On the 13th of April Marat， accused three months before and daily becoming bolder in his fractiousness， is finally indicted through a decree of the incensed majority；[98] on the 24th he appears before the revolutionary tribunal. But the revolutionary tribunal， like other newly organized institutions， is composed of pure Jacobins， and， moreover， the party has taken its precautions. Marat， for his escort to the court-room has "the municipal commissaries， envoys from the various sections， delegates from all the patriotic clubs"； besides these， "a multitude of good patriots" fill the hall beforehand； "early in the morning the other chambers of the Palais de Justice， the corridors， the courts and adjacent streets" overflow with "sans-culottes ready to avenge any outrage that may be perpetrated on their favorite defender."[99] Naturally， excessively conceited， he speaks not like an accused， but "as an apostle and martyr." He is overwhelmed with applause， unanimously acquitted， crowned with laurel， borne in triumph to the Convention， where he thunders a song of victory， while the Girondist majority is obliged to suffer his presence awaiting to be subjected to their banishments. -- Equally as impotent as the moderates of the Legislative Assembly are the moderates in the street who recover themselves only again to be felled to the ground. On the 4th and 5th of May， five or six hundred young fellows， well-dressed and without arms， have assembled in the Champs-Elysées and at the Luxembourg to protest against the ordinance of the Commune， which drafts them for the expedition to La Vendée；[100] they shout， "Vive la Republique！ Vive la Loi！ Down with anarchists！ Send Marat， Danton and Robespierre to the Devil！" Naturally， Santerre's paid guard disperses these young sparks； about a thousand are arrested， and henceforth the rest will be careful not to make any open demonstration on the public thoroughfares. -- Again， for lack of something better to do， we see them frequently returning to the section assemblies， especially early in May； they find themselves in a majority， and enter on discussions against Jacobin tyranny； at the Bon-Conseil section， and at those of Marseilles and l'Unité， Lhuillier is hooted at， Marat threatened， and Chaumette denounced.[101] -- But these are only flashes in the pan； to be firmly in charge in these permanent assemblies， the moderates， like the sans-culottes， would have to be in constant attendance， and use their fists every night. Unfortunately， the young men of 1793 have not yet arrived at that painful experience， that implacable hate， that athletic ruggedness which is to sustain them in 1795. "After one evening， in which the seats everywhere were broken "[102] on the backs of the contestants， they falter， and never recover themselves， the professional roughs， at the end of a fortnight， being victorious all along the line. -- The better to put resistance down， the roughs form a special league amongst themselves， and go around from section to section to give each other help.[103] Under the title of a deputation， under the pretext of preventing disturbance， a troop of sturdy fellows， dispatched by the neighboring section， arrives at the meeting， and suddenly transforms the minority into a majority， or controls the vote by force of clamor. Sometimes， at a late hour， when the hall is nearly empty， they declare themselves a general meeting， and about twenty or thirty will cancel the discussions of the day. At other times， being， through the municipality， in possession of the police， they summon an armed force to their aid， and oblige the refractory to decamp. And， as examples are necessary to secure perfect silence， the fifteen or twenty who have formed themselves into a full meeting， with the five or six who form the Committee of Supervision， issue warrants of arrest against the most prominent of their opponents. The vice-president of the Bon-Conseil section， and the juge-de-paix of the Unité section， learn in prison that it is dangerous to present to the Convention an address against anarchists or sign a debate against Chaumette.[104] -- Towards the end of May， in the section assemblies， nobody dares open his mouth against a Jacobin motion； often， even， there are none present but Jacobins； for example， at the Gravilliers， they have driven out all not of their band， and henceforth no "intriguer"[105] is imprudent enough to present himself there. -- Having become the sovereign People assembled in Council， with full power to* disarm，* put on the index，* displace，* tax，* send off to the army， and* imprison whoever gives them umbrage，they are able now， with the municipality at their back and as guides， to turn the armament which they have obtained from the Convention against it， attack the Girondists in their last refuge， and possess themselves of the only fort not yet surrendered.
VI. Jacobin tactics.
Jacobin tactics to constrain the Convention. - Petition of April 15against the Girondins. - Means employed to obtain signatures. - The Convention declares the petition calumnious. - The commission of Twelve and the arrest of Hébert. - Plans for massacres. - Intervention of the Mountain leaders.