such are the interludes of the popular drama. In the meantime， the crowd of women increases on the Place de Grève， always with the same unceasing cry， "Bread！" and "To Versailles！" One of the conquerors of the Bastille； the usher Maillard， offers himself as a leader. He is accepted， and taps his drum； on leaving Paris， he has seven or eight thousand women with him， and， in addition， some hundreds of men ； by dint of remonstrances， he succeeds in maintaining some kind of order amongst this rabble as far as Versailles. -- But it is a rabble notwithstanding， and consequently so much brute force， at once anarchical and imperious. On the one hand， each， and the worst among them， does what he pleases -- which will be quite evident this very evening. On the other hand， its ponderous mass crushes all authority and overrides all rules and regulations -- which is at once apparent on reaching Versailles. -- Admitted into the Assembly， at first in small numbers， the women crowd against the door， push in with a rush， fill the galleries， then the hall， the men along with them， armed with clubs， halberds， and pikes， all pell-mell， side by side with the deputies， taking possession of their benches， voting along with them， and gathering about the President， who， surrounded， threatened， and insulted， finally abandons the position， while his chair is taken by a woman.[34] Afishwoman commands in a gallery， and about a hundred women around her shout or keep silence at her bidding， while she interrupts and abuses the deputies：
"Who is that speaker there？ Silence that blabbermouth； he does not know what he is talking about. The question is how to get bread.
Let papa Mirabeau speak -- we want to hear him."A decree on subsistence having been passed， the leaders demand something in addition； they must be allowed to enter all places where they suspect any monopolizing to be going on， and the price of "bread must be fixed at six sous the four pounds， and meat at six sous per pound.""You must not think that we are children to be played with. We are ready to strike. Do as you are bidden."All their political injunctions emanate from this central idea. And further：
"Send back the Flemish regiment -- it is a thousand men more to feed， and they take bread out of our mouths." -- "Punish the aristocrats， who hinder the bakers from baking." "Down with the skull-cap； the priests are the cause of our trouble！ " -- "Monsieur Mounier， why did you advocate that villainous veto？ Beware of the lamp post ！ "Under this pressure， a deputation of the Assembly， with the President at its head， sets out on foot， in the mud， through the rain， and watched by a howling escort of women and men armed with pikes： after five hours of waiting and entreaty， it wrings from the King， besides the decree on subsistence， about which there was no difficulty， the acceptance， pure and simple， of the Declaration of Rights， and his sanction to the constitutional articles. -- Such is the independence of the King and the Assembly.[35] Thus are the new principles of justice established， the grand outlines of the Constitution， the abstract axioms of political truth under the dictatorship of a crowd which extorts not only blindly， but which is half-conscious of its blindness.
"Monsieur le President，" some among the women say to Mounier， who returns with the Royal sanction， "will it be of any real use to us？
will it give poor folks bread in Paris？"
Meanwhile， the scum has been bubbling up around the chateau； and the abandoned women subsidized in Paris are pursuing their calling.[36]
They slip through into the lines of the regiment drawn on the square， in spite of the sentinels. Théroigne， in an Amazonian red vest， distributes money among them.
"Side with us，" some say to the men； "we shall soon beat the King's Guards， strip off their fine coats and sell them."Others lie sprawling on the ground， alluring the soldiers， and make such offers as to lead one of them to exclaim， "We are going to have a jolly time of it ！" Before the day is over， the regiment is seduced； the women have， according to their own idea， acted for a good motive. When a political idea finds its way into such heads， instead of ennobling them， it becomes degraded there； its only effect is to let loose vices which a remnant of modesty still keeps in subjection， and full play is given to luxurious or ferocious instincts under cover of the public good. -- The passions， moreover， become intensified through their mutual interaction；crowds， clamor， disorder， longings， and fasting， end in a state of frenzy， from which nothing can issue but dizzy madness and rage. --This frenzy began to show itself on the way. Already， on setting out， a woman had exclaimed， "We shall bring back the Queen's head on the end of a pike！"[37]
On reaching the Sèvres bridge others added，"Let us cut her throat， and make cockades of her entrails！"Rain is falling； they are cold， tired， and hungry， and get nothing to eat but a bit of bread， distributed at a late hour， and with difficulty， on the Place d'Armes. One of the bands cuts up a slaughtered horse， roasts it， and consumes it half raw， after the manner of savages. It is not surprising that， under the names of patriotism and "justice，" savage ideas spring up in their minds against "members of the National Assembly who are not with the principles of the people，" against "the Bishop of Langres， Mounier， and the rest." One man in a ragged old red coat declares that "he must have the head of the Abbé Maury to play nine-pins with." But it is especially against the Queen， who is a woman， and in sight， that the feminine imagination is the most aroused.
"She alone is the cause of the evils we endure .... she must be killed， and quartered."-- Night advances； there are acts of violence， and violence engenders violence.
