Not only does their domination paralyze instead of animating the State， but， with their own hands， they undermine the order they themselves have established. Whether legal or extra-legal， it makes no difference： under their rule， no constitution， made and remade， no government， not even that of their leaders， can survive. Once masters of France， they quarrel over it amongst themselves， each claiming for himself the whole of the prey. Those who are in office want to stay there； those who are out want to get in. Thus is formed two factions， while each repeats against the other the coup d'état which both have together carried out against the nation. - According to the ruling clique， its adversaries are simply "anarchists，" former Septembriseurs， Robespierre's confederates， the accomplices of Babeuf， eternal conspirators. Now， as in the year VI.， the five regents still keep the saber-hilt firm in their grasp， and can therefore make the Legislative Corps to vote as they please. On the 22nd of Floréal， the government cancels， in whole or in part， in forty-five departments， the new elections， not alone those of representatives， but again those of judges， public prosecutors， and the grand-jurymen. Then it dismisses the terrorist administrations in the departments and towns.[140] - According to their adversaries (la coterie gouvernée)， the Directory and its agents are false patriots， usurpers， oppressors， despisers of the law， squanderers and inept politicians. As all this is true， and as the Directory， in the year VIII.， used up through its twenty-one months of omnipotence， out of credit on account of its reverses， despised by its generals， hated by the beaten and unpaid army， dares no longer and can no longer raise the sword， the ultra Jacobins resume the offensive， have themselves elected through their kith and kin， re-conquer the majority in the Legislative Corps， and， in their turn， purge the Directory on the 30 of Prairial. Treilhard， Merlin de Douai， and La Revellière-Lepaux are driven out； narrow fanatics replace them， Gohier， Moulins and Roger Ducos. Ghosts from the period of the Terror install themselves in the ministries， Robert Lindet in the Treasury， Fouché in the Police. Everywhere， in the departments， they put in or restore "the exclusives，" that is to say， the resolute scoundrels who have proved their capacity.[141] The Jacobins re-open their Club under its old name in the hall of the Manége. Two directors and one hundred and fifty members of the Legislative Corps fraternize with "all that the dregs of the people provide that is vilest and most disgusting." Eulogies are here pronounced on Robespierre and on Babeuf himself； they demand the levy en masse and the disarming of "suspects." Jourdan exclaims in a toast， "Here's to the resurrection of pikes！ May they in the people's hands crush out all its enemies！" In the council of the Five Hundred， the same Jourdan proposes in the tribune to declare the "country in danger，" while the gang of shouting politicians， the bull-dogs of the streets and tribunes， gather around the hesitating representatives and howl and threaten as in 1793.
Is it， then， the régime of 1793 which is about to be set up in France？
- Not even that one. Immediately after the victory， the victors 30 of Prairial separated and formed two camps of enemies， watching each other with arms in hand， entrenched and making sorties on each other：
On one side are the simple bandits and the lowest of the populace， the followers of Marat， incorrigible monomaniacs， headstrong， conceited spirits proud of their crimes and disposed to repeat them rather than admit their guilt， the dogmatic simpletons who go ahead with their eyes shut and who have forgotten everything and learnt nothing. On the other side， men still possessing common sense， and who have profited somewhat by experience， who know what a government of clubs and pikes leads to， who fear for themselves and are unwilling to begin again， step by step， the mad course on which at each stage， they have come near perishing.
On one side two members of the Directory， the minority of the Ancients， the majority of the Five Hundred， and the vilest of the Parisian rabble. On the other， the majority of the Ancients， the minority of the Five Hundred and three members of the Directory， the latter supported by their executive staff.[142] -Which of the two troops will crush the other？ Nobody knows； for most of them are ready to pass from one to the other camp according as the chances for success appear more or less great. And， from day to day， any defection amongst the Five Hundred， amongst the Ancients or in the Directory， foreseen or not， may change a minority into a majority.
Where will the majority be to-morrow？ From which side is the next coup d'état to come - Who will make it？ Will it be the ultra Jacobins， and， through another 9th of Thermidor， will they declare the mitigated Jacobins "outlaws？" Will it be the mitigated Jacobins， and， through another 18th of Fructidor， will they put the ultras under lock and key？ If one or the other of these blows is struck， will it succeed？
And if it succeeds will a stable government be at last established？
Siéyès well knows that it will not； he is farseeing in his acts， although chimerical in his theories. In power himself， titular Director， counselor and guardian of the intelligent republic against the stupid republic， he well knows that all of them， so long as they are republicans of both bands， take a road without an issue.[143]