"Who would suppose that the bust of a marchioness would feel so soft to one of the people's representatives."The sans-culottes shout with laughter. He sends the poor woman away and keeps her husband locked up. In the evening he may write to the Convention that he investigates things himself， and closely examines aristocrats. - If one is to maintain the revolutionary enthusiasm at a high level it is helpful to have a drop too much in one's head， and most of them take precautions in this direction. At Lyons，[105] "the representatives sent to ensure the people's welfare， Albitte and Collot，" call upon the Committee of Sequestrations to deliver at their house two hundred bottles of the best wine to be found， and five hundred bottles more of Bordeaux red wine， first quality， for table use. - In three months， at the table of the representatives who devastate la Vendée， nineteen hundred and seventy-four bottles of wine are emptied，[106] taken from the houses of the emigrés belonging to the town； for， "when one has helped to preserve a commune one has a right to drink to the Republic." Representative Bourbotte presides at this bar； Rossignol touches his glass， an ex-jeweler and then a September massacreur， all his life a debauchee and brigand， and now a major-general； alongside of Rossignol， stand his adjutants， Grammont， an old actor， and Hazard， a former priest； along with them is Vacheron， a good républican， who ravishes women and shoots them when they refuse to succumb；[107] in addition to these are some "brilliant"young ladies， undoubtedly brought from Paris， "the prettiest of whom share their nights between Rossignol and Bourbotte，" whilst the others serve their subordinates： the entire band， male and female， is installed in a Hotel de Fontenay， where they begin by breaking the seals， so as t o confiscate "for their own benefit， furniture， jewelry， dresses， feminine trinkets and even porcelains."[108] Meanwhile， at Chantonney， representative Bourdon de l'Oise drinks with General Tunck， becomes "frantic" when tipsy， and has patriotic administrators seized in their beds at midnight， whom he had embraced the evening before. - Nearly all of them， like the latter， get nasty after a few drinks， - Carrier at Nantes， Petit-Jean at Thiers， Duquesnoy at Arras， Cusset at Thionville， Monestier at Tarbes. At Thionville， Cusset drinks like a "Lapithe" and， when drunk， gives the orders of a "vizier，" which orders are executed.[109] At Tarbes， Monestier "after a heavy meal and much excited，" warmly harangues the court， personally examines the prisoner， M. de Lasalle， an old officer， whom he has condemned to death， and signs the order to have him guillotined at once. M.
de Lasalle is guillotined that very evening， at midnight， by torchlight.
The following morning Monestier says to the president of the court：
"Well， we gave poor Lasalle a famous fright last night， didn't we ？""How a famous fright？ He is executed ！" Monestier is astonished - he did not remember having issued the order.[110] - With others， wine， besides sanguinary instincts， brings out the foulest instincts. At N？mes； Borie， in the uniform of a representative， along with Courbis， the mayor， Géret， the justice and a number of prostitutes， dance the farandole around the guillotine. At Auch， one of the worst tyrants in the South， Dartigoyte， always heated with liquor "vomited every species of obscenity " in the faces of women that came to demand justice； "he compels， under penalty of imprisonment， mothers to take their daughters to the popular club，" to listen to his filthy preaching； one evening， at the theatre， probably after an orgy， he shouts at all the women between the acts， lets loose upon them his smutty vocabulary， and， by way of demonstration， or as a practical conclusion， ends by stripping himself naked.[111] - This time， the genuine brute appears. All the clothing woven during the past centuries and with which civilization had dressed him， the last drapery of humanity， falls to the ground. Nothing remains but the primitive animal， the ferocious， lewd gorilla supposed to be tamed， but which still subsists indefinitely and which a dictatorship， joined to drunkenness， revives in an uglier guise than in remotest times.
VIII. Delirium.
Approach of madness. - Loss of common-sense. - Fabre， Gaston， Guiter， in the army of the Eastern Pyrenees. - Baudot， Lebas， Saint-Just， and the predecessors and successors in the army of the Rhine. -Furious excitement. - Lebon at Arras， and Carrier at Nantes.