Observe one of their parades， that of Brumaire 20th， 22nd or 30th， which masquerade often occurs several times a week and is always the same， with scarcely any variation. - Male and female wretches march in procession to the doors of the deputies' hall， still "drunk with the wine imbibed from chalices， after eating mackerel broiled in patens，" besides refreshing themselves on the way. "Mounted astride of asses which they have rigged out in chasuble and which they guide with a stole，" they halt at each low smoking-den， holding a drinking cup in their hand； the bartender， with a mug in his hand， fills it， and， at each station， they toss off their bumpers， one after the other， in imitation of the Mass， and which they repeat in the street in their own fashion. - On finishing this， they don copes， chasubles and dalmatica， and， in two long lines， file before the benches of the Convention. Some of them bear on hand-barrows or in baskets， candelabra， chalices， gold and silver salvers， monstrances， and reliquaries； others hold aloft banners， crosses and other ecclesiastical spoils. In the mean time "bands play the air of the carmagnole and 'Malbrook.' . . . On the entry of the dais， they strike up 'Ah！ le bel oiseau；'"[19] all at once the masqueraders throw off their disguise， and， mitres， stoles， chasubles flung in the air， "disclose to view the defenders of the country in the national uniform." Peals of laughter， shouts and enthusiasm， while the instrumental din becomes louder！ The procession， now in full blast， demands the carmagnole， and the Convention consents； even some of the deputies descend from their benches and cut the pigeon-wing with the merry prostitutes. - To wind up， the Convention decrees that it will attend that evening the fête of Reason and， in fact， they go in a body. Behind an actress in short petticoats wearing a red cap， representing Liberty or Reason， march the deputies， likewise in red caps， shouting and singing until they reach the new temple， which is built of planks and pasteboard in the choir of Notre Dame. They take their seats in the front rows， while the Goddess， an old frequenter of the suppers of the Duc de Soubise， along with "all the pretty dames of the Opera，" display before them their operatic graces.[20] They sing the "Hymn to Liberty，" and， since the Convention has that morning decreed that it must sing， I suppose that it also joined in.[21] After this there follows dancing； but， unfortunately， the authorities are wanting for stating whether the Convention danced or not. In any event， it is present at the dance， and thus consecrates an unique orgy， not Rubens' "Kermesse" in the open air， racy and healthy， but a nocturnal boulevard-jollification， a "Mardi-gras" composed of lean and haggard scapegraces. - In the great nave of the Cathedral， "the dancers， almost naked， with bare necks and breasts， and stockings down at the heel，" writhe and stamp， "howling the carmagnole." In the side chapels， which are "shut off by high tapestries， prostitutes with shrill voices" pursue their avocation.[22] - To descend to this low level so barefacedly， to fraternise with barrier sots， and wenches， to endure their embraces and hiccoughs， is bad enough， even for docile deputies. More than one half of them loathed it beforehand and remained at home； after this they do not feel disposed to attend the Convention.[23] - But the " Mountain sends for them， and an officer brings them back；" it is necessary that they should co-operate through their presence and felicitations in the profanations and apostasies which follow；[24] it is necessary that they should approve of and decree that which they hold in horror， not alone folly and nonsense， but crime， the murder of innocent people， and that of their friends.
- All this is done. "Unanimously， and with the loudest applause，"the Left， united with the Right， sends Danton to the scaffold， its natural chieftain， the great promoter and leader of the Revolution.[25] "Unanimously， and with the loudest applause，" the Right， united with the Left， votes the worse decrees of the Revolutionary government.[26] "Unanimously，" with approving and enthusiastic cheers， manifesting the warmest sympathy for Collot d'Herbois， Couthon， and Robespierre，[27] the Convention， through multiplied and spontaneous re-elections， maintains the homicidal government which the Plain detests， because it is homicidal， and which the Mountain detests， because it is decimated by it. Plain and Mountain， by virtue of terror， majority after majority， end in consenting to and bringing about their own suicide： on the 22nd of Prairial， the entire Convention has stretched out its neck；[28] on the 8th of Thermidor， for a quarter of an hour after Robespierre's speech，[29] it has again stretched this out， and would probably have succumbed， had not five or six of them， whom Robespierre designated or named， Bourdon de l'Oise， Vadier， Cambon， Billaud and Panis， stimulated by the animal instinct of self-preservation， raised their arms to ward off the knife. Nothing but imminent， personal， mortal danger could， in these prostrated beings， supplant long-continued fear with still greater fear. Later on， Siéyès， on being asked how he acted in these times， replied， "I lived." In effect， he and others are reduced to that； they succeeded in doing this， at all costs， and at what a price！[30] His secret notes， his most private sketches confirm this[31]. . .
