And this， because four-fifths of France being detached from the Revolution， the elections will put into the legislative and administrative offices men who were opposed to the Revolution."[59] Lord Malmesbury， "Diaries，" II.， 544. (September 9， 1797.) The words of Mr. Colchen.) "He went on to say that all the persons arrested are the most estimable and most able men in the Republic. It is for this reason and not from any principles of royalism (for such principles do not belong to them) that they are sentenced to transportation. They would have supported the constitution， but in doing that they would have circumscribed the authority of the executive power and have taken from the Directory the means of acquiring and exercising undue authority."[60] Barbé-Marbois， "Journal d'un Déporté，" preface， p. XVI.
[61] Mathieu Dumas， III.， 84， 86.
[62] De Goncourt， "La Société Fran？aise pendant le Directoire，" 298， 386. Cf. the Thé， the Grondeur， the Censeur des journaux， Paris， and innumerable pamphlets.- In the provinces， the Anti-Terrorist， at Toulouse the Neuf Thermidor， at Besan？on， the Annales Troyennes at Troyes， etc.
[63] Mallet-Dupan， II.， 309， 316， 323， 324， 329， 333， 339， 347. "To defend themselves constitutionally， whilst the Directory attacks revolutionarily， is to condemn themselves to inevitable perdition." -" Had it a hundred times more ability the Legislative Corps without boldness is a lightning flash without thunder." - " With greater resources than Louis XVI. had in 1792， the Legislative Corps acts like this prince and will share his fate， unless it returns war for war， unless it declares that the first generals who dare send out the deliberations of their armies are traitors to the State." - " It is owing to the temporizing of the legislative councils， to the fatal postponement of the attack on the Luxembourg in the middle of August， on which Pichegru， Villot， General Miranda and all the clairvoyant deputies insisted on， . . . . it is owing to foolishly insisting on confining themselves to constitutional defenses， . . . it is owing to the necessity which the eighty firm and energetic deputies found of conciliating three hundred others who could not agree on the end as well as the means， which brought about the catastrophe of the Councils."[64] Carnot， "Mémoires，" II.， 161. "The evil having reached its last stage， it was necessary to have a 10th of June instead of a 31st of May." - Mallet-Dupan， II.， 333， 334. The plan for canceling the military division of the Interior under Augereau's command was to be carried out between the 15th and 20th of August. If the triumvirate should resist， Pichegru and Villot were to march on the Luxembourg.
Carnot refused to accept the project "unless he might name the three new Directors." - De la Rue， "Histoire du 18 Fructidor." Carnot said to the Moderates who asked him to act with them： "Even if I had a pardon in my pocket， amply confirmed by the royal mouth， I should have no confidence."[65] Occupied by the members of the Directory.
[66] Mathieu Dumas， "Mémoires，" III.， 113.
[67] Mallet-Dupan， II.， 327. "Barras is the only one who plays squarely and who， taking the risk， wants Jacobinism to triumph par fas et nefas." - Ibid.， 339. "The triumvirs hesitated up to Friday；Barras， the most furious of the three， and master of Augereau， decided his two colleagues." - Ibid， 351. " Barras and Reubell， by dint of exciting the imagination of that poor little philosophizer La Révellière， succeeded in converting him." - Thibaudeau， II.， 272. "It was Barras who bore off the honors of dictatorship that night . . .
. La Révellière shut himself up in his house as in an impenetrable sanctuary. Reubell， at this moment， his head somewhat affected， was watched in his apartment."[68] Mallet-Dupan， II.， 304， 305， 331. - Carnot， II.， 117.
[69] Barbé-Marbois， "Journal d'un Deporté，" pp.34 and 35.
[70] Mallet-Dupan， II.， 343.
[71] Barbé-Marbois， ibid.， p.46.
[72] Mallet-Dupan， II.， 228， 342. "The use the triumvirs intended to make of D'Entraigues' portfolio was known two months ago."- cf.
Thibaudeau， II.， 279， on the vagueness， scanty proof and gross falsity of the charges made by the Directory.
[73] Barbé-Marbois， ibid.， p.46.
[74] Lord Malmesbury. "Diary，" III.， 559 (Sep. 17th， 1797). At Lille， after the news of the coup d'état， "it was a curious circumstance to see the horror that prevailed everywhere lest the system of Terror should be revived. People looked as if some exterminating spirit were approaching. The actors in the theatre partook of the sensation. The Director called Paris， said to Ross， on his paying him： 'Nous allons actuellement être vandalisés.' "[75] Decrees of Fructidor 18 and 19， year V.， Article 39.
[76] Thibaudeau， II.， 277. "I went to the meeting of Fructidor 20， the avenues of the Odéon were besieged with those subaltern agents of revolution who always show themselves after commotion， like vultures after battles. They insulted and threatened the vanquished and lauded the victors."[77] Ibid.， II. 309.
[78] Ibid.， II.， 277. "As soon as I entered the hall several deputies came with tears in their eyes to clasp me in their arms. The Assembly all had a lugubrious air， the same as the dimly lighted theatre in which they met ； terror was depicted on all countenances； only a few members spoke and took part in the debates. The majority was impassible， seeming to be there only to assist at a funeral spectacle， its own."[79] Decree of Fructidor 1， articles 4 and 5， 16 and 17， 28， 29 and 30， 35， and decree of Fructidor 22.-Sauzay， IX.， 103. Three hundred communes of the department are thus purged after Fructidor.-Ibid.， 537， the same weeding-out of jurymen.
[80] Lacretelle， "Dix ans d'Epreuves，" p. 310.
