The next scenes in the dark drama of Revolution were the intrigues and des perate struggles that sent Hebert and his friends to the scaffold on March 24, 1794, and Danton and Robespierre's school-fellow, Camille Desmoulins, on April 5. Danton he at once hated and feared with that fierce and spiteful hat red he ever felt instinctively for men with natural gifts beyond his own. The next three months he reigned supreme, but his supremacy prepared the way for his in evitable fall. He nominated all the mem bers of the government committee, placed his creatures in all places of influence in the commune of Paris, sent his hench man Saint-Just on a mission to the armies on the frontier, assumed supreme con trol of the Revolutionary Tribunal, and completely revolutionized its method of operation by the atrocious measure intro duced by his creature Couthon on the 22d Prairial (June 10), to the effect that neither counsel nor witnesses need be heard if the jury had come otherwise to a conclusion.
But, in accordance with the law that governs all human things, as Robes pierre's power increased his popularity decreased. His declaration on May 7 of a new religion for the State—the founda tion of a new regime of public morality —awakened in the mind of Paris the slumbering sense of humor. The Con vention at Robespierre's instance agreed to compliment the Supreme Being with an acknowledgment of His existence and themselves with the Consolatory Principle of the Immortality of the Soul, to be celebrated in 36 annual festivals. The first of these was held on June 8, when Robespierre, glorious in a new light-blue coat, walked in front of the procession and delivered his soul of a vapid harangue, and set fire to pasteboard figures repre senting Atheism, Selfishness, Annihila tion, Crime, and Vice.
Meantime the pace of the guillotine grew faster, though apparently Robes pierre hoped to bring it to a close as soon as all his more dangerous enemies,. like Tallien, Fouche, and Vadier, were cut off. At the same time the public finance and the work of government generally drifted to ruin, and Saint-Just openly demanded the creation of a dictatorship in the per son of Robespierre as alone possessing intellect, energy, patriotism, and revolu tionary experience enough. On July 26
(8th Thermidor), after about a month's absence, the dictator delivered a long harangue complaining that he was being accused of crimes unjustly. He was lis tened to in deep unsympathetic silence, and the Convention, after at first obe diently passing his decrees, next rescinded them and referred his proposals to that committee, and the sitting ended without anything being concluded. That night at the Jacobin Club his party again tri umphed, and the Tallien party in despair hurried to the members of the Right, the Girondist remnant, and implored their help against the common enemy at this desperate juncture. Next day at the Con vention Saint-Just could not obtain a hearing. Tallien, Billaud-Varennes, and Vadier vehemently attacked Robespierre, and the voice of the dictator himself was drowned with cries of "Down with the tyrant." Turning to the Right, "I appeal to you whose hands are clean," he cried, but the Right sat in stony silence. "Pres ident of Assassins, I demand to be heard," he cried, but his voice died clown in his throat. "The blood of Danton chokes him," cried Garnier. An unknown deputy named Louchet proposed that Robes pierre should be arrested, and at the fatal words his power crumbled into ruins. His younger brother and Lebas demanded to be included in the honorable sentence. Vain attempts were made by the Jacobin Club and the Commune to save their hero, but Paris refused to move, and even Hen riot's artillerymen to obey. Robespierre broke his arrest and flew to the City Hall, whereupon the Convention at once declared him out of the law. The Na tional Guard under Barras turned out to protect the Convention, and Robespierre had his lower jaw broken by a shot fired by a gendarme named 1146cla. Next day (July 28; 10th Thermidor, 1794) he died, with Saint-Just, Couthon, and 19 others by the guillotine.