the constituted

authorities of Montargis; the representative had withdrawn every

signer from places of public trust and kept them out of all offices。〃

But this is not sufficient; the punishment must b

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