Now his wife had just given birth to a child， and the slightest tumult before the house would have been fatal. Such arguments are decisive. Consequently， three days afterwards， at the Tennis-court， but one deputy， Martin d'Auch， dares to write the word "opposing"after his name. Insulted by many of colleagues， "at once denounced to the people who had collected at the entrance of the building， he is obliged to escape by a side door to avoid being cut to pieces，"and， for several days， to keep away from the meetings.[27] - Owing to this intervention of the galleries the radical minority， numbering about thirty，[28] lead the majority， and they do not allow them to free themselves. -- On the 28th of May， Malouet， having demanded a secret session to discuss the conciliatory measures which the King had proposed， the galleries hoot at him， and a deputy， M.
Bourche， addresses him in very plain terms. "You must know， sir， that we are deliberating here in the presence of our masters， and that we must account to them for our opinions." This is the doctrine of the Contrat-Social. Through timidity， fear of the Court and of the privileged class， through optimism and faith in human nature， through enthusiasm and the necessity of adhering to previous actions， the deputies， who are novices， provincial， and given up to theories， neither dare nor know how to escape from the tyranny of the prevailing dogma. -- Henceforth it becomes the law. All the Assemblies， the Constituent， the Legislative， the Convention，[29]
submit to it entirely. The public in the galleries is the admitted representatives of the people， under the same title， and even under a higher title， than the deputies. Now， this public is that of the Palais-Royal， consisting of strangers， idlers， lovers of novelties， Paris romancers， leaders of the coffee-houses， the future pillars of the clubs， in short， the wild enthusiasts among the middle-class， just as the crowd which threatens doors and throws stones is recruited from among the wild enthusiasts of the lowest class. Thus by an involuntary selection， the faction which constitutes itself a public power is composed of nothing but violent minds and violent hands. Spontaneously and without previous concert dangerous fanatics are joined with dangerous brutes， and in the increasing discord between the legal authorities this is the illegal league which is certain to overthrow all.
When a commanding general sits in council with his staff-officers and his counselors， and discusses the plan of a campaign， the chief public interest is that discipline should remain intact， and that intruders， soldiers， or menials， should not throw the weight of their turbulence and thoughtlessness into the scales which have to be cautiously and firmly held by their chiefs. This was the express demand of the Government；[30] but the demand was not regarded； and against the persistent usurpation of the multitude nothing is left to it but the employment of force. But force itself is slipping from its hands， while growing disobedience， like a contagion， after having gained the people is spreading among the troops. - From the 23rd of June，[31] two companies of the French Guards refused to do duty. Confined to their barracks， they on the 27th break out， and henceforth "they are seen every evening entering the Palais-Royal， marching in double file." They know the place well； it is the general rendezvous of the abandoned women whose lovers and parasites they are.[32] "The patriots all gather around them， treat them to ice cream and wine， and debauch them in the face of their officers."-- To this， moreover， must be added the fact that their colonel， M.
du Chatelet， has long been odious to them， that he has fatigued them with forced drills， worried them and diminished the number of their sergeants； that he suppressed the school for the education of the children of their musicians； that he uses the stick in punishing the men， and picks quarrels with them about their appearance， their board， and their clothing. This regiment is lost to discipline： a secret society has been formed in it， and the soldiers have pledged themselves to their ensigns not to act against the National Assembly. Thus the confederation between them and the Palais-Royal is established. -- On the 30th of June， eleven of their leaders， taken off to the Abbaye， write to claim their assistance. A young man mounts a chair in front of the Café Foy and reads their letter aloud； a band sets out on the instant， forces the gate with a sledge-hammer and iron bars， brings back the prisoners in triumph， gives them a feast in the garden and mounts guard around them to prevent their being re-taken. -- When disorders of this kind go unpunished， order cannot be maintained； in fact， on the morning of the 14th of July， five out of six battalions had deserted. -- As to the other corps， they are no better and are also seduced.
"Yesterday，" Desmoulins writes， "the artillery regiment followed the example of the French Guards， overpowering the sentinels and coming over to mingle with the patriots in the Palais-Royal . . .. We see nothing but the rabble attaching themselves to soldiers whom they chance to encounter. 'Allons， Vive le Tiers-Etat！' and they lead them off to a tavern to drink the health of the Commons."Dragoons tell the officers who are marching them to Versailles： "We obey you， but you may tell the ministers on our arrival that if we are ordered to use the least violence against our fellow-citizens， the first shot shall be for you." At the Invalides twenty men， ordered to remove the cocks and ramrods from the guns stored in a threatened arsenal， devote six hours to rendering twenty guns useless； their object is to keep them intact for plunder and for the arming of the people.
