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EPISODES OF THE FKENCH 
 REVOLUTION. 
 
EPISODES 
 
 OP THE 
 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION 
 
 FROM 1789 TO 1795, 
 
 <WITH AN APPENDIX EMBODYING THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN 
 FRANCE FROM 1789 TO THE PRESENT TIME,) 
 
 EXAMINED 
 
 FEOM A 
 
 POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL POINT OF VIEW, 
 
 BT 
 
 F. F. BENVENUTI. 
 
 LONDON: 
 SIMPKIN, MARSHALL AND COMPANY. 
 
 1880. 
 [entbbbd at stationbes' hall.] 
 

 ,1^ 
 
 SWANSEA : 
 PBINTED AT "THE CAMBRIAN" OFFICE, WIND-STEEET. 
 
Pure Friendship, glovy of life, rare beauty ; 
 
 O thou, the fairest bond of Creation ! 
 Let me live and die in thy Unity, 
 
 Far away from the breath of corruption. 
 
 Those Authors who are desirous of obtaining Favours and 
 Fame dedicate their books to Titles and Grandeur ; I, who have 
 no other desire but to honour Friendship and Sincbeitt, inscribe 
 this work 
 
 TO 
 
 JAMES WALTER, Esq., J.P., CHAS. BATH, Esq., J.P., 
 THOS. CORY, Esq., J.P., and DAVID DAVID, Esq., 
 
 WITH WHOM I ASSOCIATE 
 
 THE INHABITANTS OF SWANSEA ; 
 
 AS A PUBLIC TOKEN Or THE BONDS OF RESPECT AND ESTEEM THAT 
 
 HAVE INVARIABLY TINITED ME TO THEM EOE MORE THAN 
 
 22 YEARS. 
 
 F. F. BENVENUTI. 
 
 Swansea, March 25th, 1X80. 
 
LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE "EPISODES 
 OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION." 
 
 James Walter, J.P., Swansea 
 Thomas Cory, J.P., Sketty 
 W. Williams, Swansea 
 J. W. Moms, Swansea 
 C. T. Wilson, J.P.. Sketty 
 William Thomas, Lan 
 Dr. Bavies, Swansea 
 Ely Hodgson, Swansea 
 J. Moy Evans, Swansea 
 James Eynon, Llanelly 
 
 E. F. Daniel, Swansea 
 H. Maliphant, Swansea 
 Thomas Harry, Morriston 
 Samuel Stephens, Swansea 
 
 F. W. Dahne, Morriston 
 
 G. Moulding, Swansea 
 B. Goodhall, Swansea 
 Miss Bradford, Clydach 
 J. Jones, Swansea 
 
 N. Kirk, Leicester 
 
 W. Hodgson, Leicester 
 
 J. Williams, Newport 
 
 E. Haddon, Leicester 
 
 J. O. Fowler, J.P., Swansea 
 
 Edward Evans, Heath 
 
 J. Hoskins, Swansea 
 
 J. Lewis, Swansea 
 
 John Powell, Swansea 
 
 Benjamin Evans, Swansea 
 
 J. E. Evans, Swansea 
 
 B. 0. Gamwell, Swansea 
 
 Fred, 8. Parker, Swansea 
 
 /. H. Jenkins, Swansea 
 
 Mrs. Leaker, Botherslade 
 
 Edward Brader, Swansea 
 
 G-eo. Evans, Swansea 
 
 William Watkins, Swansea 
 
 W. Mansel, Swansea 
 
 Silvanus Padley, J.P., Swansea 
 
 Dr. Howell Thomas, Swansea 
 David David, Swansea 
 
 E. T. Cawker, Swansea 
 
 W. Gilbertson, J. P., Pontardawe 
 ■T. Glasbrook, J.P., Forestfach 
 A. LI. Bicbards, Swansea 
 Wm, Edmond, Swansea 
 Thos. Jenkins, Swansea 
 H. W. Crowhurst, Swansea 
 Edw. Hammett, Swansea 
 Henry Q-orvin, Swansea 
 W. Howell, C.E., Swansea 
 W. Griffiths, Swansea 
 J. Jones, Jenkins, J.P., The Grange 
 Qr. Conybeare, Swansea 
 T. Brown Eichards, Swansea 
 
 F. E. Lucas, West Cross 
 Thomas Ford, J.P , Swansea 
 W. Lloyd, Swansea 
 
 Wm. Eosser, Swansea 
 
 Eichard White Beor, J,P., Swansea 
 
 George Padley, M.D., Swansea 
 
 Joseph Hall, Swansea 
 
 Thomas Thomas, Swansea 
 
 Arthur Gilbertson, Pontardawe 
 
 Eichard Morgan, Swansea 
 
 William Walters, Swansea 
 
 Thomas Williams, Swansea 
 
 P. John Murray, Swansea 
 
 Mrs. Wilson, Sketty 
 
 Wm. WilUams, Morriston 
 
 P. T, Davies, Swansea 
 
 Charles Bath, J.P., Swansea 
 
 James Hughes, Swansea 
 
 J. Trev. Jenkin, J.P. (High Sheriff) 
 
 Swansea 
 E.D. Bumie, Swansea 
 John Peters, Swansea 
 Thomas Smith, Swansea 
 
LIST OP SUBSCRIBEES. 
 
 R, Peregrine, Swansea 
 
 Daniel Jones^ Swansea 
 
 James Jones, Swansea 
 
 David Evans, Portsmoutti 
 
 T. D. Hammett, Swansea 
 
 William Thomas, Swansea 
 
 H. Follet, Swansea 
 
 W. W. Masters, Swansea 
 
 Thomas Eees, Swansea 
 
 Alderman Thomas Phillips, Swansea 
 
 Evan M. Richards. J.P., Swansea 
 
 W. Pranklyn Bull, Swansea 
 
 Morgan B. Williams, J.P., Swansea 
 
 0. Fulton, Swansea 
 
 Thomas Heard, Swansea 
 
 Dr. O. Q-. Williams, Sketty 
 
 Dr. James Hall, J.P., Swansea 
 
 D. C. Jones, Swansea 
 
 The Bev. Canon Wilson, Swansea 
 
 Henry Bowen, Morriston 
 
 Daniel Sevan, Swansea 
 
 Jeremiah C. Richardson, J.P., Swansea 
 
 Frederick L. Richardson, Swansea 
 
 John C. Richardson, Sketty 
 
 George Harry, Morriston 
 
 H, A. Ohapman, Swansea 
 
 T. R. W. Mason, Westcross 
 
 A. G. T. Morris. Cross Inn, R.S.O. 
 Mrs. Hoskins, Swansea 
 
 E. E. Ronse, Swansea 
 Thomas H, Martin, Swansea 
 John Cavill, Swansea 
 John Glasbrook, Morriston 
 John Rosser, Swansea 
 
 B. G. Rosser 
 
 John Howell, London 
 LI. L. Howell, Swansea 
 Alderman Philip Rogers, Swansea 
 Buffus Williams, Swansea 
 David Williams, Swansea 
 Joseph Thomas, Swansea 
 William Samuel, Pontardawe 
 George Shaddick, Swansea 
 John Richards, Swansea 
 G. W. Clare, Swansea 
 John Buse, J.P., Swansea 
 E, Austin Williams, Swansea 
 
 G. B. Brock, J.P., Swansea 
 
 Dr. J. H. Rooke, London 
 
 Abraham Evans Thomas, Llansamlet 
 
 Thomas Jones, Swansea 
 
 G. Melville, Swansea 
 
 A. Melville, Swansea 
 
 John Biddulph, J. P., Swansea 
 
 C. G, Chambers 
 
 John Hopkins, Swansea 
 
 J. Aeron Thomas, Swansea 
 
 John Thomas, ITeath 
 
 John Ivor Evans, Swansea 
 
 T. Bandies, Swansea 
 
 John Lewis, Swansea 
 
 C. Rowe, Swansea 
 
 A. B. Philp, London 
 
 The Countess of Devon (per Dr. J. H. 
 
 Booke, L.D.S., London) 
 Henry Bamett, Swansea 
 C. W. Mansel Moullin, M.A., M.D., 
 
 Oxon., F.R.C.S., London 
 Thomas Phillips, jun., Swansea 
 W. Beynon, Gower 
 David Sims, Ifeath 
 Jno. J. Guppy, Swansea 
 John Lewis, Swansea 
 William Richards, Swansea 
 Captain William Griffit'hs, Swansea 
 J. C. Vye Parminter, J.P., Swansea 
 H. T. Burgess, Birmingham 
 Frederick Calland, Dorkin 
 Barnett Goldberg, Swansea 
 Jno. R. Francis, Swansea 
 Geo. Richardson, Swansea 
 Richard Hughes, Swansea 
 P. Jones, Mumbles 
 David Owen, Momston 
 Benjamin Hill, Clydach 
 Daniel Roberts, Landore 
 John Margetts, Swansea 
 Thomas Fisher, Swansea 
 William Couch, Swansea 
 E. Everingham, Swansea 
 Dr. Henry Davies, Morriston 
 William Thomas, Swansea 
 Llewellyn Williams, Swansea 
 Ijawrence Tulloch, Swansea 
 
LETTER 
 
 FROM J. C. FOWLER, ESQ., STIPENDIARY 
 MAGISTRATE, TO THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Mt Dear Sie, — 
 
 I perused as much of the " Episodes of the French Eevolu- 
 tion *' as tiine permitted, but not having preserved the separated 
 portions I cannot now refer to particular passages. I can only say- 
 that I was astonished at the amount of knowledge and philo- 
 sophical reflection displayed in your composition. The work is 
 not light reading, and the forthcoming volume will require close 
 attention from its readers. But the French Revolution was the 
 mainspring of most of the subsequent political changes and 
 reforms in Evu^ope, and the impetus it gave has not yet entirely 
 spent its force. It deserves the most attentive study from all 
 students of history and politics. Tour work shows a remarkable 
 mastery of the idiom and force of our language, and will (read in 
 its entirety) throw light upon many difficult questions connected 
 with the Eevolution by which the students of this neighboiirhood 
 may better comprehend the difficulties of that wonderful epoch. 
 I am, yours faithfully, 
 
 JNO. COKE FOWLER 
 
 The HiU, Mmj 8. 
 
M. BEITVENUTI'S "EPISODES OF THE FRENCH 
 REVOLUTION." 
 
 Extract from an Article which appeared in The Cambrian, 
 March 26, 1880. 
 
 " The subject of these articles is an old one. Nearly a century 
 has rolled away since that great social earthquake turned topsy- 
 turvy the politioal, religious and social life of Praucej and shook 
 to its foundations the ciTilization of Europe, if not of the whole 
 world. Such portentous phenomena as then appeared before the 
 astonished gaze of mankind have, of course, been written about 
 again and again by the ranks of genius, of talent, and of mere 
 common-place attaiimients. But whatever the subject may have 
 lost in novelty, it has certainly gained in interest for the student 
 and the philosopher, since much of the darkness of class legisla- 
 tion, the mist of envy, and the bias of passion is now cleared 
 away, and we may look upon the scenes of that stupendous theatre 
 with the calm considerativeness of critics who care for the truth, 
 and nothing but the truth. The political and social lessons of 
 that terrible time are for us and for posterity, and it is the 
 solemn duty of the instructors of our childhood and manhood 
 to instil into their minds the moral of the tale. 
 
 " To the- curious student of history, it is positively painful to 
 
XU. EXTEACT. 
 
 see how events repeat themselves, and yet how little benefit man- 
 kind reap from the wide fields of individual and recorded experi- 
 ence. The careful rules of common sense, by which we so success- 
 fully direct the trivial matters of everyday occurrence, are raiely 
 seen to apply on the grand scale to questions of an infinite 
 importance; so that while we are able to avert many small calami- 
 ties by forethought and preparedness, we frequently stand aghast 
 and helpless before an impending catastrophe, which a very little 
 wisdom, rightly applied, would have enabled us entirely to avoid. 
 Society is a "super-organic organism;" it is a living thing, com- 
 posed of many parts. It has its birth, its youth, its maturity, its 
 decay, its health, its indisposition, just as the individual man has; 
 according as it is governed, it may be strengthened or weakened, 
 or murdered outright, as has too often been the case within his- 
 torical times through the selfishness, the f oUy, or the criminality 
 of kings, statesmen and demagogues. It is therefore of the utmost 
 import that the thinkers and doers of the present and rising 
 generations should have clear views of the nature and design and 
 possibilities of the body social. It is true that the impious absur- 
 dity of the " Divine Eight of kings to govern wrongly " is no 
 longer insisted on in so many words. It is true that the nobler 
 maxim, "the greatest happiness of the greatest number" has now 
 superseded the old narrow formula. But it is also true that the 
 governments of the world are, in some places and under some cir- 
 cumstances, as selfishly luxurious, as wastefully extravagant, and 
 as utterly regardless of the weal of the people as ever were the 
 rulers of yore. Our contemporary historians, the journalists, tell 
 us day after day of widespread war and famine, disease and discon- 
 tent, sycophant adulation of sovereigns and their simultaneously 
 attempted assassination. What are these but symptoms, compara- 
 tively mild though they be, of that fierce and consuming revolu- 
 tionary epidemic which devastated the fair land of France a 
 hundred years ago, and which, perhaps, has hardly yet spent its 
 whole fury, and died out ! 
 
BXTEACT. XUl. 
 
 "With these not irrelevant reflections before us, we perceive 
 more clearly the necessity for telling and retelling, for comment- 
 ing and philosophizing on, the tale of how a magnificent nation 
 was driven from discontent to desperation, and how the people 
 passed through the purifying fires of exile and confiscation, terror 
 and the guillotine, before the frenzy subsided and the national life 
 could resume its naturally placid course. 
 
 " The episodial form in which the story of the great French 
 Revolution is told by Professor Benvenuti is an unusual one, 
 which has much to recommend it to readers whose time for the 
 acquisition of deep and varied knowledge is circumscribed. With- 
 out the ponderous and slow, if stately, march of History, or the 
 intricate sentences and nice distinctions of Philosophy, it admits 
 of a blending of the salient features of both. In a few graphic 
 words, it flashes on the mind of the reader a remarkable historical 
 scene, or develops the sharp outlines of characters, at the same 
 time pouring forth a commentary on the picture, rich with the 
 results of philosophy. Of the manner in which our author has 
 availed himself of the opportunities thus presented to him, we 
 leave our readers to judge for themselves. 
 
 " Of the author himself, we need say nothing to the inhabitants 
 of Swansea and the neighbourhood. During the last 22 years that 
 he has resided here, his great classical, philosophical and linguistio 
 acquirements have been freely at the service of all his pupils, 
 among whom have been many of our most distinguished citizens. 
 
 "To arrive at a correct judgment on the merits of such a literary 
 work as this, which is, so to say, a local production, the generality 
 of Swansea readers should bear in mind two or three facts. 
 Though located so long in the town as almost to have become a 
 naturalised Englishman, the author of these articles is essentially 
 French. The texture of his mind, his views social, religious, and 
 philosophical, and many of his sympathies, are Gallic rather than 
 Celtic or Anglo-Saxon. When he speaks on the vexed questions 
 of politics, it is not with the insiUar prejudices of an Englishman, 
 
XIT. EXTRACT. 
 
 but as one who is conversant with the comparative politics of 
 Etirope. On religionj his utterances deal not with the petty 
 differences of Papacy, Episcopacy and Dissent, within the pale of 
 Christianity, so much as with the inherent religious and supersti- 
 tious instincts of the race, and the various systems of theology 
 which exist as the result of these worshipful human tendencies. 
 In philosophy he speaks, not as a mere disciple of the English 
 school, but as one who, metaphorically, has "sat at the feet" of 
 Comte, of Macchiavelli, of Montesquieu, and learnt of other great 
 teachers of wisdom. His views of social life may not always be in 
 accord with the little predilections of a bourgeoisie such as sets the 
 fashion in quiet, out-of-the-world Swansea. An acquaintance with 
 continental life widens the mind, and attunes the understanding 
 to catholic essentials rather than to the " shibboleths " which are 
 the only passports in some secluded places. 
 
 "Not that Professor Benvenuti obtrudes unnecessarily these 
 differences; nor that the value of his work is diminished for 
 English students by these peculiarities; on the contrary, the 
 series of articles in question, rather point out the harmonies than 
 parade the discords; and their value is in proportion to how we 
 are enabled to see things with the writer from other than our 
 own accustomed standpoints. Two persons looking at the self- 
 same hill from different sides would inevitably describe it diffe- 
 rently. And thus opinions the most opposite and irreconcilable 
 in appearance, are often found upon consideration to be perfectly 
 accordant with the facts on which they are based. 
 
 "The style, too, in which parts of the "Episodes" have been 
 composed, though it yields up its meaning with ease and lucidity to 
 the philologicaUy prepared mind, may present some trifling diffi- 
 culties to the mere reader of every-day diction. It must be borne 
 in memory that the "Writer has enriched his vocabulary with the 
 idioms of many languages. It too often happens that writers of 
 English tie themselves down to the use of set constructions of 
 sentence, and stereotyped combinations of phraze ; and we are fre- 
 
EXTRACT. XV. 
 
 •quently indebted to the researches of some educated foreigner for 
 rediscovering, or, at least, reintroducing some useful form of 
 •expression, some delicately beautiful shade of meaning which we 
 had stupidly allowed to fall into desuetude and oblivion. 
 
 " With so much of not unnecessary preface we commend the work 
 to those who have read and to those who will read it." 
 
 S. C. GAMWELL, 
 
 H, Hussell Street, Swansea. 
 March, 1880. 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 My first intention in publishing the Episodes of the French 
 Revolution was to give it to the Public without any Pre- 
 amble at all, seeing that the Title- Page explains sufficiently 
 the object of the work, and because very often a Preface 
 is to a book what elaborate Signs are to some commercial 
 houses — all their merit is outside. However, following the 
 general custom, I have overcome my prejudice, were it only 
 to give some explanations which may not be deemed unim- 
 portant, more especially to my readers ; so as to avoid 
 misconception on the part of those in whose hands this 
 work might fall, and who, for reasons explained hereafter, 
 would be inclined to misjudge without considering the 
 motive that has induced me to undertake a subject which, 
 since a century that the event has taken place, has been so 
 often ably treated by authors of eminent m.erit, and more 
 known in the Literary world than I am. 
 
 I, therefore, beg my readers to bear in mind that, in 
 undertaking this publication, I have not been guided by 
 any desire to bring my name uselessly before the Public 
 or to place myself in parallel with the distinguished histo- 
 rians who have already written on the same subject : if 
 my work had no other merit than to repeat in a different 
 phraseology what has already been said many times by 
 my Predecessors, it would not be worth the time which I 
 have passed in writing it, nor the trouble of reading it. 
 My experience of literature has long convinced me that, 
 when books have no other merit but to repeat what has 
 already been said before, the best the reader can do is to 
 throw them into the waste-basket 
 
 Swansea, 10th June, 1879. 
 
ADDEESS 
 
 TO THE READEES OF THE EPISODES OF THE 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION. 
 
 Deab Rbadee, you are aware no doubt that in the course of 
 our life nothing is more apt to assure Success than Peesetbbance, 
 Observation, and a good Method. Therefore, if you are willing 
 to put this ApHOBisM into practice, I advise you to read atten- 
 tively the following short narration, which may serve you as a 
 guide in the course of your perusal. 
 
 In former times, when the G-reat Jtipitee sat on the Celestial 
 throne of the ITniveese, and that our antedeluvian Ancestobs 
 had the superior advantage over us of being able to travel from 
 one planet to another with the same facility that we journey in 
 our days with railways from place to place, it happened that, not- 
 withstanding his Supreme power, the good Olympian God was 
 constantly assailed by the repeated complaints of his creatures. 
 It is, as you know, a part of our restless nature never to be satis- 
 fied with what we possess. — ^This complained that his next-door 
 neighbour was rich and enjoyed all the comforts of life, whereas 
 he had scarcely enough to support his family and himself. That 
 bewailed the unlucky moment that brought him into the world, 
 siuce his life was but a continual chain of toils, sufferings, and 
 disappointments. Some accused Jupitbb of ignorance and par- 
 tiality, seeing that, being in his power to make them immortal, or 
 at least as long-livers as many other animals who live eight gr nine 
 hundred years; they no sooner commenced to enjoy the fruits of. 
 their labour than Death put a term to their existence, without 
 even knowing the state of their future destination. Others 
 reproached him with giving them rain when they wanted dryness, 
 
 b2 
 
XX. ADDEESS. 
 
 cold instead of heat, scarcity in lieu of abundance, misery in the 
 place of fortune, and numberless maladies, when he could have 
 made them invulnerable to all kinds of indispositions. Thus, in 
 presence of such a confusion, the Sotbeeiqn Ckbatok of all 
 things, although convinced that he had done the best he could with 
 the only materials at his disposal, began to doubt of his Divine 
 Omnipotence, and was on the point of destroying his immense 
 works, when fortunately a propitious circumstance came suddenly 
 to change the course of his terrible resolution. Among so many 
 singular murmurs and unjust accusations, one fixed especially his 
 attention, he, therefore, resolved to clear the mystery, in order to 
 be relieved for ever of the harassing importunities of his ungrateful 
 creatures. 
 
 One day, whilst Jupitek was speaking to his wife, Jtjno, about 
 the rebellion of mankind against his authority, and expressed his 
 regret at having taken uselessly so much trouble for beings so 
 utterly deprived of reason and gratitude ; a man of rustic appear- 
 ance presented himself unceremoniously before his Heavenly 
 Majesty, and, losing all measure of decency, broke out into a flood 
 of invectives against the Cbeatob. " Of all your creatures," he 
 said, " I am the most unjustly treated : my field, although attended 
 to regularly and well sown, does not bring me any beneficial 
 results ; on the contrary, the seeds that I repeatedly put in it are 
 entirely lost j so that my labour is thrown away, and my family 
 plunged in the most distressing misery. My neighbour is treated 
 differently : all prospers with him ; he reaps a rich harvest every 
 year, and yet his field is not so good as mine, at the same time that 
 he does not sow the same quantity of seeds. Can this be called 
 Justice ? What is the use of the wise maxim that " evety one must 
 have his diK," if it is not applied with equity ? Have I to under - 
 stand that the Sttpkbme Benepactob of the Universe, like the 
 petty sovereigns of our world, has his Minions who enjoy his 
 favours at the expense of those who have been predestined to 
 reprobation, even before they were born ? Is this what is meant 
 
ADDRESS. XXI. 
 
 by Divine Peoyidence watching equally over his living crea- 
 tures" ? I do not helieve in it. . . . At this point, Jupiter, 
 surprised and displeased at so much holdness, commanded 
 Mercury, the faithful messenger of the Gods, to bring at 
 once at the foot of his throne ^% favoured kusbanciman. On his 
 arrival, Olympiits asked him how he could account for his success 
 in life, and the unsuocess of his neighbour here present. 
 
 "Sttpbeme Dispenseb of all good," he said, "I always 
 take great care, whilst cultivating my field, to cut down the 
 sod with the plough as deep as I can, so that the seeds I plant 
 in it may be well rooted into the soil whereby they be able to find 
 food for their development. I remove all the stones and parasite 
 plants that could obstruct their growth, and, as soon as the corn 
 gets to maturity, I visit regularly my field three and even four 
 times a day to protect it from depredation; thus I am always 
 rewarded for my watchfulness and care. My neighbour, on the 
 contrary, sows his field without cultivating it; he hardly scratches 
 the surface of the ground with the ploughshare, and very seldom 
 visits it; in this manner the seeds do not take root, and are 
 either devoured by ravenous birds, or lost ere they have time 
 to grow." 
 
 On hearing this the Omnipotent remained convinced that it is 
 a part of man's nature to attribute to others the faults ascribable 
 to themselves, and was satisfied that what he had done was not in 
 vain. He, therefore, praised the industrious man for the good use 
 he made of his judgment, and blessed him ; then, turning to the 
 other he said: "Remember that reason has been given to 
 man to enable him to raise himself above the other animals of 
 creation, and never forget that he who will acquire must worjc." 
 
 Now that you are acquainted with the history of these two men, 
 you will be at liberty to imitate either the one or the other. If in 
 reading this work you follow the example of the former, like him, 
 you will not derive any benefit from your labour; but, if you 
 imitate the latter, your efforts will be crowned with success. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Intbodtjction. — Greueral considerations on the caiiaes that 
 
 determined the French Eevolntion. 
 
 CHAPTBE I. 
 
 Political reflections on monarchical governments. — Louis XVI. — 
 
 His character, his errors, and his end. 
 
 OHAPTEK II. 
 
 Charlotte Corday. -She assassinates Marat. — Her character, her 
 
 arrest, and her death. 
 
 OHAPrER III. 
 The massacre of September. — Death of la Princess de Lamballe. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Character of the Eevolution.— The Bastille. — The Masque de Fer, 
 or Iron Mask. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Political considerations on despotic governments. — Their fatal 
 consequences. — Progress of the Eevolution. 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Deplorable condition of France before the Eevolution. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Political and Philosophical considerations on governments. — 
 Siege and taking of the Bastille. — Mirabeau. — Elie. — Hullin. — 
 De Launay. — FlesseUes. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Political reflections. — MaohiavelU's policy on governments. — The 
 prisoners and the regulations found in the Bastille. 
 CHAPi'BR IX. 
 Moral reflections. — Mirabeaux. — His birth, education, and charac- 
 ter. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Political and Philosophical considerations. — Elie and Hullin. — 
 
 What they did, and what they were. 
 
 CHAPTBE XI. 
 
 Philosophical considerations.— De Launay, governor of the Bas- 
 
 tiUe. 
 
xxiv. CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER xir. 
 PromiBent characters of tlie Ee-polution. — Social lines of demarca- 
 tion. — Vain distinction. — Pessimism and Optimism. 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Description of Pessimist. — His opinion of men and things in 
 
 CHAPTEB XIV. 
 Description of Optimist. — Proofs in support of his doctrine. 
 
 CIIAPTEE XV. 
 Jacobins and Girondins. — Prominent characters. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Impeachment and execution of the Girondins. 
 
 CIIAPTEK XVII. 
 
 Madame Koland — Her character and literary attainments. — Her 
 political career and her death. 
 
 CHAPTER XTIII. 
 Eoland. — His political career. — His character. — His end. 
 
 CHtPTEE XIX. 
 Philosophical considerations. — Perfection and imperfection . 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Bailly. — His character. — His great qualities. — His death. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Eeign of Terror. — Moral and Philosophical Considerations. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Philosophical and Moral considerations. — Malesherbes. — Collot- 
 
 d'Herhois. — Contrast of human nature. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Fanaticism and Despotism, examined from a philosophical point 
 
 of view. — Brienne and Necter. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Necter. — Calvin and his doctrines. — Predestination and Reproba- 
 tion. 
 
 CHAPTER X'XV. 
 Laws of Causation. — Their influence on Man's destiny. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Camille Desmoulins. — His birth and education. — His character. — 
 
 His first appearance on the political stage — His success. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Committee of Public Safety. — Herbetists and Dantonists. — Reign 
 
 of Terror. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 Danton. — His political career — His character. — His end. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 Increaae of terror. — Vices of human nature. 
 
CONTENTS. XXV. 
 
 CHAPTRK XXX. 
 Robespierre and the Supreme Being. • 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXI. 
 Festival of the Supreme Being. — Conspiracy of Robespierre, Saint- 
 Just, and Couthon. — Attempt to form a dictatorial Triumvirate. 
 — PaU and execution of the conspirators. 
 CHAPTEn XXXII. 
 Biograp hical sketch of Kobespierre from a philosophical point of 
 view. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 Character of Vanity and Hypocrisy combined ; examined from a 
 moral point of view. 
 
 CHAPTBE XXXIY. 
 Eobespierre — His family, birth and education. — His political 
 opinions and hidden designs. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 Retrograde march of the Revolution. — End of theEeignof Terror. 
 — Impeachment and judgment of the Mountaineers. 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 Political and philosophical review of the Revolution. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 Royalist attempt to overthrow the Republic. — Defeat of the con- 
 spirators. — End of the Convention. — List of the victims of the 
 French Revolution from 1789 to 1795. 
 CHAPTBE XXXVIII. 
 The Island of Corsica. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 Napoleon Bonaparte. 
 
 PROTOCOL 
 Of the Conferences at Chatillon-sur-Seine. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 Of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
 
 A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 
 
 Of all the Generals who distinguished themselves during the 
 
 Revolution and under the Empire. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Historical Synopsis of the Principal Events in Prance, from 1789, 
 
 to the present time. 
 
EPISODES OF THE FKENCH 
 EEVOLUTION. 
 
 ipiaonyn ivss to i795. 
 
 EXAMINED FROM A POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL 
 POINT OF VIEW. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE CAITSES THAT 
 DETERMINED THE REVOLtTTION. 
 
 It is my intention to write in these pages events unparal- 
 leled in the history of the world for their magnitude and 
 character — ^unique for their unavoidable causes and salutary 
 consequences. Tet, it is not my design to enter here into 
 all the details connected with that memorable period ; 
 many eminent writers have already portrayed its history 
 with such vivid colours as to preclude me from imitating 
 them. My object is not, therefore, to repeat what has 
 already been eloquently said, but merely to sketch out the 
 principal features of its most striking episodes ; so as to 
 afEord my readers an opportunity to consider the general 
 causes by which hirman affairs are determined, and make 
 thein reflect upon their consequences. 
 
 The revolutionary spark that the breath of tyranny and 
 priestcraft blew into a blaze of glory in 1789, terrible as 
 
2 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 its conflagration proved, had, nevertheless, for its heneficial 
 efiect to inflame Prance with a sacred fire, the violence of 
 which, like a wide-spread earthquake, shook the two 
 hemispheres, and made kings tremble on their tottering 
 thrones. 
 
 However, the atrocities which followed that memorable 
 period will never be forgotten either by Frenchmen or 
 by foreigners. Both had a great share in the extreme 
 afflictions which desolated iiat beautiful country ; those 
 by slaying one another like cannibals eager to quench their 
 thirst in human blood; these, like ravenous vultures, 
 watching the struggle of the victim's agony to divide the 
 spoil. 
 
 Such tigers in human form as Danton, Marat, Robes- 
 pierre, Couthon, St. Just, CoUot d'Herbois, Camilla 
 Desmoulins, Fouquier-Tinville, and other terrorists — 
 together with the innocent victims which they sent to the 
 guillotine, or were slaughtered in the piy^lic streets of 
 Paris by the lawless Jacobins — are horrible records that 
 neither the memory of men nor time will ever destroy. 
 They will be handed down from posterity to posterity 
 as the greatest taint of infamy that dishonours mankind 
 and degrades a nation. 
 
 History, however vigilant and faithful in recording the 
 facts and events of the time, has not been able to penetrate 
 the plots that were hatched in the darkness of that chaos. 
 "Public safety is the supreme law," said the hideous 
 Marat ; " now 270,000 nobles and priests, with their par- 
 tizans disturb the state ; therefore, 270,000 heads must be 
 cut ofE." Through the abominable "Loi des suspects" 
 drawn up by Merlin, 300,000 persons were put in prison, 
 and during the 420 days that the Terror lasted, 2,669 
 
FBENCH EETOLDTION. 3 
 
 victims fell tmder the bloody kaife of the guillotine in 
 Paris alone ; but how to reckon those of Lyons, Nantes, 
 Toulon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Toulouse, &c. ; where 
 Couthon, CoUot d'Herbois, Lebon, Carrier, Freron and 
 Tallien, outvied in ferocity their confederates of Paris? 
 In 47 days 1,400 persons were exterminated in Toulouse ; 
 among whom are included the whole Parliament of that 
 town, de Noailles and de Mouchy, Marshals of France ; 
 General Beanhamais, the jK)ets Andre Chenier and 
 Roucher ; many women and children. 
 
 As long as those frightful days of persecution and 
 loathsome butchery lasted, France was no longer France ; 
 all bonds of social intercourse were broken asunder,— Law, 
 Religion, Friendship, Family, Reason, all that is rational 
 and humane was banished ; and men, transformed into 
 insatiable brutes, feasted on and wallowed in the streaming 
 blood of their fellow-citizens. Happy they who, in their 
 despair, could desert a disordered country, where property 
 and life found no more safety. Good heavens ! what a 
 horrid spectacle ! The very idea of it makes one shudder. 
 Never in the two hemispheres has any country been so 
 cruelly tried and convulsed as France was in her trans- 
 formation. Torn by continual revolutions, enfeebled and 
 shattered by party factions, disturbed by anarchy, kindled 
 by civil wars, pillaged, and her public edifices demolished 
 or set on fire by communists ; invaded, devastated, ran- 
 sacked, and trampled upon by foreign foes ; exhausted by 
 continual wars, which is the nation that would have sur- 
 vived so many shocks, so many disturbances, so many 
 disasters ? Tet intelligent France found a new life in 
 death : like the Phoenix, she rose from her own ashes, and, 
 to the astonishment of the world, she is still France — la 
 
4 • EPISODES OP THE 
 
 ■faelle France, respected and envied; great, prosperous, 
 riclier and stronger than ever. She may console herself for 
 her past adversities. 
 
 Yes, France is now calm and collected; like a ship 
 anchored in port after having been beaten by a tempest, 
 she enjoys her repose. Is it that the experience of the 
 past has taught her more prudence, or because the Republic 
 has infused into her more vigour — more wisdom ? Are 
 the pilots which steer her present course more skQful than 
 their predecessors, or are they only the ominous precursors 
 of a sunshine that forebodes the storm ? Russia is all in 
 flames; Germany undermined by Ultramontanes and 
 Socialists ; England involved in complications ; Austria 
 poor and perplexed ; Italy in fermentation ; Turkey on a 
 blazing volcano; Mexico in revolt; Chili and Peru at war; 
 France only is apparently at peace and composed ; but 
 will she conjure the black cloud that gathers in the East ? 
 Will she be permitted to recover from her last struggle, 
 and get strength enough to face unforeseen events ? Will 
 she not be disturbed from her present course by falling 
 into some European complication ? Will she finally be 
 able to avoid the under-currents of party plots and 
 foreign intrigues, by which she might be carried away in 
 spite of her prudence ? France, it is true, cannot be dis- 
 membered without greatly disturbing the balance of 
 Europe; but with a growing powerful Germany, as a 
 dangerous neighbour and relentless enemy, on one side, 
 and an ambitious Russia, ever ready to carry out the will 
 of Peter the Great, on the other ; no one can compass the 
 consequences which would result from an alliance offensive 
 and defensive between those two powers, supported by 
 Austria, and England neutral or powerless. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 
 
 Be that as it may, tlie R^publique seems now un fait 
 accompli. Although, divided on several minor points, the 
 Republicans follow soldierly their leaders, and all work 
 lite busy bees for the same cause ; but when the hive is 
 full nobody knows who will eat the honey. The Mon- 
 archical party, or rather the Conservative factions, as the 
 Republicans condescend to call them, are, if not extinct, 
 at least insignificant : they are scarecrows which inspire 
 terror without danger. In fact, the White Flag of the 
 the Legitimists was buried at Prohsdorf, when the Count 
 de Chambord, contrary to the wish of his followers and 
 of the majority of Frenchmen, resolutely refused to 
 accept the Drapeau Tricolore, proudly saying: "Henry 
 V. cannot abandon the white flag of Henry FV. ; 
 the standard of Francis I., and of Joan of Arc, shall 
 never be snatched from my hands. He who holds 
 his crown from Ze Droit Divin cannot abdicate or 
 become the Legitimist King of the Revolution." The 
 Orleanists — in the person of the Count de Paris — for- 
 feited their claim to the Sovereign Power, when on August 
 5, 1873, they acknowledged the Count de Chambord as the 
 head of the Royal House of France. The Bonapartist 
 cause has ceased to be (as the Republicans believe) siuce 
 the untimely death of Prince Louis Napoleon, whose 
 assassination in Zululand by a horde of Savages caused 
 such a paiaful sensation in this country, and so much joy 
 in the Republican camp ; more especially among the Gam- 
 bettists, who, in their exultation, forgot the duty that every 
 man of good breeding and heart owes to the dead. There 
 is magnanimity in forgiving a fallen enemy, and he who 
 tramples under foot the adversary that can no longer 
 defend himself is a coward. 
 
EPISODES OP THE 
 
 HoweTer, there are men who, dazzled by unmerited 
 elevation, believe that nobody has any right to oppose 
 the flight of their ambition, and they ■would prefer the 
 destruction of the world rather than to see themselves 
 exposed to any risk. But this is neither humane nor 
 generous, and M. Gambetta has greatly obscured his star 
 by the outburst of his uncalled for animosity. It would 
 have been far better if he had been more tolerant and less 
 heinous, inasmuch as the Bonapartes have never done him 
 any personal harm ; since, when they w^ere in power, M. 
 Gambetta was unknown to them as well as to many others. 
 His rancour, therefore, cannot be personal ; nor is it to be 
 believed that it is through an excessive love for the 
 RepubHque, because it is known by experience that men 
 in our days are not quite so platonic. Have we not seen 
 Mirabeau sell the Republique, his ideas and his friends, 
 to Louis XVI. for 40,000 francs a week, and a ministerial 
 post ? Has not Thiers been an Orleanist and a zealous 
 Republican ? And Bmile OUivier, did he not become a 
 devoted Imperialist, from a fervid Republican that he 
 was ? But we are somewhat like Renard ; we often despise 
 the desired object when we cannot obtain it. Marshal 
 MacMahon's conduct is more to be admired ; he relin- 
 quished his power rather than separate himself from 
 his principles and his friends. 
 
 However, the Republicans are now absolute masters 
 of the situation ; -the long-desired object of their aspira- 
 tions is realized ; it is, therefore, in their power to 
 complete the Glorious Revolution of 1789, and I hope 
 it will be so. Yet, notwithstanding all the probabilities 
 that the Republique is now the accepted and estab- 
 lished form of government in France, and that the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 7 
 
 nation will finally, after so many trials and misfortunes, 
 enjoy peace and liberty; with party-men at her head, it 
 is to be doubted whether she will fulfil her destiay. 
 But taking it for granted that, under the present auspi- 
 cious circumstances, her efforts may be crowned 
 with success ; considering the versatility of the French, 
 the instability of human afEairs, and, above all, her 
 geographical position in the very centre of absolute 
 Monarchies threatened at every moment by Nihilists 
 and Socialistic conspiracies ; it is to be apprehended that 
 the Eepublique may, following the steps of 1789, de- 
 generate into a licentious Commune, or into a despotic 
 Monarchy. 
 
 Be that as it may, Trance is not free from perils ; great 
 caution and prudence are, therefore, necessary on the 
 part of those called upon to guide her in the labyrinth 
 through which she is now passing : too much severity 
 may create many enemies to the Republique ; unreason- 
 able lenity may precipitate it into the abyss still gaping of 
 1793. Communists are now abounding in France, and 
 they are the same men of 1871 ; barricades are soon made ; 
 arms easily obtained ; petroleuses promptly hired ; desire 
 for pillage is not wanting, unscrupulous aspirations boil in 
 the breast of wild visionaries ; so, let the smallest spark 
 burst out, and France will find herself once more in flames. 
 
