hand by subaltern officers among those that can be relied
on, and that these bands are to assemble, as advertised, within a radius
of thirty or forty leagues."[1235]--One day, to provoke a riot, "half a
dozen men, who have arranged the thing, form a small group, in which one
of them holds forth vehemently; at once a crowd of about sixty others
gathers around them. Then the six men move on from place to place,
to form fresh groups making their apparent excitement pass for popular
irritation.--Another day, "about forty fanatics, with powerful lungs,
and four or five hundred paid men," scatter themselves around the
Tuileries, "yelling furiously," and, gathering under the windows of
the Assembly, "move resolutions to assassinate."--"Our ushers," says a
deputy to the Assembly, "whom you ordered to suppress this tumult, heard
reiterated threats of bringing you the heads of those the crowd wished
to proscribe. That very evening, in the Palais-Royal, "I heard a
subordinate leader of this factious band boast of having charged your
ushers to take this answer back, adding that there was time enough yet
for all good citizens to follow his advice."--The watchword of these
agitators is, are you true and the response is, a true man. Their pay
is twelve francs a day, and when in action they make engagements on the
spot at that rate. "From several depositions taken by officers of the
National Guard and at the mayoralty," it is ascertained that twelve
francs a day were tendered to "honest people to join in with those you
may have heard shouting, and some of them actually had the twelve francs
put into their hands."--The money comes from the coffers of the Duke of
Orleans, and they are freely drawn upon; at his death, with a property
amounting to 114,000,000 francs, his debts amount to 74,000,000.[1236]
Being one of the faction, he contributes to its expenses, and, being
the richest man in the kingdom, he contributes proportionately to his
wealth. Not because he is a party leader, for he is too effeminate,
too nervous; but "his petty council,"[1237] and especially one of his
private secretaries, Laclos, cherishes great designs for him, their
object being to make him lieutenant-general of the kingdom, afterwards
regent, and even king,[1238] so that they may rule in his name and
"share the profits."----In the mean time they turn his whims to the best
account, particularly Laclos, who is a kind of subordinate Macchiavelli,
capable of anything,