Strange phenomenon！ and the most instructive of all， for in it we see down into the depths of humanity； for， as on a raft of shipwrecked beings without food， there is a reversion to a state of nature. The light tissue of habit and of rational ideas in which civilization has enveloped man， is torn asunder and is floating in rags around him； the bare arms of the savage show themselves， and they are striking out. The only guide he has for his conduct is that of primitive days， the startled instinct of a craving stomach.
Henceforth that which rules in him and through him is animal necessity with its train of violent and narrow suggestions， sometimes sanguinary and sometimes grotesque. Incompetent or savage， in all respects like a Negro monarch， his sole political expedients are either the methods of a slaughter house or the dreams of a carnival. Two commissioners whom Roland， Minister of the Interior， sends to Lyons， are able to see within a few days the carnival and the slaughter-house.[34] - On the one hand the peasants， all along the road， arrest everybody； the people regard every traveler as an aristocrat who is running away - which is so much the worse for those who fall into their hands. Near Autun， four priests who， to obey the law， are betaking themselves to the frontier， are put in prison "for their own protection；" they are taken out a quarter of an hour later， and， in spite of thirty-two of the mounted police， are massacred. "Their carriage was still burning as I passed， and the corpses were stretched out not far off.
Their driver was still in durance， and it was it vain that Isolicited his release." - On the other hand， at Lyons， the power has fallen into the hands of the degraded women of the streets.
"They seized the central club， constituted themselves commissaries of police， signed notices as such， and paid visits of inspection to store-houses；" they drew up a tariff of provisions， "from bread and meat up to common peaches， and peaches of fine quality." They announced that "whoever dared to dispute it would be considered a traitor to the country， an adherent of the civil list， and prosecuted as such." All this is published， proclaimed and applied by "female commissaries of police，" themselves the dregs of the lowest sinks of corruption. Respectable housewives and workwomen had nothing to do with it， nor "working-people of any class." The sole actors of this administrative parody are " scamps， a few bullies of houses of ill-fame， and a portion of the dregs of the female ***." - To this end comes the dictatorship of instinct， yonder let loose on the highway in a massacre of priests， and here， in the second city of France， in the government of strumpets.
III.
Egotism of the tax-payer. - Issoudun in 1790. - Rebellion against taxation. - Indirect taxes in 1789 and 1790. - Abolition of the salt tax， excise， and octrois. - Direct taxation in 1789 and 1790.
- Delay and insufficiency of the returns. - New levies in 1791and 1792. - Delays， partiality， and concealment in preparing the rolls. - Insufficiency of， and the delay in， the returns. -Payment in assignats.- The tax-payer relieves himself of one-half.
- Devastation of the forests. - Division of the communal property.
The fear of starvation is only the sharper form of a more general passion， which is the desire of possession and the determination not to give anything up. No popular instinct， had been longer， more rudely， more universally offended under the ancient régime； and there is none which gushes out more readily under constraint， none which requires a higher or broader public barrier， or one more entirely constructed of solid blocks， to keep it in check. Hence it is that this passion from the commencement breaks down or engulfs the slight and low boundaries， the tottering embankments of crumbling earth between which the Constitution pretends to confine it. - The first flood sweeps away the pecuniary claims of the State， of the clergy， and of the noblesse. The people regard them as abolished， or， at least， they consider their debts discharged.
Their idea， in relation to this， is formed and fixed； for them it is that which constitutes the Revolution. The people have no longer a creditor； they are determined to have none， they will pay nobody， and first of all， they will make no further payment to the State.