 It is not, however, to be inferred from what precedes, 
 that, to give such a form of government to the nation as 
 will satisfy everybody, the Republique must necessarily 
 be immaculate ; a notion of this kind would be absurd, 
 and its realization neither possible nor desirable. "La 
 Democratic pure," said Voltaire, "est le despotisme de la 
 canaille." It is evident that such a democracy is nothing 
 
 
 
8 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 but an infantraristocracy ; the only difference between the 
 two being merely in name and age, — ^their aspirations are 
 identical-^and as both aim. at domination, they conse- 
 quently pursue the same object, with the exception that, 
 whilst the former is governed by several petty tyrants, 
 called Gitoyens, who conform their rule to the general 
 opinion of the masses ; the supreme power of the latter 
 is vested on a privileged orde'r in the State, ruled by an 
 autocrat, called Roi inviolable de la Noblesse. 
 
FEE2SICH EEVOLITTIOir. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 POLITICAL REFLECTIONS ON MONARCHICAL 
 GOVERNMENTS. 
 
 LOUIS XYI. — HIS CHAEACTEE — HIS BEEOES — ^AND HIS END. 
 
 "Virtue, says Montesquieu, is not tlie principle of monar- 
 cHcal governments. Let people read what the historians 
 of all times have written on the court of monarchs; let 
 thera remember what men of all countries have said ahout 
 the miserable character of courtiers ; they are not things 
 of speculation, hut of sad experience. 
 
 Ambition in idleness, baseness in pride, desire of acquir- 
 ing riches without work, aversion to truth, flattery, trea- 
 son, perfidy, abandonment of all one's engagements, con- 
 tempt of the citizens' duties, fear of the prince's virtue, hope 
 in his weakness, and; more than all that, virtue perpetually?^ 
 ridiculed, form, I belieffe, the character of the greatest 
 number of the courtiers- of all countries and of all ages. 
 
 This short sketch of the eminent writer of ' 1 'Esprit des 
 Lois ' does not require any comment ; it sufficiently points 
 out what the general opinion of nien is on monarchies and 
 court intrigues, at the same time that it proves evidently 
 how wretched the condition of the peoples ruled by such 
 licentious power must be. 
 
 The fals& notion that absolute monarchs seem to adopt 
 as a reality, is to believe themselves as indispensable to the 
 
 c2 
 
10 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 existence of the nations which they govern, as life is 
 necessary to the organized hody. Accustomed to he 
 adulated by artful courtiers, who, to obtain their favours, 
 crawl at their feet and elevate them to the rank of gods ; 
 they look down upon their subjects as mere machines 
 intended to move at their wUl ; and, notwithstanding the 
 general misery caused by their injustice, despite the cor- 
 ruption of the men in power and the mismanagement of 
 public affairs, all must yield to their caprices without any 
 hesitation or murmur. Nobody, as they think, has a 
 right to control their acts ; all that comes from them must 
 be good as if coming from God, and, however much the 
 state may suffer through their blindness and the ignorance 
 of those who move its machinery, they are unconcerned 
 at whatever passes around them ; even if the whole nation 
 should perish. 
 
 " Man is a very worm by birtli. 
 Vile reptile, weak and vain ! 
 A wliile lie crawls upon tlie earth. 
 Then shrinks to earth again." 
 —Pope. 
 
 However, politically speaking, it is not possible for any 
 government to live long if its machinery be irrevocably 
 moved by the same springs. All in this world wears out, 
 and the governmental wheelwork more than anything 
 else ; therefore, to maintain the balance of power in the 
 State, it is absolutely necessary that the Ruling Agent 
 should change the machinery, or such part of it as may 
 require reformation, whenever he perceives that its func- 
 tions are impaired; in order to infuse into it a new element 
 of life, ere all its forces are completely exhausted. 
 
 If Louis XVI. had followed this judicious course, it is 
 probable that he would have stayed the irritation of the 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 11 
 
 popular party, already intensified by tyrannical measures, 
 intolerable burdens, and famines ; the Revolution, al- 
 thougli greatly in progress, might have been delayed ; 
 France would have been saved from the calamities that 
 overwhelmed her, and he, his wife, and his son, with other 
 members of his house, would not have met with the tragi- 
 cal end that closed their sad existence. Louis was a well- 
 meaning sovereign, who possessed good mental qualities; 
 but, imbued with the aristocratic notions of his ancestors 
 — Louis XIII., Louis XIV., and Louis XV. — incensed by 
 the prestige of his name ; perhaps, also, ill-advised by his 
 imprudent wife, Marie Antoinette, against whose character 
 so many strange rumours floated about ; he did not foresee 
 that the time when uncontrolled kings governed men with 
 unlimited authority was drawing towards its end. The 
 impressive example of Charles I., King of England, was 
 not to his mind sufficient food for reflection; and so blinded 
 by ancestral prejudices, undermined by the philosophical 
 doctrines of Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, he fell 
 headlong into the fatal pit that the misrule of his house 
 had dug for him. 
 
 Amongst the many faults into which Louis allowed him- 
 self to be led, the following are the gravest to which must 
 be ascribed the deserved unpopularity that hastened his 
 ruin : — The repeal de I'Edit de Nantes ; the concentration 
 of foreign troops around Paris and Versailles, whether 
 to protect the throne in case of emergency or to crush 
 the revolution; his cowardly attempt to abandon his 
 country at a moment when duty and honour imperatively 
 com.manded him to fight and die for the safety of the nation 
 he governed ; the banishment of the Comptroller-General 
 of the royal treasury, Necker, who, by his prudent manage- 
 
12 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 ment of the finances of the State, had won much popularity. 
 After so many blunders, the unwise king lost ground at 
 every step, and began to perceive the abyss on which he 
 was bent. In vain did he recall Necker, in vain did he 
 form a patriot Ministry chosen from among the Girondins, 
 and promised to grant such reforms as might be consis- 
 tent with his honour and reason ; every effort to conciliate 
 the exigencies of the moment failed. It was too late ; he 
 had gone too far ; when one is on the slope of the preci- 
 pice it is difficult to avert the fall. Mirabeau might have 
 saved him — he was dead ; Necker, as much disliked now 
 as he had been idolized before, was powerless ; his minis- 
 ters, Servan, Dumouriez, and the honest Roland, could 
 not prevail on him. ; so, from refusal to concession, error to 
 error ; insulted, hated, calumniated, forsaken, disheartened, 
 carried away by the revolutionary torrent ; he at last re- 
 signed himself to the severe doom that closed his life on 
 the guillotine ; January 21, 1793. Thus perished a sove- 
 reign, who, notwithstanding all his good qualities, was 
 more fitted for private life than for a throne. With him 
 ended royal despotism, at the same time that the people's 
 rights were confirmed on the Legitimate Altar of Liberty ! 
 Many historians and a great number of Frenchmen have 
 considered and still consider the execution of Louis XVI. 
 an atrocious act of injustice, and so a beautiful sepulchral 
 monument has been erected in Paris to his memory. 
 Judged from a humane point of view, the sentiment is just ; 
 — nobody has the right to attempt another man's life ; it 
 is a fruit of nature intended for some great purpose un- 
 known to us, and, therefore, it ought to be allowed to 
 accomplish its maturity — but it is not so politically. A 
 soldier who deserts the rank before the enemy is shot • 
 
FEENCH BEYOLUTION. 13 
 
 the responsibility of a soyereign is of a higlier consequence. 
 The life of the people -whom he has accepted to govern 
 and protect ; the welfare of the nation and the honour of 
 the state are a sacred deposit committed to his in-violable 
 fidelity ; consequently, he is a traitor who disposes of it 
 for his own benefit. A king is the principal organ in 
 which the whole life of the nation resides ; he cannot, 
 therefore, desert it without severing the head from the 
 body. 
 
 But, the revolutionary cataclysm which covered France 
 with blood, tears, and shame did not end with the death 
 of Louis ; more atrocities were still in store for her. The 
 guillotine was carried from town to town by an army of 
 blood-thirsty assassins, — ^mercenaries hired by the infamous 
 Committee of Public Safety — ^who perpetrated the most 
 horrible cruelties. For a word, a look, a sign, a regret, and 
 a family name, people were judged by the mock tribunal 
 and despatched at once. Marie Antoinette, Madanae 
 EKzabeth, her sister ; Bailly, Mayor of Paris and distin- 
 guished astronomer ; the Duke d'Orleans, Generals Custine, 
 Biron, and Houchard, the celebrated M. Roland, the emi- 
 nent chemist Lavoisier, Malesherbes,^the distinguished 
 statesman who conducted the defence of his sovereign 
 before the Convention with as much courage as eloquence — 
 and many other illustrious victims, suffered an ignomi- 
 nious death. In Paris, on the Place de la Concorde, porte, 
 Saint Antoine, and au rond point de la barriere du Trdne, 
 three guillotines were permanently at work. But of all 
 the cruel deaths resulting either from cruelty, despair, or 
 decapitation, those of the Dauphin, son of Louis XVI., 
 Charlotte Corday, the Princess de Lamballe, Bamave, de 
 Launay and Barbaroux merit special attention. 
 
14 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Louis Charles, tlie DaupMn, styled Louis XVII., son of 
 Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, was a child of 10 years 
 of age when he was confined with his father, his mother, 
 his sister, and his aunt in the prison of the Temple. After 
 the execution of Louis, of Marie Antoinette, and of Ma- 
 dame Elizabeth, the young prince was committed to the 
 custody of a shoemaker — a brute, named Simon — ^who sub- 
 jected him to the most cruel treatment. Shut up in a 
 small obscure cell, covered with rags and vermin, with a 
 red cap placed on his head as a mockery to royalty ; hav- 
 ing no water to wash himself, prevented from going out 
 to satisfy the wants of nature, and deprived even of a chair 
 to sit upon during the night, receiving but a scanty allow- 
 ance of food, sometimes consisting of nothing more than 
 the dirty scraps left by his fiendish tormentor ; the unfor- 
 tunate boy was in such a pitiable condition as cannot be 
 described. But the cruelty to which the young prince 
 was subjected during his incarceration did not end there. 
 It is said that when, exhausted by fatigue and deprivation 
 of every kind, the tormented martyr sunk sleepy into his 
 filthy cage, his infernal Cerberus pricked him with an awl, 
 or called him repeatedly aloud by the name of Gapet, 
 in order to trouble his repose and disturb his young mind; 
 which already gave signs of aberration ; till at last, having 
 completely lost his reason, and being reduced to a mere 
 skeleton, death came to put an end to his sufEerings ; June 
 1, 1795. His sister, after the death of her parents, was 
 allowed to quit France, and she married her cousin, the 
 Duke d'AngoulSme. 
 
 With a view to lay claim to the throne of Louis XVI, 
 many projectors have at different times tried to trace their 
 descent from Louis XVII., who, they alleged, escaped and 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 1& 
 
 went into exile where lie married under an assumed name, 
 and died, leaving several children. But all these attempts 
 have proved fruitless, as it is certain that the ill-fated hoy 
 really perished, as described above, in his dungeon, and 
 not of poison as some persons believe. 
 
16 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CHAELOTTE COEDAY. 
 
 SHE ASSASSINATES MAEAT. — HER CHAEACTBE — HER ARREST — 
 AND HER . DEATH. 
 
 Marie Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armans was a 
 beautiful, well-educated girl, born at St. Satumin, in 
 Normandy, in 1768. Being full of spirit and rather sen- 
 timental, the reading of Voltaire, of Rousseau, and of the 
 Abbe Raynal ; her association with many proscribed 
 Girondins, whom she often saw whilst staying with an 
 aunt at Caen, in 1792, finished to develop the seeds of 
 patriotic heroism which were already germinating in her 
 heart. From that moment she conceived a great hatred 
 against all the Jacobins, especially agaiust Marat ; firmly 
 believing that her beloved country would never recover 
 its salvation as long as he lived. She, therefore, resolved 
 to sacrifice her life by destroying that of a monster who 
 had already perpetrated so many crimes. With this fixed 
 purpose in view, she set out for Paris on July 9, 1793, 
 having previously received a letter of introduction from 
 Deputy Barbaroux to his friend, Deputy Duperret, and 
 written to her father, begging him to pardon and forget 
 her. 
 
 On her arrival in Paris, she bought a large sheath-knife 
 in the Palais Royal, transacted some business for a friend* 
 — who was far from suspecting that Charlotte's journey to 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 17 
 
 Paris had been prompted by a daring act wliicb. would rid 
 Prance of a cruel oppressor, and immortalize ber name — 
 and went to execute her design ; but Marat being indis- 
 posed, she could not see him. In the evening of the same 
 day she reiterated her visit, and was admitted. Marat 
 was in his bath with a kerchief round his head, which 
 tended to disfigure in a higher degree his naturally harsh 
 features. On seeing him, the heroic maiden, impressed 
 with disgust, made a movement towards the door to 
 retrace her steps, but, recovering directly her composure, 
 she advanced close to him, and began to converse on public 
 affairs. At the moment when, speaking of the Deputies 
 at Caen, Marat said, " Their heads shall fall within a fort- 
 night," and was in the act of writing their names ; the 
 courageous girl, quickly drawing the knife from under her 
 garment, plunged it into his heart. On receiving the 
 mortal stab, he screamed out, "Au secours !" (help) and 
 his attendants hastened to his assistance, but too late — 
 the execrable Marat was dead. Charlotte Corday was 
 immediately arrested, taken before the Revolutionary Tri- 
 bunal, and sentenced to be beheaded. She did not make 
 any , attempt to exculpate herself ; on the contrary, she 
 confessed her crime without the least hesitation, exclaim- 
 ing with firmness a,nd dignity : " I was a Republican before 
 the Revolution ; I never wanted energy." 
 
 Whilst taken to the guillotine, her beauty, youth, and 
 courage attracted dense crowds of people frantic with 
 excitement; wildly yelling and dancing the Garmagnole 
 around the cart in which the beautiful criminal was, just 
 as Caribbees jump around the fire in which the sacrifice of 
 their victim is to be consummated. But, Charlotte 
 Corday, without betraying the least emotion, and looking 
 
18 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 down upon tlLem with a smile of pity and scorn, submitted 
 to lier doom with the conviction that she had discharged 
 a patriotic duty towards her country and mankind. As 
 soon as the executioner had performed his ghastly work, 
 he exhibited the severed head to the crowd, and slapped 
 it twice over the face, which, it is said, tinged with the 
 last virginal blush. 
 
 A young man, named Adam Lux, who was present at 
 the tragical scene, thinking it a great honour to die with 
 her, wrote a poem in justification of her deed with the 
 heading, " Greater than Brutus." In November following, 
 he was arrested and sentenced to death. 
 
 In the above description of Charlotte Corday I have 
 obeyed the idea generally received that, as her act was in- 
 spired by a patriotic sentiment, so no stain of criminality 
 can be attached to it. This belief is no doubt laudable, 
 as far as public opinion is concerned, but if it be divested 
 from the prestige with which it is brilliantly clothed, and 
 brought naked before the tribunal of Justice, however ad- 
 mirable Charlotte Corday's conduct may have been, she is 
 none the less an assassin. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE MASSACRE OP SEPTEMBEE. DEATH OF LA PEINCESSB DE 
 
 LAMBALLE. 
 
 The massacre of September, 1792, is one of those 
 dramatic events too horrible to narrate, and yet too solemn 
 to forget. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th days of that 
 memorable month are black dates which no historian can 
 approach without feeling a shivering sensation running 
 through his body. Dreadful, indeed, is the supreme hour, 
 when men, in a paroxysm of fury, pull down the barriers 
 of reason, and plunge like voracious brutes into the den of 
 their iniquities. In presence of this deviation from ration- 
 alism,, one might be led to doubt whether man is the most 
 accomplished being of Creation, or whether that rationality 
 attributed to him, in preference to other animals, is but 
 an evil spirit evoked from the Tartarean region to shield 
 his malignity and guide his wickedness. Thou hast given 
 a soul to man, O GrOD, to regulate his actions through life ; 
 but of what use is it if there are moments when it becomes 
 a pure negation ? — when perhaps it is an agent which he 
 sometimes employs to carry out his atrocious designs ! 
 It is impossible to witness so much perversion in the 
 human heart without some doubt — without calling into 
 question the object of man's life, and the source from 
 which it emanates. Prance ! how didst thou survive so 
 many calamities, so many mortal wounds, so many tears ! 
 
20 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Where didst thou find life enougli to resist the tortures 
 that rent thy heart with so much cruelty ? Were the 
 SepieTribriseurs men or fiends — ^were they thy sons ? Were 
 they Frenchmen, or demons ejected from some infernal 
 abyss ? Are the French of to-day the descendants of such 
 ancestors, or are they the worthy ofEspring of another race 
 sprung from the great family of Mankind ? It must be 
 so, for they possess none of the attributes which charac- 
 terized so singularly the barbarians of 1792. They are the 
 reverse. It is impossible to believe that in any circum- 
 stance they could ever be what those were. 
 
 The men of September called themselves les enfamts de 
 la Comm/une ; and so they were. The execrable Danton 
 was their chieftain. It is he who guided their steps, enr 
 couraged their atrocities, inspired into their hearts criminal 
 passions, which, already alive, waited but the poisonous 
 breath of a serpent to burst out with unparalleled vio- 
 lence. 
 
 Miserere nostri Domine ! — The fatal hour is now ap" 
 preaching .... A troup of four hundred hired hell- 
 hounds are awaiting impatiently in their lurking-holes the 
 destruction signal to begin the butchery. — Guillotines, 
 cannons, muskets, pistols, bayonets, sabres, axes, pikes, 
 pitchforks, clubs, and all that is fit for a carnage on a 
 large scale is put into requisition, and got ready. Cover 
 thy face, France, for to-day the blood of the innocent 
 victims immolated on the Stygian Altar of thy Commune 
 will spurt up to thy forehead and brand it with infamy 
 like the stigma of God's finger on Cain's brow ! Already 
 low and deep rumours are floating about ; sinister aspects 
 glide here and there along the houses ; human forms with 
 haggard eyes and trembling limbs, as if panic-struck by 
 
rRENCH REVOLUTION. 21 
 
 the approaoli of some violent tempest, run wildly in every 
 direction to avoid the raging storm. 
 
 All at once the streets are deserted ; the houses firmly 
 secured ; doors and windows barricaded ; a gloom of de- 
 spair hangs over Paris ; all is still and breathless, and no 
 other noise is heard but the trampling of horses, the 
 clang of arms and the frightful yelling of the Septemhri- 
 sewrs, anxious to begin the massacre. — It is the judgment 
 day ! — Hark ! the tocsin is pealing ; the drums beat la 
 Generale ; the cannon booms. — What is it ? " vociferate 
 tbe deputies in the House of Commons ; " Is it the alarm- 
 cannon ?" — "No, citoyens," answers Danton in a stento- 
 rian voice ; " what you hear is not the alarm-cannon ;. 
 it is the jpas-de-charge against the enemies of the country." 
 To conquer them, to destroy them, wha.t do we require ? 
 De I'audace, et encore de Vaudace, et toujour s de I'audaoe " 
 ("Daring, again daring, and always daring"). Danton 
 was audacious — ^too much so ; he had not forgotten that 
 audaces fortuna juvat. — " Longwy is taken," continued 
 he, "the Russians are at Yerdun ; the country is betrayed, 
 delivered up to the foreigner by the Royalists. Vive la 
 nation ! Onward, citoyens, onward ! Let us exterminate 
 the invaders with the traitors. Pas de quartier (No 
 quarter). Let no one, neither within nor without Paris, 
 be spared ! " This was enough : the signal was given ; 
 and no sooner had he finished speaking than his voice, 
 spreading like wild-fire, set Paris all in a blaze. 
 
 Shudder, Reader, shudder at the hideous spectacle 
 before you, and read if you can without poignant emotion 
 the mournful account of your fellow-beings' unparalleled 
 tortures ! Commiserate, oh ! commiserate them, and devote 
 to their sad memory some words of consolation ; for their 
 
22 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 sufEerings were terrible ! . . . . Hark ! tte massacre 
 has begun. Hark! — "Mercy, oh, mercy!" cry the 
 victims in their agony of death. "Spare my child!" 
 ejaculates a mother. "Save my old father!" exclaims a 
 daughter. — " No pity !" was the reply ; " the blood of the 
 country cries for vengeance !" and the carnage continued 
 without interruption. 
 
 Courage, noble victims, courage ! This is a great day ; 
 happy they who are alleviated from the anguish of this 
 horrible chaos ! It is more honourable to die a martyr 
 than to live an assassin. Death is not the greatest of all 
 ■evils when one suffers — ^it is a relief. 
 
 " Non fe ver che sia la morte 
 il peggior di tutti i mali ; 
 e un BoUievo de' mortali, 
 per chi h stance di soffrir." 
 
 There is always a glorious redemption for the martyrs, 
 and a terrible retribution for the sacrificers. The mar- 
 tyrdom of the former is their glorification ; the triumph 
 of the latter is their condemnation. Those live in death ; 
 these die in life. — Ascend to heaven, innocent victims : a 
 lambent glory shall play around your heads ! Descend to 
 hell, tyrants, that no vestige may remain of your criminal 
 existence ; and let the world forget that such a race of 
 human beings ever existed on the surface of the globe ! 
 
 The work of destruction was soon finished ; but how to 
 describe the hideous grandeur of its magnitude ? How is 
 it possible, without being struck with terror, to pry into 
 that deserted Necropolis, where, in the stillness of horror 
 and death, heaps of human bodies are seen decapitated 
 mangled, transfixed, some still struggling in the last con- 
 vulsions of death. Which is the iron heart that would not 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 23 
 
 quake at the sight of such a ghastly spectacle ? Fright- 
 ful is the tragedy before you; dolesome is the record! 
 Will you he able, O reader, to peruse these dismal lines 
 without bathing with tears the grim pages on which the 
 historian has been compelled to consign them ? Bead : 
 you will know what men can do ; you will learn to your 
 sorrow that hatred, strife, and destruction, form the history 
 of mankind. No episode can equal the massacre of Sep- 
 tember, 1792,. unless it be that of the Huguenots. — ^Men and 
 women, old and young, rich and poor, even cripple and 
 insane ; infants in their cradles or at their mothers' breasts, 
 lie pell-mell in the streets, in the hospitals, in the prisons, 
 or in private houses ; and among the ruins of that Calvary 
 reeking with blOod, one of the fairest creatures that the 
 most romantic imagination can sketch out in nature's 
 creative studio is the central figure in the foreground of 
 that horrid Tableau ; — it is the Princesse de Lamballe. 
 
 It is with a great sense of profound respect for the 
 memory of the ill-fated lady, whose untimely death will 
 be described hereafter, that we approach one of the saddest 
 episodes on record in history. Death may assume many 
 forms, and be preceded by paroxysms of intense sufferings, 
 whether through protracted sickness, malignant fevers, 
 constitutional disorders, pestilence, or unnatural conse- 
 quences ; but the ferocious and humiliating treatment to 
 which the "ill-starred Princess was subjected by the lawless 
 S&ptembriseurs has no parallel. Many politicians, and 
 others imbued with wrong democratic ideas, may perhaps 
 differ from the opinions propounded here ; but what have 
 we to do with the contempt that Republicans evince for 
 titles and splendour ; what is to us their indifference or 
 hatred for Royalty and Princely privileges ? History is 
 
24 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 not the servile mstniment of a cause or a faction ; it is 
 the impartial recorder of facts and events, and such being 
 'the case, we cannot hesitate to do homage to merit, with- 
 out any regard to party-opinions, or political interests. 
 
 Born at Turin ia 1749, and married to the Duke of 
 Bourbon Penthifevre, Marie Therese Louise de Savoie 
 Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe, was warmly attached to 
 Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, in whose household 
 she held the office of Superintendent ; having thus the 
 privilege to discharge a duty which procured her the 
 honour of enjoying the Queen's society and confidence. 
 By her beauty, affable manners, courtliness, m^ental refine- 
 ments, and devotion, she was much esteemed, and soon 
 became the central point around which converged the 
 proud noblesse of the Aristocratic Court of Louis XYI. 
 So much regard accorded to her many qualities did not, as 
 often is the case, offend in the least the susceptibility of 
 her Royal mistress ; and such was her delicate tact and 
 comeliness that she never gave offence to anybody. Loved 
 by all those who knew her, respected and honoured, she 
 was one of those ideal beings whom everybody was pleased 
 to admire. But her greatly-deserved distinctions were 
 ephemeral : the mind is troubled, and the pen recoils at the 
 narration of the cruel death which so fatally put an end to 
 such a lovely existence. 
 
 When on the night of June 20, 1791, — after having 
 planned with Austria, Prussia, Piedmont, Spain, and 
 Switzerland, the invasion of France by an army of 100,000 
 foreign troops — Louis XVI., accompanied by his family, 
 quitted the TuUeries with the design of leaving the coun- 
 try, the Princesse de Lamballe, with other personages 
 attached to the cause of the King, left at the same time, 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 25 
 
 believing that the flight of the royal fugitives would be 
 successful. On learning, however, that they had been 
 arrested at Varennes, she hastened to Paris to share her 
 friend's (the Queen's) confinement and misfortunes ; but 
 her devotion proved fatal. 
 
 On the 2nd of June, 1792, a lady of distinction was seen 
 dragged along the streets by a band of infuriated Com- 
 munists ; indecently assaulted, trampled upon, torn to 
 pieces ; and her head, severed from the body, promenaded 
 through the city on the top of a spear as far as the Tem.ple, 
 where Marie Antoinette was confined. Attracted by the 
 shouts of the multitude, the Queen, on looking out at the 
 window, found herself face to face with the disfigured and 
 ghastly head. At this unexpected and frightful apparition, 
 she uttered a thrilling shriek, and fell down senseless. She 
 recognised the head of her unhappy friend — ^it was that of 
 the Princess de Lamballe ! 
 
 d2 
 
26 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER ly. 
 
 CHABACTEE OF THE REVOLUTION. THE BASTILLE. LE MASQUE 
 
 DE FEE, OE IKON MASK. 
 
 Tke world has atall times been goyerned hj two powers 
 — one temporal, tlie otter spiritual — and it is as man dis- 
 regards or submits himself passively to their laws and 
 doctrines that he is absolved or punished ; politically in 
 this world, morally in another of which nobody has any 
 absolute knowledge ; except the elect, as being endowed 
 with a supernatural vision ; or those who have accomplished 
 their earthly journey, with whom, unfortunately, the 
 living can have no intercourse to clear their doubts. 
 
 It is calculated that nearly half of the public profits is 
 levied to support in luxury and idleness those two vam- 
 pires ; whereas the greatest part of mankind lives in sub- 
 jection and misery. The reader cannot have forgotten 
 Serfdom and Inquisition — one the bondage of the body, 
 the other the thraldom of the soul ; that representing 
 royalty, this divinity; in the name of which the most 
 atrocious iniquities were committed. 
 
 But I shall not enter into any details touching the fatal 
 consequences which have always resulted from political and 
 religious fanaticism ; they are two well known to be related, 
 too painful to be reproduced ; it will, therefore be sufficient 
 to say that the abuse of authority against human rights, 
 
PEENCH REVOLUTION. 27 
 
 intolerance and spoliation were the principal causes tliat 
 alienated society from those two powers. 
 
 Men, according to nature, are free agents ; their exis- 
 tence is the result of a universal cause, whose laws 
 extending to all equally and without distinction render 
 them independent of each other, as far as their natural 
 prerogatives are concerned ; therefore, nobody has a 
 right to attempt their liberty, or usurp the claim that 
 each has to the advantages arising in this world from 
 creation. 
 
 Yet, although this individual form of life be equitable, 
 considered from a natural point of view, it calls, however, 
 for modification in the constitution of men into society; 
 because if people were free to act each according to his 
 own views and caprices, irrespective of any rule to bind 
 him to a reasonable and uniform mode of life, the greatest 
 confusion would prevail amongst them, at the same time 
 that, no protection existing for the weak against the strong, 
 a portion of the great human family would be oppressed 
 by the other section, and thus this world would be more a 
 chaos than a place of habitation. Consequently, with a 
 view that everyone should share in those advantages 
 without being exposed to the encroachments of his stronger 
 neighbour, men agreed unanimously to constitute them- 
 selves into societies under the rule of a chief or chiefs 
 chosen from among those who, by their age, wisdom, 
 experience, and moral qualities, were most worthy of the 
 confidence reposed in them. 
 
 But if men, in placing themselves under the rule of an 
 acknowledged authority, consented to renounce a part of 
 the independence they hold from nature, they did not 
 intend, however, that the power of their rulers should go 
 
28 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 beyond the legitimate limits assigned to them by reason 
 and humanity. 
 
 The principal aim of a ruler must be the general good 
 of the commonwealth ; he must see that the laws of the 
 State be obeyed by and applied to all citizens with the 
 greatest impartiality, and that no favouritism be extended 
 to some to the detriment of others ; because nepotism is 
 not only a fomenter of discord which plunges a nation 
 into anarchy and civil wars, but it cannot possibly exist 
 without great oppression and despotism. Consequently, it 
 is not to be wondered at if, when the ruling powers became 
 the oppressors of their subjects instead of beiag their 
 protectors, they are carried off by the very tempest they 
 have so unwisely raised against themselves. 
 
 Despotism may be successful as long as force seconds 
 the tyrant's iajustice, but as soon as the popular apathy is 
 aroused to the proper sense of its dangerous position, the 
 barriers of reason are pulled down; and, like an impetuous 
 torrent, it submerges whatever resists the violence of its 
 deluge. Oppression and despotism, whether political or 
 ecclesiastical, are the two spasmodic irritants that have 
 always convulsed the world and created inimical feelings 
 amongst men. Such is no doubt the sad state through 
 which all primitive nations have passed, before they were 
 able to shake off the yoke of slavery under which they 
 languished for many centuries ; but, as it is not a general 
 history of the world that I purpose writing, I, therefore, 
 beg to return to the subject-matter. 
 
 " The French society of the ancient regimen," says H. 
 Bosselet, a distinguished friend of mine, and the eminent 
 author of "L'Union des Classes," page 15, chap, v., "was 
 divided into three orders or castes ; the order of the nobi- 
 
PEENCH BEVOLUTION. 29 
 
 lity, which exercised all the administrative and military- 
 functions ; the order of the clergy, which exercised secular 
 and spiritual instruction ; the order of the tiers-etat, which 
 exercised industry and agriculture ; and, above those three 
 castes. Royalty, which exercised alone a political absolute 
 power, seeiug that, since Henry IV., it had emancipated 
 itself from the control of the nobility and of the church ; 
 so that all the classes of the nation were reduced to a 
 complete state of political nullity. The king and his 
 ministers excepted, everybody else since the year 1610 
 lived in the most profound ignorance of public inte- 
 rest." 
 
 It is but too true that Royal Absolutism was carried to 
 such an extent before the glorious revolution of 1789 that 
 people, whether rich or poor, were at the complete mercy 
 of the monarch, who could dispose of their lives and liberty 
 as easily as he could enrich a oourtisane or elevate a minion 
 to honours. Whenever the royal desire was not complied 
 with or his pleasure satisfied, the soi-disant offender dis- 
 appeared at once from society, unknown to his family and 
 to the public, to live or die a prisoner in some dungeon, in 
 prison, or in a fortress. It would be impossible to enume- 
 rate the great number of persons that languished and died 
 in the State prisons of France, more especially under Car- 
 dinal Richelieu ; many volumes could be filled with their 
 names ; we shall, therefore, confine ourselves to the 
 Bastille, the only State prison that merits here particular 
 attention, owing to the great crimes which were committed 
 in it, and the mystery under which it remained veiled for 
 many centuries. 
 
 The name of Bastille was formerly applied to all for- 
 tresses, dungeons, castles, towers, &c. ; but the only one 
 
go EPISODES OF THE 
 
 whicli retained tlie above appellation is the fortress of 
 Saint- Antoine in Paris, better known as La BastiUe. 
 
 Its foundation was laid in. 1369 by order of Charles V., 
 and was completed in 1383, fourteen years after, in the 
 reign of his successor and son, Charles VI. It is a great 
 pity that such a good king as Charles V., the Wise, should 
 have conceived the inauspicious idea of founding the Bas- 
 tille. He very little thought that his conception would one 
 day be the ominous exponent of a dungeon destined to 
 witness the m.ost tragical events which stain the history of 
 France, and which no Frenchman can remember without a 
 great sense of horror and disgust. Like Dante's " Inferno," 
 over the door of which was written in letters of fire, 
 " Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che entrate !" ("Abandon all 
 hopes, ye who enter here !") the Bastille had the same 
 hellish character; once in it, happy they who had the 
 good luck to come out : with this difference, however, that 
 the soul suffers in the former, whilst it was the body that 
 suffered in the latter. 
 
 The incarceration into that cimmericm abode of desola- 
 tion and death was effected by virtue of lettres de cachet 
 (warrants), which it is affirmed were sold to anybody who 
 felt inclined to get rid of some troublesome enemy, friend, 
 son, husband, or lover. 
 
 It is said that a beautiful Countess, attached to the 
 Court of the sensual Louis XV., King of France, extin- 
 guished the volcanic love that flamed in the heart of a 
 licentious poet for her by sending him to the Bastille ; 
 from where, however, he was some time after released, in 
 consideration of a touching and flattering ode which the 
 disheartened Eros addressed to his cruel Psyche. 
 
 The number of lettres de cachet sold from the time of 
 
FEBNCH REVOLUTION. 31 
 
 the foundation of tlie Bastille to tliat of its destruction in 
 1789 is incalculable. It will be sufficient to say tbat it 
 formed a large public revenue, and, therefore, tbe sale in- 
 creased of course in direct proportion to the benefit derived. 
 The lettres de cachet were warrants or letters written by 
 the King, countersigned by a Secretary of State, and sealed 
 with the King's signet, by virtue of which any person was 
 arrested sub-silentio, and imprisoned without either exami- 
 nation or judgment. 
 
 Saint Simon, in his History, gives the following touching 
 episode respecting a prisoner of the Bastille. 
 
 On the same day of his arrival in Paris an Italian was 
 arrested and conveyed to the Bastille without knowing 
 why. He remained there for the long term of thirty-five 
 years, and during his captivity he was never permitted to 
 communicate in any way whatever with anybody ; he was 
 lost for ever both to his family and to the whole world. 
 When the Eegent of Prance, after the death of the King, 
 Louis XIV., opened the doors of the Bastille, the unfortu- 
 nate prisoner asked sadly what use they thought he could 
 make of his liberty. " I have not a sou," ■ said he ; " I do 
 not know a soul in Paris, not even a street ; nor do I know 
 anybody in Prance ; my relations in Italy are now appa- 
 rently all dead ; my property has been, I suppose, taken 
 possession of, or sold ; I do not know, indeed, what will 
 become of me if I leave this prison ; I would rather remain 
 here for the few years I have still to live, where I have at 
 least shelter and food." 
 
 These painful accounts prove most evidently how terri- 
 ble those days were when man's life and liberty held only 
 by a thread. It was with a sense of horror that foreigners 
 -approached Paris ; nobody could say what might happen 
 
32 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 to Hm -witliiii an hour. The presence of a poKoeman, the 
 approach of an unknown person, a cross look, or an angry- 
 word, caused such a terror as to chill the blood in one's- 
 veins. The Bastille was always before everybody's eyes 
 like the sword of Damocles suspended over their heads. 
 
 Among the numerous personages that met with cap- 
 tivity and death in the Bastille, one, whose name has been 
 and will perhaps always remain a mystery, merits par- 
 ticular attention. 
 
 Some months after the death of Cardinal Mazarin, in 
 1661, says Yoltaire, " Hist. Generale," p. 56. vol. vi., an 
 event happened which has no parallel, and what increases 
 the surprise is that it was ignored by all historians. An 
 unknown prisoner, above the middle height, with most 
 handsome and noble features, was sent in great secrecy to 
 the Chateau de File Sainte Marguerite, in the Mediterra- 
 nean Sea. During his conveyance he wore a mask with 
 steel springs, so constructed as to allow him free liberty to 
 eat and drink without removing it. His guards had received 
 orders to kill him if he uncovered his face. He remained 
 in the island Sainte Marguerite until an ofBcer of confidence, 
 named Saint Mars, Governor of Pignerol, and who was 
 appointed. Governor of the Bastille in the year 1690, went 
 to fetch him, and conducted him to the Bastille, always 
 masked. The Marg[uis de Louvois went to see him in that 
 island before his removal from it, and spoke to him standing, 
 and with a consideration bordering on respect. That un- 
 known person was lodged in the Bastille as well as one 
 could be in that fortress. He was refused nothing that he 
 asked for. He was very fond of fine linen and lace. He- 
 passed his time in reading and playing upon the guitar. 
 He was treated with the greatest respect, and the governor 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 33 
 
 never sat down in Ms presence. An old doctor of the 
 Bastille, who had often attended that singular personage 
 whilst he was ill, said that he had never seen his face, 
 although he had often examined his tongue and other 
 parts of his body. He was remarkahly well formed, his 
 skin was rather dark, the tone of his voice disposed one 
 favourably towards him, and he never complained of his 
 position. 
 
 Le Masque de Fer, or "Iron Mask," died in 1704, after 
 forty-five years of close captivity, without having been 
 allowed once, during that long period of time, to relieve 
 himself from the bondage of the mysterious mask ; and was 
 interred during the night under the name of Marchiali. 
 But what increases the astonishment is that no man of 
 distinction disappeared from Europe at that time. What 
 did, therefore, that mask conceal ? What crime could call 
 for so much secrecy ? What terrible intrigue was that 
 which commanded such inhumane precautions ? Criminals 
 and political offenders do not require beiug hidden, nor 
 are they treated with so much distinction and magnificence, 
 because they are sub pcend juris, and he was not one of 
 this category. Neither could he be the actor of some 
 indiscreet passion involving the honour of the Royal 
 FamUy, nor the offspring of adultery ; inasmuch as the 
 punishment of the former is admissible by law, and that 
 the latter did not demand precautions so severe. I, there- 
 fore, am led to believe that the Mask de Fer must have 
 been a high personage connected with the throne, whom it 
 was necessary to remove in order to avoid any political 
 conflict. 
 
 Much has been written respecting that singular person. 
 Some say that he was the Comte de Vermandois, the 
 
M EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Duo de Beaufort, or the Duke of Monmoutli ; others, the 
 twin-brother of Louis XIV., whom, it is said, he greatly- 
 resembled ; but his real history will never perhaps be 
 known. 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 35 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON DESPOTIC GOVBENMENTS. 
 — THBIE FATAL CONSEQUENCES. — PEOGEESS OF THE 
 EETOLUTION. 
 
 Wlilst perusing ttese lines, the reader of the present 
 days will no douht ask whether such facts as those pro- 
 pounded in these pages can be true. He will perhaps 
 belieye that they are marvellous stories contrived to 
 amuse children and Shamamsts, in the same manner as 
 legends of haunted castles and apparitions are written at 
 Christmas time to occupy the family circle as a diversion 
 to the pudding-treat ; or fantastical novels intended for 
 the boudoir of romantic readers. It is not 'so. They are 
 authentic records which cannot be questioned, and their 
 occurrence is not more extravagant than the capture of 
 Petra-Oxiana (the Sogdian rock) by the great Alexander, 
 or the memorable battle of Thermopylae. 
 
 I grant that — ^more especially in former times, when 
 society was not yet completely settled, learning very little 
 diffused, civilization still in the cradle of infancy; and, 
 owing to the great ignorance which prevailed everywhere, 
 people were mere instruments in the hands of royalty and 
 priestcraft — there may have happened events in the world, 
 as they still occur now from time to time, which are so 
 extraordinary, so unnatural and inconsistent with the 
 
36 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 laws of creation, as to be almost incredible. But man 
 is so organized, the functions of his mechanism so wonder- 
 fnlly varied, as to fit him for anything, whether good or 
 bad. 
 
