They immediately assume the tone and arrogance of dictatorship. "Pride has reached its highest point：[34] ... One who， yesterday， had no post and was amiable and honest， has become haughty and insolent because， deceived by appearances， his fellow-citizens have elected him commissioner， or given him some employment or other." Henceforth， he behaves like a Turkish agha amongst infidels， and， in command， carries things out with a high hand. - On the 20th of Vendémiaire， year II.， "in the middle of the night，" the committee of the Piques section summons M. Bélanger， the architect. He is notified that his house is wanted immediately for a new Bastille. - "But， said he， 'I own no other， and it is occupied by several tenants； it is decorated with models of art， and is fit only for that purpose.' - 'Your house or you go to prison！' - 'But I shall be obliged to indemnify my tenants.' -'Either your house or you go to prison； as to indemnities， we have vacant lodgings for your tenants， as well as for yourself， in (the prisons of) La Force， or Sainte-Pélagie.' Twelve sentinels on the post start off at once and take possession of the premises； the owner is allowed six hours to move out and is forbidden， henceforth， to return；the bureaus， to which he appeals， interpret his obedience as 'tacit adhesion，' and， very soon， he himself is locked up."[35] -Administrative tools that cut so sharply need the greatest care， and， from time to time， they are carefully oiled：[36] on the 20th of July， 1793， two thousand francs are given to each of the forty-eight committees， and eight thousand francs to General Henriot， "for expenses in watching anti-revolutionary maneuvers；" on the 7th of August， fifty thousand francs "to indemnify the less successful members of the forty-eight committees；" three hundred thousand francs to Gen. Henriot "for thwarting conspiracies and securing the triumph of liberty；" fifty thousand francs to the mayor， "for detecting the plots of the malevolent；" on the 10th of September， forty thousand francs to the mayor， president and procureur-syndic of the department， "for measures of security； " on the 13th of September， three hundred thousand francs to the mayor "for preventing the attempts of the malevolent；" on the 15th of November， one hundred thousand francs to the popular clubs， "because these are essential to the propagation of sound principles." - Moreover， besides gratuities and a fixed salary， there are the gratifications and perquisites belonging to the office.[37] Henriot appoints his comrades on the staff of paid spies and denunciators， and， naturally， they take advantage of their position to fill their pockets； under the pretext of incivism， they multiply domiciliary visits， make the master of the house ransom himself， or steal what suits them on the premises.[38] - In the Commune， and on the revolutionary-committees， every extortion can be， and is， practiced.
"I know，" says Quevremont， "two citizens who have been put in prison， without being told why， and， at the end of three weeks or a month， let out and do you know how？ By paying， one of them， fifteen thousand livres， and the other， twenty-five thousand. . . . Gambron， at La Force， pays one thousand five hundred livres a month for a room not to live amongst lice， and besides this， he had to pay a bribe of two thousand livres on entering. This happened to many others who， again， dared not speak of it， except in a whisper."[39]
Woe to the imprudent who， never concerning themselves with public affairs， and relying on their innocence， discard the officious broker and fail to pay up at once！ Brichard， the notary， having refused or tendered too late， the hundred thousand crowns demanded of him， is to put his head "at the red window." - And I omit ordinary rapine， the vast field open to extortion through innumerable inventories， sequestrations and adjudications， through the enormities of contractors， through hastily executed purchases and deliveries， through the waste of two or three millions given weekly by the government to the Commune for supplies for the capital， through the requisitions of grain which give fifteen hundred men of the revolutionary army an opportunity to clean out all the neighboring farms， as far as Corbeil and Meaux， and benefit by this after the fashion of the chauffeurs.[40] - With such a staff， these anonymous thefts cannot surprise us. Babeuf， the falsifier of public contracts， is secretary for provisions to the Commune； Maillard， the Abbaye Septembriseur， receives eight thousand francs for his direction， in the forty-eight sections， of the ninety-six observers and leaders of public opinion； Chrétien， whose smoking-shop serves as the rendezvous of rowdies， becomes a juryman at eighteen francs a day in the revolutionary Tribunal， and leads his section with uplifted saber；[41]
De Sade， professor of crimes， is now the oracle of his quarter， and， in the name of the Piques Section， he reads addresses to the Convention.
III.
A Minister of Foreign Affairs. - A General in command. - The Paris Commune. - A Revolutionary Committee.
Let us examine some of these figures closely： the nearer they are to the eye and foremost in position， the more the importance of the duty brings into light the unworthiness of the potentate. - There is already one of them， whom we have seen in passing， Buchot， twice noticed by Robespierre under his own hand as "a man of probity， energetic and capable of fulfilling the most important functions，"[42]