both are leaders of bands and each requires an opportunity to organize his band. Danton， to organize his band， needed the Revolution. - "Of low birth， without patronage，" penniless， every office being filled， and "the Paris bar exorbitantly priced，" admitted a lawyer after "a struggle，" he for a long time wandered jobless frequenting the coffee-houses， the same as similar men nowadays frequent the bars. At the Café de l'école， the proprietor， a good natured old fellow "in a small round wig， gray coat and a napkin on his arm，" circulated among his tables smiling blandly， while his daughter sat in the rear as cashier.[54] Danton chatted with her and demanded her hand in marriage. To obtain her， he had to mend his ways， purchase an attorneyship in the Court of the Royal Council and find guarantors and sponsors in his small native town.[55] Once married and lodged in the gloomy Passage du Commerce， he finds himself "more burdened with debts than with causes，" tied down to a sedentary profession which demands vigorous application， accuracy， a moderate tone， a respectable style and blameless deportment； obliged to keep house on so small a scale that， without the help of a louis regularly advanced to him each week by his coffee-house father-in-law， he could not make both ends meet.[56] His free-and-easy tastes， his alternately impetuous and indolent disposition， his love of enjoyment and of having his own way， his rude， violent instincts， his expansiveness， creativeness and activity， all rebel against this life： he is ill-suited for the quiet routine of our civil careers. It is not the steady discipline of an old society， but the tumultuous brutality of a society going to pieces or in a state of formation， that suits him. In temperament and character he is a barbarian， and a barbarian born to command his fellow-creatures， like this or that vassal of the sixth century or baron of the tenth century. A giant with the face of a " Tartar，"pitted with the small-pox， tragically and terribly ugly， with a mask convulsed like that of a growling "bull-dog，"[57] with small， cavernous， restless eyes buried under the huge wrinkles of a threatening brow， with a thundering voice and moving and acting like a combatant， full-blooded， boiling over with passion and energy. His strength in its outbursts appears boundless like a force of nature， when speaking he is roaring like a bull and be heard through closed windows fifty yards off in the street， employing immoderate imagery， intensely in earnest， trembling with indignation， revenge and patriotic sentiments， able to arouse savage instincts in the most tranquil breast and generous instincts in the most brutal personalities.[58] He may be profane， using emphatic terms，[59]
cynical， but not monotonous and affected like Hébert， but spontaneous and to the point， full of crude jests worthy of Rabelais， possessing a stock of jovial sensuality and good-humor， cordial and familiar in his ways， frank， friendly in tone. He is， both outwardly and inwardly， the best fitted for winning the confidence and sympathy of a Gallic， Parisian populace. His talents all contribute to "his inborn， practical popularity，" and to make of him "a grand-seignior of sans-cullotterie."[60] - With such talents for acting， there is a strong temptation to act it out the moment the theatre is ready， whatever the theatre， even unlawful and murky， whatever the actors rogues， scoundrels and loose women， whatever the part， ignoble， murderous， and finally fatal to him who undertakes it. - To hold out against such temptation， would require a sentiment of repugnance which a refined or thorough culture develops in both sense and mind， but which was completely wanting in Danton. Nothing disgusts him physically or morally： he embraces Marat，[61] fraternizes with drunkards， congratulates the Septembriseurs， retorts in blackguard terms to the insults of prostitutes， treats reprobates， thieves and jail-birds as equals， - Carra， Westermann， Huguenin， Rossignol and the confirmed scoundrels whom he sends into the departments after the 2nd of September.
"Eh！ What the hell！ Do you think we ought to send young misses." [62]-Garbage men are needed for the collection of garbage； one cannot hold one's nose when they come for their wages； one must pay them well， talk to them encouragingly， and leave them plenty of elbow room.
Danton is willing to play the part of the fire， and he humors vices；he has no scruples， and lets people scratch and take. - He has stolen as much to give as to keep， to maintain his role as much as to benefit by it， squaring accounts by spending the money of the Court against the Court， probably inwardly chuckling， the same as the peasant in a blouse on getting ahead of his well-duped landlord， or as the Frank， whom the ancient historian describes as leering on pocketing Roman gold the better to make war against Rome. - The graft on this plebeian seedling has not taken； in our modern garden this remains as in the ancient forest； its vigorous sap preserves its primitive raciness and produces none of the fine fruits of our civilization， a moral sense， honor and conscience. Danton has no respect for himself nor for others； the nice， delicate limitations that circumscribe human personality， seem to him as legal conventionality and mere drawing-room courtesy. Like a Clovis， he tramples on this， and like a Clovis， equal in faculties， in similar expedients， and with a worse horde at his back， he throws himself athwart society， to stagger along， destroy and reconstruct it to his own advantage.
At the start， he comprehended the peculiar character and normal procedure of the Revolution， that is to say， the useful agency of popular brutality： in 1788 he had already figured in insurrections.