 One can hardly understand what human beings are able 
 to achieve by training and education ; with the exception 
 of death, it is to be doubted whether there is anything else 
 that they cannot overcome. 
 
 They can approach Deity by their good qualities, or be 
 angels of darkness by their vices. They can be amiable, 
 sociable, charitable, humane, self-disinterested, and devoted 
 in the highest degree ; or unkind, ill-natured, unsociable, 
 avaricious, cruel, selfish, and crafty in the extreme. They 
 have it in their power to diffuse happiness wherever they 
 are, or to cast gloom and horror wherever they pass ; but 
 as, unfortunately, their m.ost prominent natural charac- 
 teristics are ambition and egotism, so society will be, as it 
 has always been, convulsed by intrigues and fraud, good 
 and bad actions, oppressors and oppressed. 
 
 Let me say, however, that it is not my object to stig- 
 matize ambition as an unworthy quality. It may be so 
 when it is inordinate and causes social disorders ; but, if 
 kept within the boundaries of reason and humanity, it is a 
 laudable aspiration which deserves commendation ; because 
 it is to it that man owes all his great achievements in the 
 pursuits of life. Without ambition, man would never have 
 elevated himself above the natural state ia which he was 
 bom. Tet, as ambition is, generally speakiug, a desire 
 which often dwindles into tyranny, it is to that which I 
 particularly allude ; and with this short comment I return 
 to my subject. 
 
 Let not the reader be surprised at the various human 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 37 
 
 scenes displayed on the stage of tlie world : all that lie has 
 to weigh in his mind in the course of his investigations, 
 is the strangeness with which social changes occur ; — 
 whether time do not alter them, or society, for some 
 reason or other, encourage them — for how can it be 
 possible that men, in the very midst of organized societies, 
 may permit other men to do what they like — ^to command, 
 to incarcerate, to judge, to acquit, to exile, to oppress, to 
 raise abnormal taxes on poor people's earnings, whilst they 
 live in luxury and idleness ; to levy armies and send them 
 to slaughter their fellow-creatures and be slaughtered 
 themselves, very often for the mere caprice of an ambitious 
 potentate ? These are momentous questions, which will 
 no doubt find place in a cogitative mind, and with a little 
 attention they will be easily answered, more especially if 
 the thinker restricts his judgment within discernible 
 bounds, by comparing the great evolutions of human affairs 
 in high governmental spheres, with what passes before his 
 eyes in social circles and local administrations. 
 
 For example, let us suppose a community of men, who, 
 tired of a nomadic life, agree to adopt a regular form of 
 government, by constituting themselves into a social mode 
 of existence. Such being the case, rules are framed 
 whereby every member of the incorporated union is enti- 
 tled to the same rights , privileges, and interests ; officers 
 are appointed in whom the government of the society 
 is vested ; and each in his respective position faithfully 
 and solemnly promises to work for, obey, and respect the 
 laws of the commonwealth. Now, as the executive body, 
 in virtue of the prerogative accorded to it by common 
 consent, is invested with a supreme power over all ; it is 
 «vident that, under some pretence or other, — specious 
 
38 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 arguments are soon assumed — it can make any use it likefr 
 of its authority. 
 
 If it he animated witli sentiments of rectitude and 
 honesty ; if its main object be really to govern -with a view 
 to promote the prosperity of the nation and the public 
 good in general ; if it be anxious to avoid all such causes as 
 might produce jealousy and discontentment ; if, in short, 
 justice be dispensed to all, by rendering to every one 
 his due in conformity with truth and reality, and that 
 distinctions and immunities be public marks of respect 
 conferred on merit only, without any regard to rank or 
 birth ; then the State wUl be honoured within and without, 
 peace maintained, public tranquility undisturbed, litera- 
 ture and the fine arts will flourish, commerce prosper, 
 fraternity and unfeigned afEections exist amongst all the 
 members of the social order, pauperism will disappear at 
 the contact of progress, confidence will extend to every- 
 body, moral virtues reign everywhere, happiness and joy 
 will be implanted in every heart ; at the same time that 
 the benefactors of such a divine union will be loved, 
 esteemed, and respected during their life, regretted and 
 worshipped after death. 
 
 But if we reverse the argument, and that, in lieu of the 
 generous promoters of the beautiful harmony above de- 
 scribed, we meet with unscrupulous tyrants, whose sole 
 aim is to further their personal views and selfish motives, 
 it is evident that injustice, nepotism, oppression, intrigues, 
 and cruelties will be the necessary means devised to 
 maintain themselves in power ; and, in the face of such a 
 wretched state of things, are the poor people, thus deprived 
 of their lawful rights, to be blamed if they contrive by 
 every possible means to shake off the yoke of slavery under 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 39 
 
 which they sink, and crash under foot like loathsome rep- 
 tiles, the pitiless despots who treat them with so much 
 cruelty ? — Certainly not. Therefore, should the reader 
 adopt this opinion, he will not be surprised at the exaspe- 
 ration which so singularly fostered the French Revolution 
 in 1789 ; inasmuch as the horrible sufferings and despair 
 of the great majority of the nation at that time had arrived 
 at such a pitch of intensity, as to render their endurance 
 no longer possible. 
 
4:0 EflSObBS OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DBPLOEABLE CONDITION OF FRANCE BEFORE THE 
 EEVOLUTION. 
 
 In order tliat the reader may have a clear idea of the 
 French Revolution, it will be necessary to point out to 
 him the remote causes that determined it. 
 
 From 1611, a few months after the assassination of 
 Henry IV. by Ravaillac, to the Revolution, the govern- 
 ment of France was a continual succession of State and 
 Church intrigues, murders, arrogance, favouritism, tyranny, 
 and oppression. Whilst a religious war unparalleled in 
 the annals of History, was carried on with a blind fury by 
 the Church of Rome against the Protestants, millions of 
 men in the country, cruelly overburdened by their feudal 
 lords with contributions of every kind and statute-labour, 
 lived in the most profound misery, or died of starvation. 
 As it has already been adverted to above, with the excep- 
 tion of the Glergy, the Nobility, and Soyalty, which formed 
 the three great powers of the State, and enjoyed all civil 
 and political privileges; the rest of the nation, better 
 known as the peasantry (las paysans) were reduced to the 
 most tyrannical vassalage. If the means adopted to arrive 
 at such a horrible end were not so manifest, it would, 
 indeed, be impossible to understand how the barbarity of 
 the oppressors could have been carried so far, without any 
 
PEBNCH EEVOLXITION. 41 
 
 remorse of conscience protesting against tjieir inhnmanity ; 
 at tlie same time that it is difiScnlt to understand how the 
 martyrdom of the oppressed could have been endured so 
 long, without rebelling at once against their merciless tor- 
 mentors. 
 
 Let the austere moralist expostulate as much as he likes 
 on man's social obligations, it cannot, however, be denied 
 that he bears with an admirable fortitude the greatest 
 adversities and humiliations ere he takes a resolution. 
 Although as brave as a lion in the moment of peril ; when 
 unpressed by distant fear, it seems as if reflection sus- 
 pended his judgment. He examines and meditates; his 
 nature lulls him between indifference and submission — 
 between hesitancy and decision : it is reason struggling 
 against animal passions, doubt between triumph and defeat 
 — it is a kind of vacillation common to all men, which, 
 although commendable, when it is prudence, it is, however, 
 highly blamable, when it is cowardice, or apathy. 
 
 In 1646, twenty -three thousand eight hundred of those 
 unhappy people alluded to above, were thrown into prison 
 for taxes and other duties, out of whom 5000 perished. 
 " The whole kingdom," said Omer Talon, in 1648, " is sick 
 of inanition : the peasant possesses nothing but his soul, 
 because it could not be sold by auction." But it was sold 
 to priestcraft, since convents and monasteries were filled 
 with monks and nuns of every description, who, although 
 living, had, contrary to the laws of nature, renounced the 
 world to devote themselves to an ascetic life. 
 
 Omer Talon was right ; whilst the lords of the manor, 
 the Clergy, and Royalty swam in joy, pleasures, and abun- 
 dance, the peasantry were reduced to the last extremity. 
 Their furniture seized, their houses sold, deprived of 
 
 e2 
 
42 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 clothing to cover their nudity, or to protect themselves 
 from the inclemency of the weather ; having no bread to 
 eat, no means to buy the strict necessaries of life ; perse- 
 cuted, hunted like wild animals ; frozen with cold or 
 scorched by the sun, mad with despair, they ran to conceal 
 themselves in caves and forests, where they soon finished 
 their sad existence. Poor humanity ! where is thy 
 GodP 
 
 The accession of Louis XIV. to the throne of France in 
 1661, after the death of his father in 1643, did not improve 
 the general condition of the country. On the contrary, it 
 is under the rule of this haughty and great despot that 
 absolute monarchy was definitively established ; and if he 
 gave to France unparalleled glory and power, never had 
 the nation been more trampled upon and reduced to greater 
 servitude and misery. Looking upon men as inferior 
 beings to himself, he, therefore, treated them with the 
 utmost indifEerence, and suffered their commerce only to 
 use them as mere tools. Princes, nobles, lords, rich and 
 poor, all must move at a sign of his finger an'd tremble at 
 his voice — all must worship him and kneel at the foot of 
 his royal throne, from which, like Jupiter tonans, he dic- 
 tated to the whole world. 
 
 His court was the most brilliant in Europe, as much for 
 refined manners as for love intrigues — Sovereigns, princes, 
 princesses, and other personages from all nations flocked 
 to Versailles to contemplate the splendour and magnifi- 
 cejice of the Great Monarch, who, proud of his immense 
 power, observed with an air of complaisance all those 
 satellites revolving servilely around his Majesty ; and, 
 whilst his gorgeous saloons were filled with a profusion of 
 gold, precious stones, and unrestrained pleasures, thousands 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 43 
 
 of miserable creatures perished a prey to the most lament- 
 able distress, 
 
 But to represent more vividly the deplorable situation 
 of France, or ratter the wretchedness of the peasantry 
 during those periods of absolutism and seigneurial rights, 
 the reader will no doubt peruse with no less interest than 
 emotion the following attestations from the contemporaries 
 of the time, which we translate from the French with a 
 view to render them intelligible to all. 
 
 1662. — " In the Champagne, says the Abbess of a nun- 
 nery, there are 30,000 poor, reduced to the last extremity, 
 most of them dying of hunger, whereas others are destitute 
 of all the necessaries of life : they are as black as negroes, 
 and reduced to skeletons. Several women and children 
 have been found dead on the public roads and in fields 
 with their mouths stuffed with herbs. M. BouUon, vicar 
 of Saint Sauveur at Blois, affirms having seen children 
 eating filth, and others in cemeteries sucking the bones of 
 dead bodies dug out of the graves by the sexton." 
 
 1675. — The Duke de Lesdiguieres to Colbert, Louis 
 XrV.'s Minister of Marine. — " Sir, I cannot delay any 
 longer to acquaint you with the misery to which this 
 province is reduced. Commerce is absolutely dying away, 
 and people come from all parts to implore me to inform 
 the king that they cannot possibly pay the taxes imposed 
 upon them. It is affirmed. Sir, that the greatest part of 
 the inhabitants of the said province have during winter 
 lived on aeorn and root bread, and that now they are 
 reduced to eat grass and tree-bark. I feel it my duty to 
 tell you things as they are, so that his Majesty may act in 
 consequence." 
 
 1683. — The Abbe Granded to the Bishop of Angers. — 
 
44 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 " The houses are more like stables than men's dwellings. 
 The inhabitants eat but fern-bread, whereas many of them 
 are three or four days without food." 
 
 1694. — Fenelon "Tour subjects, Sire, are 
 
 dying of hunger. The culture of the fields is completely 
 given up for want of implements and hands ; towns and 
 countries are deserted; trade is no longer sufficient to 
 support either employes or artisans. Instead of extorting 
 taxes from these poor people, it would be better to give 
 them alms. Prance is but an immense hospital desolated 
 and without provision. . . . Ton are reduced to the 
 deplorable extremity either to leave sedition unpunished, 
 or to order the massacre of the very people whom you 
 have driven to desperation, and who perish every day with 
 disease caused by famine." 
 
 1707. — ^Vauban. " The tenth part of your people are 
 reduced to mendicity ; out of 20,000,000 of souls, 2,000,000 
 are starving." 
 
 1725. — Saint Simon. " The poor of Normandy feed on 
 grass, and the kingdom is a vast hospital of dying and 
 desperate people." 
 
 1725.— The Duke d'Orleans to Louis XV. " Sire, this 
 is with what your subjects nourish themselves," presenting 
 to him a fern loaf. 
 
 Here we must pause, because volumes of reports and 
 memorials similar to the above extracts could not explain 
 better the situation of France. But what effect could the 
 voice of humanity proiuce in the heart of a Prince who 
 passed his time in debauchery and profligacy ; bewitched 
 by dissolute mistresses, adulated by crafty courtiers ? His 
 great grandfather, whether he meant what he said or not, 
 had at least the modesty to say, in speaking of his subjects 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 45 
 
 and their misery — " Si Dieu me fait la grace d'execturo' 
 tout ce que j'ai dans I'esprit, je taoherai de porter la 
 felicite de men rfegne jusqu' a faire en sorte, non pas a la 
 verite qu'il n'y ait plus personne ni pauvre ni riche (car la 
 fortune, I'industrie et I'esprit laisseront 6ternellement cette 
 distinction entre les hommes), mais au moins qu'on ne 
 voie plus dans le royaume, ni indigence, ni mendicite, je 
 veux dire personne, quelque miserable qu'il puisse ^tre, 
 qui ne soit assure de sa subsistance, ou par son travail ou 
 par un secours ordinaire et regie. ' 
 
 But he (Louis XV.) was too much occupied with his 
 own pleasures to think of his subjects. He knew very 
 well that the position in which he and France were was 
 most critical, but, believing that the time of retributive 
 justice was still remote, he, therefore, consoled himself by 
 saying : — " Never mind if things are bad, they will last as 
 long as I live, and, when I am no more, my successor will 
 extricate himself out of it as well as he can." — " Vous avez 
 raison, mon Bien Aims" echoed his lascivious mistress, 
 Madame Pompadour, " apres nous le deluge " (after us 
 the deluge.) So he plunged deeper and deeper in the gulf 
 of licentiousness; until at last, on the 10th of May, 1774, 
 a relapse of the small-pox put an end to that degraded and 
 immoral King ; leaving, as a legacy to his grandson, Louis 
 XVI., a crown despised and dishonoured ; a throne sullied 
 with debauchery and infamous intrigues ; a kingdom bent 
 on the verge of ruia ; a nation* of beggars and slaves ; a 
 name which no Frenchman could pronounce without a 
 great sense of shame and horror ; and a degraded, policy. 
 Finances, Industry, Agrioultwre, Trade, Commerce, Credit, 
 Liberty ; in a word, all that constitutes the strength and 
 the welfare of a nation was left in the most deplorable 
 
46 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 condition ; and the antlior of sueli a chaos was styled " Le 
 Roi Bien-Aime." What a mockery ! 
 
 Such, however, was the terrible position of France, 
 when, on the 11th of May, 1774, Louis XVI. ascended the 
 throne of the Bourbons; and, from what has been said 
 above, the reader will easily understand that it was hope- 
 less. 
 
 Royal power must be, indeed, very alluring for a young 
 prince of 20 years of age to assume the responsibility of 
 such a perilous position, and to sit on a tottering throne 
 which the least motion might overturn. But youth knows 
 no danger. Moreover, as he could not be answerable 
 for his grandfather's faults, he thought that, by grant- 
 ing such reforms as might give satisfaction to the 
 nation, he would be able to avert the tempest that was 
 brewing over his head. Consequently, to carry out his 
 good intentions, he chose for his first Ministers of the 
 State Malesherbes and Turgot; two statesmen of the 
 greatest integrity and extensive knowledge then in the 
 kingdom. 
 
 These wise politicians, among other salutary reforms, 
 proposed the declaration of every man's rights, justice to 
 everybody, liberty of conscience, freedom of the Press, aboli- 
 tion of torture and of serfdom, equality before the law, sup- 
 pression of lettres de cachet and of privileges, and the 
 re-establishment of the Edict of Nantes. But the King 
 — still too young, without experience, imbued with the 
 traditions of his House, ill-advised and irresolute — doubted, 
 feared to go too far, and did not know what to do. From 
 his throne, he could not see the precipice wide open under 
 his feet ; he did not foresee that his hesitation lost him ; 
 be did not observe the menacing and irresistible finger of 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION, 47 
 
 Time pointing out to him. that fourteen years had elapsed 
 since his accession to the throne, without having done 
 anything for his subjects, who, sinking under the weight 
 of serfdom and poverty, asked for bread and hberty. 
 Nothing could shake ofE his royal apathy. Indifferent to 
 all, he did not even perceive that the Hydra of Revolution, 
 with its ever rising heads, had already begun to trample 
 under foot the shackles of bondage, and warned him that 
 the fatal hour of despotism was nigh. No, the throne is 
 too high ; and from such an eminence, kings cannot see 
 what goes on below. Thus, wavering between his Minis- 
 ters and the Queen's entourage, Louis XVI. allowed him- 
 self to be blindly carried away until the 14th of July, 
 1789; when all Paris, transformed into a battle-field, 
 resounded with the rallying words—" Aux armes ! a la 
 Bastille! a la Bastille!" — All was over; the Revolution 
 was un fait acconvpli. 
 
48 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDEEATIONS ON GOTEEN- 
 MENTS. — SIEGE AND TAKING OF THE BASTILLE. — MIEABAEU 
 ELIE — HULLIN — DE LAUNAY — PLESSELLES. 
 
 Ob the 14tli of Jiily, 1789, Trance presented a most 
 ominous aspect. Visible signs of uneasiness and fear 
 forebode the approach of some coming perturbation. The 
 dense vapour, which for more than a century bedimmed 
 and thickened its atmosphere, had now assumed such a 
 degree of intensity as to render it impossible for any 
 human being to breathe it any longer. Existence, lan- 
 guishing in laxity and vapidness, struggled but in vain 
 against the exitial effluvia evolved from it. The storm 
 must burst or Hfe cease. Whenever the elements in which 
 we live fail to be congenial to our organization, however 
 great the sacrifice may be, transformation is a necessity, 
 and nations are not exempt from this imprescriptible law 
 of nature. Like the lepidoptara, they have their larval 
 stages, and must pass through their evolutions before 
 arriving at a real state of entity. In every condition of 
 life, it is not possible to live long without gradual changes. 
 Death is the commencement of a new life, dissolution that 
 of reorganization ; and it is from putrescence that matter 
 arises into existence. Purification is not possible with 
 stagnation ; like the water of the ocean, societies, cities. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 49 
 
 empires, all, in a word, would soon decay witiout a circu- 
 lating current. Every thing in this world originates, 
 exists, and passes through, successive changes, not suhstamr- 
 tidily, but formally ; and it is this periodical course that 
 constitutes the equiponderance of forces, time, and eternity. 
 But these continual changes so necessary to the end of 
 creation, do not imply, as most people believe, any absolute 
 destruction, as far as substance is understood : nothing in 
 the universe perishes ^positively, except the form, as being 
 a mere accident of matter ; because it is not the configu- 
 ration or the mode that constitutes the essence of beings, 
 but their constituent pa/rts. 
 
 Whether gold be shaped into a coin or a ball, it is 
 always gold ; its form does not affect in the least its 
 nature. Marble is not the less marble whether it remain 
 a block, or be converted into a statue ; the only difference 
 between the two is that one is more agreeable to the eyes 
 than the other. 
 
 Philosophically it is not so, because a philosopher does 
 not consider things for what they represent, but for what 
 they really are. It is not the name that makes the man, 
 but the man that makes the name — oe n'est pas I'habit qui 
 fait le moine, as we say in French — (It is not the cowl 
 that makes the friar.) A man, although a prince, may be 
 a degraded individual, as a plebian may be an object of 
 esteem and admiration. 
 
 The name of a thing is not the thing itself, for a thing 
 may have a name without beiag the thing which the name 
 represents. An assassin in disguise may be called a friar 
 or a pope, but he is neither the one nor the other. Philo- 
 sophy is the science of wisdom, yet all philosophers are not 
 wise, since there are many men who, although so called, 
 
50 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 are but sophists. All lawyers are called learned legal men, 
 yet many of them are but sots and rogues. A king is not 
 always a potentate because he has the supreme power 
 over his people ; he may be a passive instrument in the 
 hands of his ministers. 
 
 Thus a government is not to be considered a good 
 system of polity because governing m.eans to administer 
 the laws ; it cannot be so but for the manner in which 
 legal authority is exercised. We must not infer that a 
 government is bad and injurious to the welfare of the 
 State because it is called Monarchy or Empire, and good, 
 for the mere reason that it has the name of Republic. 
 We know the brutality of the Roman laws during the 
 dictatorship of Aulus Postumius under the Republic, and 
 the moderation and clemency of Antoninus under the 
 Empire. Consequently, it is of very little importance 
 whatever form a governing power may assume, provided 
 that the constituent parts which compose it be in harmony 
 with the social system, and that every member of the 
 commonwealth enjoys, without any regard to rank or 
 birth, his national rights. But from the moment that it 
 becomes arbitrary, it is not just that the great majority of 
 the nation should suffer injustice because of the name 
 under which Rulers govern, and of the ascendancy that 
 they arrogate to themselves at the expense of the nation. 
 
 Well, such as described here was the unenviable con- 
 dition of France at the time alluded to above. It was not 
 the form of the government, nor the king that Frenchiiien 
 disliked ; but the manner in which they were governed. 
 It would have been quite indifferent to them whether they 
 were ruled by a king or an emperor, provided that they 
 had been justly treated, and their sufferings relieved. 
 
FRENCH REYOLUTION. 51 
 
 But royalty is too subjective to extend the operations of 
 the mind beyond the ego. 
 
 We have already seen that the greatest dissatisfaction 
 prevailed amongst all Frenchmen owing to their great 
 misery, and nothing was done to allay their uneasiness. 
 On the contrary, it seems that Louis XVI., besides his 
 indifference for the nation he governed, went so far as to 
 surround Paris with foreign troops in order to defend his 
 power against his own subjects. This conduct, as may be 
 easily understood, was well calculated to alienate the 
 people's hearts from him, and so it aroused public opinion 
 to such a pitch of exasperation, that, early in the morning, 
 July 14, 1789, at the voice of Mirabeau — the spirit of the 
 revolution — and under the leadership of two old soldiers, 
 Elie and Hullin, the whole populace rose up in arms, 
 shouting : ' A la Bastille ! a la Bastille ! ' which was soon 
 invaded by the armed multitude, partly composed of dis- 
 reputable and desperate characters. 
 
 This State prison was at that time under the governor- 
 ship of de Launay, of whom we shall have to speak here- 
 after, and its defence consisted of 200 men only, Swiss and 
 Invalids ; but it was so well fortified, and the governor so 
 determined to resist, that it is doubted whether the in- 
 vaders would have taken possession of it, had not de 
 Launay, on the solemn promise made to him that he and 
 the garrison would be respected, surrendered it after a 
 murderous combat of several hours, in which the assailants 
 lost 171 men. However, notwithstanding the given pro- 
 mise and the protection of those who had made it ; de 
 Launay, Major Salbray, together with many Swiss and 
 Invalids, were massacred by the frantic rabble. The Prevot 
 des Marchands, Flesselles, shared the same fate, for not 
 
52 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 having given arms to the people of Paris, after he had 
 several times promised that he would comply with their 
 request. 
 
 In the following chapter I shall give my impartial 
 opinion on those men. 
 
 Thus fell, after more than five centuries of existence, 
 the Bastille — that stygian tower of crime, distress, and 
 afiEliction : the Tartaros of the Pagan deities was not more 
 odiously dreaded. 
 
 Its fall, as the reader may easily understand, was a 
 glorious achievement, which shook the whole world, and 
 made despots quake on their thrones ; at the same time 
 that it announced to France that the bonds of serfdom 
 had been broken asunder, and tyranny subdued. 
 
 The news of the important event soon spread through- 
 out Paris, and, as the occurrgnce was unexpected, one can 
 weU imagine with what transports of joy and exultation it 
 was received by everybody. — Tradesmen, artizans, civilians, 
 soldiers, men, women, children, rich and poor ; French, 
 Russians, English, Danes, Germans, Dutch, Italians ; in a 
 word, men of all nations, of all opinions, of all denomina- 
 tions,- and of all creeds, with tears of joy streaming down 
 their cheeks, complimented each other on meeting in the 
 streets, as if they had been released from the violent 
 oppression of a horrible nightmare. 
 
 ' Victoire ! Victoire ! the Bastille is taken. Vive la 
 Uberte ! a has les Tyrans !' (Down with Tyrants) were 
 the exclamations of triumphal rapture which, like surging 
 waves, rose in the air, and thrilled through everybody's 
 heart. The rock of Tantalos that hung over France's head 
 had been removed. 
 
 Elie, one of the leaders of the insurgents, was borne on 
 
French revolution. 53 
 
 men's shoulders through the streets of Paris, crowned 
 ■with laurels, preceded by two Heralds ; one carrying the 
 rusty keys of the infernal dungeon, the other the Guard- 
 room regulations stuck on the top of a lance. But Hullin 
 was not so lucky as his friend : in his attempt to save the 
 life of De Launay and other defenders of the Bastille, 
 he was crushed under foot by the very mob who, a few 
 hours before, had extolled him to the skies. It is sad to 
 see men of courage, devotion, and national spirit, sacrificed 
 to the uncontrollable violence of lawless agitators ; who, 
 deprived of all human sentiments, have no other object in 
 view than to plunder and destroy ! HuUin was too honest 
 to be the chieftain of merciless barbarians. 
 
 The demolition of the Bastille lasted about one year, 
 and, with its stones, they built the Pont de la Concorde ; 
 whereas on the same spot, whe^the prison stood, a column, 
 surmounted by the Angel of Liberty, was erected in 1830, 
 to commemorate both the fall of the dungeon and the 
 Revolution of Juillet ; the month in which Charles X. was 
 deposed, and Louis Philippe placed on the throne to pave 
 the way for a second empire. 
 
54 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 POLITICAL EBFLECTIONS. — MACHIAVELLl'S POLICY ON GOVERN- 
 MENTS. — THE PEISONEES AND THE REGULATIONS POUND IN 
 THE BASTILLE. 
 
 Had the insurgents of 1789 been satisfied with their 
 victory, the epithet of " Vainqueurs de la Bastille " (Con- 
 querors of the Bastille) given to them would have been 
 highly deserved, and their fame handed down from pos- 
 terity to posterity ; but the atrocities which followed their 
 achievement stamped them with ignominy, and their con- 
 duct will always be remembered by impartial thinkers with 
 a great sense of regret and disgust. 
 
 When society rebels against tyrants with a view to shake 
 oS the yoke of slavery under which it is bent, all efforts to 
 obtain that liberty to which every citizen is entitled is 
 laudable, and ought to be encouraged ; because, as I have 
 already said, freedom is the appanage of every man's right ; 
 but when people pull down the barriers of law and reason, 
 to satisfy venal passions and commit acts of vandalism ; 
 their memory must finish where their iniquity begins. 
 
 Let us not forget, however, that, as in all insurrections, 
 wanderers and outlaws of all countries insinuate them- 
 selves into the multitude, not prompted by any patriotic 
 sentiment or political conviction, but merely, as said 
 above, to destroy and plunder ; so it would be unjust to 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 55 
 
 stigmatize the innocent -witli the guilty. Everybody knows 
 what kind of people most of the Communists of 1871 were. 
 It is such hired assassins as those, who, like ravenous vul- 
 tures in search of prey, kindle discord and cast confusion 
 in moments of political convulsions, with a view to feast 
 on the ruins of the victims. 
 
 After this, should we he surprised when cannibals pounce 
 down upon the wrecked ships which tempest or providence 
 has stranded on their shores ? They are savages, without 
 instruction, abandoned to their natural propensities, un- 
 governed, having no other instinct but that of self-conser- 
 vation, and are deprived of every sense of humanity. But 
 we ! . . . we are educated, refined, trained up in the 
 school of civilization, social intercourse, and divine belief 
 — we go to church — we walk in the path of devotion and 
 charity — we aim at eternal beatitude — ^we live more for 
 our fqllow-men than for ourselves— ^we are kind, disin- 
 terested, charitable and good Christians, always ready to 
 sacrifice our personal interests for the welfare of our fellow- 
 creatures. If we have a loaf we share it with the poor ; 
 if our neighbour is ill and cannot attend to his business, 
 we work for him, and take great care of his family ; yet, 
 for all this, are we better ? 
 
 If Justice, and perhaps our desire for admiration did not 
 repress our natural inclinations, what would we not do ? 
 Nowhere would there be any safety for man : if we did 
 not devour one another, as fish devour their spawn,, we 
 would certainly kill and plunder our neighbours without 
 any pity. Society is bad enough as it is. What we call 
 conscience, kindness, humanity, charity, generosity, and 
 brotherhood, are only terms iuvented and often used to 
 mask our hypocrisy. The appearance of man on the stage 
 
 r 
 
56 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 of tlie world is always that of an actor ; lie is never in his 
 natural state ; we see the mask and never the face which 
 it conceals. To know what man really is, one ought to be 
 able to descend into his heart ; it is in that occult labora- 
 tory, where, in the name of humanity, religion, and God, 
 the most abominable stratagems are skilfully distilled : it 
 is the alembic of human passions. 
 
 Now that we have seen what man is and could be, if 
 the law did not curb his inherent inclinations, the reader 
 will not be surprised at the violent commotions to which 
 Society is often exposed. Oppression on one side, wicked- 
 ness on the other ; ambition, intrigues, and conspiracies ; 
 this is, in a few words, the general practice of mankind ; 
 and the higher the civilization, the greater the actions. 
 
 Insurrections, in whatever condition of life they happen, 
 are not always promoted by the society itself where dis- 
 satisfaction exists. It may be the primary cause, but 
 without some undercurrent which mines it, no great con- 
 sequence would result from it. Let the reader understand 
 that all revolutionary plots are always encouraged ; on one 
 hand by ambitious men who make use of the people's cre- 
 dulity to carry out their designs ; on the other, by foreign 
 powers interested in the abasement of the adverse countries 
 which they desire to agitate, with a view to paralyze their 
 influence. To attain their object, the foreign powers 
 alluded to above, send hired secret agents in the country 
 which they desire to disturb, and where symptoms of 
 rebellion are manifest ; these, in concert with the leaders 
 of the political party opposed to the government which 
 they wish to overthrow, conspire its ruin in the dark, and 
 as soon as the moment to strike the blow is opportune, 
 they disappear from the scene of the conflict, leaving the 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 57 
 
 result of the action to the bands of scare-gallows with 
 whom they are always surrounded to carry out their design. 
 These are the men who really make the revolution, and it 
 is also they who are the fools of the farce, as very few, 
 indeed, derive any benefit from it. Those who do not fall 
 victims to their criminal calculations are either shot, or 
 sent to some prison for life ; where they can reflect at 
 leisure that no bread is so sweet as that acquired by honest 
 labour. 
 
 Russia is now in the same state of fomentation as alluded 
 to above : the money devoted secretly to promote and keep 
 up the agitation caused by the Nihilists against the pre- 
 sent government, would be sufficient to support thousands 
 of poor families. Germany, struggling against poverty 
 and army taxations ; undermined by Ultramontanism and 
 Socialism, is far from being flourishing. While Austria is 
 not in a better condition : it is the voice of Freedom pro- 
 testing against Despotism — the new society rising on the 
 ruins of the old feudal systems. Such a conspiracy against 
 those ambitious powers, although wrong from a moral 
 point of view, politically speaking is just ; because, by 
 being troubled at home, they will have no leisure to plot 
 against their weaker neighbours ; at the same time that 
 
 the dangers by which they are menaced bring them to 
 
 better sentiments. 
 
 Niccolo Machiavelli, the greatest politician that ever 
 
 lived, in his "Principe," page 130, chap, xviii., expresses 
 
 his opinion thus on political faith : — 
 
 " Quanto sia laudabile in un principe mantenere la fede, 
 
 vivere con integrita e non con astuzia, ciascuno lo intende. 
 
 Nonditnanco si vede per esperienza ne' nostri tempi, quelli 
 
 principi aver fatto gran cose, che della fede hanno tenuto 
 
 p2 
 
58 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 poco conto, e ch.e iLanno saputo con Tastuzia aggirare i 
 cervelli degli uomini, ed alia fine hanno superato quelli clie 
 si sono fondati in sn la lealta. Dovete adunque sapere 
 come sono due generazioni di combattere : I'una con le leggi 
 I'altra con la forza ; quel piimo mode e proprio dell'uomo, 
 quel secondo della bestia ; ma perchfe il primo spesse volte 
 non basta, conviene ricorrere al secondo. Pertanto ad un 
 priucipe e neoessario saper bene usare la bestia e I'uomo." 
 
 (Everybody understands bow praisewortby it is for a 
 prince to be faithful, equitable, and not crafty. Never- 
 tbeless, we find, by experience, princes who have accom- 
 plished great deeds without any regard to probity, and 
 have been able to deceive men, and proved themselves 
 superior to those that relied on honesty. You must, there- 
 fore, know how to deal with two generations : the one 
 by the means of the law, the other by force ; that is the 
 property of man, this of the animal ; but as the former 
 quality is often inadequate, it is necessary to have recourse 
 to the latter. Tet a prince must know how to make use 
 of the animal and of the man.) 
 
 Thus we see that to be a good politician one must be 
 (to say it in plain English) a rogue. It is not, therefore 
 surprising if such statesmen as Prince Bismark, Prince 
 Gortschakoff, Count Andrassy, and Lord Beaconsfield have 
 adopted Machiavelli's principles. It is an established 
 opinion among politicians and projectors that those diplo- 
 matists are most admired who are the greatest intriguers. 
 
 This is no doubt a very sad doctrine to acknowledge, 
 but, what to do, since sincerity is generally only a cloak to 
 hypocrisy ? Men admire false displays ; they like to be 
 imposed upon, as much as they laugh at simplicity, and 
 call clever men the artful knaves that cheat their neigh- 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 59 
 
 bours dexterously. Consequently, however hateful this 
 state of things may be, one cannot live among plunderers 
 without imitating their doings, lest he should be exposed 
 to be a contiaual victim. 
 
 The prisoners found in the Bastille on the 14th of July, 
 1789, were only seven. B^chade, Lacauregej Laroche, 
 Pujade, le Comte de Solages, Tavernier, and de Wythe, an 
 Irishman. As this unhappy man (Wythe) had lost his 
 mind during his long captivity, therefore, his origin re- 
 mained a mystery ; though some historians say that he 
 was a relation of M. de Sartiues, Minister of Marine ; but 
 it is not positively known for what reason he was there. 
 
 We give here the translation verbatim of the consigne 
 (B;egulation) found placarded in the guard-room of the 
 Bastille. It is a curious document which the reader will 
 no doubt read with some interest : — 
 
 Eegulations for the Ouard-room at the Bastille. 
 
 I. The commanding officer at the post shall not allow 
 anyone to enter with a sword at his side, except the Bang, 
 the Dauphin, the legitimate ■princes of the blood, His 
 Majesty's Mioisters of State, the Marshals of Prance, the 
 Captains of the Ufe corps, the Dukes, the StafE Officers, 
 the director of engineers, the artillery officers, and the 
 
 keepers of the archives. 
 
 II. Great care shall be taken to let the commissary de 
 Kochebrune enter without delay, every time that he pre- 
 sents himself. 
 
 III. The non-commissioned officers must apply them- 
 selves to know the faces and names of all the servants and 
 other persons that come in and go out of the Bastille. 
 
 lY. They must likewise know the names of the towers, 
 
60 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 SO as to be able, wben they are on duty, to tell exactly in 
 wbioh. of tbem they have remarked anything unusual, 
 
 V. The sentinel of the cage-door at the guard-room 
 must open and shut the door. He must not let anyone 
 whom he does not know perfectly well enter nor go out : 
 he shall arrest all those, whether men or women, that are 
 unknown to him. 
 
 VI. The sentinel inside the cage in the inner court must 
 do the same, and assure himself above all of the persons 
 who go out, and arrest all those who might cause the least 
 suspicion, at the same time that he is requested to call an 
 officer of the stafE to overcome the difficulty, if any. More- 
 over, he shall ring every quarter of an hour during the 
 night ; from 10 o'clock p.m. till 6 o'clock a.m., and strike 
 the bell three times at each hour of the day; from 7 
 o'clock a.m. till 9 o'clock p.m. : he shall also ring the mass 
 bell, after which he must withdraw to the guardroom, shut 
 the window, and wait until he is told to go on duty at the 
 cabinet door of the chapel, where he shall remain until 
 mass is over. 
 
 VII. After mass he shall return to the guard-room until 
 he is told to go on duty at the door in front of the said cage. 
 
 VIII. He must not lose sight of the prisoners who are 
 walking in the court yard ; and look attentively if they 
 throw down or let fall accidentally any paper, letters, or 
 anything else. He shall prevent them from writing on 
 the walls, and report all that he has observed during his 
 watch. 
 
 IX. Both the sentinels and all other persons, whoever 
 they be, the officers of the stafi and the turnkeys excepted, 
 are forbidden either to speak to, or answer the prisoners 
 under any pretext whatever. 
 
FRENCH EBYOLUTION. 61 
 
 X. The guard-rooms stall furnish four fusiliers, to be 
 placed at the foot of the staircase when the prisoners' 
 dinner and supper are being served at 11 o'clock a.m. and 
 at 6 o'clock p.m. 
 
 XI. When it is night, the sentinel shall cry out : Qui 
 va la ! (who goes there) to all those persons that might 
 present themselves, and shall not allow anybody to pass 
 without having recognised him well. 
 
 XII. Before raising the bridges for the closing of the 
 gates, the commanding officer of the post shall inform all 
 those who have to sleep within the Bastille : the bridges 
 raised, he shall give up the keys to the king's lieutenant, 
 and go to fetch them on the arrival of the king's orders 
 for the opening of the gates. 
 
 XIII. On the arrival of a prisoner, be it in the daytime 
 or at night, the commanding officer of the post shall send 
 all his troops into the guard-room, and pay attention that 
 he (the prisoner) is not seen by anybody. 
 
 XrV. The opening of the gates shall take place at 
 5 o'clock a.m. in summer, and at 6 o'clock a.m. in winter, 
 unless otherwise ordered. 
 
 XV. When workmen are working inside, one sentinel or 
 more shall watch them attentively, as if they were pri- 
 soners, so that, contrary to the king's orders, they may 
 liot approach any of the prisoners. 
 
 XVI. When the guard-corporal or other non-commis- 
 sioned officer is commanded to go to the garden, or on the 
 towers with a prisoner, he shall not converse with him, 
 and he must take care to bring him back at the appointed 
 hour. 
 
 XVII. When any order from the king arrives for the 
 liberation of a prisoner, the sentinel shall not allow him to 
 
62 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 pass unless lie is escorted by an officer of the staff. The 
 same order applies to the prisoners who are allowed to walk 
 in the garden. If there he no staff officer in the castle, the 
 prisoners shall not be allowed to take any exercise. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 63 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MOEAL EEFLECTIONS. MIEABEATI. HIS BIETH, EDUCATIOlf, 
 
 AND CHAEACTEE. 
 
 Omms ignotum pro mugnifico. 
 
