In January， "hawkers cry through the streets a list of the aristocrats and royalists who voted for an appeal to the people."[36] Some of the appelants are singled out by name through placards； Thibaut， bishop of Cantal， while reading the poster on the wall relating to him， hears some one along side of him say： "I should like to know that bishop of Cantal； I would make bread tasteless to him." Roughs point out certain deputies leaving the Assembly， and exclaim： "Those are the beggars to cut up！" -- From week to week signs of insurrection increase and multiply， like flashes of lightning in a coming tempest. On the 1st of January， "it is rumored that the barriers are to be closed at night， and that domiciliary visits are going to begin again."[37] On the 7th of January， on the motion of the Gravilliers section， the Commune demands of the Minister of War 132 cannon stored at Saint Denis， to divide among the sections. On the 15th of January the same section proposes to the other forty-seven to appoint， as on the 10th of August， special commissaries to meet at the Evêché and watch over public safety. That same day， to prevent the Convention from misunderstanding the object of these proceedings， it is openly stated in the tribunes that the cannon brought to Paris "are for another 10th of August against that body." The same day， military force has to be employed to prevent bandits from going to the prisons "to renew the massacres." On the 28th of January the Palais-Royal， the resort of the pleasure-seeking， is surrounded by Santerre， at eight o'clock in the evening， and "about six thousand men， found without a certificate of civism，" are arrested， subject to the decision one by one of their section. -- Not only does the lightning flash， but already the bolt descends in isolated places.[38] On the 31st of December a man named Louvain， formerly denounced by Marat as Lafayette's agent， is slain in the faubourg St. Antoine， and his corpse dragged through the streets to the Morgue. On the 25th of February， the grocer shops are pillaged at the instigation of Marat， with the connivance or sanction of the Commune. On the 9th of March the printing establishment of Gorsas is sacked by two hundred men armed with sabers and pistols. The same evening and on the next morning the riot extends to the Convention itself； "the committee of the Jacobin club summons every section in Paris to arms to "get rid" of the appelant deputies and the ministers；the Cordeliers club requests the Parisian authorities "to take sovereignty into their own hands and place the treacherous deputies under arrest"； Fournier， Varlet， and Champion ask the Commune "to declare itself in insurrection and close the barriers"； all the approaches to the Convention are occupied by the "dictators of massacre，" Pétion[39] and Beurnonville being recognized on their passing， pursued and in danger of death， while furious mobs gather on the Feuillants terrace "to award popular judgment，" "to cut off heads"and "send them into the departments." -- Luckily， it rains， which always cools down popular effervescence. Kervélegan， a deputy from Finistère， who escapes， finds means of sending to the other end of the faubourg St. Marceau for a battalion of volunteers from Brest that had arrived a few days before， and who were still loyal； these come in time and save the Convention. -- Thus does the majority live under the triple pressure of the "Mountain，" the galleries and the outside populace， and from month to month， especially after March 10， the pressure gets to be worse and worse.
III. Physical fear and moral cowardice.
Defection among the majority. -- Effect of physical fear. -- Effect of moral cowardice. -- Effect of political necessity. -- Internal weakness of the Girondins. -- Accomplices in principle of the Montagnards.
Month by month the majority relents under this pressure. -- Some are simply overcome by physical fear. On the King's trial， at the third call of the House， as the deputies on the upper benches voted one by one for his death， the deputy alongside Daunou "showed in a most energetic manner his disapproval of this." On his turn coming， "the galleries， which had undoubtedly noticed his attitude，" burst out in such violent threats that for some minutes his voice could not be heard； "silence was at length restored， and he voted -- death."[40] --Others， like Durand-Maillane， "warned by Robespierre that the strongest party is the safest，" say to themselves "that it is prudent， and necessary not to annoy the people in their furor，" make up their minds "to keep aloof shielded by their silence and insignificance."[41] Among the five hundred deputies of the Plain， many are of this stamp. They begin to be called "the Marsh Frogs." In six months they settle down of themselves into so many silent onlookers， or， rather， homicidal puppets， "whose hearts， shrunk through fear， rise in their throats"[42] every time that Robespierre looks at them. Long before the fall of the Girondists， "downcast at the present state of things， and no longer finding any inspiration in their heart，" their faces already disclosing "the pallor of fear or the resignation of despair.[43] Cambacérès hedges to find shelter in his Committee on Legislation.[44] Barrère， born a valet， and a valet ready for anything， places his southern mode of doing things at the service of the probable majority， up to the time of devoting his cruel rhetoric to the service of the dominant minority. Sièyes， after casting his vote for death， maintains an obstinate silence， as much through disgust as through prudence：
"What does my glass of wine matter in this torrent of booze？"[45]
Many， even among the Girondists， use sophistry to color their concessions in their own eyes. Some among these "think that they enjoy some degree of popularity， and fear that this will be compromised.[46]