[26]Inthefollowingportrayaloftheancientrégime，thebombastandcredulityofthedayoverflowsinthemostextravagantexaggerations（BuchezetRoux，XXXI。，300，Report，bySaint—Just，February26，1794。）:\"In1788，LouisXVI。CausedeightthousandpersonsofbothsexesandofeveryagetobesacrificedintherueMeslayandonthePont—Neuf。ThesesceneswererepeatedbythecourtontheChampsdeMars；thecourthadhangingsintheprisons，andthebodiesofthedrownedfoundintheSeinewereitsvictims。Thesewerefourhundredthousandprisonersinconfinement；fifteenthousandsmugglerswerehunginayear，andthreethousandmenwerebrokenonthewheel；thereweremoreprisonersinParisthantherearenow……LookatEurope。TherearefourmillionsofpeopleshutupinEuropewhoseshrieksareneverheard。\"—Ibid。，XXIV。，132。（SpeechbyRobespierre，May10，1793）。\"Uptothistimetheartofgoverninghassimplyconsistedintheartofstrippingandsubduingthemassesforthebenefitofthefew，andlegislation，themodeofreducingtheseoutragestoasystem。\"
[27]BuchezetRoux，XXXII。，353。（ReportbyRobespierretotheConvention，May7，1794。）\"Naturetellsusthatmanisbornforfreedomwhiletheexperienceofmanforcenturiesshowshimaslave。
Hisrightsarewritteninhisheartandhistoryrecordshishumiliation。\"
[28]Ibid。，372。\"Priestsaretomoralitywhatcharlatansaretomedicalpractice。HowdifferentistheGodofnaturefromtheGodofthepriests！Iknowofnothingwhichissomuchlikeatheismasthereligionstheyhavemanufactured。\"Already，intheConstituentAssembly，Robespierrewantedtopreventthefatherfromendowingachild。\"Youhavedonenothingforlibertyifyourslawsdonottendtodiminishbymildandeffectivemeanstheinequalityoffortunes。\"
（Hamel，I。，403。）