 The opinion that we generally form of men is in a great 
 measure in direct proportion to tlie reputation they enjoy 
 and the appearance they make in the world. All our 
 knowledge of them does not go beyond those facts, and it 
 is from such equivocal assertioris that we draw our infer- 
 ences. It is perhaps better, because if we knew too much 
 very few would escape qui contempt ; that is to say, we 
 would despise one another for our opposite qualities, and 
 admire each other for the vices that we have in common. 
 
 The proclivity that men of the same bent of miad have 
 to congregate, whether urged by identity of motives, cal- 
 culation, or idiosyncrasy, is a principle generally observed 
 everywhere, and its existence dates from the most remote 
 antiquity ; since the saying, " Birds of a feather floch 
 together," is found in every country and in all languages. 
 
 Consequently, we see that society is formed of divers 
 classes separated one from the other by a line of demarca- 
 tion, in which the incorporated members respectively agree 
 in appearance, work for the same cause, pursue the same 
 object, hold their meetings to combine their efforts, expose 
 their views, prepare the ground on which they have to 
 
64 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 direct their steps, decide on tlie policy they have to pur- 
 sue, regulate their conduct and guide their actions ; some 
 to eschew evil and do good, others to eschew good and do 
 evil : these to moralise, those to corrupt ; one to plunder,, 
 the other to conspire ; all to plot in the dark, either for 
 their personal benefit, or to satisfy their vanity. 
 
 The reader has no doubt often heard and perhaps read 
 something about the fine exploits of bravery achieved by 
 freebooters and highway plunderers during their expedi- 
 tions. As it is well known by the notoriety that those 
 heroes of the high seas and of the forests have so justly 
 acquired, it happens that they are, when in pursuit of some 
 bold action, as united as Carthusians, as humble and obe- 
 dient to their chieftains as schoolboys to their masters, and 
 as earnestly devoted to their Holy Patrons as Neapolitans 
 to San Gennaro, or Irish People to St. Patrick. But as 
 soon as the expedition is over, the harmony is broken ; no 
 more obedience, no more discipline, no more order; all 
 conspire one against the other to obtain the whole or a 
 larger part of the booty •- quarrels ensue, fights follow, 
 which always result in the extermination of most of the 
 actors in the drama ; and the survivors, being driven on 
 some unknown shore, become a prey to the savage natives, 
 or are captured in their flight by cruisers, who, in accord- 
 ance with international laws, put an end to the farce by 
 disposing both of their lives and of their plunder. This- 
 is, without exaggeration, and as near as one can picture it, 
 the modus operandi of the social comedy such as it is per- 
 formed by mankind on the stage of the world ; and in 
 order that the reader may assist to one of those extraor- 
 dinary representations which covered Prance with liberty, 
 glory, tears, and blood, we shall introduce him to the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 65 
 
 singular characters that played a tragical part on the 
 theatre of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1795. 
 
 HONORE GABEIEL EIQUETTI, COMTE DE MIEABEATT. 
 
 The most conspicuous and influential actor who, like an 
 immense and brilliant meteor on its ascension, dazzles the 
 spectators with his effulgent altiloquence and magisterial 
 audacity, is Mirabeau. 
 
 Bom at Bignon in Provence in 1749, of an ancient 
 family, originally from Tuscany, Comte de Mirabeau was 
 one of those remarkable men whose determined counte- 
 nance, daring spirit, and sententious tone of voice imposed 
 on the multitude. Strongly built, with a well-developed 
 head, a large face, harsh features, stern look, the lips 
 pouting and giving to the whole appearance a most dis- 
 dainful expression ; the gait dignified and commanding, the 
 step heavy and firm; all in his person evinced a lame genius 
 agitated by all the violent passions of a wild character. 
 
 Nature formed him with excellent qualities, society 
 made of him a prodigal profligate debauche ; and the 
 Revolution transformed him, with all his vices and good 
 qualities, into one of the greatest orators that France ever 
 possessed. As eloquent and insinuating as Demosthenes, 
 as ambitious and persuasive as Cicero, but more impetuous 
 and depraved than either ; no less artificious and pene- 
 trating than Maohiavelli, whose blood was infused into his 
 veins, and with whose sentiments he had identified him- 
 self ; he was self important, tyrannical, and unprincipled ; 
 bis opinion of men was that they had to serve his selfish 
 motives ; whereas the Republic, which he pretended to 
 venerate and countenance, was in his secret estimation 
 nothing but a form to mantle his aristocratic ambition. 
 
66 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Such, was the ascendency that he had gained over hig 
 contemporaries, that, when he entered the National 
 Assembly, all the Deputies present assumed a passive 
 attitude, as if bewitched by the influence of a mystic spell ; 
 when he ascended the tribune all eyes were fixed upon 
 him, and no voice would have dared oppose the inexhaus- 
 tible eloquence of the intrepid orator, whether the words 
 that fell from him were insults or menaces. His opinion 
 was law, his gesture command. The balance of oratory 
 was in his mouth ; he weighed all the questions, he 
 decided all the debates ; his judgment was incontrovertibly 
 final ; he was the exponent of the assembly, the incarna- 
 tion of power. 
 
 The training of Mirabeau, both at home and at scliool, 
 was neither mild nor refined. Imbued with the aristo- 
 cratic pride of his birth, he assumed the swaggering man- 
 ners of a pompous dramatist on the stage, and the absurd 
 arrogance of a Don Quixote. All his gestures were care- 
 fully studied; when he spoke he gave to his voice a 
 drawling declamatory intonation, accompanying each sen- 
 tence with a flourish, of the hand, and movements of the 
 head ; sometimes with a sarcastic smile, at others with, a 
 contemptuous look. All in him was display, self-suffi- 
 ciency, licentiousness. His character might be resumed 
 in these three words : Vitium cum dignitate. 
 
 At 23 years of age, in 1772, through intrigues and 
 seductive promises, he sought and obtained in marriage a 
 rich heiress of Aix, Mdlle. de Marignan ; but the unscru- 
 pulous husband soon squandered the fortune of his too 
 credulous wife, and, as he had nothing more to expect 
 from her, he deserted her, to elope, some time after, with 
 the Marquis de Monnier's wife. For that honourable 
 
FfiENCH EETOLUTION. 67 
 
 action, the unscrupulous voluptuary was lodged in the 
 castle of Yincennes, where he had leisure and time to 
 reflect on the vicissitudes of human affairs, and mature 
 his plan of the coming Revolution. 
 
 Constantly engaged in love-intrigues, broils, law-suits, 
 literary pursuits, conflicts, political schemes and conspira- 
 cies, the life of our Plebeian Count, as he desired to be 
 styled — so variously tossed, in the manner here described, 
 by all the storms of social adversities — could not last long ; 
 he must end in a prison, or die a violent death. Happily 
 for him the long wished for Revolution of 1789, of which 
 he was the relentless Spirit and Revealer, dawned at last 
 in all the splendour of its radiancy ; and, with it, his crafty 
 and bustling genius found new food for his ambitious 
 designs. 
 
 On this new stage he is seen foremost amongst all the re- 
 volutionary actors, admired and feared ; steering the course 
 of an event, which, owing to its magnitude, is unparalleled 
 in the history of nations. But, notwithstanding his exalted 
 position, poverty and debts gave him no rest, and so, as 
 soon as the beautiful Queen, Marie Antoinette — ^the Armida 
 of the age — offered him her favours, and Louis XVI. 
 40,000 francs a week, with any ministerial post he might 
 choose, on the condition that he would use his influence to 
 stay the progress of the Revolution, he did not hesitate to 
 accept both. What would he not have done for Venus 
 and Mammon ? Consequently, the ruthless Mirabeau 
 — the great democrat — the people's idol — the soul of the 
 Revolution, did not hesitate to sell himself as a venal 
 sybarite to the charms of the Austrian Siren, and to the 
 king's bait. But how to conciliate the mercenary conduct 
 of the proud orator with the following reply to an order 
 
68 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 of the King conveyed to tlie National AssemWy by the 
 Marquis de Breze on the 27th of June, 1791 : — " Nons 
 avons entendn, Monsieur, les intentions qu'on a suggerees 
 an roi, mais vous qui ne sauriez ^tre son organs aupres de 
 I'assemblee nationale, vous qui n'avez ni place ni voix, ni 
 droit de parler. vous n'etes pas fait pour nous rappeler son 
 
 discours Allez dire a votre maitre que nous 
 
 sommes ici par la volonte du peuple, et qu'on ne nous en 
 arrachera que par la force des haionnettes." (We have 
 heard, Sir, the iatentions suggested to the king, but you, 
 who cannot be his organ in the National Assembly, who 
 have neither place nor voice, nor right to speak, are not 
 
 capable to remind us of his speech Go and 
 
 tell your master that we are here by the will of the people, 
 and that we shall not be driven away hence but by the 
 force of bayonets.) 
 
 However, although I have no desire whatever to vindi- 
 cate Mirabeau's unjustifiable action, let the reader under- 
 stand that he is not, unfortunately, an exception to the 
 venality of politicians: very few, indeed, are those who 
 are invulnerable to the seduction of Fortune. Virtue is a 
 very rare quality which few men possess, and politicians 
 less than others. The world would be too good if it were 
 otherwise. 
 
 Be that as it may, had Mirabeau remained faithful to 
 the revolutionary principles of which he was the precursor 
 and the popular representative — ^had he not played with 
 his honour as gamblers trick with cards — ^had he not 
 shuffled together Royalty and Republic, however ques- 
 tionable his past life was, history would have forgotten 
 his vices, to honour his virtues : as it is, he died as he had 
 lived, a mean, artful Mephistopheles. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 69 
 
 Worn out in the prime of Ms age by all the excesses of 
 a dissolute life, his health gave way, under such alarming 
 symptoms as to predict that the case of the man who held 
 in his hands the destiny of France, and the fate of Royalty, 
 was beyond the hope of recovery. He himself felt that 
 the hour assigned to him by the imprescriptible law of 
 nature had come : but, proud of the part which he had 
 played in the world, he faced it with a firmness bordering 
 on cynicism. 
 
 As soon as the news of his dangerous illness was known, 
 his residence in the Chausee d'Antin was surrounded by 
 the multitude, eager to obtain some information about the 
 patient's condition. On the day before his death, after 
 having passed a very uneasy night, he told his friend 
 Cabanis: "I shall die to-day" (2nd of April, 1791). 
 " When we are reduced to this .extremity,'' he said, "we 
 have but to lie down in perfumes, crowned with roses, and 
 sujTounded with music, so that we may fall agreeably 
 into that sleep from which we wake no more." 
 
 It was the apotheosis of Sardanapalus. 
 
70 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ' CONSIDEEATIONS. 
 ELIE A^T> HULLIN. 
 
 WHAT THET DID, AND WHAT THEY WERE. 
 
 When men have neither social position, nor fortune, nor 
 rank — when their names are inscribed only on the cata- 
 logue of the great family of mankind — when they appear 
 on the stage of the world without having made any 
 clamour in the society in which they naove, or anywhere 
 else — ^when they are hut inofEensive, unassuming, peaceable 
 citizens, they pass, as Sallust says, through life in obscu- 
 rity like irrational beings (" Vitam silentio transeant 
 veluti pecora "), and their death is the only record of their 
 existence. 
 
 History registers with minute care, and transmits to 
 posterity all the movements, actions, and words of an 
 Alexander the Great, a Csesar, or a Napoleon ; but when 
 we speak of the gallant soldiers who have shed their blood 
 and died for their country, all that is said of them is con- 
 tracted in the four following words : — Mort au champ 
 d'homieur — (died on the field of honour.) 
 
 Consequently Elie and HuUin could not expect to be 
 treated better than common soldiers. They were not 
 adorned with those pompous qualifications which are the 
 golden keys that open all doors, and of which vanity 
 
FEEKCH REVOLUTION. 71 
 
 makes sncli a great display. They were neither Dukes, 
 nor Earls, nor Lords, nor even Esquires ; nature had made 
 them simply men ! and, unfortunately, man is admired, not 
 for what he really is, but for what he can give : from the 
 moment that he is no longer useful, we soon forsake and 
 ioTgei him. 
 
 Generally speakiag we are essentially wtilUaricms ; all 
 our love and admiration for our fellow-men and things is 
 proportionate to the benefit that we expect or can derive 
 from them ; as soon as they are of no more service to us, 
 they lose all the value that we attached to them, and be- 
 come a cumbersome obstruction, which the sooner it is 
 removed the better. 
 
 In fact, of what good can men or animals be that infir- 
 mities or old age preclude from being useful to society ? 
 They are parasites, that take and never give. The doc- 
 trine that "utility is the sole standard of virtue" is not 
 deprived of some appearance of truth, thus it has many 
 followers. But when we consider its exclusive tendency 
 — ^when we think that its existence involves the demmeia- 
 tion and proscription of whatever is not msefid, it seems to 
 me that its laws are based on privilege, and as privilege 
 denotes a right extended to some, irrespective of others, 
 it, therefore, can neither be virtuous nor moral, when 
 examined from a humane point of view. Men, animals, or 
 things may have been useful ; are they to be spumed be- 
 cause they cannot do now what they did once ? 
 
 Al l wears out in this world — all is perishable : nations, 
 societies, cities, empires ; everything has its periodical 
 revolution ! Whatever comes from the Fabric of Nature 
 is stamped with her universal mark, and, as nothing is 
 created by her which is not intended for some ultimate 
 
 G 
 
72 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 end, she, therefore, is equally kind and benevolent to all 
 her creatures indistinctly, whether they be more or less 
 accomplished. Consequently, have we, contrary to her 
 design, the right to exclude from the great family of man- 
 kind such beings which accident has not endowed with the 
 same organic qualities as others belonging to the same 
 species, or because those appear to us less useful than 
 these ? If such doctrine were accepted by general con- 
 sent, it would be more cruel than the law of Lycurgus 
 touching the Spartan children. Nobody would be safe in 
 this world. Life would be a tool in the hands of Caprice, 
 and men puppets more or less esteemed as they give satis- 
 faction to those who have command over them. Society 
 is bad enough as it is. We see people, whom birth or 
 circumstances have favoured, looking down upon their 
 inferior feUow-beings as objects of disgust ; and I venture 
 to say that, if it were not for the law which keeps them 
 within the boundaries of reason, they would crush them 
 under foot like unclean reptiles. 
 
 Be it as it may, if Elie and HulHn were not endowed 
 with those physical and mental qualities which distinguish 
 great geniuses, they have, nevertheless, been useful to 
 society ; they have, therefore, done good work. 
 
 It is they who, at the peril of their lives, and with a 
 heroism worthy of a great fame, placed themselves at the 
 head of the "Vainqueurs de la Bastille," and promoted 
 the great Revolution of 1789. However, chroniclers have 
 spoken and stiU speak in lofty language of Mirabeau, 
 Camille, Desmoulins, and Eiobespierre : we know their 
 families, their birth, their education, their good and bad 
 qualities ; yet veiy little is said and known of the two 
 Heroes of the Bastille; so that when posterity enquireiB 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 73 
 
 who were Elie and. Hullin, the answer is this : — " Two 
 old soldiers who fought at the head of their countrymen 
 for the independence of their country.'' This forms all 
 their biography. 
 
 Had those two men occupied a social position, their 
 achievements would have been extoUed to the skies, and 
 their names printed in golden letters in the Pantheon of 
 great men. There are many cenotaphs and monuments 
 raised in memoriam of many celebrities who did not de- 
 serve as much. But the world is such that public honours 
 are not always accorded to those who really merit them. 
 Let us, therefore, inscribe in this humble page the memo- 
 rial that France ought to have erected in Paris on the 
 Place Saint Antoine : — " Aux deux H6ros de la Bastille, 
 Elie et Hullin, la Patrie Reconnaissante !" 
 
 G 2 
 
74 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDEEA.TIONS. — DB LAUNAT, 60TEEN0K OF 
 THE BASTILLE. 
 
 I have already warned the reader that, whatever my 
 political or personal views and opinions may he about men 
 and their religion, whether they be my friends or my 
 enemies, I shall never deviate from the sacred path of 
 honour and justice to satisfy party-feelings, or morbid 
 passions. 
 
 History is not the exponent of private interests, or fac- 
 tious intrigues ; it is the faithful record of facts and events 
 without the least deflection from truth, even if the judg- 
 ment to be borne should touch the writer's dearest affec- 
 tions. 
 
 When the historian enters the Temple of Social Com- 
 binations, like the painter who models from nature, he 
 must represent what he sees, and not what he feels. It is 
 not a reason because a man, a political or religious body 
 do not think, see, and speak like we do, that we should 
 stigmatize them with odium and contempt. Whether a 
 person be a Turk or a Chinese, a Bonze or a Rabbi, he is 
 entitled to respect and esteem, if his principles are honest 
 and good. 
 
 In my mind there is not the least difference between a 
 partisan and his opponent, provided that both are equi- 
 
FBENCH EEVOLTJTION. ?5 
 
 table. Odin or Visnu, the Pope or the Lama of the Tar- 
 tars, the Sultan or the President of the EJepuhlio, are all 
 the same in my eyes as long as they are right and just. 
 If I fail in judgment it is not because I am impartial ; 
 the fault must be attributed to my fallibility. Srrare 
 humanum est. 
 
 Man is a free agent,, and, although his body may bs' 
 oppressed and enchained, his mind is unshackled ; there- 
 fore, his thoughts cannot be prescribed. Tolerance, both 
 in matter of religion and politics, is my doctrine ; because 
 my firm belief being that, as in this world there is no 
 ahsolute truth, so we do not know in a positive maamer 
 who is right and who is wrong. All our knowledge is 
 incontestably relative; the operations of the mind are in 
 accordance with the education received, and the pursuits 
 of life. What is a truth here may be an error somewhere 
 elsCi The Mussulman's creed is in direct opposition to 
 ours : they believe in their Prophet Mahomet, we in 
 Christ. Aristocracy detests liberal principles, and a man 
 who has never been but a slave does not know what free- 
 dom is. 
 
 GraUleo was persecuted by the Inquisition, and compelled 
 under penalty of death to abjure Ms discoveries of the 
 truth of the Copernican theory. Ptolemy believed, and 
 everybody with him, that our globe was fixed and occupied 
 the centre of the universe ; Copernicus upset all that 
 system, and now we believe the contrary. England was 
 onee Catholic, she is now Protestant, and many believe 
 to-day what they will refute to-m.orrow. 
 
 All these physical and mental variations show evidently 
 that there is no ahsolute truth, except, however, those 
 axioms which have been received by general consent, such 
 
7t) EPISODES OP THE 
 
 as : " the half of the greater is greater than the half of the 
 less; " or as : A is B, B is G. ; G is A ; because, as in the 
 last proposition, for example, it is evident tliat if man be 
 hody, and hoek) be substance, substance must be man. 
 
 But, tq return to the main subject, let me say that, since 
 our notions are controvertible, as proved above, it ought 
 to be every man's duty to exercise them with the greatest 
 caution. When -we judge from the tribunal of our pas- 
 sions, our verdict cannot be conscientious ; and such has 
 been the case with the men of the Revolution. Every 
 historian judged them, not as they were, but as their con- 
 duct agreed with his political opinions. Generally we see 
 men and things not as they positively are, but as they are 
 sketched in our imaginations, and flatter our views. 
 
 Thus we see de Launay run down by all the Republican 
 writers who have spoken of him ; it is unjust. He had 
 succeeded his father as the Governor of the Bastille, and 
 as, like him, he was indebted to the Royal Government 
 for his position ; he, therefore, was a Royalist both from 
 gratitude and from conviction. Besides he was the King's 
 servant, and, as such, duty and honour commanded him to 
 be faithful to his trust. Had he not been loyal to his 
 Sovereign, he would have been a traitor. 
 
 It is said that a few days before the fall of the Bastille, 
 three men in disguise went to the prison, and asked him 
 what he would do in case of an attack. " I shall do my 
 duty" was the reply. In fact he did his duty, but the 
 assassins that massacred him did not do theirs. In my 
 mind, he is absolved from all blame ; not because he was a 
 Royalist, but on account of his honest principles. What 
 would the world be if we were not faithful to the confidence 
 placed in us ? 
 
FRENCH BEVOLUTION. 17 
 
 Bernard Bend Jourdan de Laiinay was bom in 1740, 
 and cowardly murdered on the steps of the H&tel de Villa, 
 July 14, 1789. 
 
 Flesselles met with the same fate ; he was killed by a 
 pistol shot on the Quay Pelletier. Both men died faithful 
 to their principles, and their sworn faith. Honour to those 
 who understand and are true to their duty ! 
 
78 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 PEOMINENT CHAEACTEBS OF THE EETOLTJTION. — SOCIAL LINES 
 OP DEMARCATION. — TAIN DISTINCTIONS. — PESSIMISM AND 
 OPTIMISM. 
 
 The fall of the Bastille and the atrocities that followed 
 changed the scene of the insurrection ; they marked out 
 the first steps which were to lead from the Revolution to 
 Anarchy. 
 
 By the attitude of the Royalists and the machinations 
 of the opposite Party, it was easy to perceive that events 
 of a terrible magnitude were looming in the horizon. 
 
 The revolution was an unavoidable necessity ; the posi- 
 tion was too tense, it must relax or fly asunder ; it is what 
 happened, and its occurrence was a glorious day for 
 France, so far as its immediate efiect goes. But unfortu- 
 nately, as is the case in all perturbations when reason is 
 lost and obedience to law trampled under foot, the torrent 
 of human passions turned off the revolution from its right 
 course, and did not thus fulfil the expectations it revealed ; 
 it was nipped in the bud. Bom in a vitiated atmosphere, 
 it died a premature death. 
 
 "Everywhere, says H. Bosselet in the 'Union des 
 Classes,' on the threshold of 1789, we find division, hatred, 
 war — hatred of the peasantry against the nobility, hatred 
 
PEENCH EEVOLUTION. 79 
 
 of the tiers-etat against the old regime, hatred of the 
 worker against the master. Currents vary, rivers ehb and 
 flow, but the stream of the Revolution never changes. 
 What influences the scene in 1789 is the animosity between 
 the lower and the higher classes. In 1793, the rancour 
 between the burghers and the citizens ; and in 1795, 
 between the thermidorians (republicans) and the royal- 
 ists." 
 
 This explains in a few words the contiuual conflict then in 
 existence between the lower and the higher classes, that is, 
 between the middle-class and the aristocracy, or those who 
 pretend to be so ; whether by birth, fortune, or privilege. 
 Amongst these, I exclude the operatives as an independent 
 class, because they have positively none which may be 
 called their own as a political body. Having no means of 
 subsistence to enable them to use freely their opinions, 
 they have no will ; they, therefore, are compelled to follow 
 that class which protects them from misery ; and are thus 
 more machines than free agents ; at least, until they have 
 emancipated themselves from the shackles of the social 
 position in which destiny or circumstances have placed^ 
 them. Let us, however, acknowledge that the working 
 class as a whole is the most important to Society; the most 
 numerous, and would be the most powerful i£ necessity 
 did not break its bonds of imity. 
 
 Consequently, we see that what really constitutes social 
 antagonism is the.higher class on one hand, and the middle- 
 class on the other ; the former, owing to its disdain andi 
 haughty demeanour which it affects in opposition to the 
 latter, and this, in consequence of its aversion for that ; 
 not . because the latter has any plausible reason to adduce 
 in. justification of its antipathy to the former, but merely 
 
80 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 for the reason that it is sinmned as unworthy of contact- 
 It is merely a question of human pride — of jealousy. 
 
 It is really surprising how very little we esteem Tirtue. 
 Generally m.en are measured by their purses, and not by 
 their moral excellence. Ignorant people, even doubtful' 
 characters, are raised to honours if they are rich, whereas 
 meritorious men are despised if they are poor. After that 
 have we any reason to be astonished if there is so much 
 corruption in this world ? Men like Oliver Goldsmith, 
 Souvestre, T. T. Rousseau, &c., remain ignored ; because- 
 their simplicity is not in agreement with social aspirations. 
 We may say that man is to society what the cubic root is 
 to a quantity ; its value increases as its numerical expres- 
 sion ascends. 
 
 Vanity, in our days, governs the world. How many 
 people ruin themselves to appear what they are not, and 
 how many fools sacrifice their happiness and that of their 
 families to run after distinctions and honours for which 
 they are not qualified ? For a burgess, it is a mark of 
 great distinction to be admitted into the municipal council, 
 or to be elevated to the first magistracy of a small town,, 
 and still greater is the exultation when he is invested with 
 the dignity of a J.P. But when a country squire, through 
 the intercession of some Seraph, is invited to some noble- 
 man's soiree, or presented in breeches, silk stockings, and 
 buckled shoes at the levee of a prince, the event is glorious. 
 It is true that, after the farce is over, no sign of the 
 honour conferred is visible on the privileged gentleman's 
 face, but it is deeply stamped in his heart, and all in his 
 person bespeaks his elated mind : he is no longer a terres/ 
 trial being ; he has been on Mount Horeb ! .Q i' \-'\ 
 What a folly ! when shall we learn that talent and virtue 
 
PEENCH RETOLTJTION. 81 
 
 are the only distinctions that a man of sense ought to 
 covet ? 
 
 Be it as it may, the same feelings, as above described 
 between the lower and the higher classes, exist between 
 the workmen and their employers. The deplorable strikes, 
 so often repeated in all the branches of industry, and 
 which paralyze the commerce of the countries where they 
 take place, are nothing but coalitions of the craftsmen 
 against the masters. However, the reader must not believe- 
 that, because the middle-class people generally side with 
 the workmen, they are more liberal and benevolent than 
 the higher class ; it is not so : with the exception of slight 
 modifications resulting from education, human nature is 
 everywhere alike. Change the respective position of those 
 two classes, and their inclinations will vary accordingly ; 
 that is to say, the higher class will feel what the lower 
 class felt ; and this will assume the same consequential 
 importance as that. 
 
 We are, indeed, all very much like de la Fontaine's fox ; 
 we despise the grapes, because they are beyond our reach.. 
 Thus, in whatever condition classes are placed, the positions 
 only change, but society remains the same ; and as to 
 beHeve that they will ever blend into one, or even consort 
 with one another, the problem does not seem to me more 
 solvable than the quadrature of the circle. As long as 
 there are rich and poor, there will be a line of demarcation 
 between them, on whichever side the wheel of fortune may 
 turn. 
 
 Society is now what it always has been and wUl be,. 
 di'9ided in two great orders, which, although in oppo- 
 sition to each other, work in concert for the same object : 
 they have the same tendencies, the same aspirations, and 
 
82 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 one could not exist withont the other. Their character- 
 istics are such as might be termed most appropriately the- 
 two principal agents that move all human passions — 
 Pessimism and Optimism. Consequently, before introduc- 
 ing to my readers the prominent characters of the French 
 Revolution ; for the elucidation of my purpose, and the 
 information of those who are not conversant with specu- 
 lative subjects, I propose to give here a physiological 
 description of a Pessimist and an Optimist; by which it 
 will be proved that all our actions, whether physical or 
 moral, have for their aim the same object, and whatever 
 their course may be, they finish to meet at the same point 
 of junction. 
 
PEENCH REVOLUTION. 83 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 DESCEIPTION OF PESSIMIST. — HIS OPINION OF MEN AND 
 THINGS IN GENEEAL. 
 
 Pessimist is an individual wlio has already attained that 
 age when passions are subdued, and reason prevails. His 
 face is large, pale, and hears the traces of melancholy. 
 He is bald and gray, though still young ; his high and 
 prominent forehead bespeaks intelligence and love for 
 learning ; his eyes are bright and imperious ; two deep 
 wrinkles, produced by frequent frowning, rise vertically 
 at the inner corner of each brow, and form with the fore- 
 head two right angles ; the nose aquiline and well made, 
 with nostrils rather distended ; the lips somewhat com- 
 pressed ; a round chin and broad jaws ; all tends to give 
 to his aspect a determined appearance. He is tall, his 
 gait is firm, erect, and full of dignity ; the neck well pro- 
 portioned; broad shoulders; his body robust and well 
 formed ; neatly dressed, but without ostentation ; his 
 manners are polite, reserved, and austere. He is learned, 
 reads and writes much ; he has travelled a good deal, 
 observed, compared, and judged men and things; he has 
 been in the society of high personages, and conversed with 
 sovereigns ; and the vicissitudes of life through which he 
 has passed, altogether with the deceptions of which he has 
 
84 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 SO very often been the Tictim, have imparted to Mm a 
 great knowledge of the human heart. He is active, im- 
 pressionable, impatient, and morose ; but decided and firm, 
 more especially if he perceives that he is imposed upon. 
 He doubts of everything, suspects everybody, views both 
 men and things in their worst aspect, and forms no 
 favourable opinion of them unless facts and experience 
 have convinced him of their purity. 
 
 His opinion is that whatever happens in this world is 
 for the worst ; that an event is the precursor of others not 
 far distant, and a calamity the consequence of an occult 
 ■cause pregnant with disasters hatching in the darkness of 
 the future. He avoids society, not that he is a misan- 
 thrope, but because men are generally calculating and 
 ■deceptive ; yet he likes them ; does as much good as he 
 can ; he is generous ; despises meanness, fraud, and every 
 kind of intrigues, whether it be to acquire honours or for- 
 tune. He believes that man should never deviate from 
 the path of honour and duty ; he ought to be charitable, 
 compassionate, upright and adverse to flattery; but, as 
 such is not the case, he, therefore, suspects and avoids 
 them. He has often tried to form a friendship, but, after 
 having exhausted all the means in his power — esteem, 
 respect, affection, devotion, and disinterestedness — he 
 arrived at the conclusion that such a bond, as the true 
 significance of the word friendship implies, is impossible in 
 this world. Men are naturally selfish, and all their acts, 
 whether physical or moral, are based on personal motives. 
 He is totally opposed to Optimist, because he is the 
 oppressor of the poor and the delight of the rich ; 
 he encourages procrastination, indifference, selfishness, 
 idleness, ignorance, egotism, perversity and licence. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 85 
 
 •Optimism enervates man's vigour, paralizes his intellect, 
 ■destroys his independence, reduces him to a passive instru- 
 ment of creation, and deprives him of all those nohle 
 qualities, so necessary to a free agent, without which he 
 is nothing but a machine. 
 
 According to him this world is a vast desert through 
 which man is destined to pass in order to accomplish his 
 wearisome pilgrimage ; Society an assemblage of beings 
 united together to reproduce themselves and destroy one 
 another ; man an accident, life a burden of miseries and 
 -afiaictions ; death a redemption ; resumption a dream ; 
 eternity an endless chain of transformations ; the Creator 
 a problem which everybody believes to have solved, and 
 ■of which nobody has a true idea ; the universe a dark 
 abyss where creation is lost in vanity, pretensions, disputes, 
 speculations, intrigues, quarrels, calculations, disappoint- 
 ments, proofs, suppositions, assertions, fallacies, miscon- 
 ceptions, absurdities, vain efEorts, superfluous labours, 
 ■strifes, envy, ambition and pride ; where everyone believes 
 himseK a necessity, whereas he is but a mockery — an 
 •illusion — a form which appears, breathes, and vanishes, 
 leaving nothing after it but the part it has played on the 
 stage of the world, and the efEect it has produced. 
 
 Pessimist magnifies everything; the least disorder 
 -arouses his fear, the most harmless agitation perplexes 
 him, the least deviation from established order or general 
 rule torments him. If he writes or reads in his study ; 
 the cracking of a piece of furniture, the rattling of the 
 windows, or the oscillation of the floor, without any account- 
 -able reason, calls his attention, and, carried away by his 
 hyperbolical imagination, the blackest images crowd at 
 once in his mind ; fantastical visions assail him ; he believes 
 
86 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 that the floor is giving way, or the house falling ; so h& 
 gets up in consternation, looks here and there, listens 
 attentively, awaiting the repetition of the same symptoms, 
 in order to convince himself of the nature of the occur- 
 rence ; opens the door to make his escape if need be, and 
 does not resume his seat but when he has acquired the 
 certainty that the cause of his apprehension is nothing 
 but a bugbear of his own creation. 
 
 If he is in bed, the falling unexpectedly of the counter- 
 pane, the purring of a cat, the gnawing of a mouse under 
 the floor, or the snoring of his next door neighbour startles 
 him from his sleep, and, having directly arrived at the 
 conclusion that robbers and assassins are in the house, 
 he lights a candle, arms himself with all the weapons he- 
 can lay his hands on, awakes his wife, calls his servants, 
 alarms his neighbours, looks cautiously under the bed, 
 visits every corner, examines the cupboards, wardrobes 
 and drawers, shakes the curtains, opens the windows to- 
 see if anybody is concealed on the sill, looks through the- 
 keyhole, runs a stick up the chimney, applies cautiously 
 his ear against the wall whence he believes the noise pro- 
 ceeds, gets ready his revolver, and, like the hero of Cer- 
 vantes, he is quite ready to sacrifice his Hfe and that of 
 others in pursuit of a chimera 
 
 He mistakes a grain for a mountain, a spark for a flash 
 of lightning, the colours of a prism for clouds pregnant 
 with tempests, a fly for an ostrich, a worm for a boa con- 
 strictor, a lizard for an alligator, a buzzing in the ear for 
 a subterranean rumbUng, a shooting pain for the bursting 
 of a blood-vessel, a vertigo for a fit of apoplexy, a headache 
 for a congestion of the brain, a little weakness for an im- 
 pending stroke of paralysis ; he feels his pulse, looks at his 
 
FRENCH REYOLUTION. 87 
 
 tongue, and, when some medicine is sent to him, he doubts 
 whether the chemist has not mixed in the phial a dose o£ 
 arsenic in a moment of distraction. 
 
 If he is in society, he takes a laugh for an ofEence, a 
 joke for an insult; if in the streets, he imagines that 
 aU the people with whom he has had some difference point 
 him out in derision to all their friends ; and, if any of his 
 acquaintances should pass in the street without taking 
 notice of him, he will fancy that he is lost in the estimation 
 of the whole world. In short, he exaggerates everything. 
 
 He believes in a first Principle, but he doubts whether 
 there be a God who possesses all the qualities attributed to 
 Him. He exists and thinks, and yet he does not admit a 
 spiritual substance separate from the body. He has no fixed 
 doctrinal belief, be cause, he says, no religion is supported by 
 divine authority; and, as religions indiscriminately have 
 for their object the good of mankind in general, all, there- 
 fore, must be the same in the eyes of the Supreme Being. 
 
 He eats and drinks, and complains that he has no appe- 
 tite ; he snores loudly, and says that he cannot sleep ; he 
 walks four or five miles a day, and murmurs that he is 
 feeble ; he talks aloud for hours, and affirms that his lungs 
 are weak; he is in good health and believes that he is 
 dying ; he is esteemed, and yet he is convinced that he is 
 despised ; and as he assumes that such words aapv/re abne- 
 gation and absolute disinterestedness have no real import, 
 he, therefore, esteems that all our actions are relative, and 
 based on calculation in accordance with our interests ; so 
 he trusts in nobody, and doubts even of himseM. Such an 
 existence is a continual tempest without a sunshine. 
 
 This is, dear reader, one of the extremes of life : let us 
 look at the other, and compare them. 
 
88 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 DESCEIPTION OF OPTIMIST. — PEOOFS IN SUPPORT OF HIS 
 DOCTEINE. 
 
 Optimist, whose good nature would be angelical, if lie 
 were not so substantial, is one of the masses of organized 
 matter who possess no other attributes but those evolved 
 from idiopathy. He is already of mature age, but stUl 
 unimpaired; of indolent disposition, and incomparably 
 candid. He is short in stature, corpulent, phlegmatic, 
 self-possessed, systematic, and, although rich, poverty 
 would be as dear to him as fortune is. His head is large, 
 round, and covered with thin long hair ; the eyes grey, 
 small, dull, and looking on vacancy; the nose large, 
 roundish, soft and ruddy, with snufEy dilated nostrils ; the 
 cheeks large, puffy, and characterized by two developed 
 dimples, the sign of self-satisfaction. The mouth large, 
 with half -opened lips ; the face shaved, ruddy, and insig- 
 nificant, with fleshy jaws and pointed chin ; the neck short 
 and stout ; the shoulders broad and round ; the arms big 
 and crossed behind the back when he walks ; his steps are 
 slow and undecided, and the gait heavy. 
 
 He is calm, placid and pleasant, but so unconcerned at 
 whatever takes place about his person, whether it be for 
 good or evil, that he might be mistaken for an apathetic 
 stoic of Zone's school, who, convinced of the unavoidable 
 
PBENCH EETOLUTION. ,89 
 
 necessity by which all things in this world are governed, 
 sabmits without a murmur to the fore-ordained decrees of 
 Destiwy. 
 
 Is he alive, or is he only the spectral shade of his former 
 self ? Is he an organized rational being, or a mere android ? 
 
 He is neither this, nor that. 
 
 What is he ? 
 
 He is what Fatalism has xaade him — a being that is en- 
 dowed with organs, but who neither sees nor feels. He has 
 a soul, and thinks not ; he has reason, and he is deprived 
 of discernment ; he has a wiU, and cannot deliberate ; he 
 has judgment, and is unable to form an opinion ; he has 
 a tongue, and cannot express his ideas ; and, although, 
 living iu a civilized country, he does not know right from 
 wrong. He eats, driuks, and sleeps soundly without any 
 care of the present, or any thought of the past; and 
 leaves i^e future to invincible Fatality. 
 
 Nothing touches him ; he is unmoved by grief or joy — 
 calamities, catastrophies, tempests, destruction, inunda- 
 tions, cataclysms; the death of his dearest friends, the 
 agony of his child, the sufferings of his bed-ridden old 
 father, the infirmities of his wife, the misery of his rela- 
 tives, the wretchedness of the poor, the pillage of his 
 -neighbour's house, the cries of the robbed victims, the 
 blood shed iu wars, the shipwrecked sailors struggling 
 against a watery grave, or the poor colHers entombed in 
 a coal mine ; quarrels, hatred, discord, desplation, ruin, 
 confusion, pestilence, revolutions, downfall of kingdoms, 
 , extinction of nations, the annihilation of human kind, the 
 dissolution of the solar, system, social perturbations, and 
 /the commotions of a convulsed nature cannot disturb the 
 .quiescence of this singular adept of Molinism. 
 
 H 2 
 
90 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 He is the reverse of Pessimist, but, althougli directly 
 opposed to his views, yet he does not approve nor disprove 
 them ; because, in point of speculation, it is very difficult 
 to decide who is right, and who is wrong. Besides, as 
 this is the best world possible, whatever happens in it tends 
 to its perfection, whether we believe it to be right or 
 wrong. Tout ce qui est a sa raison d 'Stre. 
 
 Thus, we see that from chaos sprung creation, and the 
 birth of man gave a God to the Universe. Idolatry and 
 Feticism sent a Redeemer to the world; and the cruci- 
 fixion of the Son of God laid the foundation on which 
 Christendom was to rise. Jesuitism, intolerance and in- 
 quisition produced Calvin and Luther, and the establish- 
 ment of a State-Church gave rise to a multitude of Dis- 
 senters, who, under divers Denominations, form now an 
 independent Body in opposition to the Political clergy to 
 which they formerly belonged. 
 
 The elopement of the beautiful Helena with the treach- 
 erous Paris led to the destruction of Troy, but from its 
 fall issued many colonies which the fugitive Trojans estab- 
 lished in Italy, in the South of France, in Corsica, and in 
 Scotland ; which in time became the cradle of large popu- 
 lations, and great men. 
 
 The cruelty and injustice of AumuJius produced Romu- 
 lus ; and Rome, the terror and admiration of the World, 
 owes her rise to the enterprising character of a savage. 
 
