d a single aristocrat be spared, all of
them would mount the scaffold."[3309] They are naturally wary and they
stick together: in their clique "everything is done on the basis of good
fellowship;"[3310] no one is admitted except on the condition of having
proved his qualifications "on the 10th of August and 31st of May."[3311]
And, as they have made their way into the Commune and into the
revolutionary committees behind victorious leaders, they are able,
through the certificates of civism which these arbitrarily grant or
refuse, to exclude, not only from political life but, again, from civil
life, whoever is not of their party.

"See," writes one of Danton's correspondents,[3312] "the sort of persons
who easily obtain these certificates,--the Ronsins, the Jourdans, the
Maillards, the Vincents, all bankrupts, keepers of gambling-hells and
cut-throats. Ask these individuals whether they have paid the patriotic
contribution, whether they regularly pay the usual taxes, whether they
give to the poor of their sections, to the volunteer soldiers, etc.;
whether they mount guard or see it regularly done, whether they have
made a loyal declaration for the forced loan. You will find that they
have not.... The Commune issues certificates of civism to its satellites
and refuses them to the best citizens."

The monopoly is obvious; they make no attempt to conceal it; six weeks
later,[3313] it becomes official: several revolutionary committees
decide not to grant certificates of civism to citizens who are not
members of a popular club." And strict exclusion goes on increasing
from month to month. Old certificates are canceled and new ones imposed,
which new certificates have new formalities added to them, a larger
number of endorsers being required and certain kinds of guarantees
being rejected; there is greater strictness in relation to the requisite
securities and qualifications; the candidate is put off until fuller
information can be obtained about him; he is rejected at the slightest
suspicion:[3314] he is only too fortunate if he is tolerated in the
Republic as a passive subject, if he is content to be taxed and taxed
when they please, and if he is not sent to join the "suspects" in
prison; whoever does not belong to the band does not belong to the
community.

Amongst themselves and in their popular club it is worse, for

"the eagerness to get any office leads to every one denouncing each
other; "[3315]

consequently, at t