For the same reason， as far as the notables， properly so-called， are concerned， it bears down still more heavily， not merely on the nobles because of ancient privileges， not merely on ecclesiastics on the score of being insubordinate Catholics， but on nobles， ecclesiastics and bourgeois in their capacity of notables， that is to say， born and bred above others， and respected by the masses on account of their superior condition. - In the eyes of the genuine Jacobin， the notables of the third class are no less criminal than the members of the two superior classes. "The bourgeois，[113] the merchants， the large proprietors，" writes a popular club in the South， "all have the pretension of the old set (des ci-dévants)." And the club complains of "the law not providing means for opening the eyes of the people with respect to these new tyrants." It is horrible！ The stand they take is an offense against equality and they are proud of it！ And what is worse， this stand attracts public consideration！ Consequently， "the club requests that the revolutionary Tribunal be empowered to consign this proud class to temporary confinement，" and then "the people would see the crime it had committed and recover from the sort of esteem in which they had held it." - Incorrigible and contemptuous heretics against the new creed， they are only too lucky to be treated somewhat like infidel Jews in the middle-ages. Accordingly， if they are tolerated， it is on the condition that they let themselves be pillaged at discretion， covered with opprobrium and subdued through fear. - At one time， with insulting irony， they are called upon to prove their dubious civism by forced donations. "Whereas，"[114] says Representative Milhaud， "all the citizens and citoyennes of Narbonne being in requisition for the discharge and transport of forage；whereas， this morning， the Representative， in person， having inspected the performance of this duty，" and having observed on the canal "none but sans-culottes and a few young citizens； whereas， not finding at their posts any muscadin and no muscadine； whereas， the persons， whose hands are no doubt too delicate， even temporarily， for the glorious work of robust sans-culottes， have， on the other hand， greater resources in their fortune， and， desiring to afford to the rich of Narbonne the precious advantage of being equally useful to the republic，" hereby orders that "the richest citizens of Narbonne pay within twenty-four hours" a patriotic donation of one hundred thousand livres， one-half to be assigned to the military hospitals， and the other half， on the designation thereof by a "Committee of Charity， composed of three reliable revolutionary sans-culottes，" to be distributed among the poor of the Commune. Should any "rich egoist refuse to contribute his contingent he is to be immediately transferred to the jail at Perpignan." - Not to labor with one's own hands， to be disqualified for work demanding physical strength， is of itself a democratic stain， and the man who is sullied by this draws down on himself， not alone an augmentation of pecuniary taxation， but frequently an augmentation of personal compulsory labor. At Villeneuve， Aveyron， and throughout the department of Cantal，[115]
Representative Taillefer and his delegate Deltheil， instruct the Revolutionary Committees to "place under military requisition and conscription all muscadins above the first class，" that is to say， all between twenty-five and forty years of age who are not reached by the law. "By muscadins is meant all citizens of that age not married， and exercising no useful profession，" in other words， those who live on their income. And， that none of the middle or upper class may escape， the edict subjects to special rigor， supplementary taxes， and arbitrary arrest， not alone property-holders and fund-holders， but again all persons designated under the following heads， - aristocrats， Feuillants， moderates， Girondists， federalists， muscadins， the superstitious， fanatics the abettors of royalism， of superstition and of federation， monopolists， jobbers， egoists， "suspects " of incivism， and， generally， all who are indifferent to the Revolution， of which local committees are to draw up the lists.
Occasionally， in a town， some steps taken collectively， either a vote or petition，. furnish a ready-made list；[116] it suffices to read this to know who are notables， the most upright people of the place；henceforth， under the pretext of political repression， the levellers may give free play to their social hatred. - At Montargis， nine days after the attempt of June 20， 1792，[117] two hundred and twenty-eight notables sign an address in testimony of their respectful sympathy for the King； a year and nine months later， in consequence of a retroactive stroke， all are hit， and， with the more satisfaction， inasmuch as in their persons the most respected in the town fall beneath the blow， all whom flight and banishment had left there belonging to the noble， ecclesiastic， bourgeois or popular aristocracy. Already， "on the purification of the constituted authorities of Montargis， the representative had withdrawn every signer from places of public trust and kept them out of all offices."But this is not sufficient； the punishment must be more exemplary.