Proprietors are crushed down with impositions to such an extent that they cannot meet their daily expenses， nor pay the cost of cultivation. In some of my old parishes the imposition takes about thirteen out of twenty sous of an income. . . The interest on money amounts to four per cent. a month. . . Tours， a prey to the terrorists who devour the department and hold all the offices， is in the most deplorable state； every family at all well-off， every merchant， every trader， is leaving it." -- The veteran pillagers and murderers， the squireens， (hobereaux) of the reign of Terror， again appear and resume their fiefs. At Toulouse， it is Barrau， a shoemaker， famous up to 1792 for his fury under Robespierre， and Desbarreaux， another madman of 1793， formerly an actor playing the parts of valet， compelled in 1795 to demand pardon of the audience on his knees on the stage， and， not obtaining it， driven out of the house， and now filling the office of cashier in the theatre and posing as department administrator. At Blois， we find the ignoble or atrocious characters with whom we are familiar， the assassins and robbers Hézine， Giot， Venaille， Bézard， Berger， and Gidouin.[88]
Immediately after Fructidor， they stirred up their usual supporters against the first convoy of the deported， "the idlers， the rabble of the harbor， and the dregs of the people，" who overwhelmed them with insults. On this new demonstration of patriotism the government restores to them their administrative or judicial "satrapies， and， odious as they are， they are endured and obeyed， with the mute and mournful obedience of despair. " The soul sinks[89] on daily perusing the executions of conscripts and émigrés， and on seeing those condemned to transportation constantly passing by. . . . All who displease the government are set down on these lists of the dead， so-called émigrés， this or that curé who is notoriously known not to have left the department." It is impossible for honest people to vote at the primary assemblies； consequently， "the elections are frightful.
The "brothers" and their friends loudly proclaim that neither nobles， priests， proprietors， merchants， nor justice are wanted； everything is to be given up to pillage." Let France perish rather than accept their domination. "The wretches have announced that they will not give up their places without overthrowing all， destroying palaces and setting Paris on fire."VII. Enforcement of Pure Jacobinism.
Application and aggravation of the laws of the reign of Terror. -Measures taken to impose civic religion. - Arrest， transportation， and execution of Priests. - Ostracism proposed against the entire anti-Jacobin class. - The nobles or the ennobled， not émigrés， are declared foreigners. - Decrees against émigrés of every class. -Other steps taken against remaining proprietors. - Bankruptcy， forced loan， hostages.
It is natural that with pure Jacobins one notes the re-appearance of the pure Jacobinism， the egalitarian and anti-Christian socialism， the programme of the funereal year； in short， the rigid， plain， exterminating ideas which the sect gathers together， like daggers encrusted with gore， from the cast-off robes of Robespierre， Billaud-Varennes and Collot d'Herbois.[90]
In the forefront appears the fixed and favorite idea of the old-fashioned philosophism. By that I mean the consistent and decreed plan to found a lay religion， and impose the observances and dogmas of its theories on twenty-six millions of Frenchmen， and， consequently extirping Christianity， its worship and its clergy. The inquisitors who hold office multiply， with extraordinary persistence and minuteness， proscriptions and vigorous measures for the forcible conversion of the nation. The aim is to substitute the improvised rites of a logical abstraction mechanically elaborated in the closet for the tender emotions nourished by the customs of eighteen centuries. - Never did the dull imagination of a third-rate scholar and classic poetaster， never did the grotesque solemnity of a pedant fond of his phrases， never did the irritating hardness of the narrow and stubborn devotee display with greater sentimental bombast and more administrative officiousness than in the decrees of the Legislative Corps，[91] in the acts passed by the Directory and in the instructions issued by the ministers Sotin， Letourneur， Lambrechts， Duval and Fran？ois de Neufchateau. War on Sunday， on the old calendar and on fasting， obligatory rest on the décadi under penalty of fine and imprisonment，[92] obligatory fêtes on the anniversaries of January 21and Fructidor 18， participation of all functionaries with their cult， obligatory attendance of public and private instructors with their pupils of both sexes at civic ceremonies， an obligatory liturgy with catechisms and programmes sent from Paris， rules for scenic display and for singings， readings， postures， acclamations and imprecations.