f the National
Guard," spread through the streets in squads: the houses of the nobles
and of other suspected persons are invaded. All the arms, "guns,
pistols, swords, hunting-knives, and sword-canes," are carried off.
Every hole and corner is ransacked; they make the inmates open, or they
force open, secretaries and clothes-presses in search of ammunition,
the search extending "even to the ladies' toilette-tables". By way
of precaution "they break sticks of pomatum in two, presuming that
musket-balls are concealed in them, and they take away hair-powder
under the pretext that it is either colored or masked gunpowder." Then,
without disbanding, the troop betakes itself to the environs and into
the country, where it operates with the same promptness in the chateaux,
so that "in one day all honest citizens, those with the most property
and furniture to protect, are left without arms at the mercy of the
first robber that comes along." All reputed aristocrats are disarmed. As
such are considered those who "disapprove of the enthusiasm of the day,
or who do not attend the club, or who harbor any unsworn ecclesiastic,"
and, first of all, "the officers of the National Guard who are nobles,
beginning with the commander and his entire staff."--The latter allow
their swords to be taken without resistance, and with a forbearance and
patriotic spirit of which their brethren everywhere furnish an example
"they are obliging enough to remain at their posts so as not to
disorganize the army, hoping that this frenzy will soon come to an
end," contenting themselves with making their complaint to the
department.--But in vain the department orders their arms to be restored
to them. The clubbists refuse to give them up so long as the king
refuses to accept the Constitution; meanwhile they do not hesitate
to say that "at the very first gun on the frontier, they will cut the
throats of all the nobles and unsworn priests."--After the royal oath
to the Constitution is taken, the department again insists, but no
attention is paid to it. On the contrary, the National Guard, dragging
cannons along with them, purposely station themselves before the
mansions of the unarmed gentry; the ladies of their families are
followed in the streets by urchins who sing CA IRA[2127] in their faces,
and, in the final refrain, they mention them by name and promise them
the lantern; "not one of them could invite a dozen of his friends to
supper without incurring the