The tricoloured cockade, emblem of infidelity to God and the king, had entirely disappeared for several months in the town of Mende, and they put up the white cockade, as a _souvenir_ and a hope of that order of things to which they were secretly devoted.
The directory of the department, consisting of men strangers to the country, resolved on having the emblem of the constitution respected, and applied for some troops of the line.

This the municipality opposed, in a resolution addressed to the directory, and made an insurrectional appeal to the neighbouring municipalities, and a kind of federation with them to resist together the sending of any troops into their districts.
However, the troops sent from Lyons at the request of the directory approached; on their appearance, the municipality dissolved the ancient national guard, composed of a few friends of liberty, and formed a fresh national guard, of which the officers were chosen by itself from amongst the gentry and most devoted royalists of the neighbourhood.

Armed with this force, the municipality compelled the directory of the department to supply them with arms and ammunition.
Such were the movements of the town of Mende, when the troops entered the place.

The national guard, under arms, replied to the cry of _Vive la nation_, uttered by the troops, by the cry of _Vive le roi_.

Then they followed the soldiers to the principal square in the city, and there took, in presence of the defenders of the constitution, an oath to obey the king only, and to recognise no one but the king.