, "a set of blackguards, who crowd
around him and thrust their fists and cudgels in his face;" happily,
his friends Dumas and Daverhoult, two military officers, foreseeing
the danger, present their pistols and set him free "although with
some difficulty."--As the 10th of August draws near there is more open
aggression. Vaublanc, for having defended Lafayette, just misses being
cut to pieces three times on leaving the Assembly; sixty of the deputies
are treated in the same fashion, being struck, covered with mud, and
threatened with death if they dare go back.[2238]--With such allies a
minority is very strong. Thanks to its two agencies of constraint it
will detach the votes it needs from the majority and, either through
terror or craft, secure the passage of all the decrees it needs.

VI.--Parliamentary maneuvers.

Abuses of urgency.--Vote on the principle.--Call by name.
--Intimidation of the "Center."--Opponents inactive.--The
majority finally disposed of.

Sometimes it succeeds surreptitiously by rushing them through. As "there
is no order of the day circulated beforehand, and, in any event, none
which anybody is obliged to adhere to,"[2239] the Assembly is captured
by surprise. "The first knave amongst the 'Left,' (which expression,
says Hua, I do not strike out, because there were many among those
gentlemen), brought up a ready-made resolution, prepared the evening
before by a clique. We were not prepared for it and demanded that it
should be referred to a committee. Instead of doing this, however, the
resolution was declared urgent, and, whether we would or not, discussion
had to take place forthwith."[2240]--"There were other tactics equally
perfidious, which Thuriot, especially, made use of. This great rascal
got up and proposed, not the draft of a law, but what he called a
principle; for instance, a decree should be passed confiscating the
property of the emigres,.. or that unsworn priests should be subject to
special surveillance.[2241]... In reply, he was told that his principle
was the core of a law, the very law itself; so let it be debated by
referring it to a committee to make a report on it.--Not at all--the
matter is urgent; a committee might fix the articles as it pleases;
they are worthless if the principle is not common sense." Through this
expeditious method discussion is stifled. The Jacobins purposely prevent
the Assembly from giving the matter any consideration. They count