 The rape of Lucretia by Tarquinius broke the chains of 
 tyranny by which Rome was oppressed, and the suicide of 
 that virtuous woman opened a tomb to Royalty, on which 
 rose the greatest Republic that ever nation possessed. 
 
 The cruel exactions of the covetous Varus in Germany 
 brought forth a Hermann, who, by his courage and 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 91 
 
 national spirit delivered his country from Roman oppres-: 
 sion ; and tLe slaughter of Varus's legions at Romerfeld 
 was the precursor of German unity. 
 
 From the ruins of Carthage, Tunis acquired her great- 
 ness; and, whilst the immense treasures found in the 
 mighty rival of Rorae enriched other nations, the fugitive 
 population went to other countries to teach commerce and 
 navigation. 
 
 The reign of terror of the Thirty at Athens led to a 
 revolution which delivered that city from oppression, and 
 Democracy succeeded Despotism. 
 
 The ambitious designs of Phillip of Macedonia, and the 
 conspiracy of Catilina at Rome produced the two greatest 
 orators of ancient times — Demosthenes and Cicero — ^who, 
 by their eloquent patriotism, saved the Republics of 
 Athens and of Rome from shame and ruin. 
 
 The end of the powerless Merovingian rule gave birth 
 to the Carlovingian dynasty, and, from a Mayor of the 
 Palace issued one of the greatest monarchs that honour 
 France and mankind — Charlemagne. 
 
 The frequent incursions of the Danes on English soil 
 gave Alfred the Great to England, and the obduracy of 
 Charles I. produced the Commonwealth of Cromwell, 
 from which sprung that independent spirit of nationality 
 for which the English nation is so distinguished. 
 
 The fanaticism of the Heroine of Domremy — Joan of 
 Arc — delivered France from English domination, and her 
 patriotism kindled in the hearts of French generals and 
 soldiers a love for their country which they never had, 
 probably, known before. 
 , The successive attempts of Darius and Xerxes to subject 
 Athens to their tyrannical rule produced such heroes as 
 
92 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Miltiades, Themistocles, Aristides, and Leonidas : and 
 Marathon, the Thermopylae, Salamina, and Platea handed 
 down to posterity examples^ of patriotism and abnegation 
 which often saved nations from the ambitious designs of 
 invading foes. 
 
 The memorable revolution of 1789 in France crushed 
 aristocratic despotism; serfdom was abolished, man's 
 liberty proclaimed, Papal influence circumscribed, clerical 
 imposture unmasked, Jesuitic intrigues defeated, privilege 
 annulled, and eveiy citizen's right recognized. 
 
 The encroachments of Napoleon I. in Germany, and the 
 invasion of France by William of Prussia are cruel, but 
 most impressive lessons whereby all nations ought to 
 benefit ; and as Jena taught the Germans how to avenge 
 their past misfortunes, so will Sedan teach the French 
 how to vindicate their humiliation, and the stain inflicted' 
 on their national honour by a relentless foe, who spared 
 neither their blood, nor their property. 
 
 The conflagration of Moscow drove the invader from 
 Russian territory; Waterloo restored peace to the 
 world; and the sad fate of Maximilian in Mexico 
 will teach ambitious princes to respect the rights of 
 nations. 
 
 The frequent accidents of which the sea is the theatre 
 called into action talent and industry to perfect naviga- 
 tion, so that scientiflc travellers and navigators may find 
 security and protection in their' expeditions or intercourse 
 Aivith other nations. 
 
 The diseases that a£3.ict the human body compelled men 
 to study the means of curing them, and such studies led 
 to Therapeutics, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, 
 Surgery, Dietetics, Chemistry, Optics, and Physics; at the 
 
FRENCH BETOLUTION. 93 
 
 same time that internal disorders led to Anatomy, and the 
 structure of organized hodies to Mechanics. 
 
 The terrestrial perturbations of the Globe which we 
 inhabit, and the variation of the atmosphere that surrounds 
 it led to Geology, Geognosy, and Geography, at the same 
 time that celestial phenomena led to Astronomy. 
 
 The inclemency of the weather, the vicissitudes to which 
 man found himself exposed in all regions induced him to 
 cover his body, and look for a shelter in order to protect 
 himself against tempests and wild animals ; and the neces- 
 sity of more comfort than leaves for garments, and caves 
 for habitation, led to weaving, tailoring, building, and 
 architecture. 
 
 The divers passions that divide man's interests led to 
 arithmetic, surveying, and geometry ; whereas ambition, 
 dishonesty, license, intrigue, murder, theft, plunder, and 
 all other social disorders were the origin of local authori- 
 ties, military powers, international laws, diplomacy, poli- 
 tical institutions, altogether with all the divers forms of 
 Governments by which the different nations of the world 
 are ruled. 
 
 The necessity felt by the first m.en, associated in tribes 
 or communities, to expose their wants and transmit their 
 thoughts otherwise than with inarticulated sounds and 
 imperfect signs, induced them to combine conventional 
 symbols, which soon led to the art of speaking and writing ; 
 and that first efEort of the mind was the scintUlant spark 
 that dispelled the clouds of ignorance, and kindled the 
 torch of human intellect. 
 
 Ambition, vanity, the desire to raise oneself above 
 others, so as to appear more worthy of respect and admi- 
 ration, led to stupendous displays, gaudy apparels, titles 
 
94 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 and distinctions ; whereas riches, splendour, luxury, and 
 immoderate pleasures lead to prostration, ignorance, cre- 
 tinism, and decay ; and, as a consequence of -what pre- 
 cedes, the downfall of Grandeur is the presage of Poverty's 
 elevation. 
 
 Therefore, we see that in this world all that happens 
 must necessarily be ; and this concurrence of Causes and 
 JEffects are indispensable to the equiponderance of the 
 universal system. It is the unavoidable law of Nature to 
 operate by continual changes and modifications — to destroy 
 what she has constructed, and reconstruct what she has 
 destroyed ; and, since in her eyes it is of no importance 
 whatever for the ultimate end of eternity, whether things 
 have this or that form, one mode of existence or another ; 
 so Optimist concludes that All is for the Best. 
 
 Much more might be written on these subjects, but 
 what has been said is sufficient to prove that our actions 
 and opinions, however much in opposition to each other 
 they be, all tend to the same point, as already stated above : 
 it is only when they run into extremes that confusion 
 ensues, and destruction is imminent. Therefore, I beg 
 the reader to bear attentively in mind that the two afore- 
 said characters are not restricted to one class of individuals 
 only, but they must be considered as the two Universal 
 Specula, in which society as it exists is faithfully reflected. 
 It is in these two Mirrors that the reader will see the 
 prominent characters of the revolution plot, fight, and 
 vanish in opposite directions like silhouettes as they pass 
 before him. 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 95 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 JACOBINS AND GIEONDINS. — PBOMINBNT CHARACTBES. 
 
 Sic transit Gloria mundi. 
 
 We have now arrived at that period of the French 
 Hevolution when France, bereft of legal government, rule, 
 ^nd reason, is transformed into a field of battle where two 
 powerful factions meet face to face in open contest, each 
 to obtain, the superiority over the other, and fight until 
 their forces are exhausted, and their extermination is com- 
 plete. These two oontendiug powers are the Jacobins and 
 the Girondins; that the spirit of demagogy and terrorism ; 
 this the incarnation of democracy and moderation, both 
 aiming at the same object from two different points of 
 view, and one forced by the other into a torrent of cruel- 
 ties and blood, from which wiU spring the greatest Gene- 
 rals that honour military genius and the annals of the 
 history of a nation. 
 
 The Jacobins and the Girondins were two clubs which 
 derived their names ; the former from an old convent that 
 he white friars of the order of Saint Dominique had in 
 the rue Saint-Jacques at Paris, in which they held their 
 sittings; the latter from the deputies of the Gironde, a 
 department of France, who were distinguished for their 
 brilliant oratory. 
 
96 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 The chief leaders of the Jacobin Club were at its origin 
 such men as the two brothers Lameth, Bamave, Duport, 
 Sieyes, ChapeKer, &c., but it soon lost its primitive cha- 
 racter under the abominable sway of Danton, Marat, 
 Robespierre, Couthon, Barrfere, CoUot-D'Herbois and 
 other sanguinary terrorists. The leaders of the Girondins 
 were Brissot, Condorcet, Vergniaud, Guadet, Isnard, 
 Roland, Barbarous, &o., who,' although passionate and 
 ardent democrats, were nevertheless moderate in their 
 views ; and it is an accepted opinion that, if they had 
 gained the ascendency, the Revolution might have been 
 accomplished without the horrors that stamped it with 
 infamy, and would not have served as a stepping-stone to- 
 ambitious projectors. 
 
 The French Republic is at the present moment exposed 
 to the same dangers. "With the Socialists on one side, and 
 the liberal Conservatives on the other, both imbued with 
 extreme views and principles, one jealous of the other, it 
 is not unlikely that before long the Opportwnists who, are 
 watching their movements and plot in the dark, will 
 pounce upon the power which Gambetta, Louis-Blanc,, 
 and Victor Hugo are aiming at, in opposition to Grevy, 
 Waddington, Ferry, and Jules Simon; and what will 
 the consequence of such a conflict be, it is not difficult 
 to guess : another commune, and the revolution will be 
 over. 
 
 A government in France cannot have a long existence ; 
 there are too many wolves in sheep's clothing prowling 
 about the fold, and with so many cravings in pursuit of 
 the same object, it is not possible to arrive at any fixed 
 arrangement. The writer's country is France, and this is 
 a sufficient prQOf of his national sentiments, but is he to be- 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION, 97 
 
 unjiist because of his attaclinieiit and devotion to her? 
 France is certainly a delightful and rich country, but as 
 long as she is courted by so many suitors, her happiness 
 and repose will always be disturbed. 
 
98 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEK XYI. 
 
 IMPEACHMENT AND EXECUTION OF THE GIEONDINS. 
 
 As already said above the war waged between tbe two 
 extreme factions, the Jacobins and the Girondins, in whose 
 hands the destinies of Fra.nce were now placed, assumed 
 a magnitude which presaged terrible calamities both to 
 them and to the nation. The enactment of the law re- 
 specting the inviolability of the Deputies had just been 
 repealed by the sovereign committee of public safety, and 
 that arbitrary deliberation was the ominous signal which 
 determined the explosion of the violent feeling which the 
 two enemy factions entertained one against the other. 
 The odium, so long hatched in the dart on both sides, in 
 the expectation of some opportunity to justify the blow 
 aimed at, showed itself at last unmasked ; and the accusa- 
 tion of Marat before the Revoluj^onary Tribunal by the 
 Girondins, served as a pretext for the battle iu which both 
 parties will find a grave. The Jacobins, who were now at 
 the head of the Commune of Paris, made use of their 
 tyrannical power against their opponents with a barbarity 
 unequalled in the annals of History. On the 2nd of June, 
 1793, they impeached the Girondins en masse, and on the 
 16th of October, out of thirty-one that had been pro- 
 scribed, twenty-one were sentenced to death. These were 
 Brissot, Fonfrfede, Valaze, Vergniaud, Lasource, Gensonne, 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 99 
 
 Grardien, Ducos, DuoMtel, Mainvielle, Carra, Beauvais 
 Lacase, Duprat, Boileau, Attiboul, Vigee, Sillery, Lehardy-, 
 Paucliet, and Duperret. 
 
 The courage and calmness of mind displayed by these 
 illustrious victims of barbarity during their trial, will be 
 handed down from posterity to posterity as a glorious 
 example of stoicism ; so much the more admirable because 
 their infamous judges made use of all their malignity to 
 excite their anger, in order to find them guilty of con- 
 tempt of court, and render them ridiculous in the eyes of 
 the public. But those sublime men remained impassible ; 
 they knew the implacable tyrants before whom they stood; 
 and, as they were conscious of their innocence, so they did 
 not betray the least emotion or surprise. IndifEerent to 
 the calumnies of their accusers, as well as to the insolence 
 of the rabble with whom the court was crowded, they 
 allowed themselves to be condemned to death without 
 even making any endeavour to plead their cause. 
 
 On hearing the sentence of death passed on them, 
 Valaz6, who, having foreseen the issue of the terrible posi- 
 tion in which they were placed, stabbed at his heart with 
 a poniard that he had concealed under his garment, and 
 sunk covered with blood at the feet of the gendarmes who 
 surrounded him and_Jiis unhappy friends. When they 
 lifted him up, he threw a last and contemptible look at 
 his sacrificers, fetched a deep sigh and expired without 
 uttering a word. The court ordered that "the bloody 
 corpse of the suicide Valaze should be borne on a cart to 
 the place of execution, and beheaded with the other pri- 
 soners." Lasource got up, and with a firm and clear voice, 
 said to the Judges : " Je meurs au moment ou le peuple a 
 perdu ses sens, vous mourrez lorsqu'il les retrouvera." (I 
 
100 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 die at a moment wlieii the people have lost their senses, 
 you will die when they recover them.) Salles, Guadet et 
 Barbaronx succeeded in making their escape before beiiig 
 arrested, but ,they were discovered some little time after 
 in a grotto near Bordeaux, and executed in 1794!. 
 
 Whilst the fearless Girondins were taken to the place of 
 execution bound in carts, insulted, and spat upon by the 
 lawless rabble of the commune, they, indifferent to their 
 outrages, and with a Spartan courage worthy of a better 
 fate, to the great astonishment of their vile tormentors, 
 struck up all at the same time the Marseillaise, which 
 they had adapted to their lamentable case : — 
 
 Allons enfants de la Patrie, Entendez-Tous k la Convention, 
 
 Le Jour de gloire est arrivfi ; Les ennemis de la Prance 
 -Centre nous de la tyrannie. Voter haine et vengeance. 
 
 La couteau sanglant est leve. Centre les enfants de la Nation. 
 
 Courage, Girondins, 
 
 Mourons ! Mourons ! 
 
 Que notre sang pur 
 
 Ensanglante leurs fronts ! . . . 
 
 Rouget de I'lsle, you, who in a moment of patriotic in- 
 spiration, composed your immortal National Hymn against 
 Tyranny, what did you think or say when your sublime 
 X)de to Liberty was echoed as a dead-march by the best 
 citizens of the Republic ! . . . And you, Barbaroux, 
 who were the first to ha-ve it sung by your Marseillais 
 through the streets of Paris to promote the revolution of 
 1792, did you then believe that your stirring harmony 
 would be the fatal echo of your untimely death? 
 
 On arriving at the foot of the guillotine, all those Stoics 
 of modern times got up, embraced each other, and shouted 
 in a firm and loud voice : " Vive laR^publiijueJ" Twenlby- 
 
FEENOH REVOLUTION. 101 
 
 five minutes after, the ghastly work was accomplished, 
 and twenty-one of the noblest Patriots of France had been 
 launched into Eternity ! . . . . 
 
 Out of the most eminent members of the Girondin party, 
 very few had the good Inck to escape the ignominious 
 death of the guillotine. P^thion and Buzot were found 
 dead in a field half devoured by wild animals ; Condorcet 
 poisoned himself, and Koland was found dead against a 
 tree pierced to the heart by a sword-cane. Lanjuinaia, 
 Lesage, Henri la Revifere, Louvet, Lareveillere-Lepeux, 
 and Kervelegan, survived iu concealment to witness the 
 tragical end of the demagogues of the Revolutionary Tri- 
 bunal, who were now the absolute n^asters of the position. 
 We shall see .presently how those shadows of human 
 infamy will vanish before the Spectroscope of Reason. 
 
102 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MADAME EOLAND. — HER CHAEACTBK AND LITBEAET ATTAIN- 
 MENTS. HEE POLITICAL CAEBER AND HER DEATH. 
 
 AlthoTigb. a woman, this talented Lady may, witlioiit 
 any derogation from the general course of political rule, be 
 ranked amongst the prominent characters of the Trench 
 Revolntion. Her education, genins, and social position 
 entitle her to the high rank that Circumstances and His- 
 tory have assigned to her. Very few women indeed have 
 risen to eminence in the estimation of the world, and played 
 a part on the stage of social vicissitudes more worthy of 
 admiration and sympathy than the distinguished Marie 
 Jeanne Phlipon Roland. 
 
 Bom at Paris in 1754 of respectable parents who spared, 
 neither expense nor care to give her a good education, she 
 evinced at an early age those personal qualities and reso- 
 luteness which characterize great minds, and mark out the- 
 path that nature has traced for them. 
 
 In 1780, at the age of 26, after close studies and pro- 
 found meditations, she married M. Roland de la Platifere^ 
 one of Louis XVI.'s Ministers, and to him she devoted aU 
 her afEection, talent, and energy. Although twenty-sis 
 years younger than her husband, she idolized him, and 
 surrounded him with the solicitude of a mother, the 
 attachment of a sister, and the love of a devoted wife. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 103 
 
 It is not often that a woman understands the duties of 
 conjugal life as well as that excellent Lady did. She was 
 the embodiment of hymeneal bonds. 
 
 Proud of her husband's elevation, attentive and thought- 
 ful, she helped him most diligently, with unparalleled 
 skill, in all his literary pursuits and ministerial occupations. 
 She was the spirit of his mind, the light of his intelligence, 
 and such was her initiative in the discharge of his official 
 duty that often the wife was called the Minister, and the 
 husband the Secretary. The same spiritual essence ani- 
 mated the two existences, the same thoughts guided their 
 will, the same desires prompted their actions, and one lived 
 for the other. 
 
 After the death of the King, Madame Roland, foreseeing 
 that the decline of the Girondins was impending and their 
 destruction imminent, suggested and even favoured her 
 husband's flight from Paris, in order that he might be in 
 safety from the Revolutionary Tempest rapidly gather- 
 ing, and which soon burst forth with the violence of an 
 exterminating deluge. — " Go," said the courageous wife to 
 her husband, " flee from this den of merciless tyrants, 
 where at every step there is a snare, in every corner a spy, 
 in every house a hangman, on every public square a guil- 
 lotine — Go, I shall watch carefully the course of events, 
 and observe attentively the secret practices of the pitiless 
 conspirators at the head of this fiendish government. How- 
 ever cruel they are, they will not venture to plunge their 
 criminal hands in the blood of an innocent woman. I have 
 killed neither Marat nor Danton, nor am I desirous to kill 
 any of these agitators, though all deserve a violent death ; 
 but the time is not far distant when they will be rewarded 
 in accordance with their criminal actions ! — Go, Roland : 
 
 I 
 
104 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 Providence may guide your steps ; Adieu!" . . . And 
 so they parted : but their separation was to be eternal ! 
 The noble hearted woman had conceived too favourable an 
 opinion of the infuriated Mountaineers ; she judged their 
 sentiments by her own, and she was mistaken. It did not 
 occur to her that when wolves plunge into carnage, they 
 spare neither the sheep nor the lamb. 
 
 The disappearance of M. Roland from the scene of 
 action soon aroused the suspicion of his enemies, and those 
 formidable Jacobins, who played with human life as gam- 
 blers game with cards, frightened and confused, imagined 
 that their atrocious schemes would be influenced by the 
 Sibylline Magician, if her conjurations were allowed to 
 extend to them ; so they hastened to impeach her as a spy 
 adverse to the revolutionary government, and, like another 
 Jeanne d'Arc, she had to atone for her devotion and cou- 
 rage ; with this exception, that the heroine of Domremy 
 was condemned to be burned alive, whereas the sublime 
 Madame Roland perished by the guillotine. But both 
 were sacrificed to the injustice of men, both died with 
 courage and resignation, and their martyrdom is the 
 greatest monument raised to their memory. 
 
 On the 8tb of November, 1793, Madame Roland was 
 taken to the place of sacrifice : she was dressed in white, 
 the emblem of purity. As she arrived on the fatal spot, 
 turning to the statue of Liberty before her, she exclaimed 
 with a smUe : "0 Liberty, what crimes are they commit- 
 ting in thy name !" Then she ascended the scafEold with 
 firmness and dignity, looked on the clamorous rabble below, 
 raised her eyes to heaven, and, bending her head under 
 the executioner's knife still stained with the blood of the 
 Girondins, one second after Marie Roland had passed from 
 an Unjust World to Immortality ! 
 
FRENCH BBYOLUTION. 105 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 ROLAND. HIS POLITICAL CAKEIE. HIS CHAEAOTEB. HIS END. 
 
 Husband of the illustrioiis woman, whose high qualities 
 and untimely end have been portrayed above, Jean Marie 
 Roland de la Platifere, although of noble descent, was the 
 incarnation of liberty. Had the Republic moulded a man 
 to serve her cause, a more disinterested, enthusiastic, and 
 faithful model could not have been conceived. Made to 
 be the true and unbiassed exponent of a democratic govern- 
 ment, his liberal principles were unalterable, because they 
 were inherent to him — they were a part of his nature. Sin- 
 cerely attached to his wife, whom he loved dearly, kind to 
 his fellow-men, simple in his manners, reserved in his 
 social iutercourse, austere in his doctrines, just and chari- 
 table, Roland would have been the accomplished agent of 
 the ideas he represented had he possessed more knowledge 
 of the human heart, and been a better politician. But 
 unfortunately for him and the lovely woman that shared 
 his political glory, occupations and disasters, he was not 
 compliant enough to conquer the perils of party struggles, 
 and his rigidness lost them both. Like the king he served,, 
 he would have been a good citizen and an excellent admin- 
 istrator, but he -did not possess the qualities required to 
 cope with the difficulties of his official position. 
 
 I 2 
 
106 EPISODES 01 THE 
 
 Bom near Lyons in 1732, after lie had finished his edu- 
 cation, he filled successively several important charges. 
 He travelled with his wife in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, 
 and England. On his return to France, when Louis XVI., 
 in order to conciliate public opinion, was compelled, in 
 March, 1792, to form a patriotic ministry, Boland was 
 intrusted with the portfolio of Minister of the Interior ; 
 hut, after the execution of the king, in January, 1793, he 
 resigned his office, and went to Lyons with his wife to 
 settle some family matters. 
 
 On his return to Paris he found that the Girondins had 
 lost their influence, and that political affairs assumed an 
 ominous aspect ; so, as already said, he run away from 
 Paris, June, 1793. He went to Rouen at a friend's, where 
 he remained incognito for some time ; but, as the Jacobins 
 had mercenary spies travelling from town to town to 
 report on all persons adverse to their views, he, therefore, 
 for fear of exposing his benefactors, in case that he might 
 have been discovered, left Rouen, without saying where he 
 was going, and, for about four months, like many other 
 Suspects who had been compelled to desert their friends, 
 families, and homes to avoid the persecutions of the relent- 
 less Jacobins, wandered in the country from forests to 
 caves ; living on fruits, roots, and whatever else he could 
 get. Finally, on the 16th of November, 1793, after 
 most terrible sufEerings and vicissitudes, on hearing that 
 his wife had been executed, he pierced himself through 
 the heart with a cane-sword, and was found dead at the 
 foot of the tree where he had committed suicide. Thus 
 perished M. and Madame Roland, faithful to their cause 
 and honour ; he at sixty-one and she at thirty-nine years 
 of age. 
 
FRENCH EBTOLOTION. 107 
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 When man's designs are not disclosed to the public, 
 they remain an impenetrable mystery, the sacredness of 
 which History has not the right to violate. Yet, although 
 no stigma is attached to the name of Roland and his 
 ■wife, however great my admiration for them is, I cannot 
 refrain from thinking that their acts bordered more upon 
 fanaticism than on reason. He, as a man, may be absolved 
 from blame for having blindly allowed himself to be car- 
 ried away by the irresistible current of a Utopia; but I 
 doubt whether, judged from a political and moral point of 
 view, she, as a woman, had any right to assume the posi- 
 tion of an obstinate politician. Her infatuation for fame 
 and public admiration ; her vain desire to be looked upon 
 as the living genius of her husband ; her inconsideracy, as 
 a married woman and a mother, in frequenting revolu- 
 tionary clubs, and meddling in debates beyond the province 
 of feminality, are forcible proofs of levity not altogether 
 free from censure. 
 
 " TMnk not when woman's transient breath is fled. 
 That all her vanities at once are deadj 
 Succeeding vanities she still regards. 
 And though she plays no more, o'erlooks the cards." 
 
 — Pope. 
 
 Had she confined herself to her matrimonial calling and 
 maternal duty, it is very probable that her husband, 
 having neither the pluck nor the qualities of a statesman, 
 would never have been the Minister of Louis XVI., nor, 
 do I believe, one of the leaders of the Girondins ; and thus 
 their Hves might have been saved. I, therefore, venture 
 to say that, notwithstanding her singular qualities, Madame 
 Roland was the indirect cause of her own untimely end 
 
108 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 and of that of her husband. Such deplorable results as 
 those which so fatally terminated the lives of Madame 
 Holand, Jeanne d'Arc, and Charlotte Corday, are impres- 
 sive lessons by -which the advocates of -wom-an's r^hts 
 ought to benefit. 
 
PEENCH REVOLUTION. 109 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. PERFECTION AND IMPER- 
 FECTION. 
 
 •When the actions of public men are weighed in the 
 balance of Themis, History must carefully examine on 
 ■which side the scale turns, lest her verdict be contrary to 
 the established principles of Justice. The historian — like 
 the skUful dramatist, in whose plot the bad characters 
 always finish by succumbing, whereas the honourable per- 
 sonages survive — ^must reprobate vice and extol virtue. 
 Human nature is imperfect, and as we are all liable to err, 
 it is impossible that man's life can pass away without a 
 stain. There is no absolute ■perfection in this world, even 
 the Supreme Being, considered from this planet, is often 
 called into question. . . . But I am almost afraid to 
 explain what I wish to convey, because in these days of 
 intolerance one cannot approach such a delicate subject 
 without incurring the fiercest odium, and being branded 
 with foul names ; which is anything but pleasant. Conse- 
 quently, to avoid any erroneous imputation, I most humbly 
 beg the reader to suspend his judgment, and not to doom 
 me to incineration before I am heard, inasmuch as I do 
 not care very much to be subjected to the refined process 
 of cremation while I am still alive. Such an ordeal, how- 
 
110 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 ever fashionable it be, is not a very agreeable prospect to 
 contemplate ; so I promise tbat no irreligious inJc shall fall 
 from my pen, were it only for my moral reputation, and 
 the salvation of my sonl. 
 
 Thus, I hasten to say without any further preamble, 
 that even the Creator, considered from man's point of 
 view, is not perfect. Are we satisfied with all that he 
 does ? Do we not every day find fault with His giving 
 us rain when we want fine weather, penury instead of 
 abundance, and a round back or a crooked mind instead of 
 straightness ? Do we not hear young ladies often say that 
 God has not been just to have made them ugly and silly, 
 which is still worse, whereas many others are adorned 
 with all the accomplishments that nature can impart ? I 
 admit that in this accusation there is some shadow of reason ; 
 but why should we tax Providence with faults for which 
 she is not amenable P Are we not the agents of all our mise- 
 ries, misfortunes, disorders, and torments ? Are not 
 parents the blamable cause of their children's deformities? 
 If we lived in accordance with the laws of nature — if we 
 did not gratify culpable appetites, vicious habits and in- 
 ordinate pleasures, generation would not deviate from its 
 proper course, and recriminations of this kind would be 
 avoided, But we are somewhat like the butterfly ; we 
 bum our fingers, and we accuse the fire of having done it. 
 Did not Atala, Chateaubriand's heroine, curse the world, 
 creation and the Creator for having poisoned herself ; 
 because, in compliance with a certain solemn promise, she 
 could not be united to the object of her affection ? "What 
 has the world, creation, and the Creator to do with the 
 foolish vow of a bigoted mother prohibiting her daughter, 
 as a last request, from marrying an infidel ! Religions are 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. Ill 
 
 not the work of God : in His eyes there is but one reli- 
 gion — ^the Religion of Humanity. But man, is, indeed, a 
 very incoherent combination of whimsicalness and of latitu- 
 dinarianism.. We establish as a fundamental principle that 
 God is the universal Chief- Good of creation, and yet we 
 charge him with the most atrocious crimes, the most 
 horrible iniquities. He is good or bad according as our 
 views are more or less satisfied. Would not the author of 
 a like system be a very strange god, if he were such as 
 some people imagine him to be ? Consequently we see 
 that if the Justice of the Sovereign Being is often ques- 
 tionable, how is it possible that man, imperfect as he is, 
 can be deemed absolutely righteous ? 
 
 The animal machine is without any doubt the most won- 
 derful structure of creation. When we consider atten- 
 tively its complex organization, its constituent parts, its 
 attributes and functions — when we observe carefully the 
 mechanism by which even the lowest creature is moved, 
 we cannot but admire the Great Architect of such a prodi- 
 gious master-piece. Tet, is the animal perfect ? Errors 
 in judgment, organic disorders, decay and death, prove 
 that it is not. But, let the reader, bear in mind, that it is 
 not in an absolute sense that perfection must be viewed, 
 because such a perfection cannot exist in a, finite being, and 
 I doubt whether it exists at all anywhere. In case, how- 
 ever, that it should exist, it would be impossible for us to 
 have a distinct and clear idea of its essential attributes; 
 seeing that we cannot actually understand what we have 
 not the faculty to conceive. 
 
 Our idea of the word perfection is merely relative : 
 consequently, whenever the animal or the thing is consti- 
 tuted in such a manner as to perform all its functions in 
 
112 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 accordance with the object for which it is intended, this is 
 what we must understand by perfection. Thus, man's 
 life is reputed perfect if all his (man's) actions correspond 
 to his natural disposition. What constitutes imperfection 
 is when the constituent parts of a being or thing do not 
 tend to the same end. For example, if a clock, intended 
 to give the hours and minutes, performs its work in ac- 
 cordance with its mechanism, the clock is deemed perfect ; 
 as we cannot expect that it will mark the seconds or the 
 days of the week, if its wheelwork has not been adapted 
 for that purpose ; and so it is with man, as long as his 
 actions are in harmony with his organical structure and to 
 the light of reason ; but both the former and the latter 
 would be imperfect if they deviated from their natural 
 course. 
 
 A boy, whose mental faculties could not be trained up 
 to any vocation of social life, cannot be deemed a subject 
 endowed with all his natural functions ; therefore he is 
 not complete, and, consequently, imperfect. But, from 
 the moment that he is able to receive the education given 
 to him and acts accordingly, he is perfect, however inferior 
 his relative knowledge may be. The number 2 is not 4, 
 but both are relatively perfect, inasmuch as each is the cor- 
 rect symbol of the quantity it represents ; and the number 
 100 is not more perfect than either because its numerical 
 expression is greater. A gimlet is not a chisel, but one 
 has as much value as the other, and both are deemed per- 
 fect, if they execute the service for which they are 
 intended. 
 
 On the other hand, we must not infer, from what pre- 
 cedes, that the instrument or the animal loses its distinctive 
 character because of its inability to perform to day what 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 113 
 
 it did yesterday ; this would be a mistake. The wheel- 
 work of a clock may be rusty or impaired through use ; 
 the gimlet or the chisel may be blunt, or the handle loose ; 
 whereas ailments, involuntary errors and old age will 
 necessarily render imperfect what was before considered 
 perfect : but such an argument should not be conclusive. 
 Thus a man is not to be considered degraded for having 
 deviated sometimes from his true course, or to be under- 
 valued because of infirmities or old age. The defects and 
 errors caused by exceptions are not real faults, in the 
 same manner as the decay caused by time is not an absolute 
 failing ; because, as already said above, man is imperfect 
 by nature, and to claim from him attributes which were 
 denied to him would be to require what is impossible. 
 Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit. 
 
 As regards the figures of geometry they are unquestion- 
 ably perfect as far as demonstration goes, but our absolute 
 knowledge of them is merely metaphysical, because many 
 reasons may concur to prove that their construction is in- 
 correct. The unavoidable imperfection of the instruments, 
 the instability of the hand, the defectiveness of the vision, 
 the unevenness of the paper, &c., are conclusions in sup- 
 port of my argument ; and, therefore, before proving that 
 the figures of geometry are absolutely perfect, it will be 
 necessary to prove that the means employed to construct 
 them are likewise perfect ; which is impossible. Therefore, 
 I do not hesitate to repeat that perfection is only a relative 
 word. 
 
 Faults like virtues as we are able to understand them 
 are more or less remarkable ; they may pass unnoticed or 
 &X. the attention. In the first instance they are forgotten 
 like the individuals who possessed them, in the latter case 
 
114 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 they remain after them as the factors of their existence, by 
 which the importance of their good or bad actions is to be 
 balanced. If the vices overweigh the good qualities, the 
 judgment is against them, and this constitutes imperfec- 
 tion ; but if their merits exceed the defects, these must be 
 forgotten, and those only remembered, as being the expo- 
 nents of perfection. If a man is learned, conforms himself 
 to the rules of the society and of the country where he 
 lives ; if he is useful and kind to his fellow-men ; if he is 
 a. loyal citizen, a sincere friend, a good husband, and an 
 affectionate father, all other defects that might arise from 
 circumstantial causes or idiosyncrasy must be overlooked, 
 because, as already said, absolute perfection is not a part 
 of human nature ; but if he is deficient in those qualities 
 he is imperfect. Therefore, in all the Characters that I 
 shall bring before the reader, those that are distant from 
 the extremes will approach perfection, and imperfection 
 those that near them. Thus Optimism and Pessimism, as 
 already described in another chapter, will be the two 
 pallets on which I shall mix the tints destined to paint 
 them. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 115 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 BAILLT. HIS CHARACTER. HIS GREAT QUALITIES. HIS 
 
 DEATH. 
 
 The violent delirium, wliicli made tlie Pessimists of the 
 Conventional Government suspect every honest man that 
 did not see and think like them, had now attained the 
 highest pitch of iniquity. All the citizens distinguished 
 for their learning, nobleness of heart, generous principles, 
 and patriotic sentiments, were inscrihed in letters of blood 
 in the fatal book of the inexorable Sisters, and doomed to 
 perish either by suicide, starvation, or the guillotine. The 
 healthy and fruitful plants of the intellectual nursery must 
 be eradicated, destroyed, banished from the social soil, to 
 make room for the parasitic embryos ejected from the 
 Tartarean Region. " The whole country," says Hazlitt, 
 " seemed one vast conflagration of revolt and vengeance. 
 The shrieks of death were blended with the yells of the 
 assassins and the scoffs of the rabble. Never were the 
 tenderest affections more sadly affected, or more cruelly 
 wounded. Whole families suffered death for no other 
 crime than their relationship." — ^A sigh, a tear, a look of 
 compassion, a word of commiseration, a suspicion sufficed 
 to criminate a person, and imperil his life or liberty. 
 
 Among so many exalted and heroic victims, the turn of 
 
116 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 one of the noblest celebrities of France had now come : it 
 was Bailly. Virtue cannot exist long in the bosom of 
 Vice, and, therefore, he had to atone for being too excel- 
 lent a man to live in snch a society at a moment when 
 France was governed by insane despots. His presence in 
 their midst was too offensive to their hateful conduct, 
 to be an exception to the rule of destruction. So he 
 must either follow the devastating torrent or be stranded ; 
 to oppose it, death is inevitable : it is what happened. 
 Besides,' he could not hope that the unscrupulous Moun- 
 taineers would have forgotten the manly courage that he, as 
 Mayor of Paris, displayed in the Champ de Mars against 
 the lawless insurgents. The unfurling of the red flag, the 
 proclamation of martial law, his firmness in ordering, in 
 the name of the law, the dispersion of the rebels, and the 
 discharge of musketry which followed, were the principal 
 charges that the abettors of the rebellion brought against 
 him. 
 
 Born at Paris in 1736, Bailly, Jean Sylvain, was a dis- 
 tinguished scholar, an eminent astronomer, a profound 
 philosopher, an irreproachable politician, a sincere 
 philanthropist, and an honourable citizen. He was one of 
 the most learned members of the Academy of Sciences : 
 he filled with great credit and ability the high positions of 
 deputy, first president of the Assembly, and Mayor of 
 Paris. It is he who administered the oath at the famous 
 Sessions of the Jeu de Paume (Tennis-Court) ; when, on 
 the 20th of June, 1789, having been informed that the 
 king had ordered the dissolution of the National Assembly, 
 ajid placed the Salle de& Etats in possession of an armed 
 force,, he, contrary to the will of the Court, and faithful to 
 his mandate as President, placed himself at the head of 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 117 
 
 the Deputies and repaired to the place named the Jeu de 
 Paume, where, between dingy and bare walls, without 
 either benches or seats, standing up all the while, they 
 took the solemn oath not to separate until they had given 
 a Constitution to France. That bold and admirable con- 
 duct made him the most popular man in the nation ; but 
 the scene in the Champ de Mars changed his peaceful and 
 brilliant career, and in November of the same year, 1789, 
 he resigned his office to return to his favourite studies. 
 
 Bailly had no fised political opinions ; his bent of mind 
 was more contemplative than active. Imbued with 
 philanthropical principles, the sole aim of his life was the 
 good of his country, and the welfare of his compatriots, 
 irrespective of any party-spirit, or personal interest. 
 Although President of the Tiers-Etat, he was neither a 
 republican nor a royalist; he was a man of order, and 
 disliked machiavelism. With those principles he would 
 have sincerely served both Monarchy and Republic 
 alike, provided that reason and justice had been the quali- 
 ties they required of him ; but he could never have con- 
 sented to deviate from either. He courted neither favours 
 nor public honours ; — a philosopher is above those vain gra- 
 tifications — ^however, he did not reject them, not to satisfy 
 his ambition, he had none, but to be able to render him- 
 self useful to all those who desired to derive some benefit 
 from his talents and benevolent disposition. Endowed 
 with all the excellent qualities that make of a man the 
 people's idol, and the wisdom that elevates the idol to the 
 highest degree of social supremacy; Bailly was one of 
 those ideal beings that realize hunaan perfection. Tet, 
 with so many attributes. History is the only record of that 
 eminent citizen's grandeur, but few are the men whose 
 
118 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 names deserve more than his to be extolled to immor- 
 tality. 
 
 Oat of respect for his great fame, and feeling reluctant 
 to nnveil the atrocities of human nature, I, therefore, 
 refrain from entering into the sad details of the insults and 
 tortures, to which he was subjected by the barbarous 
 populace, from his prison to the place of execution. He 
 died on the 10th of November, 1793, amidst the hideoxis 
 outcries of the traitors, and the sneers of the canaille. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 119 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 EEIGN OF TEEEOE. 
 
 MORA.L AND PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 " Per me si va nella cittSl doleute. 
 Per me si va nell' eterno dolore. 
 Per me si va trk la perduta gente." 
 
 — Dante. 
 
 I am going to the doleful city : 
 
 The vale of tears and eternal sorrows. 
 
 Among lost people and perversity. 
 
 We now enter into one of those awful periods which 
 one cannot describe without a great sense of horror that 
 chills the blood, and makes the whole frame quiver. The 
 grim aspect of Dante's Inferno, however frightful it may 
 have seemed to the great Italian Poet, on his arrival in the 
 lower regions of the dark realm of the invisible shades of 
 the dead, cannot be compared to the Tartaros into which 
 I am about to introduce the reader, with a view to expose 
 before him the ghastly spectacle of the innocent victims 
 immolated on the altar of Vengeance by the relentless 
 tyrants of the Reign of Terror. The spectral visions, 
 created by a fanciful imagination in an invisible world 
 which has no existence, may be impressive and adapted to 
 move the passions of any reader who is capable of identi- 
 fying himself with 'the Poet's fiction. The conception of 
 the miserable state representing Tantalus, Ixion, Tityos, 
 
 K 
 
1-20 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 SisypliTis, and the Danaides condemned to eternal tortttre, 
 in expiation of the crimes wliich they had committed 
 during their existence against the gods of the earth, is cer- 
 tainly an ingenions and affecting invention, pourtraying 
 in vivid colours the penalty -which awaits the miscreants, 
 who, deprived of all human sentiments, outrage the laws 
 of nature, and laugh at the Justice of men. But the horrid 
 tableau before us is not a phantasmagoria — an exhibition 
 of illusive images ; it is a reality whose occurrence is 
 marked in letters of blood in the annals of France, and 
 which has no parallel in the history of the world for its 
 barbarity. 
 
