This is because the determination of the peasant is of another nature than ours， his will being more firm and tenacious. When an idea obtains a hold on him it takes root in an obscure and profound conviction upon which neither discussion nor argument have any effect； once planted， it vegetates according to his notions， not according to ours， and no legislative text， no judicial verdict， no administrative remonstrance can change in any respect the fruit it produces. This fruit， developed during centuries， is the feeling of an excessive plunder， and， consequently， the need of an absolute release. Too much having been paid to everybody， the peasant now is not disposed to pay anything to anybody， and this idea， vainly repressed， always rises up in the manner of an instinct. - In the month of January， 1791，[69] bands again form in Brittany， owing to the proprietors of the ancient fiefs having insisted on the payment of their rents. At first the coalesced parishes refuse to pay the stewards， and after this the rustic National Guards enter the chateaux to constrain the proprietors. Generally， it is the commander of the National Guard， and sometimes the communal attorney， who dictates to the lord of the manor the renunciation of his claims； they oblige him， moreover， to sign notes for the benefit of the parish， or for that of various private individuals. This is considered by them to be compensation for damages； all feudal dues being abolished， he must return what he received from them during the past year， and as they have been put to inconvenience he must indemnify them by "paying them for their time and journey." Such are the operations of two of the principal bands， one of them numbering fifteen hundred men， around Dinan and St. Malo； for greater security they burn title-deeds in the chateaux of Saint-Tual， Besso， Beaumanoir， La Rivière， La Bellière， Chateauneuf， Chenay， Chausavoir， Tourdelon， and Chalonge； and as a climax they set fire to Chateauneuf just before the arrival of the regular troops. - In the beginning， a dim conception of legal and social order seems to be floating in their brains； at Saint-Tual， before taking 2，000livres from the steward， they oblige the mayor to give them his consent in writing； at Yvignac， their chief， called upon to show the authority under which he acted， declares that "he is authorized by the general will of the populace of the nation."[70] - But when， at the end of a month， they are beaten by the regular troops， made furious by the blows given and taken， and excited by the weakness of the municipal authorities who release their prisoners， they then become bandits of the worst species. During the night of the 22nd of February， the chateau of Villefranche， three leagues from Malestroit， is attacked. Thirty-two rascals with their faces masked， and led by a chief in the national uniform， break open the door. The domestics are strangled. The proprietor， M. de la Bourdonnaie， an old man， with his wife aged sixty， are half killed by blows and tied fast to their bed， and after this a fire is applied to their feet and they are warmed (chauffé). In the meantime the plate， linen， stuffs， jewelry， two thousand francs in silver， and even watches， buckles， and rings， - everything is pillaged， piled on the backs of the eleven horses in the stables， and carried off. - ？When property is concerned， one sort of outrage provokes another， the narrow cupidity of the lease-holder being completed by the unlimited rapacity of the brigand.
Meanwhile， in the south-western provinces， the same causes have produced the same results； and towards the end of autumn， when the crops are gathered in and the proprietors demand their dues in money or in produce， the peasant， immovably fixed in his idea， again refuses.[71] In his eyes， any law that may be against him is not that of the National Assembly， but of the so-called seigneurs， who have extorted or manufactured it； and therefore it is null. The department and district administrators may promulgate it as much as they please： it does not concern him， and if the opportunity occurs， he knows how to make them smart for it. The village National Guards， who are lease-holders like himself， side with him， and instead of repressing him give him their support. As a commencement， he replants the maypoles， as a sign of emancipation， and erects the gibbet by way of a threat. - In the district of Gourdon， the regulars and the police having been sent to put them down， the tocsin is at once sounded： a crowd of peasants， amounting to four or five thousand， arrives from every surrounding parish， armed with scythes and guns； the soldiers， forming a body of one hundred， retire into a church， where they capitulate after a siege of twenty-four hours， being obliged to give the names of the proprietors who demanded their intervention of the district， and who are Messrs. Hébray， de Fontange， and many others. All their houses are destroyed from top to bottom， and they effect their escape in order not to be hung. The chateaux of Repaire and Salviat are burned. At the expiration of eight days Quercy is in flames and thirty chateaux are destroyed. - The leader of a band of rustic National Guards， Joseph Linard， at the head of a village army， penetrates into Gourdon， installs himself in the H？tel-de-Ville， declares himself the people's protector against the directory of the district， writes to the department in the name of his "companions in arms，" and vaunts his patriotism. Meanwhile he commands as a conqueror， throws open the prisons， and promises that， if the regular troops and police be sent off； he and his companions will withdraw in good order. - This species of tumultuous authority， however， instituted by acclamation for attack， is powerless for resistance. Scarcely has Linard retired when savagery is let loose.