"they ruefully estimated my enormous gains. Were it necessary， Icould prove that they often met together to consider the best way to destroy my reputation." Finally， came the plot of the Academicians；"the disgraceful persecution I had to undergo from the Academy of Sciences for two years， after being satisfied that my discoveries on Light upset all that it had done for a century， and that I was quite indifferent about becoming a member of its body . . . . Would it be believed that these scientific charlatans succeeded in underrating my discoveries throughout Europe， in exciting every society of savants against me， and in closing against me all the newspapers？"[22] -Naturally， the would-be-persecuted man defends himself， that is to say， he attacks. Naturally， as he is the aggressor， he is repulsed and put down， and， after creating imaginary enemies， he creates real ones， especially in politics where， on principle， he daily preaches insurrection and murder. And finally， he is of course prosecuted， convicted at the Chatelet court， tracked by the police， obliged to fly and wander from one hiding-place to another； to live like a bat "in a cellar， underground， in a dark dungeon；"[23] once， says his friend Panis， he passed "six weeks sitting on his behind" like a madman in his cell， face to face with his reveries. - It is not surprising that， with such a system， the reverie should become more intense， more and more gloomy， and， at last settle down into a confirmed nightmare；that， in his distorted brain， objects should appear distorted； that， even in full daylight men and things should seem awry， as in a magnifying， dislocating mirror； that， frequently， on the numbers (of his journal) appearing too blood-thirsty， and his chronic disease too acute， his physician should bleed him to arrest these attacks and prevent their return.[24]
But it has become a habit： henceforth， falsehood grow in his brain as if it was their native soil； planting himself on the irrational he cultivates the absurd， even physical and mathematical. "If we include everyone；"[25] he says， "the patriotic tax-contribution of one-quarter of all income will produce， at the very least， 4，860 millions， and perhaps twice that sum." With this sum M. Necker may raise five hundred thousand men， which he calculates on for the subjugation of France. - Since the taking of the Bastille， "the municipality's waste alone amount to two hundred millions. The sums pocketed by Bailly are estimated at more than two millions； what 'Mottié' (Lafayette) has taken for the past two years is incalculable."[26] - On the 15th of November， 1791， the gathering of emigrés comprises "at least 120，000former gentlemen and drilled partisans and soldiers， not counting the forces of the German princes about to join them."[27] - Consequently， as with his brethren in Bicêtre， (a lunatic asylum)， he raves incessantly on the horrible and the foul： the procession of terrible or disgusting phantoms has begun.[28] According to him， the scholars who do not choose to admire him are fools， charlatans and plagiarists.
Laplace and Monge are even "automatons，" so many calculating machines；Lavoisier， "reputed father of every discovery causing a sensation in the world， has not an idea of his own；" he steals from others without comprehending them， and "changes his system as he changes his shoes."Fourcroy， his disciple and horn-blower， is of still thinner stuff.
All are scamps： "I could cite a hundred instances of dishonesty by the Academicians of Paris， a hundred breaches of trust；" twelve thousand francs were entrusted to them for the purpose of ascertaining how to direct balloons， and "they divided it among themselves， squandering it at the Rapée， the opera and in brothels."[29] - In the political world， where debates are battles， it is still worse. Marat's publication "The Friend of the people" has merely rascals for adversaries. Praise of Lafayette's courage and disinterestedness， how absurd If he went to America it was because he was jilted， "cast off by a Messalina；" he maintained a park of artillery there as "powder-monkeys look after ammunition-wagons； " these are his only exploits；besides， he is a thief. Bailly is also a thief， and Mabuet a "clown."Necker has conceived the "horrible project of starving and poisoning the people； he has drawn on himself for all eternity the execration of Frenchmen and the detestation of mankind." - What is the Constituent Assembly but a set of "low， rampant， mean， stupid fellows？" -"Infamous legislators， vile scoundrels， monsters athirst for gold and blood， you traffic with the monarch， with our fortunes， with our rights， with our liberties， with our lives！ " - " The second legislative corps is no less rotten than the first one." - In the Convention， Roland， "the officious Gilles and the forger Pasquin， is the infamous head of the monopolizers." " Isnard is a juggler， Buzot a Tartuffe， Vergniaud a police spy."[30] - When a madman sees everywhere around him， on the floor， on the walls， on the ceiling， toads， scorpions， spiders， swarms of crawling， loathsome vermin， he thinks only of crushing them， and the disease enters on its last stage： after the ambitious delirium， the mania for persecution and the settled nightmare， comes the homicidal mania.
With Marat， this broke out at the very beginning of the Revolution.