 Tet, I cannot but admire the mythological represen- 
 tation of the tortures suffered by the unjust in the gloomy 
 empire of Hades, wliich Dante has depicted with so much 
 vividness in his "' Divina Oommedia." It is, perhaps, with 
 the same view that, as a curb to the evil propensities of 
 the wicked of this world, Casuists have imagined a Celes- 
 tial Judgment. If so, the myth, both from a moral and 
 political point of view, ought to be encouraged. Anything 
 that might tend to reform the criminal passions with which 
 Society is polluted should not be neglected, provided that 
 it were not used against credulity to satisfy selfish motives. 
 
 At all tinles and in all countries there has always been 
 a class of individuals who, by stratagems only known to 
 those that belong to the same clique, elude the most vigi- 
 lant attention; and, notwithstanding the afflictions they 
 cause wherever they pass, they, nevertheless, succeed in 
 carrying on their course of criminal actions ; very often 
 nnsuspected and esteemed by the honourable people into 
 whose social circles they are admitted. 
 
 It is surprising what roguery is carried on in all classes 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 121 
 
 ■of society, even by people wlio, althougli known to be dis- 
 bonest, occupy public positions ! So mucb insolence on tbe 
 part of tbe transgressors, and sucb a passive indulgence 
 from tbose wbo suffer it is unpardonable, because it is an 
 encouragement to vice. If we accept as an establisbed 
 principle, wbether tacitly or by general consent, tbat 
 knavery is admitted to tbe same privileges as bonesty, it 
 is evident tbat Honour and Justice are empty words, and, 
 inasmucb as, generally speaking, fraud, wbatever form it 
 assumes, is always prosperous, wbereas virtue is irretriev- 
 ably its victim, it would, tberefore, be better tbat all men 
 sbould enrol tbemselves under its glorious banner, since 
 it is tbe ensign of success. 
 
 Tbe reader may perbaps be incbned to laugb at sucb an 
 argument as tbis, but if be wiU seriously reflect tbat tbe 
 number of opulent and considered peculators greatly 
 exceeds tbat of equitable people, indigent and disdained, 
 be will no doubt arrive at tbe conclusion tbat we live in a 
 paradoxical age. Indeed, we very little know of tbe great 
 number of vampires by wbom we are constantly surrounded 
 — ^tbe dangers to wbicb we are unknowingly exposed — tbe 
 nefarious bypocrites wbo, in the name of God, Religion, 
 Justice and Priendsbip, undermine our fortunes, disbonour 
 •our families, and disturb our repose. - After tbat, is it to 
 be wondered at if so mucb diffidence and apprebension 
 •exist among us ? Do we not see and learn every day, tbat 
 tbe most unsuspecting persons are tbe easiest victims ? 
 This is a very sad subject to dwell upon ; it would be more 
 gratifying to me and agreeable to .tbe reader if it were tbe • 
 reverse ; but since it is an averred fact, it would be impru- 
 dent to conceal it. To avoid an impending, danger it is 
 necessary to foresee it. 
 
 K 2 
 
122 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Philology teaches us that languages -were formed of the 
 blunders made by the greatest number of the people inha- 
 biting a country, -which, by multiplying themselves, passed 
 into use and became law ; why could not, on the same 
 principle of majority, corruption be the general rule, and 
 virtue the exception, ? All in this world is conventional, 
 therefore, if it be accepted by general consent that fraud is 
 morality, and uprightness vice ; in the same manner as it is 
 admitted in certain classes of Society that a sincere man is 
 a nincompoop, and a sharper a shrewd fellow ; there is no 
 doubt that the attempt will prove very successful, and be 
 received with gladness ; seeing that there are a great many 
 Gentlemen and Ladies of quality who, practising their voca- 
 tions under the dazzliag cloak of some title, legal or pious 
 attribute, would otherwise be declared Professionals. 
 
 However, in awaiting that such a beautiful system be 
 established, beware, dear reader, how you commit yourself ; 
 for society is nothing but an intricate cobweb, in the cor- 
 ners of which venomous spiders lie in wait to pounce on 
 the guileless victims that fall into their snares. 
 
 As already alluded to above, it is, I have reason to 
 believe, owing to the perversion of human nature that the 
 doctrine of an eternal reward or punishment, proportionate 
 ( to man's good or bad actions, was revealed to the world ; 
 and although such a dogma has often been the cause of 
 abominable persecutions and lamentable encroachments on 
 the part of those in whose keeping it was committed, yet 
 it cannot be denied that it has rescued many m.alefactors 
 from a career of crimes, and saved society from great 
 afflictions. 
 
 The writer is far from being superstitious, and, conse- 
 quently, as a, free thinJcer, his opinions are somewhat un- 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 123 
 
 shackled ; still his sense of moral virtues is so conclusive 
 tliat lie would always encourage any system tending to 
 the moraUzation of mankind, provided, however, that 
 theological controversies, intoleranoe, fanaticism, seculariza- 
 tion were entirely excluded from it: iu a word such a 
 system as, it is said, was conceived by Christ. What tends 
 to shake man's belief in a spiritual supremacy is when the 
 Church, contrary to the established principles of the Deity, 
 is transformed into cotery, and Religion into theatrical 
 manifestations. What drives him away from the Sanc- 
 tuary is the antagonism existing among the innumerable 
 Sects that ecclesiastical bodies have established in opposi- 
 tion to each other. The Eeligion of God is the Religion 
 of ma n kin d — it is one — and if it be true that it was 
 revealed as a guide to hfe, and for the salvation of the 
 soul released from its material prison, it is manifest that 
 all religions whatever they be, when conscientioilsly 
 taught and sincerely practised, must lead to, the same 
 results. 
 
 The Supreme Being has never said this mode of worship 
 is better than that, or made any distinction between one 
 Creed or another. Whether man believes in Mahomet or 
 Confucius, or belongs to this or any other planet, it is all 
 the same to Him. All that He desires is that we should 
 love one another, and that our actions be in conformity 
 with the rules of the country where we live. Let those 
 people, who pretend to be the spiritual guides of religion, 
 understand that the Universal God has nothing to do with 
 their hierarchical orders, forms of government, surplices 
 and stoles : Churchmen, Puseyites, Dissenters, Catholics, 
 Jews, and Mussulmans are all aHke in His eyes. Conse- 
 quently, Synods may be convened and held, theological 
 
124 EPISODES or THE 
 
 points debated, scMsmatical opinions denounced, scepti- 
 cism and heterodoxy anatLemized, canons enacted; never 
 will there be mncli faith mongst men as long as religion is 
 not based on the true principles of Unity. 
 
 The ethical condition of a country, wrote a few weeks 
 ago from Buxton an observer and the writer's friend, much 
 depends on the Press and the Pulpit. If those two agents 
 of public moralization fail in the emancipation of human 
 theories — if their views are more personal than social — if 
 their ground of education, whether moral or political, be 
 based on party principles ; in short, if they are not the 
 true representatives of the people whom they are called 
 upon to guide and protect against surprises and false 
 notions, society will always be exposed to great confusion 
 and ignorance. 
 
 There is a great deal of truth in those philosophical 
 remarks. It is those two powers — Press and Pulpit — ^that 
 move the masses ; they can keep them within the bounda- 
 ries of reason, or set them in a blaze, according as their- 
 interests are satisfied, or their zeal for the object desired is 
 influenced. Tet, although I sincerely agree with the 
 opinion expounded above, I beg leave to observe that if 
 the Press and the Pulpit have not that enthusiasm — that 
 tone which they ought to possess, it is not without somp 
 reason. The cause is unfortunately too tangible not to be 
 felt. It may be attributed partly to discouragement, and 
 in greater measure to penury. When we consider that 
 country Journalists and Ministers earn scarcely enough to 
 support themselves, when they are single, and not suffi- 
 ciently when they have a family ; one must not be sur- 
 prised if their minds are troubled, and their mental 
 faculties prostrated. Generally, paper writers are badly 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 125 
 
 remiinerated, they do not get, indeed, more than £100, at 
 the most £150 a year; many clerks and servants are 
 better paid. What can gentlemen of education do with 
 such a scanty emolument, especially when we consider 
 the- great dearness o:^ all the necessaries of life ? We 
 cannot reasonably expect that the representatives of 
 respectable Journals can dress and live hke menials, — brain- 
 work does not grow vigorous by feeding on scraps of bacon, 
 remains of cheese, boiled potatoes, lentils, and onions — ^nor 
 can they lower their dignity by imploring their Lords' 
 generosity. Clergymen can do so without losing their 
 prestige, because charity is in accordance with Christ's 
 teaching, but Journalists are not bound to the same 
 rule. In presence of such an alternative, what is to be 
 done ? People must live, and if adequate emoluments 
 be denied them, they are compelled to direct their minds 
 to something else which may bring a little more " grist 
 to the mill," as the proverb says — they must multiply 
 their labour, and work late hours at night, in order 
 to make up for the deficiency : thus the time which 
 they would devote to reading, study, and thinking. is 
 wasted in mean pursuits. How many intelligent men, 
 animated with the best sentiments, are often compelled to 
 deviate from their principles, and sell their pen, impelled 
 by necessity! In all countries where Mammon is the god 
 of the day. Knowledge is at a low ebb. Actors, actresses, 
 and buffoons are admired, largely paid for their theatrical 
 performances and drolleries ; they are admitted into the 
 best societies, drive in their own carriages, and live sump- 
 tuously in castles and mansions; whereas literary men 
 pass the greatest part of their lives neglected and for- 
 gotten ; are looked down upon like mercenary dmdgers. 
 
126 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 But what is most discreditaMe to CivHizatioii and Society 
 is tliat necessity very often compels them to lower their 
 dignity, to avoid starvation ; and there are many wealthy 
 sots who solace in the abasement of intelligence. Poor 
 
 Intelligence, how sad is thy lot ! Instead 
 
 of a pen, handle a pickaxe, and thou wilt feel less thy 
 misery. 
 
 Now that I have given the reasons, and explained the 
 causes why the Press and the Pulpit are losing enthusiasm 
 and character, or rather are deprived of that tone and 
 energy which they would otherwise possess, if those who 
 are the incarnation of their intellectual life were more 
 encouraged and satisfied ; whilst, thanking my friend for 
 having offered me the opportunity to say a few words on 
 this important subject, I should esteem myself amply re- 
 warded for m.y little trouble, if the circumstance could 
 bring about some reform which might contribute to ame- 
 liorate the position of my Contemporaries of the Press. 
 The subject is in both cases worthy of attention, and much 
 good would accrue to all, if taken into consideration. There- 
 fore let those to whom the initiative of such a laudable 
 measure belong bear in mind, that no step towards pro- 
 gress and modem ideas is more meritorious than this ; for 
 if the Pulpit deserves commendation as the moral guide of 
 the masses, the Press is the living spirit of intelhgence — the 
 soul of Society. 
 
 On the other hand, I wish the reader to understand, 
 that the enunciation of this argument is not absolute in all 
 cases. Many causes may concur to destroy the assumption of 
 the subject-matter. As long as unavoidable circumstances, 
 as postulated above, are the potent reasons that compel 
 the mind to deviate from its natural course, or rather to 
 
FEBNCH REVOLUTION. 127 
 
 ■di-yerge from a line of conduct to wliicli it would faithfully 
 adhere were it not impelled to it by necessity, the offenders 
 are absolved from blame ; but if their actions are based on 
 personal calculations, and prompted by ambition, as it 
 happens in many instances, such a line of conduct cannot 
 be too severely condemned. 
 
 When the ruling powers, whether political or clerical, 
 make a steppiag-stone of the influence they exercise over 
 their followers to satisfy self-interests or party-intrigues, 
 instead of working in concert to promote the general good 
 of all, religion soon dwindles into fanaticism, and secular- 
 ism into absurdness. The culpable interference on the 
 part of the clergy in temporal matters, and the continual 
 resistance of the adverse influence against their usurpation, 
 are the original causes of all the miseries that have con- 
 vulsed mankind from the commencement of the world to 
 the present day. It is evident that if the Pulpit, as the 
 representative of the Spiritual Power, on one side, and the 
 Press, as the exponent of the Temporal Authority on the 
 other, had not placed themselves in opposition to each 
 other, and carried their views to such extremes as to ren- 
 der any conciliation impossible, Prance would have been 
 spared the horrors of 1789-95. 
 
 It is but too true that the terrific events of the French 
 Revolution, which followed rapidly one after the other, 
 are ascribed, first to oppression and fanaticism, then to 
 ambition and intolerance. The phantom of royalty, with 
 the dying nobility and the clergy on the verge of a preci- 
 pice, on one side ; the Jacobins and the lawless populace 
 conspiring against the G-irondins, on the other ; the latter 
 resolved to resist bravely the invading torrent that threa- 
 tened them ; what ensued from so much antagonism, such 
 
128 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 a chaos of opinions, so many divisions and inimical feelings^ 
 the result proved it. 
 
 The fatal period through which France passed during, 
 that fever of the Reign of Terror is beyond all description- 
 There is no Frenchman who, in seeing these chronological 
 dates, — 1789-1795 — is not reminded of some family cala- 
 mity to deplore, cruel wounds to heal, and sorrows tO' 
 assuage. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, 
 sisters, friends, and many other touching affections, form 
 a doleful record of bereaved people, all having had some 
 victim to lament, a cross to bear, bitter tears to shed, and 
 a calvary of passion and death to contemplate. How hor- 
 rible is the moment when men, losing the control of reason,, 
 allow themselves to be carried blindly away by the violence' 
 of their passions ! 
 
 Revolutions are very often forced upon the people of a 
 nation by the abuse that their rulers make of their autho- 
 rity ; and then they are a necessity ; but when they lead 
 from justice to violence, and from innocence to crime, they 
 demoralize everybody, and instruct nobody. They are 
 like those remedies, which, when taken moderately and in 
 accordance with the rules of hygiene, relieve the system, 
 and restore the body to its normal functions ; but which 
 cause great disorders, and sometimes prove fatal, if wrongly 
 administered. 
 
 The Revolution of 1789, originated under the most 
 favourable auspices, passed gradually from rationality to 
 dementation ; until, at last, it sunk into the most abomina- 
 ble confusion. The whole national system became ulcerated 
 — poisoned ; it passed through all the stages of sufferings 
 and delusions. — One faction persecuting another, the cri- 
 minal impeaching the innocent, the accused indicting the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 129' 
 
 accuser, folly denouncing reason, perversion criminating 
 justice, nature rebelling against life, vice against virtue' 
 Then, as a natural consequence, legislation was transformed 
 into arbitrariness, tribunals into dens of barbarity, judges 
 into detractors ; the houses were vacated, the shops closed,, 
 the streets deserted, the guillotine at work in every square ; 
 and, whilst the churches were converted into resorts of 
 iniquity, and the Deity denied, the Goddess of Reason sat 
 on the Celestial Throne of the Supreme Being. Such was 
 the unenviable condition of France from 1789 to 1795. 
 
 Such awful trials are striking lessons by which future 
 generations ought to have benefitted. Prance could hardly, 
 indeed, bear another similar commotion, more especially 
 after the German invasion ; the event might prove utterly 
 ruinous, and we doubt whether, in the present complicated 
 state of affairs, the other Powers would permit it. Yet, 
 her actual political aspect is anything but satisfactory. 
 The evil effects of ambitious designs and selfish aspirations, 
 on the part of the several pretenders to whom power is 
 dearer than the greatness of their mother-country, are 
 already alarmingly felt ; more especially siuce the return 
 from the prisons of New Caledonia of the communistic 
 convicts. Everywhere ominous signs of disquietude fore- 
 tell an approaching tempest. Monarchists, Royalists, and 
 Imperialists are earnestly at work, watching quietly the 
 events, and, although apparently resigned, foment, by 
 skilful manoeuvres, the discord already existing among the 
 Republicans. Everybody will command, and,' therefore, 
 he who is not in power conspires against Authority. 
 Incendiary proclamations are placarded in every town ; 
 the Commune is getting strong and as arrogant as ever,, 
 the acts of the present government are publicly criticised 
 
130 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 ■witL. acerbity bordering on sedition, the E^publique is 
 insecure, and, if stringent measures are not taken at once 
 to quell the rising agitation, France, I greatly apprehend, 
 will soon fall a prey to another 1793. 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 131 
 
 CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 PHILOSOPHICAL AND MORAL OONSIDEEATIONS. — MALESHEBBES. 
 
 — COLLOT-d'heEBOIS. — CONTRAST OP HUMAN NATtTEE. 
 
 Virtus sola nohilitat. 
 
 When the historian is called upon to set forth the 
 biography of those men who, by their talents, virtues, and 
 benevolence, illustrate mankind and honour the countries 
 to which they belong, his task is easy, agreeable, and 
 glorious. — Easy, because Truth, being the model of sim- 
 plicity and candour, requires neither efEort of the mind, 
 nor art to enhance its natural beauty — agreeable, becaus e 
 to speak of our fellow men's noble attributes is pleasing 
 to the mind, and in accordance with the established laws 
 of Society — glorious, because the description of other 
 people's eminent virtues elevate our minds above their 
 status. It is not so when the subjects to be treated 
 deviate from the course of human nature. One cannot 
 plunge into a vitiated atmosphere, without feeling the 
 evil effects of its deleterious influence. 
 
 Man can resign himself to poverty, and bear patiently 
 the vulgar contact of the uncultivated people with whom 
 circumstances may oblige him to have iatercourse, whe-" 
 ther it be to attain some intended object, or because he 
 cannot avoid their society. But when he is compelled to 
 
132 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 pry into the dens of venomous serpents to examine their 
 maKce, and cruel habits, he recoils from the horrible sight 
 frozen with terror, and mentally paralyzed. 
 
 Men were intended by the Creator to love and protect 
 one another, and not to use their physical power and 
 crafty influence to persecute, torture and slaughter like 
 cannibals their fellow-beings. Cruelty and bloodshed are 
 the despicable remains of a barbarism which dishonours 
 civilization. Society ought not to suffer it in no circum- 
 stance whatever; unless it be to satisfy the exigence of 
 the law, and even in this case, the penalty of death is un- 
 ■ natural, when considered from a philosophical point of 
 view, seeing that it is not in accordance with the laws of 
 creation, at the same time that it does not tend in any 
 satisfactory degree to the moralization of mankind. 
 
 Experience proves that many persons who have com- 
 mitted murder in a moment of aberration, may turn to be 
 -useful members of Society, if time were given to them for 
 mature reflection in some place of expiation far from the 
 contact of incorrigible malefactors ; whereas many others 
 are executed for crimes of which they are sometimes inno- 
 cent ; and as regards those great criminals, who, like the 
 bloodthirsty tyrants of the Revolutionary Tribunal during 
 the Reign of Terror in France, massacred human beings 
 with calculated ferocity, death does not terrify them, 
 accustomed as they are to look it continually in the face. 
 For this class of convicts, a place of restraint proportionate 
 to their heinous actions, where they may live and experi- 
 ence, as much as humanity permits, the tortures they have 
 inflicted on others, would be more beneficial to Society, 
 and distressing to themselves than their immediate deajih. 
 For, it is evident that when wicked men calculate that 
 
FRENCH EETOLTTTIOSr. 133 
 
 tHeir crimes may perhaps escape the vigilance of justice, 
 and, if discovered, death will soon put an end to their 
 agony, more especially if the absolution of the confessor 
 lulls them with the beatific hope of a future life, then they 
 do not hesitate to carry out their perfidious designs. But if 
 they see before them the horrors of an incarceration for 
 life full of sufferings and misery, it is very probable that 
 the terrible prospect of their future condition in . close 
 ■captivity and hard labour may change the course of their 
 perversity. 
 
 We must consider that death in itself is not so terrible 
 as people generally imagine. What renders it hideous and 
 fearful is the mournful solemnity by which it is sur- 
 rounded. The more the pleasures, the satisfaction, and 
 the happiness that we enjoy in our intercourse with friends 
 and society at large, the greater the regrets and our 
 attachment to life. But .when we are severed for ever 
 from all the objects of our affection — when all the brilliant 
 colours of the social prism which dazzled our eyes, and 
 enraptured our existence are extinct — when we are shut 
 out from the world and its cortege, and that nothing is left 
 to us but our lope in Beo, we resign ourselves to our fate 
 without the least regret. All our aspirations are the mere 
 effect of a mirage worked by the imagination; let us 
 ■emancipate ourselves, if possible, from its seduction, and 
 we shall pass to death with no more apprehension than 
 when we came into life. 
 
 Maleshbebes. 
 
 ,, [Among the eminent and virtuous men belonging to the 
 • first, category above described, whose memories the Ms- 
 , dorian feels proud to admire and immortalize, Malesherbes 
 
134 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 is one of those illustrious Tictims of the Revolution who- 
 honour the pen of whoever, endowed with sufficient power 
 and 'eloquence, is able to extol, as he deserves, his high quali- 
 ties. The writer feels that, notwithstanding his great 
 desire, he is unequal to his ambition. To handle a lofty 
 subject with some distinction, it is necessary to be iden- 
 tified with the essential properties of the object under 
 consideration, and such a knowledge cannot be acquired 
 without proximate investigations. The reader will, there- 
 fore, extend his indulgence to the writer, if his efforts do 
 not enable him to attain the sublime station occupied by 
 the great personage about to be portrayed. Transcendent 
 men are like those effulgent stars that sparkle in the fir- 
 mament, and on which one cannot rest the eyes without 
 being dazzled by their im^mense splendour. 
 
 Bom at Paris in 1721, at a moment when France was 
 governed by a weak and licentious monarch — Louis XV. ; 
 after his father's death, Chretien GuiUaume de Lamoig- 
 non, de Malesherbes succeeded him as President of the 
 Court of Aids, being at the same time Superintendent of 
 the Press; which posts he filled with great foresight, 
 justice, and kindness. As Prance was then in a most 
 dilapidated state, whilst Frenchmen, under the yoke of 
 bondage, perished by thousands in the most lamentable 
 misery, this virtuous and great statesman often raised his 
 voice in favour of his ruined country and oppressed coun- 
 trymen. 
 
 " Sire," said he one day to his unworthy Sovereigfn, 
 "for the first time, since the origin of the monarchical 
 government, we witness, on a simple allegation, and by a 
 decree of your Council, the confiscation of the estates and 
 of the public charges. The people had formerly the- 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 135 
 
 consolation to expose their grieyances to the kiags, yonr 
 predecessors ; but since a century and a half the States 
 have not been convoked. Hitherto, at least, the claims 
 of the Courts supplied, though imperfectly, the deficiency 
 of the States, but now the sole resource left to the 
 nation is Kkewise destroyed. The nobility who had the 
 nearest approach to your Majesty are reduced to silence ; 
 in a word, the access to the throne seems denied even to 
 the princes. Consult then the nation. Sire, since nobody 
 else can obtain a hearing from your Majesty." 
 
 A short time after, in a memoir addressed to the same 
 king, he wrote, "that the greatest calamities were at hand 
 if a great reformation did not take place at once." But 
 all his warnings, his entreaties, and supplications remained 
 efEectless. He, Malesherbes, had visited all the countries 
 in France, where poverty, famine, and despotic exercise of 
 power had transformed a nation of intelligent and indus- 
 trious people into a horde of savage idiots, dispersed, like 
 pariahs, in forests, caves, and mountains ; naked, black, 
 and reduced to the state of skeletons covered with filth, 
 wounds, and vermin. He had questioned all the func- 
 tionaries and other persons who were in a position to 
 enlighten him on the wretched condition of the peasantry; 
 and, with the benevolence of a friend, and the care 
 of a father, he ran from village to hospital, from hut 
 to den, from family to family to give all the assistance 
 that his private means permitted ; consoled everybody, 
 ajid wept with them. He then made a supreme and lagt 
 appeal to the mercy of his insensible Sovereign, imploring 
 him to take pity upon his oppressed subjects ; represent- 
 ing in most vivid colours the abject and truly-pitiable 
 state in which they were. Remember, Sire, that they are 
 
 L 
 
136 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 men ! exclaimed he in a sublime and reproachful tone. 
 But Louis was deprived of all the essential attributes 
 that distinguish rationality from, irrationality, and, there- 
 fore, he could not understand that it is by serving 
 humanity that a king approaches the nearest to the 
 Divinity. 
 
 Despised as a king, degraded as a man, decried as a 
 peculator, surrounded by sycophants who flattered him by 
 encouraging his sensual indulgences, entirely given up to 
 his lascivious mistresses, and to the pleasures of the table ; 
 he was induced by his corrupters to dismiss from his 
 presence all the honourable Councillors who had the manly 
 courage to disapprove his conduct ; and so, freed from all 
 the shackles that were an obstacle to his immoral passions, 
 he soon lost sight of France and Frenchmen. Pompa- 
 dour, the impudent du Barry, and the " Pare aux Cerfs" 
 were all the World he cared about. Consequently, on the 
 abolition of the Parliaments in 1771, some months after 
 the exile of the Due de Choiseuil to his estate of Chante- 
 loup, near Amboise, in 1770, Malesherbes was in his turn 
 banished to his country-seat. However, three years after- 
 wards, he was reinstated in his former position, and made 
 Minister of State by Louis XVI., but, grieved at not being 
 able to relieve his countrymen from the miserable position 
 in which they were languishing, he resigned his post, and 
 visited the continent. 
 
 In 1787 he was recalled once more to the direction of 
 affairs, when he drew up and presented to the king his 
 two remarkable memoirs, " On the Calamities of France, 
 and the means of relieving them." But this time again he 
 met with a refusal ; therefore, seeing that all his efBorts to 
 remedy the pressing evils that threatened more and more 
 
FEENCH EEVOLTJTION. 137 
 
 feotli the Sovereign and his kingdom, he retired from 
 office, and went to his country-seat, determined to pass 
 the -rest of his days in the bosom of his family, far from 
 the Court and its entourage. 
 
 Had Malesherbes carried out his resolution, it is very 
 probable that he might have escaped the terrible disaster 
 which, seven years afterwards, proved so fatal both to him 
 and his whole family ; but how could he have foreseen a 
 tempest which he had not raised ? His life had been a 
 course of good actions. Calm, unassuming, humane, and 
 generous ; his sentiments were as spotless as his heart; his 
 political views had no other aim but the welfare of his 
 compatriots, and the popularity of the king he served. 
 He avoided court intrigues, and, like Aristides, he was 
 public-hearted, pure, high-minded, full of abnegation, im- 
 partial, and sincerely devoted to his country. Such men 
 ought never to die, that they may serve as imperishable 
 examples to future generations ! However, following the 
 natural impulse of his magnanimity, as soon as Malesherbes 
 heard that the king and his family had been arrested and 
 confined in the Temple, he, without calculating the ill- 
 consequences of his steps, hastened to offer his advice and 
 mediation to the sovereign who had slighted him. As soon 
 as he entered the prison, Louis, pale, and in tears, threw 
 himself in his old friend's arms, exclaiming, "Ah! if I 
 had listened to you, my good and honest Malesherbes, this 
 painful meeting would not take place !".... The 
 repentance was too late, and the regret of no avail ; the 
 revolution was wn fait accompli, his fate was sealed. . . 
 
 In 1792 the unfortunate Louis XVI. was executed, as 
 already explained in another chapter, and Malesherbes, 
 who had pleaded his sovereign's cause with great courage 
 
 l2 
 
138 SPISODKS OF THE 
 
 and eloquence, was one of the last that took leave of the 
 king, previoTis to his death. 
 
 So much devotion could not pass without giving great 
 umbrage to the Pessimists of the Revolutionary Govern- 
 ment. They followed all his movements and those of his 
 family, spied all his actions, misconstrued all his words, 
 until, at last, he was arrested, and, on the 22nd of April, 
 1794, another venerable and illustrious head fell under 
 the bloody knife — it was that of the virtuous Malesherbes ! 
 He met his fate with the same serenity of mind and cou- 
 rage, which had characterized him through his whole life. 
 
 Chretien Guillaume de Lamoignon, de Malesherbes was 
 President of the Court of Aids, Superintendent of the 
 Press, Minister of State, Member of the Academy of 
 Sciences, of the Academy of Inscriptions, and of the 
 Prench Academy ; and, what is still greater than all the 
 titles and honours which flatter ambition and vanity, he 
 was a true type of human perfection. 
 
 COLLOT d'HeEBOIS. 
 
 In presence of this infernal spirit, whose name the 
 writer has traced with a quivering hand, and a thrilling 
 heart ; before conjuring up its odious memory, it is neces- 
 sary to pause, lest its grim apparition might infect the 
 atmosphere through which it has to pass. The reader is, 
 no doubt, aware that the deeper the tiger plunges into 
 carnage, the more his thirst for blood increases ; well, such 
 is the miscreant with whom, impelled by duty rather than 
 ■from desire, we are about to communicate. Tet, whilst I 
 have undertaken the painful task to write these lines, I 
 : doubt whether the subject is worth the trouble and the 
 iak, or, seeing the baseness of its character, whether I 
 
FEENCH EEVOLTJTIOir. 139 
 
 have to proceed on, or recede from the ghastly scene. It 
 is always distressing to penetrate into the graves of the 
 dead, in order to examiae the purity or the foulness of 
 their ashes. 
 
 The Latins have sententiously transmitted to us an 
 aphorism -which has often perplexed me — " JDe mortuis ml 
 nisi honum." Have I to understand that, after a person 
 is dead, his actions during life must he exalted even when 
 they have caused the greatest calamities ? If so, how can 
 history be the truthful recorder of events and facts ? How 
 can posterity be enlightened upon the various parts that 
 men have played on the great stage of the world ? Are 
 Nero, Domitian, Vitellius, and Fulvia to be placed in 
 parallel with the virtuous Germanicus, Numa Pompilius, 
 Aurelius Antoninus (Marcus), and Cornelia ? Are splendid 
 monuments to be raised to the memory of the bloodthirsty 
 Pouquier-TinvLUe, Marat, Carrier, and CoUot d'Herbois, 
 with the same pomp and magnificence as those deserved 
 by the honest patriots Bailly, Roland, Turgot, and Males- 
 herbes ? If so, what merit is there to be virtuous ? His- 
 tory must judge impartially everybody according to his 
 merits, and it is to the inflexibility of its judgment that 
 society owes all those great men, who, in order to gain 
 immortal reputation, have distinguished themselves by 
 their learning, and laudable actions. Consequently, the 
 tomb is not the place of moral redemption ; on the 
 contrary, it is there where Vice is branded, and where 
 Virtue, like an eternal plant, produces its everlasting 
 blossoms. 
 
 Collot-d'Herbois, Jean Marie, was bom at Paris in 1750. 
 As soon as he felt that he could emancipate himself from 
 school discipline, and paternal rule, without being exposed 
 
140 EPISODES OF THj: 
 
 to tte vicissitudes of a beggarly life, lie joined a company 
 of strolling comedians, with whom he learnt, with great 
 proficiency and benefit, all the tricks of a low stage Jack- 
 pudding. 
 
 The revolution of 1789 opened a new field to his enter- 
 prising genius, and, on the formation of the Jacobin club, 
 he gave up the stage on which he had so often performed 
 his drolleries amidst hisses and hoots, and joined the 
 demagogues of that revolutionary faction, with whom he 
 was already politically associated. His boldness and faci- 
 lity of speech soon attracted the attention of his confede- 
 rates, who, dazzled by his grotesque appearance and bom- 
 bastic verbiage, thought that such a Zany was a fit subject 
 for promotion ; so they raised him to the dignity of san- 
 guinary member of the Convention, and of the Committee 
 of Public Safety. Audaces fortuna juvat. 
 
 Having soon distinguished himself by his cruel persecu- 
 tions and atrocities, in 1792 he was sent as a proconsul to 
 Lyons, where, in the short space of two years, he had 
 more than 16,000 persons of both sexes, all ages, and posi- 
 tions, put to death; whether by the guillotine, shot, 
 drowned, or massacred in the public streets, and prisons, 
 by his hired assassins. Had he remained in office two 
 years longer, the whole population of that large city would 
 have been extirminated. The very name of that demoniac 
 inspired one with awe, his voice chilled the blood of all 
 those who heard it, his presence produced the same shock 
 as that caused by a Galvanic battery. 
 
 Amongst all his acts of inhumanity, it is said that two 
 young women went to him in tears to implore the pardon 
 of their husbands, the only support of their children. He 
 had them fastened during six hours to the posts of the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 141 
 
 gTiillotine, still dripping ■with tlie blood of the objects of 
 their afEections. 
 
 After so many atrocities, the voice of Justice was finally 
 heard, and this horrible monster was denounced in March, 
 1795, arrested, and transported to Cayenne ; where degre- 
 dation, ignominy, misery, and horrible visions, put an end 
 to the sad existence of that fiend in human form : January, 
 1796. 
 
142 "EPISODE'S OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 FANATICISM AND DESPOTISM, EXAMINED FEOM A PHILOSOPHICAL 
 POINT OF VIEW. — BRIENNE AND NECKEE. 
 
 Yeritaiis simplex oratio est. 
 
 In a foregoing chapter, I have already adverted to the 
 mischievous effects caused by the obtrusion of the Clergy 
 in temporal affairs, and, if I am now compelled to revert 
 to the sam^e topic, it is not for want of reverence for that 
 Religious Body, but because I am led to it, in spite of me, 
 by the importance of the subject under consideration. I 
 am aware, as sententiously said somewhere, probably in 
 some ethical work, that it is a very bold attempt for any 
 one to criticise the acts of any Social Order of men united 
 by one common bond, and moved by the same interest ; 
 because, it is speciously asserted, one cannot "touch the 
 linh without moving the chain." And so it is, as far as the 
 assertion advanced here is unexceptive, but if admitted 
 in a partial sense only, I hold it to be a mere sophism 
 noised abroad by cavillers, who, to deter credulous people 
 from discovering the ground of their imposture, allure 
 them into their snares by appealing to their ignorance. 
 Spargere voces in vulgum amhiguas. Such a course ad 
 captandum vulgus may be good in certain cases, but it is 
 not always to be commended : it may be the cause of 
 enormous mischiefs. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 143 
 
 If a robber, an assassin, or a projector can be debarred 
 from his evil designs by some scarecrow, so mncb tie 
 better; bnt if tbe stratagem is a mask intended to bide 
 selfish motives, it is abominable, and ought to be denounced 
 in ■whatever form it shows itself. 
 
 Society, as already stated in the course of this work, is 
 •composed of various elements, which, although differing 
 in application, agree in -principle; therefore, whatever 
 means be adopted to obtain the ultimate purpose, it does 
 not matter much, provided that they tend to the general 
 PubHc Good. This explanation ought to be sufficient to 
 convince any unbiassed mind that, in the pursuit of my 
 object, I am not guided by any prejudice, or antagonistic 
 influence ; consequently, if it occurs that my arguments bear 
 critically on certain particular systems, it is not the whole 
 functional unity that I wish to question, but the errors 
 which I believe to arise from its abuses. 
 
 Let the reader, whatever his doctrine or creed may be, 
 understand that I am positively convinced that, of all 
 Religions, Christianism, such as it was transmitted to the 
 world by its Founder, whether considered from a Temporal 
 or from a Spiritual point of view, is not only the most 
 moral, but the best adapted to the Progress and Civiliza- 
 tion of mankind. Its dogmatical principles, divested of 
 all the miraculous visions and dramatical representations 
 that superstition, sophism, and calculation have introduced 
 into them, and which cloud their purity, are incbntestably 
 sublime. They guide the reason and elevate the mind ; 
 they bear, indeed, the stamp of a divine inspiration, and I 
 do not hesitate to say that if Christ's Evangelical Religion 
 had remained intact in all its chastity, it would have been 
 ■the fundamental Stone on which the human race might 
 
144 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 have built the imperisliable momiment of its belief. But,, 
 unfortunately, like all that passess through the hands of 
 man, it has undergone the pernicious process of time and 
 of human manipulation, to such a degree, that the divine 
 prestige by which it was surrounded is now gradually 
 vanishing, and I greatly apprehend that if it is not brought 
 back to its original simplicity, it, like all social systems^ 
 shall have to suffer the storm of a revolution, before the 
 vapours that darken its atmosphere be dispelled. 
 
 Most men are insatiable ; their ambition is boundless, 
 their selfishness intolerable ; they have no sooner subdued 
 the world than they conspire against heaven, and if they 
 cannot take possession of their God's celestial throne, they 
 devise some subtlety whereby they may appear Saorosanti 
 et divini in terra. This is, I am sorry to say, what the 
 Apostolic Mission aimed at soon after the establishment of 
 the Christian Religion. Not satisfied with having the ab- 
 solute direction of men's souls, and of disposing of them as 
 it liked after death, it aspired, and succeeded for some 
 time, with the future hope of celestes felicitates on one 
 hand, and of aceriissime damnationes on the other, to ob- 
 tain the unlimited command of their living bodies, with a 
 view, I imagine, to raise the Pontifical chair of Saint Peter 
 on the fetters in which mankind was destined to live in 
 bondage under the inflexible sanctity of priestcraft. This 
 step, which proves evidently the frailty of. human nature, 
 was bold and imprudent ; because, from the moment that 
 the acknowledged guides of man's spiritual life aspired to 
 the dominion and honours of this world, their precepts 
 were doubted, and the altar oi propitiation was transformed 
 into a forum. How sad it is to see the most moral insti- 
 tutions diverted from their true course through the instru- 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 145 
 
 mentality of fanatics and wild projectors, who, having 
 bnt their own interest at heart, sacrifice anything to gain 
 their ends ! — Society, friendship, family, honour, conscience, 
 religion ; all must yield to their passionate designs, or be 
 annihilated. 
 
 In the following chapter I shall prove the truth ofEered 
 by my argument, and the reader will see how man, even 
 under the sacerdotal garb, and invested with the holiest 
 functions, makes little scruple to exchange his apostleship 
 for the office of vile courtier, in order to satisfy his ambi- 
 tion and vanity. And be it understood that this example 
 of apostasy is only one among the numberless apostles of 
 the Church who have deserted the shrine of divine worship 
 to adore the phantom of vain-glory. Gloria virtutis vmbra, 
 
 LoMENiE DE Beienne, Etienne Chaeles. 
 
 Bom at Paris in 1727, and educated at the Sorbonne, 
 the most celebrated school of theology in that city, where 
 he received his doctor's degree in 1752, de Brienne grew 
 to manhood in a time when France, exposed to all the hor- 
 rors of dilapidation, was ruled by a licentious king — Louis 
 XY. — ^under the unwarrantable sway of profligate favour- 
 ites, and of his mistresses, Madame de Pompadour, and 
 the famous Countess du Barry. Thus we may say that it 
 is at the court of these two courtesans that de Brienne 
 learned how to acquire titles and honours, by intrigues and 
 flattery ; and it is, no doubt, a I'art de plaire et d'aimer 
 that he owes his successive appointments of Bishop of 
 Condom, Archbishop of Toulouse in 1763, and Member of 
 the French Academy in 1770. Yet so many eminent 
 favours poured on him in a few years, were not sufficient 
 to satisfy the brilliant Prelate's ambition. 
 
