This soon becomes apparent. One hundred and thirty four archbishops， bishops， and coadjutors refuse to take the oath； there are only four of them who do so， three of whom， MM. de Talleyrand， de Jarente， and de Brienne， are unbelievers and notorious for their licentiousness； the others are influenced by their consciences， above all， by their esprit de corps and a point of honor. Most of the curés rally around this staff of officers. In the diocese of Besan？on，[78] out of fourteen hundred priests， three hundred take the oath， a thousand refuse it， and eighty retract. In the department of Doubs， only four consent to swear. In the department of Lozère， there are only "ten out of two hundred and fifty." It is stated positively，" writes the best informed of all observers that everywhere in France two-thirds of the ecclesiastics have refused the oath， or have only taken it with the same reservations as the Bishop of Clermont."Thus， out of seventy thousand priests， forty-six thousand are turned out of office， and the majority of their parishioners are on their side. This is apparent in the absence of electors convoked to replace them： at Bordeaux only four hundred and fifty came to the poll out of nine hundred， while elsewhere the summons brings together only "a third or a quarter" In many places there are no candidates， or those elected decline to accept. They are obliged， in order to supply their places， to hunt up unfrocked monks of a questionable character. There are two parties， after this， in each parish； two faiths， two systems of worship， and permanent discord.
Even when the new and the old curés are accommodating， their situations bring them into conflict. To the former the latter are "intruders." To the latter the former are " refractories." By virtue of his being a guardian of souls， the former cannot dispense with telling his parishioners that the intruder is excommunicated， that his sacraments are null or sacrilegious， and that it is a sin to attend his mass. By virtue of his being a public functionary， the latter does not fail to write to the authorities that the "refractory " entraps the faithful， excites their consciences， saps the Constitution， and that he ought to be put down by force. In other words， the former draws everybody away from the latter， while the latter sends the gendarmes against the former， and persecution begins. - In a strange reversal， it is the majority which undergoes persecution， and the minority which carries it out. The mass of the constitutional curé is， everywhere， deserted.[79] In La Vendée there are ten or twelve present in the church out of five or six hundred parishioners； on Sundays and holidays whole villages and market-towns travel from one to two leagues off to attend the orthodox mass， the villagers declaring that "if the old curé can only be restored to them， they will gladly pay a double tax." In Alsace， "nine tenths， at least， of the Catholics refuse to recognize the legally sworn priests." The same spectacle presents itself in Franche-Comté， Artois， and in ten of the other provinces. --Finally， as in a chemical composition， the analysis is complete.
Those who believe， or who recover their belief， are ranged around the old curé； all who， through conviction or tradition， hold to the sacraments， all who， through faith or habit， wish or feel a need to attend the mass. The auditors of the new curé consist of unbelievers， deists， the indifferent members of the clubs and of the administration， who resort to the church as to the H？tel-de-ville or to a popular meeting， not through religious but through political zeal， and who support the "intruder" in order to sustain the Constitution. All this does not secure to him very fervent followers， but it provides him with very zealous defenders； and， in default of the faith which they do not possess， they give the force which is at their disposal. All means are proper against an intractable bishop or curé； not only the law which they aggravate through their forced interpretation of it and through their arbitrary verdicts， but also the riots which they stir up by their instigation and which they sanction by their toleration.[80] He is driven out of his parish， consigned to the county town， and kept in a safe place. The Directory of Aisne denounces him as a disturber of the public peace， and forbids him， under severe penalties， from administering the sacraments. The municipality of Cahors shuts up particular churches and orders the nonjuring ecclesiastics to leave the town in twenty-four hours. The electoral corps of Lot denounces them publicly as "ferocious brutes，" incendiaries， and provokers of civil war. The Directory of the Bas-Rhin banishes them to Strasbourg or to fifteen leagues from the frontier. At Saint-Leon the bishop is forced to fly. At Auch the archbishop is imprisoned；at Lyons M. de Boisboissel， grand vicar， is confined in Pierre-Encize， for having preserved an archiepiscopal mandate in his house；brutality is everywhere the minister of intolerance. A certain cure of Aisne who， in 1789， had fed two thousand poor， having presumed to read from his pulpit a pastoral charge concerning the observance of Lent， the mayor seizes him by the collar and prevents him from going to the altar； "two of the National Yeomanry" draw their sabers on him， and forthwith lead him away bareheaded， not allowing him to return to his house， and drive him to a distance of two leagues by beat of drum and under escort. At Paris， in the church of Saint-Eustache， the curé is greeted with outcries， a pistol is pointed at his head， he is seized by the hair， struck with fists， and only reaches the sacristy through the intervention of the National Guard.