Lyons solemnly recognized the supreme and central authority， reserving nothing but its municipal franchises. - And better still， in striking testimony of political orthodoxy， the Council-General of the department prescribed a civic festival for the 10th of August analogous to that of Paris. The Lyonnese， already blockaded， indulged in no hostile manifestation； on the 7th of August they marched out of their advanced positions to fraternize with the first body of troops sent against them.[74] They conceded everything， save on one point， which they could not yield without destruction， namely， the assurance that they should not be given up defenseless to the arbitrary judgment of their local tyrants， to the spoliation， proscriptions and revenge of the Jacobin rabble. In sum， at Marseilles and Bordeaux， especially at Lyons and Toulon， the sections had revolted only on that account；acting promptly and spontaneously， the people had thrust aside the knife which a few ruffians aimed at their throats； they had not been， and were not now， willing to be "Septemberised，" that was their sole concern. Provided they were not handed over to the butchers bound hand and foot， they would open their gates. On these minimum terms the "Mountain" could terminate the civil war before the end of July.
It had only to follow the example of Robert Lindet who， at Evreux the home of Buzot， at Caen the home of Charlotte Corday and the central seat of the fugitive Girondins， established permanent obedience through the moderation he had shown and the promises he had kept.[75]
The measures that had pacified the most compromised province would have brought back the others， and through this policy， Paris， without striking a blow， would have secured the three largest cities in France， the capital of the South-west， that of the South， and the capital of the Center.
On the contrary， should Paris persist in imposing on them the domination of its local Jacobins there was a risk of their being thrown into the arms of the enemy. Rather than fall back into the hands of the bandits who had ransomed and decimated them， Toulon， starved out， was about to receive the English within its walls and surrender to them the great arsenal of the South. Not less famished， Bordeaux might be tempted to demand aid from another English fleet； a few marches would brings the Piedmontese army to Lyons； France would then b cut in two， while the plan of stirring up the South against the North was proposed to the allies by the most clear-sighted of their councilors.[76] Had this plan been carried out it is probably that the country would have been lost. -- In any event， there was danger in driving the insurgents to despair： for， between the unbridled dictatorship of their victorious assassins and the musketry of the besieging army， there could be no hesitation by men of any feeling； it was better to be beaten on the ramparts than allow themselves to be bound for the guillotine； brought to a stand under the scaffold， their sole resource was to depend on themselves to the last. -- Thus， through its unreasonableness， the "Mountain" condemns itself to a number of sieges or blockades which lasted several months，[77] to leaving Var and Savoy unprotected， to exhausting the arsenals， to employing against Frenchmen[78] troops and munitions needed against foreigners， and all this at the moment the foreigner was taking Valenciennes[79] and Mayence， when thirty thousand royalist were organizing in Lozére， when the great Vendean army was laying siege to Nantes， when each new outbreak of fighting was threatening to connect the flaming frontier with the conflagration in the Catholic countries.[80] -- With a jet of cold water aptly directed， the "Mountain" could extinguish the fires it had kindled in the great republican towns； otherwise， nothing remained but to let them increase at the risk of consuming the whole country， with no other hope than that they might at last die out under a mass of ruins， and with no other object but to rule over captives and the dead.
But this is precisely the Jacobin aim； for， he is not satisfied with less than absolute submission ； he must rule at any cost， just as he pleases， by fair means or foul， no matter over what ruins. A despot by instinct and installation， his dogma has consecrated him King ； he is King by natural and divine right， in the name of eternal verity， the same as Philip II.， enthroned by his religious system and blessed by his Holy Office. Hence he can abandon no jot or title of his authority without a sacrifice of principle， nor treat with rebels， unless they surrender at discretion； simply for having risen against legitimate authority， they are traitors and villains. And who are greater rascals the renegades who， after three years of patient effort， just as the sect finally reaches its goal， oppose its accession to power！[81] At N？mes， Toulouse， Bordeaux， Toulon， and Lyons， not only have they interfered with or arrested the blow which Paris struck， but they have put down the aggressors， closed the club， disarmed the fanatical and imprisoned the leading Maratists； and worse still， at Lyons and at Toulon， five or six massacreurs， or promoters of massacre， Chalier and Riard， Jassaud， Sylvestre and Lemaille， brought before the courts， have been condemned and executed after a trial in which all the forms were strictly adhered to. -- That is the inexpiable crime； for， in this trial， the "Mountain" is involved； the principles of Sylvestre and Chalier are its principles； what is accomplished in Paris， they have attempted in the provinces； if they are guilty， it is also guilty； it cannot tolerate their punishment without assenting to its own punishment. Accordingly，* it must proclaim them heroes and martyrs，* it must canonize their memory，[82]