146 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 He was a prince of Religion, hub the ChurcL. liad not 
 for him the same attractions as the pleasures of the Oonrt. 
 God is a metaphysical Being, and he desired something 
 more tangible to the senses ; therefore, he preferred the 
 worship of royalty. Unprincipled, faithless, unbelieving, 
 unscrupulous, irresolute, and incapable as a statesman, 
 Brienne — like the profligate Cardinal de Rohan, so cele- 
 brated with his associates, Cagliostro and the infamous 
 Madame Lamotte, in the episode of , the " Diamond Neck- 
 lace " — did not hesitate to use any means to gain his ends. 
 This shows incontestably that the position changes the 
 man. Tenvpora m/wtantur, et nos muta-mwr in illis. 
 
 After the fall of the Calonne's ministry in February, 
 1787, to which Brienne had so much contributed, he used 
 a,ll his influence at court to obtain the post vacated by his 
 political enemy ; but as Louis XVI. had a great aversion 
 to him, he did not feel inclined to have him near his 
 person. However, the beautiful Marie Antoinette, with 
 whom he had the adroitness of ingratiating himself, spoke 
 so much in favour of her protege, that at last the weak 
 king yielded to the pressing solicitations of his Queen, and 
 Archbishop Brienne was appointed Controller of Finance 
 and First Minister. But no sooner had his long-life am- 
 bition been satisfied than he showed himself incapable to 
 deal with the difiELoulties of the high position to which he 
 had been raised ; and thus his deserved unpopularity, both 
 at Versailles, and at the Vatican, grew in proportion to 
 his elevation. 
 
 However, it must be confessed that the new minister 
 did not remain inactive ; on the contrary, never man set 
 more engines to work than he did : he struggled night and 
 day, not pro patria, pro rege, or pro Deo et eeclesia, but pro 
 
FRENCH EETOLtJTXON. 147 
 
 gloria et vanitudine. Like the commander-in-cliief of an 
 army, who, for want of foresight and strategical knowledge, 
 allows himself to be hemmed round by the enemy, and 
 makes every effort to break through the steel girdle by 
 which he is surrounded, until at last he is compelled ta 
 lay down arms and surrender, so did Brienne try to extri- 
 cate himself from the intricate network of his ministerial 
 perplexity ; but he soon perceived, to his shame and con- 
 fusion, that it is not so easy to govern a nation as to 
 preach homilies. 
 
 His first step on arriving to power was to court the 
 assistance of the Notables, whom he believed, with some 
 reason, attached to him, because they had contributed to 
 Calonne's fall ; but they lent a deaf ear to his professions 
 of friendship. Tired, with the disorder into which the 
 whole governmental system was plunged, and alarmed at 
 the conflicting rumours spread abroad touching the extra- 
 vagant conduct of the royal family, they went throughout 
 France to denounce publicly the impending danger to 
 which the nation was exposed. Thus, seeing that he had 
 nothing to hope from that quarter, he, therefore, was com- 
 pelled to apply to Parliament for the enrolment of two 
 edicts — one of the " stamp-tax," the other of " territorial 
 subsidies " — ^which, although unanimously rejected, were, 
 however, sanctioned by royal authority, and as Parliament 
 protested against that arbitrary act, the king exiled it to 
 Troyes, at the same time that some of its leading members 
 were banished, and others imprisoned. 
 
 From that moment Brienne, who had never been popular, 
 became so odious to the nation that even the clergy turned 
 against him. Indeed the situation, both political and 
 civil, was very intense ; and if Brienne did not hasten to 
 
148 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 fill the abyss -whicli he had excaTated under his feet, the 
 storm that he had raised by his imprudence -wonld fall 
 upon him with irresistible violence. In presence of such 
 a critical position, he multiplied his energies, and, with 
 them, his blunders. He had new edicts issued and con- 
 firmed by the king, without the authorization of Parlia- 
 ment ; he borrowed large sums at ruinous interest ; he put 
 jxssignats into circulation ; burdened the nation with taxes ; 
 plundered what he could not obtain by legal means ; he 
 seized upon the Invalid chest, together with the product of 
 several benevolent lotteries ; in short, he did his utmost 
 endeavours to clear up the chaos in which he was involved, 
 but without success. Finally, as a last resource, he made 
 an earnest appeal to Necker, imploring him to come to his 
 ■assistance, but the great financier refused by saying that, 
 " since he had not been called to share his works, he could 
 not now go to share his discredit." Consequently, at his 
 wit's end, confused, and worn out with fatigue and vexa- 
 tions, he resigned his ministerial portfolio to Necker, 
 A-ugust, 1788. A few days after his resignation, he was 
 tried and sentenced to be burnt in effigy on the Pont-Neuf ; 
 but, to console him for all his disasters and mortifications, 
 the King, at the request of Marie Antoinette, obtained for 
 him from the Pope a Cardinal's hat, and he was, moreover, 
 loaded with rich gifts. After his retirement from office, 
 he was again several times tried and released; and on 
 the 17th of February, 1794, after he had been crueUy 
 treated by some Jacobin officers, he was found dead in his 
 bed ; some say from apoplexy, others from strangulation : 
 it is not well known. 
 
 Had de Brienne extended his ambition, as he ought to 
 have done, to his Diocese and the Church, as he did to 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 149 
 
 «oiirt-intrigues and vain pursuits, he would have lived an 
 honest man, and died regretted by his fellow-citizens; 
 whereas the reputation he has left behind him is an in- 
 delible stain to his memory, and a dishonour to the reli- 
 gious body to which he belonged. However, before 
 drawing the veil of oblivion over this sad tableau, let us 
 record here that the Revolution was hastened by the im- 
 prudence and misconduct of Marie Antoinette, Calonne, 
 and de Brienne. Had the Queen and these two court- 
 ministers never existed, or remained unknown, the Revo- 
 lution would probably have been delayed some years 
 longer, the popular irritation subsided, and France spared 
 the horrors which covered her with blood, affliction, and 
 shame. 
 
 Neckee. 
 
 Although I have already given a rapid account of the 
 melancholy state of France on the accession of Louis XVI. 
 to the throne, the better to understand her true posi- 
 tion on the day of Brienne's fall, it is necessary to take a 
 retrospective view of the condition in which Necker found 
 her when he resumed his ministerial functions.^ — An abso- 
 lute government with a weak king at its head, controlled 
 and ruled by an inconsiderate and capricious queen, who 
 distributed the high posts of the kingdom amongst in- 
 capable favourites and flatterers ; justice none, and the 
 judiciary system entirely sold to power ; the royal treasury 
 and the national finances badly administered and com- 
 pletely exhausted; credit extinct, and confidence banished; 
 the public revenues shamefully lavished, and insufficient 
 to meet the extravagant expenditure of the royal family. 
 
 " The mistress of Louis XV., Madame de Pompadour, 
 spent, or rather squandered sixty millions of our present 
 
150 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 money in about 19 years." "Tlie annuities paid Iby Louis 
 XVI. to various persons for private services, rewards, or 
 bribes, amounted to seventy millions, (of our present 
 money, understood). I doubt, says Necker, if all the 
 Sovereigns of Europe united together pay half of such an 
 enormous sum as that. 
 
 The number of persons attached to the royal household 
 was at least 1400. The queen and the princes had 
 their Courts like that of the king, only a little less nu- 
 merous. The sums of money paid by the treasury for 
 the profusion of the royal family amounted to about 
 seventy-five millions, and this exclusive of the expenses 
 entailed by the king's household, of keeping in repair the 
 royal castles, &c. 
 
 The exorbitant taxes levied on the poor plebeians were 
 most tyrannical. The Clergy and the Nobility were 
 exempted from taxation. They were adjudicated to com- 
 missioners (traitants) who, by paying an annual sum, 
 agreed upon, to the king, had the unlimited power to levy 
 any taxes they Kked, sell the furniture, ill-treat, prosecute, 
 and put in prison all persons who did not pay, or submit 
 to their oppressive rule. 
 
 The military organization was altogether defective ; 
 the army badly commanded ; no discipline, no order, no 
 pay ; the ranks treated like slaves, and the officers impe- 
 rious and utterly incapable. It could not be otherwise : 
 promotion was not given to merit, but to money; anybody 
 could purchase at any age, and whenever he liked one or 
 more positions in the army. The Duke of Bouillon was 
 colonel at eleven years of age, and the Duke of Pronsac 
 at seven. 
 
 Of the three orders of the State, already mentioned 
 
FRENCH EETOLOTION. 151 
 
 above, — Clergy, Nobility, and Villenage (roture) as they 
 styled it tten — ^the clergy was the first in rank, owing, 
 probably, to its origin from Heaven. It was omnipotent 
 in all questions, whether temporal or spiritual ; the rich- 
 est, the most insinuating, the most to fear ; selfish, intole- 
 rant, arrogant, and merciless : whoever did not bend to 
 its caprices or creed was tortured, or excommunicated. 
 The martyrology of the numerous victims immolated to 
 its fanaticism would be too voluminous to epitomize, too 
 horrible to peruse. France was literally covered with 
 convents, monasteries, priories, and churches; the number 
 of priests, monks, nuns, and other religious orders was 
 countless ; and no house, no family, was ever free from 
 their repeated exactions made in the name of God. The 
 two first orders — the Clergy and the Nobility — ^monopo- 
 lized all the public functions of the State ; that in the 
 church, this in the army. It is true that any person be- 
 longing to the third order could, if his means allowed 
 him, purchase letters of nobility (lettres de noblesse), but 
 he ran the risk of being decried both by the order into 
 which he was admitted, and by that to which he belonged. 
 The Press was entirely under the control of the clergy 
 (Sorbonne), the king, and Parliament; and, as the reader 
 may easUy guess, nothing could be published without 
 being previously examined by those three powers, and 
 woe to him who wrote or hawked about any books or 
 papers hostile to religion, or to the government ; he was 
 either branded, sent to the galleys, or executed. Misery 
 was general and painful in the extreme, as already said ; 
 education unknown, or nearly so, amongst the people of 
 the third order ; uneasiness, agitation, and anarchy pre- 
 vailed everywhere ; public opinion grew stronger and 
 
152 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 more adverse to the government every day ; in short, the 
 whole Idngdoni was in fermentation. 
 
 Such was the situation of the French nation in 1788, 
 when Necker was recalled to the ministry vacated by 
 Brienn'e. It is quite evident that no prudent statesman 
 would have accepted a position so bristled with unminent 
 dangers ; but Necker was neither a learned man nor a 
 politician ; he was a financier, and so, he firmly believed 
 that it would be as easy to calm the effervescence of a 
 people violently irritated, as to clear up the diflB.culties of 
 a state budget : he was mistaken. 
 
 In the next chapter I shall give the nationality, birth, 
 and education of Necker ; his success as a banker ; how he 
 came to power ; his popularity and influence ; his banish- 
 ment and triumphant return ; his resignation, and depar- 
 ture from Paris. 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 153 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 iracKEE. 
 
 CALVIN AND HIS DOCTBINES. — PREDESTINATION AND 
 REPEOBATION. 
 
 " Ego autem dieo vobis : diligite mimieos vestros." 
 
 Necker Jacques was bom at Geneva in 1732, where Ms 
 fatter filled -with honour and talent the chair of Professor 
 of Civil Law, and, as the reader can easily infer from his 
 nationality, he was a staunch adherer to the theocratic doe- 
 trine established in his native place by the great reformer 
 Calvin, the opponent to Luther's tenets, as regards predes- 
 tination and reprohation, and intimate friend of the austere 
 and rigorous John Knox. 
 
 At the time of the events alluded to in these pages, 
 under Louis XIV.'s reign, the Clergy in France were very 
 powerful and intolerant, as already said ; and, whether 
 through fear, or from conviction, — ^in many instances per- 
 haps also from calculation — all classes of society were so 
 imbued with Jesuitic notions, that whoever did not belong 
 to their religion, or rather did not accept blindly their 
 arrogant assumptions, was despised, looked down upon 
 with loathsomeness, shunned as an unclean spirit, ejected 
 from sobiety, excommunicated, and excluded from public 
 functions. Such a state of existence was an abominable 
 thialdom which weighed constantly like the huge rock of 
 
 M 2 
 
154 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 Sisyplms on man's liberty and reason ; so ttat people, 
 compelled to think, act, and move nnder the absolute influ- 
 ence of their confessors and priests, were reduced to the 
 deplorable condition of fantoccini. 
 
 Horrible, indeed, were those times when the human race, 
 bent under the yoke of two despotic powers — Royalty and 
 Priestcraft combiaed for the same object — was reduced to 
 the lowest degree of animal debasement ! But as, in the 
 course of this work, I have already examined this question, 
 I shall, therefore, abstain from revertiog to the same topic. 
 Tet, for the intelligence of those readers who, not beings 
 conversant with Ecclesiastical History, are apt to judge 
 things by their names, and not by their essential attributes, 
 that is to say, who mistake the shadow for the substance ; 
 ere I proceed with the subject-matter with which the point 
 at issue is closely connected, I do not believe it to be un- 
 important to the reader to know something about the prin- 
 cipal dogmas of Calvinism ; were it only with a view of 
 enabling us to form an opinion as to whether the odious 
 persecutions to which Calvin and his sectarians have been 
 subjected were justified by any plausible reason. 
 
 But, let the reader understand that no judgment can be 
 honest if warped by prejudice ; because persons biassed by 
 peculiar motives cannot reason justly, seeing that they are 
 blind to everything, except what interests them. " The 
 blind," Lock says, " will always be led by those that see ; 
 and he is the most subjected, the most enslaved, who is so 
 in his understanding." 
 
 Bear this aphorism in mind, dear reader, and never take 
 for granted anything that you do not see and comprehend 
 clearly, religion above all ; as it is not possible for any one 
 to perform the duty of a true believer, if he do not under- 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 165 
 
 stand manifestly the object of his belief. Remember that 
 the reason why the stnapler sort are moved with authority 
 is the consciousness of their ignorance. These are machines 
 that turn round, not as they feel, but as they are directed; 
 and can God accept the prayers offered to Him by an auto- 
 maton ? No prayer can be deemed a pure act of contrition 
 which is not the expression of the heart. What is said 
 here of Christianity applies to all creeds and actions of 
 life. 
 
 Out of the forty articles of the Calvinists' Profession of 
 Faith, six merit special attention as being the embodiment 
 of all the others, and because they depart from Luther's 
 doctrine, and still more from Romanism, especially in the 
 mystery of the Eucharist. They are as follows : — 
 
 1. That Jesus Christ is not really present in the Sacra- 
 m.ent of the Eucharist, except in sign orfigwre. 
 
 2. Predestination and Reprobation for good or bad ac- 
 tions are anterior to the divine presence. 
 
 3. That Predestination and Reprobation depend on 
 God's will, without any regard to the merits or the de- 
 merits of men. 
 
 4. That God endows those whom he has predestined 
 with inamissihle (which cannot be lost) faith and justice, 
 whereby their sins cannot be attributed to them. 
 
 5. That the Just, owing to the original sin, is incapable 
 of any good actions. 
 
 6. That men are absolved by faith alone, in virtue of 
 which good actions and sacraments are useless. 
 
 After having set forth the above tenets, it is important 
 to observe here that, as all articles of faith are generally 
 clothed in metaphorical language, it will be necessary to 
 divest them of their allegorical aspect, before attempting 
 
156 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 to penetrate tlie mystery in wHcli their literal meaning 
 is involTed. Consequently, for the furtherance of the 
 abject in view, I shall venture some logical arguments, but 
 without any wish to enter into any theological controversy, 
 as to the propriety or to the impropriety of the points at 
 issue. 
 
 1. Jesus Christ, the Calvinists say, is present iu the 
 Eucharist in sign or figure only, which means mentally ; 
 whereas, conformably to the Romish and other Churches, 
 He is really present in hody and Hood. Now these two 
 opinions, although in opposition to each other, may be 
 both right and both wrong, according as they are inter- 
 preted. If the words spoken at the Supper by Jesus 
 Christ to his twelve disciples — " this is my hody, and this 
 is my Hood," whilst presenting to them, the bread and the 
 wine — are taken in a literal sense, the Roman Catholics 
 are evidently wrong, and the Calvinists right ; but if, on 
 the other hand, it is implied that hody and hlood, assimi- 
 lated by a figure of speech — so much in use in Oriental 
 languages — to bread and wine are things all alike produced 
 of earth ; these are wrong, and those right ; because, by an 
 argument in form, the conclusion would be thus : — -Bread 
 and wine are earth ; but flesh and blood are earth also ; 
 therefore bread and wine sure flesh and blood. In the same 
 manner, and with equal propriety we m.ay say, showing an 
 acorn, this is an oah; so that if from our statement we 
 draw the inference that the oah, with its trunk, all its 
 branches, and foliage, proceeds from the acorn, it will be 
 admitted in metaphorical language that the acorn is the 
 oak, with the same appearance of truth, proved by a syl- 
 lepsis, that bread and wine axe flesh and blood, But if the 
 oah be denied of the acorn, because the acorn is no more in 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 157 
 
 reality an oak, than an egg is a fowl, then the proposition, 
 physically speaking, cannot be maintained. Therefore, it 
 is evident that the real presence of the lody and blood of 
 Jesus Christ ia the Eucharist cannot be explained other- 
 wise, unless it is meant to be an inexplicable mystery : in 
 such a case it loses its power of persuasion, and cannot be 
 called a revealed truth. 
 
 2. Predestination and Reprobation, or in other words, 
 the purpose of God from Utemity, respecting the everlast- 
 ing happiness or misery of man for good or bad actions, 
 is anterior to the divine presence. 
 
 — If so, Jesus Christ could not prescribe any moral rule 
 for the conduct of men, since their actions are decreed 
 from Utemity. 
 
 3. Predestination and Reprobation depend on God's 
 will, without any regard to the merits or the demerits of 
 men. 
 
 — God, as a perfect Being, has but one will, his laws are 
 imprescriptiile and immutable; therefore, to ascribe to 
 TTiTn vacillating designs, touching His work of creation 
 would tend to destroy the perfection recognized in Him. 
 
 4. God endows those whom he has predestined with a 
 faith and a justice which cannot be lost (inadmissible), 
 whereby their sins cannot be attributed to them. 
 
 — God could not, as a supreme Being, establish any differ- 
 ence between His creatures, since all were made with the 
 same imperfect substance; therefore, as they are all 
 naturally peccable, they cannot be accountable for their 
 moral errors. 
 
 5. No man, however just he may be, is capable of any 
 good action owing to his original sin. 
 
 — This implies evidently that, since man is originally 
 
158 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 deprived of the attributes of perfection, he cannot be 
 exempt from falling into error; therefore, it would be 
 unjust to attribute sins to him which he holds from the 
 depravity of the nature assigned to him by the Creator. 
 The only errors for which man is accountable are social, 
 and not divine. 
 
 6. Men are absolved by faith alone, in virtue of which 
 good actions and sacraments are useless. 
 — Therefore, whatever the actions of man may be, he is 
 justified if he has faith, and this assent of the mind dispenses 
 him from any religious worship, or ritual ordinance. But 
 faith in what or in whom ? Is it in God, Christ, or any 
 other particular creed ? If it be in God, everbody is 
 saved, since the faith in Him is universal ; but if it be in 
 Christ, or in any other accepted divinity, those only are 
 exempt from perdition who trust in the truths of their 
 own religion, and the others lost ; seeing that everybody is 
 not a Christian or a Mahometan. 
 
 Let us conclude this theological expose by saying that, 
 with the exception of the first article, which the Calvinists 
 or Protestants still maintain in its entirety, the others have 
 been modified. 
 
 Nevertheless, modified or not, I do not believe that the 
 Reformists' opinions, however contradictory they may have 
 appeared to their intolerant opponents, deserved all the 
 odium, to say nothing harsher, which they incurred from 
 the Roman Catholics under the crafty rule of that insidious 
 Catherine of Medici. Tolerance ought to be the funda- 
 mental principle of all religions, seeing that their aspira- 
 tions are invariably the same, and inasmuch as no dogma 
 is absolutely entitled to celestial eligibility. If God had 
 determined that the world should have been governed by 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 159 
 
 a sole mode of adoration, He would have done so ; but since 
 he did not carry into effect that universal law, it is evi- 
 dent that such a design was either impracticable, or be- 
 cause He desired to leave His creatures free to use their 
 own judgment on this matter. Therefore, as all religions 
 are formal ceremonies of this world, all men are at liberty 
 to choose such Gredenda as are consistent with their own 
 views, and nobody ought to be cried down or persecuted 
 for the mere reason that he does not agree with his adver- 
 saries. Let us resume our subject. 
 
 After N ecker left the banking-house, where he had been 
 placed by his father at the age of fifteen, he established a 
 bank in partnership with Thelusson, and soon acquired, as 
 a financier, the highest repute in Europe. Very well ac- 
 quainted with civil law, skilled accountant, prudent ad- 
 ministrator, clear-headed, amiable, courteous, and honest ; 
 all his financial operations were successful ; and, although 
 a horrible Galvinist, everybody, even the Catholics, had 
 implicit confidence in him. The reason is obvious ; For- 
 tune is the first Deity of the world. Be rich, O reader, 
 and all doors will fly open to you. 
 
 In October, 1776, two years before the war of Indepen- 
 dence in America, which proved politically so favourable to 
 England, and so disastrous to France, Necker was requested 
 by the king to help him in his financial difficulties, and, 
 the offer being accepted, he was, consequently, appointed 
 Comptroller- General of the royal treasury ; but, as a Pro- 
 testant, his admission into the council was refused. Yet, 
 notwithstanding that absurd and gross injustice, despite the 
 apathy of the king, indifferent to the shabby insinuations 
 of Maurepas who intrigued against him with Marie Antoi- 
 nette's courtiers, and not discouraged by the great national 
 
160 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 embarrassments with whicli lie had to deal, he discharged 
 his ministerial functions with dignity, honour, and success. 
 France, as the reader already knows, was, at the time 
 here alluded to, in the most dilapidated state. Tet, 
 Necker had to equip a fleet, provide for the heavy charges 
 entailed by the American war, and supply vast sums of 
 money to the king, for the maintenance of the enormous 
 host of officers and attendants of every description with 
 whom the royal household was densely crowded. By in- 
 cessant work and zeal he overcame all the difficulties. 
 Some historians insinuate that Necker was impelled to 
 action by an excess of vainglory. That may be ; but who 
 is the man on earth that is not more or less vainglorious, 
 especially when he performs great deeds ? But, granting 
 that vainglory is a mark of littleness of mind, such a 
 sentiment, however condemnable it may be when unsup- 
 ported by any good quality, becomes a great virtue when 
 it tends to the general good of mankind. Descartes said 
 that glory is the result of joy caused by praise (la joie 
 causee par la louange.) It is, therefore, evident that glory 
 itself is nothing but a homage paid to vanity ; yet such a 
 homage is a reverential regard which everybody accepts 
 willingly as a manifestation of his merits, and cannot be 
 dispensed with, or we should not know the difference that 
 exists between commendation and blame. The Deity even 
 does not refuse it — " Gloria in excelsis." I, therefore, say 
 with Le Franc : " La Gloire n'est jamais oil la vertu n'est 
 pas." (Glory is never where virtue is not.) 
 
 In 1781, whether with the intention to render himself 
 popular, or to exonerate himself from blame, in case of 
 some forthcoming event with which the political horizon 
 was teeming, Necker published his famous Oorryptes rendus 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 161 
 
 of the finances, whioli was received -with, immense applause 
 by the public; but caused such an outburst of surprise 
 ajid dissatisfaction at Court, that, unable to resist the 
 machinations of Maurepas, and the clamour of the xoj^l 
 entourage, he was compelled to resign his post on the 21st 
 of May, 1781, and retired to his country seat of Saint- 
 Ouen, where he was visited by the highest personages of 
 all countries, and received flattering letters from Joseph 
 II., king of the Komans, and Catherine II., empress of 
 Russia. 
 
 A few months after his retirement from office, Maurepas 
 died, and it will not be without some interest to the 
 reader, to record here that the greatest iadependent writers 
 of the time, — Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau — died 
 in. the same year that America, and, soon after, France de- 
 clared their independence. Thus two liberal men, who 
 had so much contributed to the emancipation of their 
 country from the shackles of despotism, passed from, this 
 world at the moment when Liberty was proclaimed — 1788 ! 
 Glory to those who work for the good of mankind ! 
 
 After the fall of Brienne, on the 25th of August, 1788, 
 Necker was recalled, and his return to power was hailed 
 with acclamations of joy, but it was too late ; the treasury 
 was exhausted, and the nation verging to its ruin through 
 mismanagement, prodigality and court intrigues. In pre- 
 sence of such a state of things, what is to be done ? The 
 king's influence and power were on their decline, liberal 
 ideas were gaining ground at every step, a thorough reform 
 was greatly needed, and could not be avoided, Paris and 
 the Provinces were in a ferment, the people, tired with 
 a despotic and weak regime which had reduced them to 
 utter misery and desperation, were willing to accept any 
 
162 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 form of government, provided that they might be released 
 from their sad existence. Thus, Necker, foreseeing that 
 the revolutionary flood was rapidly surging, in order to 
 save the Sovereign and his reputation, following the wish 
 of the nation, convoked the States General, and favoured 
 the double representation of the Tiers-Etat (Third Estate, 
 or people). But, although he was allowed to resort to 
 these extreme expedients, as soon as he opposed the mea- 
 sures taken by the king to resist the revolution by force 
 of arms, his conduct being misconstrued, and perhaps 
 defamed at court, he, consequently, was ordered to leave 
 the country within twenty -four hours, July 11, 1789. 
 
 No sooner was the news of Necker's removal from office 
 known than all Paris was set in a blaze, and the popular 
 movement was so rapid and impetuous that in a few hours 
 the Bastille was stormed and razed to the ground, July 
 14, 1789. 
 
 Camille Desmoulins, a young popular orator, was the 
 originator of the spark whence burst forth the dreadful 
 conflagration in the midst of which so many innocent 
 victims and himself were doomed to find an untimely 
 death. On being informed of what had happened, the 
 king, seized with terror and pressed by his court-familiars, 
 hastened to recall once more Necker, whose return was 
 the cause of great rejoicings. But he soon lost his popu- 
 larity, for having opposed some decrees of the Assembly. 
 He had the weakness to believe himself indispensable, and 
 forgot that public opinion is a capricious mistress who 
 worships what she has despised, and despises what she has 
 worshipped. So, seeing that his efiorts were no more ap- 
 preciated, neither by the Sovereign whom he had served 
 faithfully in all the most critical circumstances, nor by 
 
FRENCH KETOLUTION. 163 
 
 the Assembly over whicli lie had possessed a great ascen- 
 dency, nor countenanced \>j the nation to which he had 
 sacrificed his talents and repose, he resigned, and, on the 
 4th of September, 1790, he left Paris for ever. He died 
 at Copet, in 1804. 
 
 As we have already said above, Necker was neither a 
 savant, nor a Statesman ; but as a financier, History and 
 France owe him a debt of gratitude. — The eminent writer, 
 Madame de Stael, was his daughter. 
 
164 EPrSOBES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 LAWS OF CAUSATION. — THEIE INFLUENCE ON MAN'S DBSTINT. 
 
 Before proceeding with, the subject-matter of this work, 
 it is my purpose, in the present chapter, to investigate as 
 briefly as possible the laws of nature, so as to be able to 
 judge as far as my knowledge extends, whether man is 
 absolutely a free agent, or whether his will is m.0Ted by a 
 power which exercises its universal influence on all exist- 
 ing beings, according as they are originally constituted. 
 This metaphysical inquiry, though deviating from the 
 .general topic, is, however, so connected with all the actions 
 which. afEect in a high degree the destiny of men and na- 
 tions, that its examination will not be unmomentous, more 
 especially if we bear in mind that all our notions of good 
 and evil are involved in it. 
 
 The belief that whatever happens in the universe, as 
 regards the natural operation both of the physical and of 
 tbe intellectual world, is the consequence of a concatena- 
 tion of causes and effects acting upon one another as cir- 
 cumstances develop or modify them, does not leave any 
 doubt in the minds of those philosophers who have studied 
 attentively creation in all its aspects ; but whether they 
 are the work of a predetermined design, or the result of 
 accident, it is not generally proved. My object, be it un- 
 derstood, is not to prove or disprove the difference of 
 ■opinions existing between Dogmatists and Atheists touching 
 
FEENCH EETOLUTION. 165 
 
 the existence of God and His designs about man's ultimate 
 ■end, because these two doctrines are so extravagantly in 
 opposition to each other, that no argument could ever be 
 -able to conciliate them. But, whatever their extreme 
 views may be, my humble impression is that the existence 
 of a Force which binds all facts and causes together cannot 
 be denied. 
 
 Nobody, I suppose, would venture to refute that a thing 
 vasbj be in effect, without being what it really is in cause ; 
 because, were it otherwise — according to those who main- 
 tain that creation and all the events consequent to it are the 
 work of blind hazard — the seed intended to produce a rose- 
 tree might indifferently give birth to a thistle or to an 
 ■elephant. However, such is not the case ; seeing that it is 
 incontestably proved that every germ, whatever it be, in- 
 cludes in itself all the attributes that will characterise the 
 embryo in its development ; and this combination cannot 
 -be obtained without prevision. 
 
 Let us admit, for one moment, the atomic doctrine ; it 
 will nevertheless be evident that the atoms could not have 
 been moved towards one another, without being solicited 
 by some internal or external power; in both cases they 
 must either be the first cause, or the effects of that cause. 
 Thus, if they are the first cause, they cannot have exerted 
 themselves into power, without an act of volition, and, as 
 •will implies preference, they must therefore, have made a 
 choice of what they determined to do before they acted. 
 If, on the contrary, they are the effects of an external cause 
 {he power that moved them into action cannot have done 
 so, without having likewise a will, and, consequently, a 
 iore-kuowledge of its design. 
 
 Would it not be strange and very perplexing if, by a 
 
166 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 caprice of hazard, the com sown by a husbandman in his 
 field were to produce snakes instead of ears of wheat, or if 
 a ewe, instead of a lamb, brought forth a wolf by which 
 she would directly be devoured ? This may pass for a 
 pleasantry, as fortunately it is, because, were it otherwise, 
 nobody can tell how Hazard might have arranged things 
 in this world. It is true that the atomists admit the 
 homogeneity of the elementary germs, but they deny that 
 their evolutions are the result of a pre-ordained combina- 
 tion ; they are, they say, what they have always been, and 
 will be, the constituent parts of the universe ; which, en- 
 dowed with gravity and motion, always tend to each other 
 ■without any fixed design. But, I do not hesitate to say, 
 that this theory is not consistent with the uniformity re- 
 sulting from the atomical generation ; nor is it compatible 
 with the great harmony witnessed everywhere and in 
 everything. The regularity of the seasons, the concord 
 which exists between the innumerable celestial bodies 
 revolving in the space, without ever running one against 
 the other ; the reproduction of species, whether in the 
 zoological or the botanical world ; the equilibration ob- 
 served in the great variety of nature's motions, ought to 
 convince the most stubborn adept of scepticism, that the 
 world is governed by a general law, and not by aajprice. 
 
 For example, a watchmaker, before executing a time- 
 piece, combines all the parts of the mechanism intended to 
 produce the effects desired, so that, when finished, the har- 
 mony between the wheels, the pinions, the mainspring, the 
 pendulum, &c., will be so calculated as to correspond 
 exactly to the preconceived design of the artizan ; if such 
 ** precautions were not taken, his hopes would certainly be 
 frustrated, and confusion would ensue from his work. 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 167 
 
 Now, if to construct sucli an insignificant macliine, com- 
 pared ■with the work of creation, so innch care is needed 
 in order to obtain regularity, is it not absurd to deny the 
 same foresight to the Universal Fabricator ? 
 
 What ! the watchmaker will positively know lefore and 
 after the construction of his instrument, that, by virtue of 
 his mechanism, all the effects he desires to produce will be 
 determined in accordance with his motive, and the world 
 should have been made, without any predetermination as 
 to the effects that would result from the action of the 
 original cause, whatever it may be ? What a paradox ! 
 How can anybody, endowed with any idea of the laws of 
 causation, conceive that a cause may act so blindly as not 
 to know the effect it has to produce ? Must we understand 
 that the movement of the Earth around the Sun, and that 
 of the Moon around the Earth are accomplished without 
 any established laws ? I wish the reader to understand 
 that I do not speak here of those effects resulting from the 
 action of inert bodies ; such as the fall of a tile from a roof, 
 or the conflagration produced by a spark, because these are 
 but secondary causes, which would remain inefficient for 
 ever were they not moved into action by some organized 
 agent. 
 
 It is true that some persons may object that a cat, or a 
 bird, which are both animals, may move a tile from a roof, 
 without knowing the effect it will produce by its fall ; in 
 the same manner as a house, or a town may be set on fire 
 by an ignited particle emitted from a blazing brand thrown 
 in the air, without any intended design. But these and 
 others of the same kind cannot be called really causes; 
 because no agent can be called a cause which is not con- 
 scious of its effects ; although I admit that they enter into 
 
 N 
 
168 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 the combination of the laws of causation as iadispensable 
 links of the great chain, in virtue of which the whole uni- 
 verse is moved. Moreover, such is in my mind, the Force 
 which binds all antecedents and consequents together, that 
 not a particle is put in motion, without affecting more or 
 less the system to which it belongs. 
 
 It is incontestably the tendency which all bodies have 
 to attract or repel one another, according as they harmo- 
 nize, that constitutes the law of the Great Universal Cause. 
 Without this harmony, the physical relation existing be- 
 tween them (bodies) would be destroyed, and the world 
 would not be what it is ; perhaps it might be something 
 different from what we imagiae. 
 
 "So plastic nature working to this end ; 
 The single atoms each to other tend. 
 Attract, attracted to, the next in place, 
 Form'd and impell'd its neighbour to embrace." — Pope. 
 But in order to prove that all particular occurrences are 
 necessary consequences of secondary causes produced by a 
 General Cause, which, owing to its great distance from us, 
 escapes our investigation, let us suppose the following 
 possible incident. 
 
 A man is soundly asleep in his bed ; a clap of thunder 
 awakes him ; he listens and hears a noise in the house ; he 
 gets up, opens the door of his room, and finds himself face 
 to face with a robber, who, surprised at the sudden collision, 
 runs away pursued by his opposer, rushes to the street- 
 door, through which he had broken into the house, and is 
 on the point of bolting out ; when, to his great horror, he 
 finds himself clasped in the iron arms of a policeman, who, 
 having heard the screams of the alarmed man, is in the 
 act of entering the house at the same moment that the 
 robber is leaving it. 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 169 
 
 Now, who does not see that here both the physical and 
 the moral causes are all determined one by the other, and 
 so inseparably linked together, that one conld not occur 
 without the other taking place ? Is there anybody capa- 
 ble of logical reasoning who would attribute such a chain 
 of circumstances to the concurrence of fortuitous events ? 
 They may appear so to those Who are accustomed to judge 
 facts merely by their results ; but the intelligent observer 
 goes further ; he knows very well that no event can happen 
 without being determined by a sufficient reason, quite in 
 the same manner as there is a reason why all the celestial 
 bodies of our planetary system tend towards the sun, at 
 the same time that they attract one another. " It is ne- 
 cessary," says South, " in such chain of causes to ascend 
 to and terminate in some first, which should be the o'rigi- 
 nal of motion, and the cause of all other things, but itself 
 be caused by none." 
 
 It is evident that if, by a progressional chain of reason- 
 ing, we proceed from particulars to generals, and from 
 these to others more remote, as far as the human intellect 
 can reach, we shall thus gradually arrive at what we be- 
 lieve to be that Principal Cause, from which all other 
 causes and effects emanate ; but whether the point which 
 terminates the chain of our ascension be really the firsts 
 it is doubtful; because, our notions being limited, we 
 cannot understand the Infinite. 
 
 But, to explain more clearly what I wish to convey, 
 let us suppose 1 to be the first power of any number, say 
 100 ; it is obvious that the hundred parts of this numerical 
 expression are not only all generated by the unit multiplied 
 a hundred times, but all the numbers that compose it are 
 so much effected by it, that they would lose their actual 
 
 n2 
 
170 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 power if 1 did not cause them to he what they really 
 represent ; because if yon destroy 1 yon cannot reckon 2, 
 and so on with the other numbers ; therefore 1 is to any 
 quantity, what the principal cause is to its effects — it is the 
 chief link which forms the great chain, and cannot be ex- 
 cluded without annihilating the whole system. 
 
 On the other hand, although 1 is here admitted as the 
 principal power from which the other quantities proceed, 
 yet, this admission must not be accepted in an absolute 
 sense ; because, however infinitesimal a unit may be, it is 
 so susceptible of divisions as to escape human investigation ; 
 and thus it is with the first cause of the universe ; it will 
 never be possible for us to penetrate the mystery in which 
 it is involved. 
 
 Locke says : " Cause is a substance exerting its power 
 into act to make anything begin to be." This is no doubt 
 a very ingenious subtlety, but as power implies will, I 
 do not understand how a thing which is not can possibly 
 say, I will he. Then Locke's postulate gives rise to 
 another question, which is this : Substance means real ex- 
 ixtence, therefore it is absurd to say that a thing which is 
 actually in being, should exert itself to be what it already 
 is. Much more could be said on this important subject, 
 but something must be left for the reader, or else he 
 would never think ; consequently, I shall confine myself 
 to say that the human mind is to the principal cause of 
 creation, what the asymptote is to a curve ; though ex- 
 tended infinitely, it will never meet it. Besides, as my 
 main object in this enquiry is simply to prove that all 
 facts, whether physical or moral, belong to the same chain, 
 what I have said will be sufficient to justify what wUI 
 be expounded hereafter. 
 
FRENCH BBTOLUTION. 171 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVI. 
 
 CAMILLE DBSMOULINS. — HIS BIETH AND EDUCATION. — HIS 
 CHAEACTER. — HIS FIKST APPIAEANCE ON THE POLITICAL 
 STAGE. — HIS SUCCESS. 
 
 On the 12tli of July, 1789, as the reader is already 
 aware, Necker's dismissal and departure from Paris spread 
 through the city like wild- fire, and that incident was a 
 plausible pretext for the conspirators of the time to carry 
 their plots into efBect. In a short time, Paris was all in 
 confusion, and crowds of desperate people, ready for any- 
 thing but good, assembled wherever there was sufficient 
 space to contain them. The quadrangle of the Palais- 
 Koyal became the central point where more than ten thou- 
 sand demagogues of all classes and of various nations con- 
 verged in a few hours. There, in the midst of that living 
 mass of infuriated beings, a daring young man of about 27 
 years of age, already known to the public for having 
 often addressed the mob in the public squares, jumped on 
 a table, pistol in hand, shouting enthusiastically : " To 
 arms, citizens, the banishment of Necker is the knell of 
 another St. Bartholomew ; in a few hours all the patriots 
 will be massacred ! There is no time to lose ; to arms ! " 
 
 That speaker was Camille Desmoulins. It does not 
 enter into my plan to describe here the political career o£ 
 this revolutionary leader ; it will be given hereafter, my 
 object being in this instance to show, as a corollary of 
 
172 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 ■what tas been premised above, tbat man, althougi. inorally 
 a free agent, is nevertbeless inflnenced by the great law of 
 causation, according as he is physically constituted, and 
 finds himself in contact with circumstances. 
 
