第64章 CHAPTER VI(2)

"On my return to Languedoc， I went from town to town in order to meet those gentlemen to whom the Comte d'Artois had written， among whom were many of the most influential Royalists and some members of the States of Parliament. Having decided on a general plan， and agreed on a method of carrying on secret correspondence with each other， I went to Nimes to wait for the assistance which I had been promised from Turin， but which I never received. While waiting， I devoted myself to awakening and sustaining the zeal of the inhabitants， who at my suggestion， on the 20th April， passed a resolution， which was signed by 5，000 inhabitants."

This resolution， which was at once a religious and political manifesto， was drafted by Viala， M. Froment's secretary， and it lay for signature in his office. Many of the Catholics signed it without even reading it， for there was a short paragraph prefixed to the document which contained all the information they seemed to desire.

"GENTLEMEN，--The aspirations of a great number of our Catholic and patriotic fellow-citizens are expressed in the resolution which we have the honour of laying before you. They felt that under present circumstances such a resolution was necessary， and they feel convinced that if you give it your support， as they do not doubt you will， knowing your patriotism， your religious zeal， and your love for our august sovereign， it will conduce to the happiness of France， the maintenance of the true religion， and the rightful authority of the king.

"We are， gentlemen， with respect， your very humble and obedient servants， the President and Commissioners of the Catholic Assembly of Nimes.

(Signed)

FROMENT， Commissioner LAPIERRE， President FOLACHER， " LEVELUT， Commissioner FAURE， " MELCHIOND， "

ROBIN， " VIGNE， "

At the same time a number of pamphlets， entitled Pierre Roman to the Catholics of Nines， were distributed to the people in the streets， containing among other attacks on the Protestants the following passages：

"If the door to high positions and civil and military honours were closed to the Protestants， and a powerful tribunal established at Nimes to see that this rule were strictly kept， you would soon see Protestantism disappear.

"The Protestants demand to share all the privileges which you enjoy， but if you grant them this， their one thought will then be to dispossess you entirely， and they will soon succeed.

"Like ungrateful vipers， who in a torpid state were harmless， they will when warmed by your benefits turn and kill you.

"They are your born enemies： your fathers only escaped as by a miracle from their blood-stained hands. Have you not often heard of the cruelties practised on them？ It was a slight thing when the Protestants inflicted death alone， unaccompanied by the most horrible tortures. Such as they were such they are."

It may easily be imagined that such attacks soon embittered minds already disposed to find new causes for the old hatred， and besides the Catholics did not long confine themselves to resolutions and pamphlets. Froment， who had already got himself appointed Receiver-General of the 第一章Chapter and captain of one of the Catholic companies， insisted on being present at the installation of the Town Council， and brought his company with him armed with pitchforks， in spite of the express prohibition of the colonel of the legion. These forks were terrible weapons， and had been fabricated in a particular form for the Catholics of Nimes， Uzes， and Alais. But Froment and his company paid no attention to the prohibition， and this disobedience made a great impression on the Protestants， who began to divine the hostility of their adversaries， and it is very possible that if the new Town Council had not shut their eyes to this act of insubordination， civil war might have burst forth in Nimes that very day.

The next day， at roll-call， a sergeant of another company， one Allien， a cooper by trade， taunted one of the men with having carried a pitchfork the day before， in disobedience to orders. He replied that the mayor had permitted him to carry it； Allien not believing this， proposed to some of the men to go with him to the mayor's and ask if it were true. When they saw M. Marguerite， he said that he had permitted nothing of the kind， and sent the delinquent to prison.

Half an hour later， however， he gave orders for his release.

As soon as he was free he set off to find his comrades， and told them what had occurred： they， considering that an insult to one was an insult to the whole company， determined on having satisfaction at once， so about eleven o'clock P.M. they went to the cooper's house， carrying with them a gallows and ropes ready greased. But quietly as they approached， Allien heard them， for his door being bolted from within had to be forced. Looking out of the window， he saw a great crowd， and as he suspected that his life was in danger， he got out of a back window into the yard and so escaped. The militia being thus disappointed， wreaked their vengeance on some passing Protestants， whose unlucky stars had led them that way； these they knocked about， and even stabbed one of them three times with a knife.

On the 22nd April， 1790， the royalists--that is to say， the Catholics--assumed the white cockade， although it was no longer the national emblem， and on the 1st May some of the militia who had planted a maypole at the mayor's door were invited to lunch with him.

On the 2nd， the company which was on guard at the mayor's official residence shouted several times during the day， "Long live the king！

Up with the Cross and down with the black throats！" (This was the name which they had given to the Calvinists.) "Three cheers for the white cockade！ Before we are done， it will be red with the blood of the Protestants！" However， on the 5th of May they ceased to wear it， replacing it by a scarlet tuft， which in their patois they called the red pouf， which was immediately adopted as the Catholic emblem.