The Insurrection of October, I/89 47 



The Palais Royal, that rallying place of thousands of homeless 

 dwellers of Paris, the lawless, the idle, the discontented, was in 

 permanent session, and more than ever a hot-bed of insurrection 

 and rebellion. 1 On Sunday, the 4th, the place was crowded with 

 women who cried out that "to-morrow things would go better, 

 that they would put themselves at the head of affairs." One 

 "whose appearance indicated a woman above the middle class" 

 said that Paris lacked bread and they must go to-morrow and 

 demand it of the king and royal family. 2 



The French guards, patriots at heart and jealous of those who 

 had usurped their places at court, were in sympathy with the 

 people. They heard and applauded the popular orators. The 

 national guards dispersed the crowds so gently that evidence 

 was afterwards given that "no precautions were taken against 

 the agitators." 3 



The discontent of the French guards at seeing their places at 

 court rilled by strangers, the alarm caused by the increased num- 

 ber of troops about Versailles, the doubling of the body-guard, 

 the enlistment of a new corps, and the calling of the regiment of 

 Flanders, — all these military complications helped to make the 

 position utterly intolerable to the friends of the revolution. And 

 finally the banquet of the body-guard, with its open insults to the 

 popular cause, was like a spark to a powder magazine, — the 

 explosion was inevitable. 



IV 



PERSONAL AND OTHER INFLUENCES 



To determine with any exactness the roles played by individ- 

 uals in the October insurrection is an impossible task. I shall 

 therefore confine myself to a discussion of some statements that 

 have been made, some opinions that have been held, and to a 

 suggestion of probabilities. 



1 Bailly, Menwires, II, 232, 233. 



2 Revue hi stotique LXVlil, 293. 



3 Ibid., L/XVIII, 293. Mathiez quotes from the Procedure du chaklet. 



313 



