Without uttering a word of warning, the Marseilles troop falls upon the cortege, strikes down the flags, disarms the National Guard, tears the epaulettes off the officers' shoulders, drags the mayor to the ground by his scarf, pursues the counselors, sword in hand, puts the mayor and syndic-attorney in arrest, and, during the night, sacks four dwellings, the whole under the direction of three Jacobins of the place under indictment for recent crimes or misdemeanors.

Henceforth at Chateau-Renard they will look twice before subjecting patriots to indictment.[2432]--At Velaux "the country house of the late seignior is sacked, and everything is carried away, even to the tiles and window-glass." A troop of two hundred men "overrun the village, levy contributions, and put all citizens who are well-off under bonds for considerable sums." Camoin, the Marseille chief, one of the new department administrators, who is in the neighborhood, lays his hand on everything that is fit to be taken, and, a few days after this, 30,000 francs are found in his carpet-bag.-Taught by the example others follow and the commotion spreads.

In every borough or petty town the club profits by these acts to satiate its ambition its greed, and its hatred.

That of Apt appeals to its neighbors, whereupon 1,500 National Guards of Gordes, St.Saturnin, Gouls and Lacoste, with a thousand women and children armed with clubs and scythes, arrive one morning before the town.

On being asked by whose orders they come in this fashion, they reply, "by the orders which their patriotism has given them."-- "The fanatics," or partisans of the sworn priests, "are the cause of their journey": they therefore "want lodgings at the expense of the fanatics only." The three day's occupation results for the latter and for the town in a cost of 20,000 livres.[2433] They begin by breaking everything in the church of the Recollets, and wall up its doors.