unity,.... each surrendering himself up absolutely, just as
he actually stands, he and all his forces, of which the property he
possesses forms a part."[2101]

There must be no exception or reservation. Nothing of what he previously
was, or had, now belongs to him in his own right; henceforth, what he
is, or has, devolves upon him only through delegation. His property
and his person now form a portion of the commonwealth. If he is in
possession of these, his ownership is at second hand; if he derives
any benefit there from, it is as a concession. He is their depository,
trustee and administrator, and nothing more.[2102] In other words, with
respect to these he is simply a managing director, that is to say
a functionary like others, with a precarious appointment and always
revocable by the State which has appointed him.

"As nature gives to every man absolute power over the members of his
body the social pact gives the social body absolute power over all its
members."

The State, as omnipotent sovereign and universal proprietor,
exercises at discretion, its boundless rights over persons and things;
consequently we, its representatives, take all things and persons into
our hands; as they belong to it, so do they belong to us.

We have confiscated the possessions of the clergy, amounting to
about four billion livres; we confiscate the property of the emigres,
amounting to three billion livres;[2103] we confiscate the property
of the guillotined and deported: all this amounts to some hundreds of
millions; later on, the count will be made, because the list remains
open and is being daily added to. We will sequestrate the property of
"suspects," which gives us the right to use it: here are many hundred
millions more; after the war and the banishment of "suspects," we shall
seize the property along with its income: here, again, are billions of
capital.[2104] Meanwhile we take the property of hospitals and of other
benevolent institutions, about eight hundred million livres; we take the
property of factories, of endowments, of educational institutions, and
of literary and scientific associations: another lot of millions.[2105]
We take back the domains rented or surrendered by the State for the
past three centuries and more, which gives again about a couple of
billions.[2106] We take the possessions of the communes up to the amount
of their indebtedness. We have already received as inheritance the
ancient domains of the crow