Without mentioning the eleven western departments in which four or five hundred square leagues of territory are devastated and twenty towns and one thousand eight hundred villages destroyed，[104] where the avowed purpose of the Jacobin policy is a systematic and total destruction of the country， man and beast， buildings， crops， and even trees， there are cantons and even provinces where the entire rural and working population is arrested or put to flight. In the Pyrenees， the old Basque populations "torn from their natal soil， crowded into the churches with no means of subsistence but that of charity，" in the middle of winter， so that sixteen hundred of those incarcerated die "mostly of cold and hunger；"[105] at Bédouin， a town of two thousand souls， in which a tree of liberty is cut down by some unknown persons， four hundred and thirty-three houses are demolished or burned， sixteen persons guillotined and forty-seven shot， while the rest of the inhabitants are driven out， reduced to living like vagabonds on the mountain， or in holes which they dig in the ground；[106] in Alsace， fifty thousand farmers who， in the winter of 1793， take refuge with their wives and children on the other side of the Rhine.[107] In short， the revolutionary operation is a complete prostration of people of all classes， the trunks as well as the saplings being felled， and often in such a way as to clear the ground entirely.
But in this ruthless felling， however， the notables of the people， 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.