- Some days after this， about the end of January， during the whole of February， and down to the month of April， the execution of this theory is tumultuously carried out by mobs of villagers and vagabonds around Nantes， Auray， Redon， Dinan， Plo？rmel， Rennes， Guingamp， and other villages. Everywhere， writes the Mayor of Nantes，[62] "the country-people believe that in burning deeds and contracts they get rid of their debts； the very best of them concur in this belief，" or let things take their course； the excesses are enormous， because many gratify "special animosities， and all are heated with wine. - At Beuvres， "the peasants and vassals of the manor， after burning title-deeds， establish themselves in the chateau， and threaten to fire it if other papers， which they allege are concealed there， are not surrendered." Near Redon the Abbey of Saint-Sauveur is reduced to ashes. Redon is menaced， and Plo？rmel almost besieged. At the end of a month thirty-seven chateaux are enumerated as attacked： twenty-five in which the title-deeds are burnt， and twelve in which the proprietors are obliged to sign an abandonment of their rights. Two chateaux which began to burn are saved by the National Guard. That of Bois-au-Voyer is entirely consumed， and several have been sacked. By way of addition， "more than fifteen procureurs-fiscaux， clerks， notaries， and officers of seignorial courts have been plundered or burnt，" while proprietors take refuge in the towns because the country is now uninhabitable for them.
A second tumor makes its appearance at the same time at another point.[63] It showed itself in Lower Limousin in the beginning of January. From thence the purulent inflammation spreads to Quercy， Upper Languedoc， Perigord， and Rouergue， and in February from Tulle to Montauban， and from Agen to Périgueux and Cahors， extending over three departments. - Then， also， expectancy is the creator， according to rule， of its own object. By dint of longing for a law for the suppression of all claims， it is imagined that it is passed， and the statement is current that "the King and the National Assembly have ordered deputations to set up the maypole[64] and to 'light up' the chateaux." - Moreover， and always in accordance with current practice， bandits， people without occupation， take the lead of the furious crowd and manage things their own way. As soon as a band is formed it arrests all the peaceable people it can find on the roads， in the fields， and in isolated farmhouses， and takes good care to put them in front in case of blows. - These miscreants add terror to compulsion. They erect gibbets for any one that pays casual duties or annual dues， while the parishes of Quercy threaten their neighbors of Perigord with fire and sword in a week's time if they do not do in Perigord as they have done in Quercy. -The tocsin rings， the drums beat， and "the ceremony " is performed from commune to commune. The keys of the church are forcibly taken from the curé the seats are burned， and， frequently， the woodwork marked with the seigneur's arms. They march to the seigneur's mansion， tear down his weathercocks， and compel him to furnish his finest tree， together with feathers and ribbons with which to deck it， without omitting the three measures which he uses in the collection of his dues in grain or flour. The maypole is planted in the village square， and the weathercocks， ribbons， and feathers are attached to its top， together with the three measures and this inscription， "By order of the King and National Assembly， the final quittance for all rentals." When this is done it is evident that the seigneur， who no longer possesses weathercocks， or a seat in the church， or measures to rate his dues by， is no longer a seigneur， and can no longer put forth claims of any kind. Huzzahs and acclamations accordingly burst forth， and there is a revel and an orgy on the public square. All who can pay - the seigneur， the curé， and the rich - are put under contribution for the festival， while the people eat and drink "without any interval of sobriety."- In this condition， being armed， they strike， and when resistance is offered， they burn. In Agénois， a chateau belonging to M. de Lameth， and another of M. d'Aiguillon； in Upper Languedoc， that of M. de Bournazel， and in Perigord that of M. de Bar， are burnt down：
M. de Bar is almost beaten to death， while six others are killed in Quercy. A number of chateaux in the environs of Montauban and in Limousin are assaulted with firearms， and several are pillaged. -Bands of twelve hundred men swarm the country； "they have a spite against every estate；" they redress wrongs； "they try over again cases disposed of thirty years ago， and give judgments which they put into execution." - If anybody fails to conform to the new code he is punished， and to the advantage of the new sovereigns. In Agénois， a gentleman having paid the rent which was associated with his fief the people take his receipt from him， mulct him in a sum equal to that which he paid， and come under his windows to spend the money on good cheer， in triumph and with derision.
Many of the National Guards who still possess some degree of energy， several of the municipalities which still preserve some love of order， and a number of the resident gentry， employ their arms against these excited swarms of brutal usurpers. Some of the ruffians， taken in the act， are judged somewhat after the fashion of a drum-head court-martial， and immediately executed as examples.
