Before which flight, the Girondins have broken with Danton, ranged him against them, and are now at open war with the Mountain.  Marat is attacked, acquitted with triumph.  On Friday, May 31, we find a new insurrectionary general of the National Guard enveloping the Convention, which in three days, being thus surrounded by friends, ejects under arrestment thirty-two Girondins.  Surely the true reign of Fraternity is now not far?

The Girondins are struck down, but in the country follows a ferment of Girondist risings.  And on July 9, a fair Charlotte Corday is starting for Paris from Caen, with letters of introduction from Barbaroux to Dupernet, whom she sees, concerning family papers.  On July 13, she drives to the residence of Marat, who is sick—­a citoyenne who would do France a service; is admitted, plunges a knife into Marat’s heart.  So ends Peoples’-Friend Marat.  She submits, stately, to inevitable doom.  In this manner have the beautifulest and the squalidest come into collision, and extinguished one another.

At Paris is to be a new feast of pikes, over yet a new constitution; statue of Nature, statue of Liberty, unveiled! Republic one and indivisible—­Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death!  A new calendar also, with months new-named.  But Toulon has thrown itself into the hands of the English, who will make a new Gibraltar of it!  We beleaguer Toulon; having in our army there remarkable Artillery-Major Napoleon Bonaparte.  Lyons also we beleaguer.

Committee of Public Safety promulgates levy en masse; heroically daring against foreign foes.  Against domestic foes it issues the law of the suspects—­none frightfuller ever ruled in a nation of men.  The guillotine gets always quicker motion.  Bailly, Brissot, are in prison.  Trial of the “Widow Capet”; whence Marie Antoinette withdraws to die—­not wanting to herself, the imperial woman!  After her, the scaffold claims the twenty-two Girondins.

Terror is become the order of the day.  Arrestment on arrestment follows quick, continual; “The guillotine goes not ill.”

VIII.—­Climax and Reaction

The suspect may well tremble; how much more the open rebels—­the Girondin cities of the south!  The guillotine goes always, yet not fast enough; you must try fusillading, and perhaps methods still frightfuller.  Marseilles is taken, and under martial law.  At Toulon, veteran Dugommier suffers a young artillery officer whom we know to try his plan—­and Toulon is once more the Republic’s.  Cannonading gives place to guillotining and fusillading.  At Nantes, the unspeakable horror of the noyades.

Beside which, behold destruction of the Catholic religion; indeed, for the time being, of religion itself; a new religion promulgated of the Goddess of Reason, with the first of the Feasts of Reason, ushered in with carmagnole dance.