Four of them， the ex-mayor， an ex-collector， a district administrator and a notable are sent to the revolutionary Tribunal in Paris， to be guillotined in deference to principles. Thirty-two former officers -chevaliers of St. Louis， mousquetaires， nobles， priests， an ex-procureur-royal， an ex-treasurer of France， a former administrator of the department， and two ladies， one of them designated as "calling herself a former marchioness" - are confined， until peace is secured， in the jail at Montargis. Other former municipal officers and officers in the National Guard - men of the law， notaries and advocates， physicians， surgeons， former collectors， police commissioners， postmasters， merchants and manufacturers， men and women， married or widows and widowers - are to make public apology and be summoned to the Temple of Reason to undergo there the humiliation of a public penance on the 20th of Vent？se at three o'clock in the afternoon. They all go， for the summons says， "whoever does not present himself on the day and hour named will be arrested and confined until peace is declared." On reaching the church， purified by Jacobin adoration， "in the presence of the constituted authorities of the popular club and of the citizens convoked in general assembly，"they mount one by one into a tribune raised three steps above the floor，" in such a way as to be in full sight. One by one the national agent， or the mayor， reprimands them in the following language：
"You have been base enough to sign a fawning address to Louis XVI.， the most odious and the vilest of tyrants， an ogre of the human species guilty of every sort of crime and debauchery. You are hereby censured by the people. You are moreover warned that on committing the first act of incivism， or manifesting any anti-revolutionary conduct， the surveillance of the constituted authorities will be extended to you in the most energetic manner； the tribunals will show you less leniency and the guillotine will insure prompt and imposing justice."Each， called by name， receives in turn the threatened admonition， and， descending from the tribune amidst hues and cries， all sign the procès-verbal. But shame and guilt are often absent， and some of them do not seem to be sufficiently penitent. Consequently， at the close of the ceremony， the National Agent calls the attention of the assembly to "the impudence manifested by certain aristocrats， so degraded that even national justice fails to make them blush；" and the Revolutionary Committee， "considering the indifference and derisive conduct of four women and three men， just manifested in this assembly；considering the necessity of punishing an inveterate aristocracy which seems to make sport of corrective acts that bear only (sic) on morals， in a most exemplary manner， decides that the seven delinquents "shall be put under arrest， and confined in the jail of Sainte-Marie." The three who have shown indifference， are to be confined three months；the four who have shown derision， are to be confined until peace is restored. Besides this， the decree of the National Agent and the minutes of the meeting are to be printed and six thousand impressions struck off at the expense of the signers， "the richest and most 'suspect，' " - a former treasurer of France， a notary， a grocer， the wife of the former commandant of the gendarmerie， a widow and another woman， - all， says the agent， " of very solid wealth and aristocracy.""Bravo！" shouts the assembly， at this witticism； applause is given and it sings "the national hymn." It is nine o'clock in the evening. This public penitence lasts six hours and the Jacobins of Montargis retire， proud of their work； having punished as a public affront， an old and legal manifestation of respect for the public magistrate； having sent either to the scaffold or to prison， and fined or disgraced the small local élite； having degraded to the level of prostitutes and felons under surveillance， reputable women and honorable men who are， by law， most esteemed under a normal system of government and who， under the revolutionary system are， by law， the least so.[118]
IX. The Jacobin Citizen Robot.
Two characteristics of the upper class， wealth and education. - Each of these is criminal. - Measures against rich and well-to-do people.
- Affected in a mass and by categories. - Measures against cultivated and polite people. - Danger of culture and distinction. -Proscription of "honest folks."Two advantages， fortune and education， each involving the other， cause a man to be ranked in the upper class； hence， one or the other， whether each by itself or both together， mark a man out for spoliation， imprisonment and death. - In vain may he have demonstrated his Jacobinism， and Jacobinism of the ultra sort.
Hérault-Séchelles， who voted for murdering the King， who belongs to the Committee of Public Safety， who， in the Upper-Rhine， has just carried out the worst revolutionary ordinances，[119] but who has the misfortune to be rich and a man of the world， is led to the scaffold， and those devoted to the guillotine readily explain his condemnation：