 Camille Desmoulins was born at Guise, in Picardy, in 
 1762, and after leaving the College of Louis le Grand, 
 where he was a fellow-student with Robespierre, he be- 
 came an advocate at Paris. There he made the acquaint- 
 ance of all the republican reformers of the time ; amongst 
 whom he soon distinguished himself as a witty orator, and 
 the editor of the Vieiox Gordelier. He followed with 
 great energy, presence of mind, and cunning, all the 
 movements of the revolution ; and it was he who hastened 
 its occurrence. As soon as his credit grew in importance 
 and that his influence became considerable, he then, be- 
 lieving himself indispensable to Prance, and to the Re- 
 public, seceded from all parties, and made it his constaiit 
 study to degrade their leaders one after the other. He was 
 one of the first to open the doors of Liberty to the Revo- 
 lution ; who led the rebels to the Bastille, and atrocities 
 were committed in his name and in that of his friend 
 Danton. He caused the downfall of the monarchy, co- 
 operated in the utter ruin of the royal family, and prided 
 himself in having contributed to the destruction of the 
 Girondists. He then turned his shafts against the Jaco- 
 bins ; he conspired against the Herbetists ; he tried to 
 abolish the revolutionary and dictatorial regime : Herbert, 
 Clootz, Saint-Just, CoUot-d'Herbois, Barrere, Billand- 
 Varennes, Robespierre, and others of the same stamp, all 
 were attacked successively by this restless Machiavel ; till 
 at last, his intrigues being discovered, he was arrested 
 with his friend Danton, and both sent to the Conciergeiie 
 
FRENCH EBTOLUTION. 173 
 
 in awaiting their final judgment ; as we shall see in the 
 following chapter. 
 
 Camille Desmoulins is represented as having a gentle 
 and tender heart, but these qualities, which generally are 
 the factors of all the other attributes of man, were in direct 
 opposition to the physical expression of his countenance, 
 and especially to his moral actions. If he had had a ten- 
 der heart, he could never have been cruel. He was intel- 
 ligent, austere, sarcastic, very excitable, violent, ambitious, 
 vain, selfish and implacable ; such a subject was inevitably 
 destined to plunge into all the perils of venturesome en- 
 terprises. Nature had stamped him with all the essential 
 springs intended to move his ardent passions, and by which 
 he could not avoid being misled, in whichever state or con- 
 dition he might have been. 
 
 Had he not been involved in and carried away by the 
 storm of the revolution, which he conjured up with so, 
 much pertinacity, he would have fallen into another preci- 
 pice in the pursuits of his legal profession ; because I 
 firmly believe that if man does not modify his actions in 
 accordance with the great principle of Society, he will 
 always be the victim of his natural inclination. 
 
 Be that as it may, if the reader will bring together and 
 compare Camille's natural tendency with the chain of 
 events through which he passed, I venture to say that his 
 time will not be lost, chiefly if he bear in mind that as w^ 
 have been made by nature, so we must adapt ourselves to 
 the general current of circumstances. 
 
174 EPISODES OE THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVII. 
 
 COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY. HEEBETISTS AND DANTONISTS. 
 
 EEIGN OF TEEEOB. 
 
 O sight 
 Of terror, foul and ugly to behold. 
 Horrid to think, how horrible to feel ! — Milton 
 
 The period of tlie Frencli Revolution, from the lOtli of 
 October, 1793, to the 28th of July, 1794, was termed the 
 Reign of Terror, owing to the wholesale slaughter of all — 
 men, women, old and young, guilty or innocent — ^who were 
 suspected of being hostile to the authority of the Revo- 
 lutionary Government. It assumed this terrible form on 
 the 10th of October, as said above, and its magnitude 
 reached such a degree of intensity as to render Trance 
 hateful, life a burden, and death a relief. After the fall 
 of the Girondins, which, as the reader is aware, happened 
 on the 31st of October of the same year, its power became 
 unlimited, and its rule most tyrannical. 
 
 Before its proclamation, France had no legal govern- 
 ment; everybody commanded, nobody governed ; confusion 
 and disorder reigned everywhere. After its establishment, 
 power, it is true, was concentrated in the hands of a 
 governing Body, but it had no sooner been created than 
 the malignant Hydra that gave it birth transformed it 
 into three furious Heads adverse to each other, and des- 
 tined to devour one another. These were the Herbetists 
 
PfiENCH KBVOLUTION. 175 
 
 and the Dantonists, between wlioin the Gommittee of 
 Puhlic Safety was supreme. The first of these three 
 conspiring powers — the most turbulent of all — had for its 
 leaders Herbert, Chaumette, Yincent, Ronsin, Momoro, 
 and Clootz. Their journal, a low inflammatory paper, 
 styled " Le Pfere Dnchfene," was written in the most viru- 
 lent language, its object being to inspire terror, with a 
 view to intimidate and subject the masses to their rule. 
 Their religion was Atheism, and their divinity the Goddess 
 of Season, which they had placed on the altar of Notre- 
 Dame for public worship. 
 
 After their departure from established principles, to be 
 consistent with their apostasy, they, therefore, propbsed 
 and concurred with the other demagogues to change the 
 names of the months and the days of the year. Their 
 intention was to fashion both human nature and social 
 laws in accordance with their sophistical notions. The 
 computation of their new era dated from the 22nd of 
 September, 1792, and began on the 11th of September, as 
 ioUows : — Vendemiaire, Brumaire, Frimaire, for the au- 
 tumn ; Nivose, Plumose, Yentose, for the winter ; Germinal, 
 Floreal, Prairial, for the spring ; Messidor, Therm,idor, 
 Fruetidor, for the summer. The months were divided 
 into three weeks of ten days, called decades, and the days 
 into ten hours of one hundred minutes each. They were 
 named Primidi, Buodi, Tridi, Quartidi, Quintidi, Sextidi, 
 Septidi, Octidi, Nonidi, Becadi ; making altogether 360 
 days. To these were added five other days called Sans- 
 Gulotides, completing thus the Gregorian year of 365 days ; 
 and were passed in festivals. The first was dedicated to 
 Genius, the second to Labour, the third to Actions, the 
 fourth to Rewards, and the fifth to Opinion. This repub- 
 
176 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 lioan calendar was abolished by Napoleon in 1806, and thq- 
 ordinary one restored. 
 
 The leaders of the second faction were Danton, Camille- 
 Desmoulias, Fabre d'Eglantine, Lacroix, and Chabot. The- 
 Yieux Cordelier was their political medium of publication ; 
 Danton and Camille edited it. , These men, after having 
 plunged, like all other revolutionists, into the atrocious 
 primes that were perpetrated in France during that hor- 
 rible period, now proclaimed themselves Les Indulgents,. 
 the apostles of faith, peace, and moderation ; not because 
 they believed in the doctrine of their propaganda, but with 
 a view to alienate the nation from the Herbetists and the 
 Committee of Public Safety, so as to remain masters of the 
 situation. Seemingly indignant at the irreligious and 
 tyrannical rules of their associates, they assumed the weTi, 
 known part of wolves in sheep's clothing ; and such is man's 
 credulity that, from pessimists that they were, everybody 
 believed them to be the most innocent optimists of the 
 day. tempora ! mores ! 
 
 The principal leaders of the third faction were Robes- 
 pierre, Saint-Just, Couthon, Collot d'Herbois, Barrere, 
 Billaud-Varennes, &c. It was in the hands of these men 
 that France placed the dictatorial power; they disposed 
 of Frenchmen's liberties and lives according as their poli- 
 tical system was adhered to, or criticized ; and woe to, 
 those who did not support their exaggerated measures, 
 and flatter their extravagant passions. 
 
 Of these three parties, the Herbetists, though the most 
 powerful leaders of the Commune, soon lost their credit 
 and influence, owing to the violence of their opinions. 
 When men attempt to demolish in one day what has been 
 built by Society in the course of many generations, they 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 177 
 
 cannot fail to be involved in tlie rains of tlie national struc- 
 ture. It is very easy to destroy, but very difficult to 
 construct, let us not, therefore, pull down what cannot be 
 replaced with advantage. In all things we ought to be 
 guided by reason, and not by caprice, especially when we 
 are called upon to govern ; in this case public opinion 
 must be the thermometer of our Judgment. 
 
 There is not a single instance in the history of the 
 world where absolutisni, whether individual or collective, 
 has ever been successful : tyrants are always the victims, 
 of their despotism ; because, blinded by their own passions, 
 they believe themselves the central point toward which 
 the people under their rule must gravitate in a passive man- 
 ner. A man may easily overpower a child and trample 
 him under foot, but a time comes when the tender youth 
 grows up to manhood, and that is the hour of retaliation. 
 So it is with nations ; they may be fascinated or subdued 
 by some inexplicable influence, but when the conspiring; 
 charm is dispelled, the power that conjured it up is at an 
 end. 
 
 Creation makes no difference between one man and 
 another, the sole line of demarcation between them being 
 the social position that merit bestows ; but such an advan- 
 tage must be used to protect and assist, and not to debasa 
 and oppress. This is what the Herbetists did not under- 
 stand ; consequently they were forsaken, and their isolation 
 announced their downfall. 
 
 The Dantonists were the most intelligent of all, and, as 
 already said, apparently the most moderate ; but they were 
 neither good politicians, nor discreet. They conceived the- 
 machiavelian idea of making use of the Committee of 
 Public Safety of impeaching the Herbetists, by denouncing. 
 
178 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 them as anarchists and atheists ; whose aim was to favour 
 foreign designs, and the overthrow of the republic. With 
 this object in viiew, Camille Desmoulins did not cease to 
 attack them vehemently in his Vieux Cordelier, pointing 
 them out to public attention as the abject abettors of 
 tyranny ; at the same time, to give more force to his accu- 
 sations and hide his ambidexterous policy, he urgently 
 recommended the government to adopt measures of mode- 
 ration and of justice in favour of their oppressed fellow- 
 citizens. The subtle insinuations of Camille and of his 
 friends against the Herbetists produced at last the desired 
 efEect. Herbert, Ronsin Momoro, Vincent, and some others, 
 nineteen in number, were arrested, accused of incendiarism, 
 extortion, atheism,, and of being the paid agents of foreign 
 powers, with a view to favour the invasion of France and 
 effect the overthrow of the republic ; and on the 24th of 
 March, 1794, they were all sent in a cart to the place of 
 execution, where they suffered death amidst the vocifera- 
 tions of the populace, and the hisses of the lawless rabble. 
 
 These men were no doubt implacable agitators, but it is 
 always sad to see our fellow creatures, however politically 
 guilty they be, sacrificed to the ambition of dark projec- 
 tors ; although it must be acknowledged, that there are 
 moments in social convulsions when some examples are 
 necessary, not only for the security of governments, but 
 also to satisfy public opinion. 
 
 In this instance, for example, it is evident that the sub- 
 versive ideas which the Herbetists spread and enforced in 
 France ; the misuse they made of the power intrusted to 
 them, their fraudulent dealings, their secret intelligence 
 with foreign agents, their conspiracy against the Danton- 
 ists and the Committee of Public Safety; in short, all 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 179' 
 
 their acts, 1)0*11 as private individuals and members of the 
 government, justified, as it were, the awful penalty t& 
 which they were subjected. 
 
 If the Dantonists had been satisfied with such a sacrifice,, 
 it is very probable that further horrors might have been 
 spared ; the revolution would have ended. Prance would 
 have recovered from her past disasters, the republican 
 government firmly established; and they with their friends,, 
 who lost their heads on the guillotine, would have sur- 
 vived to see the nation forget their past crimes, only to 
 admire their patriotism, and honour their virtues. But 
 Danton and Camille were not moved either by sentiments 
 of moderation or religious motives ; their real object was 
 to get rid of whoever was an obstruction to their ambitious 
 designs. But, let us admit, for the sake of argument, that 
 they had succeeded in carrying out their machinations, it 
 is doubted whether they would have remained long 
 united. 
 
 Danton was the acknowledged leader, thus it is not. 
 likely that he would have given way to Camille's presump- 
 tiousness ; and, consequently, these two men, friendly as 
 they were, would sooner or later have conspired one against 
 the other, and from their conflict might have arisen greater 
 complications. 
 
 Things, however, turned out differently. Robespierre 
 and his friends, who were then most powerful, kept a 
 watchful eye on the Dantonists' secret practices ; and, as 
 soon as the first favourable opportunity afforded them a 
 pretext to found their suspicions on some plausible ground, 
 they had them arrested in the night between the 29th and 
 30th of March, and conveyed to the Luxembourg, in 
 awaiting their judgment. 
 
180 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Tlie prisoners were Danton, Oamille Desmoulins, Lacroix, 
 Herault de Seclielles, Philipeaux, Cliabot, Delaunay; 
 Bazire, Fabre-D'Eglantine, Chabot's two brothers-in- 
 law, Emmanuel Frey, D'Espagnac, Westerman, and two 
 friends of tbe accused, both of them foreigners — Guzman, 
 a Spaniard, and Diedericbs, a Dane. The first five were 
 accused of conspiracy against the government, the four 
 following of forgery, and the others of having taken an 
 active part in the plots of Danton and Camille Des- 
 moulins. 
 
 The trial was most distressing, perfidiously coloured by 
 Saint-Just's pen, and hardly long enough to allow the 
 accused time to justify themselves. It is probable that 
 the doom of the prisoners had been sealed long before 
 in the infernal office of the PubKc Accuser, Fouquier- 
 Tinville. 
 
 How horrible is Power when reason and justice are 
 banished from its heart ! how lamentable is Merit when, 
 divested of its prestige and influence, it is reduced to the 
 mercy of those who have no other superiority over it but 
 that given by accident ! Where is thy pride, man ; 
 where is thy authority ! a turn of Fortune's wheel, and 
 thou art prostrate at the feet of him whom once thou be- 
 lievedst unworthy of thy attention. Power, multiform 
 Proteus ! how inconstant art thou ! But what is Power ? 
 — Power is justice in the breast of the righteous ; it is op- 
 pression in the heait of the wicked. . . . . 
 
 The prisoners' demeanour before the revolutionary tri- 
 bunal was scornful and audacious ; that of the judges base 
 and cowardly. " Nous sommes sacrifife," cried out dis- 
 dainfully Danton with his stentorian voice, " a I'ambition 
 de quelques mis6rables ; mais ils ne jouiront pas long-temps 
 
FEBNCH EEVOLUTIOW. 181 
 
 du fruit de leur victoire criminelle. J'entraine Robes- 
 pierre apres moi — Robespierre me suivra." (We are sa- 
 crificed to the ambition of a few miscreants, but they will 
 not long enjoy the benefit of their criminal victory. I 
 •draw Robespierre after me — ^Robespierre will follow me.) 
 
 These ominous words, which filled the tribunal with 
 horror, and made Robespierre shudder, were they a pro- 
 phecy, or the revelation of a plot hatched in the dark ? 
 Whether right or wrong, Danton was suspected of being 
 connected with many personages attached to the late royal 
 family, as we shall see hereafter. The fatal sentence of 
 death being pronounced, they were hurriedly taken away 
 in the horrible cart to the place of execution. Camille, 
 greatly surprised at his condemnation, tore his shirt with 
 violence, leaving thus his breast bare." " Voici done," 
 said he to the people around him, " le prix deceme aux 
 ap6tres de laliberte!" (This is then the prize awarded 
 to the apostles of liberty !) 
 
 On arriving at the foot of the guillotine, Danton moved 
 forward to embrace Herault de Sechelles, but the execu- 
 tioner interposed. " Quoi ! said he, es-tu done plus cruel 
 que la mort meme ? — Dans tons les cas tu ne pourras pas 
 empecher nos tfetes de s'embrasser au fond du panier." 
 (What ! art thou then more cruel than death itself ? Ah 
 any rate thou wilt not prevent our heads from embrac- 
 ing each other at the bottom of the basket.) They died 
 courageously, and thus finished the Dantonists, twelve days 
 after the Herbetists. Had they been more humane and 
 prudent, they might, probably, have enjoyed the reward 
 ■of their incontestable services to the revolution ; but, 
 blinded by their passions, they were carried away by the 
 fatal chain of events. 
 
182 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEE'XXVIII. 
 
 DANTON. — HIS POLITICAL CAEBEE. — HIS CHAEACTEE. — 
 HIS END. 
 
 After having given a short biograplucal sketch of 
 Camilla Desmoulins, and described as laconically as possi- 
 ble the struggle between the Herbetists and the Dantonists, 
 I am now going to bring before the reader one of the most- 
 singular characters that has ever been cast in the mould 
 of nature. In the last chapter on the laws of causation, I 
 have examined, as far as human reason can adduce, the 
 difEerent causes by which everything is moved in this- 
 world, and I arrived at the conclusion that man, although 
 a free agent, is nevertheless impelled, in spite of him, by 
 the current of his passions, according as his constituent 
 qualities are developed by circumstances. Camille Des- 
 moulins, who was given as an example in proof of the argu- 
 ment, cannot have failed to convince the intelligent reader 
 that every individual bears in him the stamp which decides 
 his destiny through life ; but the following subject will 
 render our investigation still more manifest. 
 
 Danton, Kke all men of circumstances, having risen from 
 obscurity to the highest eminence of political power, was 
 bom of respectable parents at Arcis-sur-Aube, in 1759. 
 He was a lawyer by profession, but, although like all 
 Sophists belonging to the Bar, he had acquired some skill 
 in the art of chicanery ; neither the bent of his mind, nor 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 183 
 
 his instniction, which he had greatly neglected hoth at 
 school and at home, qualified him for the legal vocation 
 which he had chosen, more to satisfy his vanity than by 
 inclination. He might have been a great tragedian, but 
 never a distinguished advocate. 
 
 Endowed with a strong ^constitution and a gigantic 
 frame, having a large head, harsh features, and a stento- 
 rian voice, all in him was colossal, coarse, and rustic ; yet 
 intelligent, subtle, humorous, and sociable. Nature had 
 made him a compound of vices and of good qualities ; but, 
 the former being predominant, it is by them that he was 
 led, and under them he succumbed. The habit he had 
 contracted from youth to frequent the political clubs of the 
 time, and address the masses, which he had the dexterity 
 to inflame or divert, according as it suited his policy, 
 made him sardonic, caustic, austere, and audacious. In- 
 toxicated by vanity, blinded by ambition, incensed by the 
 mob, adulated by sycophants, who revolved around him 
 like so many satellites around the sun ; feared rather than 
 esteemed, more amazing than admirable, more bold than, 
 brave, more eloquent than learned ; kis volcanic imagina- 
 tion was heated to such a degree as to believe himself 
 indispensable, and so he looked upon men as mere instru- 
 ments of his caprices. Such a man was a mystery, both 
 to others and to himself. 
 
 When sitting at the Convention, all eyes were turned 
 towards him, and such was the ascendency he had gained 
 over the assembly, that he very often raised tempests in 
 the House for the mere pleasure of appeasing them, no 
 less than to observe the impression he made and study 
 the character of his Colleagues. He was naturally and 
 .purposely turbulent, restless, and fond of excitements. 
 
 
 
184 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 As an instance of his mischievotis propensities, it is said 
 that during his trial, he, with a stoicism worthy of a better 
 life, amused himself by throwing small paper-pellets at 
 his Judges' faces, fearless of the irritation he produced, 
 and of the fatal consequences to which he exposed himself. 
 
 More intrepid than Robespierre, less witty and learned 
 than his friend, Camille-DesmouUns, he had acquired the 
 theatrical gesticulations and commanding phraseology of 
 Mirabeau, with the craftiness of Machiavelli. In his eyes 
 society and governments were mere things of circum- 
 stances, by which one has' to benefit at any cost, whatever 
 their forms and Institutions may be. 
 
 He served the Revolution, and he was not a democrat ; 
 he spoke of humanity and Justice, and he was a cruel 
 tyrant ; he defended the cause of the people, and he be- 
 trayed them ; he caused the fall and ruin of royalty, and 
 he was ready to sell himself to it ; he recommended mode- 
 ration, and he was a perturbator; in short, deprived of 
 political virtues, without any settled principles, unscrupu- 
 lous, faithless, and mercenary ; rich in stratagems, and 
 ready in execution, he did not flinch from any difficulty to 
 gaia his ends. — ^Mammon was his idol, Chance his god. 
 
 The following anecdote, which is related by M. Bonnet 
 in his work entitled, " L'Art de rendre les Revolutions 
 utiles," proves that what has been said about Danton is 
 not without some foundation : notwithstanding his show 
 of patriotism and sincerity, he was but an ignoble in- 
 triguer. 
 
 " Soon after the king, Louis XVI., was sent to the 
 Temple, Danton despatched a confidential emissary to 
 England with overtures for Louis' deliverance ; but they 
 were rejected. He, therefore, directed his agents to com- 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 185 
 
 municate his instructions to a nobleman, a great friend of 
 the king. The liberty of Louis was to be effected by de- 
 positing a certain sum of money, sufficient to secure the 
 votes of the majority in the assembly ; and that no part of 
 that money would be disposed of until the king was in 
 safety in neutral territory. This offer was likewise de- 
 clined, and so, Danton became an ardent republican." He 
 did what many other men do ; he despised what he could 
 not obtain. — Sic transit gloria rnvrndi. 
 
 At the moment when he was to be strapped on the fatal 
 bascTiIe, he commanded the executioner to show his head 
 to the people, sayiag that it was worth being seen. Directly 
 after he was beheaded, the headsman, in obedience to his 
 behest, exhibited the gory head, and the crowd saw it ; 
 but Danton was no more, and, therefore, he could not wit- 
 ness the result of his ghastly triumph. 
 
 Some historians have advanced that i£ Danton had not 
 contracted so many vices, he would have excelled by his 
 great qualities. But his vices were not contracted ; they 
 were a part of his nature, and without them he would not 
 have been Danton. He suffered death on the 5th of April, 
 1794. 
 
 2 
 
186 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 INCREASE OP TEEEOE. — ^VICES OP HUMAN NATURE. 
 
 We now arrive at that memorable period when France, 
 in the struggle of her agony, makes a last supreme effort 
 to deliver herself from the grasp of the spirit of destruction 
 under which she has been for many years gradually sink- 
 ing. Formidably assailed by all the foreign powers leagued 
 against her, partly impelled by a desire to stay the revo- 
 lutionary torrent that threatened to ingulf Europe in its 
 cataclysm, partly influenced by monarchical intrigues, with 
 a view to a royalist reaction ; terribly undermined by am- 
 bitious anarchists, torn by factions, oppressed, exhausted 
 by the incubus of despotism, cruelty, famine, and civil 
 wars ; she must either awake from her lethargic supine- 
 ness, or be blotted out of the map of Europe. The horrible 
 events that rapidly succeeded one another in the short 
 space of four years — ^from 1789 to 1794 — ^had not only 
 stricken with awe the French people, but the other Euro- 
 pean Nations also were so much terrified lest the conspiring 
 spark might spread amongst them, that such a frightful 
 complication must be put an end to, either from within, 
 or from without. 
 
 After the extermination of the Girondins, the Hebertists, 
 and the Dantonists — together with hundreds of thousands 
 of other victims immolated to passion, hatred, and ambition 
 — ^the Committee of Public Safety were freed from all the 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 187 
 
 enemies that checked their atrocious designs, and thwarted 
 the progress of their long career of crimes. Thus, having 
 nothing more to fear from home opponents, whereas the 
 army, under the command of able and patriotic generals, 
 were driving away France's foreign foes from her frontiers ; 
 the Decemvirs, with Robespierre at their head, in whose 
 hands all the powers were now centralized, decreed that 
 all societies and political clubs, the Jacobins excepted, be 
 dissolved at once ; and all persons belonging to them, or 
 attached to the late sacrificed parties, should submit to 
 their rule without a murmur, under penalty of death. 
 
 Meanwhile Saint-Just proposed and the Convention 
 voted with applause the expulsion from France of all the 
 nobles, the people suspected of being foreigners, and of a 
 great number of clergymen. It is impossible to describe 
 without a great sense of horror and odium the fatal conse- 
 quences that resulted from these measures, one more 
 tyrannical than the other. About five Jitmdred thousand 
 people of all classes and conditions were severed from their 
 homes, and expelled from the country without any means 
 of subsistence. The prisons were filled to excess with 
 honest citizens and Suspects ; towns and villages were de- 
 serted ; whole families extinct ; and carts full of victims 
 sent every day to the guillotine, among the number of 
 which we are grieved to record the young and lovely 
 wives of Hubert and Camille Desmoulins, who had com- 
 mitted no other crime than that of being faithfully attached 
 to their unfortunate husbands. 
 
 " One only power," says Alison, " now remained— 
 alone, terrible, irresistible. This was the power of Death, 
 wielded by a faction, steeled against every feeling of hu- 
 manity, dead to every principle of Justice ! In their 
 
188 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 iron hands order resumed its sway from the influence o£ 
 terror ; obedience became universal from the extinction of 
 hope. Silent and unresisted, they led their victims to the 
 scaffold, dreaded alike by the soldiers, who crouched, the 
 people, who trembled, and the victims, who suffered ! " 
 
 This impressive sketch of the reign of terror during the 
 four months following the fall of the Dantonists, does not 
 require any comment: it will be sufficient to say that 
 Robespierre, having now attained the apex of absolute 
 power, from cautious and timid as he had hitherto been, 
 he became bold and arrogant; his nature, so long re- 
 strained by the force of circumstances, got at last the 
 upper hand, and so, throwing off the mask behind which 
 he had hatched all his plots, he plunged blindly into all 
 the follies of which man is capable, when, dazzled by 
 success, forgets what he is, and what others are. 
 
 It is but too true that when men are favoured by pros- 
 perity, they generally lose their reason, and in those 
 moments of hallucination, they believe that they can do 
 all with impunity. According to them, people must play in 
 their hands like puppets moved by clock-work; every 
 thing must yield to their caprice; they will be served, 
 flattered and admired, not for their merits, but merely 
 because they are powerful; and, as the masses are easily 
 imposed upon, it so happens that their sophistry is often 
 mistaken for excellence of character. Fortnna is, indeed, 
 a great magician; under her enchanting shield vice is 
 transformed into virtue, weakness into power, folly into 
 reason, ignorance into knowledge; and men, allured by 
 her flattering display, worship her in whatever form she 
 presents herself. This wonderful Goddess can never 
 appear anywhere without producing a great sense of ad- 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 189 
 
 miration, and very few are they who are not proud to 
 kneel before her shrine, and inhale eagerly the fragrant 
 incense that Polly burns on her altar. Let us revert to 
 onr subject. 
 
 It is on such fallacious assumptions, as described above, 
 that the Committee of Public Safety established the 
 throne of their formidable power, and carried out their 
 system of iniquity nemine contradicente, loudly applauded 
 by the Convention, who, in a moment of delusion and 
 perhaps of fear, accepted them as the absolute rulers of 
 France's destinies. However, never men at the head of 
 any government had been less worthy of confidence than 
 those bloodthirsty tyrants. But they had conquered, and 
 as conquerors they ruled, and were irresistibly obeyed. 
 Prance and Frenchmen were prostrate, bewildered, terror- 
 stricken at their feet; and what their authority could not 
 obtain, the guillotine enforced. People passed from the 
 revolutionary tribunal to the place of execution, like dis- 
 solving shadows in the focus of the magic lantern. It is 
 demonstrated in the magic square that the numbers dis- 
 posed in its rows produce the same harmonical results 
 whether vertically, horizontically, or diagonally. So it 
 was with the Decemvirs ; in whichever aspect they were 
 viewed, whether united or separated, they always assumed 
 the same ominous cabal, and produced the same fatal con- 
 sequences — ^persecution, terror, and death ! 
 
 It is one of the essential failings of human nature to be 
 easily inveigled by innovations : man has no sooner ob- 
 tained the desired object than he becomes indifferent to it, 
 and his restless imagination looks for other adventures. 
 There is no doubt that under the revolutionary regime, 
 save some formal changes, despotism remained the same 
 
190 EPISOBES OF THE 
 
 in principle ; with. tHs only difference, however, that, in 
 lien of strikuig Kke the inquisition in the name of God, it 
 crnshed in the name of the Mother-Land. It is thns that 
 people are gulled ; the names of things are changed, whilst 
 the essential qualities are the same; bntit does not matter, 
 provided that our imagination be satisfied. "We call our- 
 selves sensible men, when we are but flighty children; 
 who mistake toys for realities ; and this is the reason why, 
 with all OUT knowledge, we believe to understand the 
 world and things, whereas it is only their names which we 
 know ; but we are pleased. This reminds me of a sad, but 
 necessary aphorism often expressed by one of the writer's 
 friends : " He is the happiest man, who cheats himself the 
 most." To which I may safely add another in the shape 
 of a complement : He is the most admired, who cheats his 
 fellow-men oftenest. These maxims, which may perhaps 
 take many readers by surprise, are not moral apothegms ; 
 they are truisms. I doubt whether out of a hundred per- 
 sons, one may be chosen who is not perverted secundum 
 artevi et naturavi. We all like to appear what we are not, 
 and few, indeed, are the individuals, whether males or 
 females, who present themselves iu public such as nature 
 has formed them. 
 
 Experience teaches me (doleful lessons !) that truth is 
 generally offensive, — except in a court of justice — more 
 especially when our interests and vanity are at stake. We 
 prefer deception, because under its cloak we may safely, it 
 is thought, pass through life as if we possessed all the best 
 qualities imaginable ; and such is our conceit that we 
 believe ourselves really immaculate, even when we are 
 polluted with vices and defects. 
 
 Our life is a network of delusion, it is a problem which 
 
FEENCH EETOlUTIOlir. 191 
 
 becomes more intricate as we try to solve it. From the 
 moment of our birth to the last minute of our life, we are, 
 whether by consent, or by necessity, the passive instru- 
 ments of vanity — the victims of insanity. We live and die 
 without having been ourselves one second ; thus, whatever 
 memory we leave after our death, it is not our individual 
 fame, but the reputation of a mask that we transmit to pos- 
 terity. This is sad to tell, and not less distressing to hear, 
 dear reader, but it is so. But, in order to give an insight 
 into the ruling vices of human nature, I beg the reader to 
 deviate for one moment from the general subject, and fol- 
 low me in the process of the following philosophical obser- 
 vation : his time will not be lost. 
 
 We saw above that man's modus operandi is generally 
 based on mockery and mental visions : this is true. In 
 «fEect, do we not see every day charlatans trying to pass 
 for doctors, legal impostors for men of justice, Jesuits for 
 pious men, niggards for generous benefactors, and depraved 
 people for models of virtue ? We are young, and we will 
 appear old ; we are old and we desire to pass for young. 
 A youth is annoyed at being beardless, so he shaves him- 
 self every day in order to be adorned with a beard which 
 will be a trouble to him in later years ; the old man is 
 vexed because his hair shows the decline of age, conse- 
 quently quacks' dyes must compel nature to restore it to 
 its primitive colour. Our wrinkles are bitter disappoint- 
 ments, for which we console ourselves by filling them with 
 Madame Rachel's enamel. Plain people resort to all kinds 
 of artifices to look handsome ; — white, vermillion, pomade, 
 and other perfumed ingredients are not neglected. A bald 
 man covers his head with an artificial covering which 
 nobody knows to whom it formerly belonged ; and many a 
 
192 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 woman passes for having a beautiful head of hair, wlio- 
 has scarcely enough to cover her cranium. The hunohhack 
 makes himself uncomfortable by assuming every kind of 
 unnatural positions with a view to hide his hump ; and 
 the lame drags along a boot of an enormous size and 
 weight, so as to equalize the two legs, and avoid limping. 
 Those whom nature or accident has deprived of an eye,, 
 introduce into the orbit of the wanting organ a piece of 
 painted glass, which may be broken by the least blow and 
 cause his death, or disfigure him for ever. This has a 
 wooden arm, that a cork leg, some a pasteboard nose, 
 others such teeth as he would never use if he knew the 
 mouth from which they have been extracted ; and such a, 
 woman that nature has had the unkindness to organize 
 thin and lean, soon swaddles herself with all the pads thatr 
 artifice can devise, in order to make up for the deficiency 
 of those forms so much admired by the opposite sex ; so 
 that, the unhappy wooer who has the misfortune of being 
 caught in such snares, instead of a well-formed consort,, 
 will be condemned to pass his life with a living skeleton. 
 
 What a deception ! 
 
 Tou laugh, dear reader, whilst perusing these lines,, 
 because it is a peculiarity of our nature to rejoice at other 
 people's mishaps ; but it is no joke at all for a husband to 
 be condemned to pass his days with a framework of skin 
 and bones. Tou would not like it, nor would I, and in 
 case that anybody should be inclined to difEer from me, I 
 shall not quarrel about his optimism ; inasmuch as my 
 object in portraying these social waggeries, is merely to 
 prove that nothing is more dangerous and foolish than to 
 assume qualities which we do not possess. Fraud may be 
 successful for a time, but truth will sooner or later tear ofE 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 193 
 
 the veil of delusion, and tlius, the imposture being dis- 
 covered, the contempt -will be greater. With the present 
 spirit of the age, when imposture, egotism, and venality, 
 are the outstanding qualities that pervade society, it is 
 necessary to acknowledge that, to get through its alleys 
 and windings, one is compelled in spite of himself to be 
 constantly upon one's guard, lest he be the victim, of the 
 disguised wolves amongst which he is obliged to Hve. 
 With these remarks, I beg the reader not to form any 
 erroneous judgment, if, moved by a moral impulse, I have 
 somewhat deviated from the main subject, seeing that, in 
 following this course, my sole desire has been, to pull off 
 the perfidious visor that hides the plots hatched by human 
 passions, for which the men of the revolution were so- 
 prolific ; as will be proved hereafter. 
 
194 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XXX. 
 
 EOBESPIEEEE AND THE STJPEEME BEING. 
 
 In the course of this publication, I have already said 
 that, in describing the personages who took a most pro- 
 minent part in the revolution, my object is not to consider 
 whether they were beneficial to the promotion of the great 
 event, or not. I judge them more from a moral than from 
 a political point of view ; and it is according to their good 
 qualities, or vices, that they are elevated or debased. If a 
 man can satisfy his ambition and promote his happiness 
 without any injury to his fellow-men, let him do so ; but 
 if many have to be sacrificed to his success, that man 
 must be condemned ; as will be evident in the following 
 -character. 
 
 Robespierre lived in a period when dissimulation and 
 perfidy had attained the highest degree of intensity; and, 
 as he was an artful projector, all possible means were good 
 for him to attain his ends. The power of France, the 
 Kves of the citizens, the tears of his victims, did not 
 weigh a straw in the balance of his ambition. He had 
 read attentively the lives of the Roman Tyrants, and 
 studied profoundly the character of his countrymen, thus 
 he had come to the conclusion that, with terror, false pre- 
 tences and innovations, he would reduce the French people 
 to submission, and &k his authority. With this object in 
 view, he planned a scheme; which was received favoura- 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 195- 
 
 bly by the convention. He proposed the abolition of all 
 the ministries, for -which he substituted twelve Commis- 
 sions, that is to say, twelve offices dependent on the Com- 
 mittee of Public Safety, of which, as already said, he was 
 the autocrat. 
 
 In examining attentively the organizations of those 
 commissions, one cannot help concluding that they were 
 more intended as rewards to friends than, for public 
 utility ; seeing that the most important of them was 
 awarded to Herman, the zealous president of the revolu- 
 tionary tribunal, who conducted the Dantonists' trial. 
 
 After the adoption of this measure, on the 7th of May, 
 1794, assuming the religious man, the protector of justice, 
 and the advocate of the people's cause, he ascended the 
 tribune, and made a grandiose speech, in which he de- 
 veloped with great pompousness the following system. 
 This singular harangue — of which I give hereafter a short 
 extract, touched principally on the systemization of the 
 Republic, the duties of the citizens, their festivals, and 
 the Supreme Being — was listened to in great silence and 
 admiration. It was, as many people thought then, the 
 elevation of Robespierre to Mons Gapitolinus, but he little 
 thought in the intoxication of his triumph that the Tar- 
 peian Rock was not far ofE. 
 
 After having drawn a contrast between Caesar and 
 Cicero, Epicurus and Zeno, extolled Cato, Brutus, and 
 his illustrious conspirators, as he called them, he brought 
 forth and condemned the vices of Caesar's successors, as 
 well as the apathy of the Roman people ; but paid a high- 
 flown compliment to the philosophical merits of the 
 preceptor of mankirbd — ^Rousseau. Touching the Supreme 
 Being, he expressed himself thus : — 
 
196 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 " Qu'y a-t-il de commiui entre les pretres et Dieu ? 
 Les pretres sont a la morale ce que les charlatans sont a la 
 medecine. Quelle difference entre Dieu et la Nature, et 
 Dieu et les Pretres ! Je ne connais rien qui ressemble a 
 r atheisme autant que la religion qu' ils out inventee. En 
 representant grossiferement I'Etre Supreme, ils ont detruit 
 la croyance du peuple en lui. On le represente quelquef ois 
 comme un glote de feu, tautot comme un boeuf, puis 
 comme un arbre, et bien souvent comment un bomme, ou 
 un roi. Les pretres ont cree Dieu a leur image ; ils 
 I'ont fait jaloux, avide, cruel, et inexorable ; ils I'ont traite 
 comme les maires du palais traitaient autrefois les descen- 
 dants de Clovis, afin de regner en son nom, et usurper sa 
 place, lis I'ont enferme daiis le ciel comme dans un 
 palais, et ne Font prie de descendre sur la terre que pour 
 lui demander des richesses, des bonneurs, du pouvoir, et 
 des plaisirs. Le veritable temple de I'Etre Supreme est 
 I'Univers ; son culte, la vertu ; ses fetes la joie d'une 
 grande nation assemblee en sa presence pour fortifier plus 
 fermement les liens de la Fraternite TJniverselle, et lui 
 rendre Thommage des coeurs purs et intelligents." 
 
 (What is tbere in common between the priests and 
 God. Priests are to morality wbat charlatans are to medi- 
 cine. What a difference between the God of Nature and 
 the God of the Priests ! I do not know anything which 
 resembles atheism so much as the religion which they in- 
 vented. By grossly representing the Supreme Being, they 
 have destroyed the belief of the people in Him. People 
 represent Him. sometimes as a globe of fire, now like 
 an ox, then like a tree, and very often Hke a man, or a 
 king. The priests have created God after their own image; 
 they have made Him jealous, covetous, cruel, and inexora- 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 197 
 
 ble ; they have treated Him as the mayors of the palace 
 formerly treated the descendants of Olovis, in order to 
 reign in his name, and nsnrp his place. They have se- 
 cluded Him in heaven as in a palace, and have prayed 
 Him to come on this earth merely to demand riches, 
 honours, power, and pleasures. The true temple of the 
 Supreme Being is the Universe ; His worship, virtue ; His 
 festivals the joy of a great nation assembled in His presence 
 to strengthen more firmly the bonds of Universal Frater- 
 nity, and pay Him the homage of pure and intelligent 
 hearts.) 
 
 When this virtuous man had delivered his excellent ora- 
 tion to the fools, who were the easy dupes of his mockery, 
 it was decreed that, the following festive ceremonies 
 should be added to those already mentioned above: — 
 
 1, To the Supreme Being. — 2, To the human race. — • 
 3, To the French people. — 4, To the benefactors of man- 
 kind. — 5, To the martyrs of liberty. — 6, To Liberty and 
 Equality. — 7, To the Republic. — 8, To the liberty of the 
 world. — 9, To the love of the Country. — 10, To the hatred 
 •of tyrants and traitors. — 11, To Truth. — 12, To Justice. — 
 13, To Modesty.— 14, To Glory.— 15, To Friendship.— 16, 
 To Frugality.— 17, To Courage.— 18, To good faith.— 19, 
 To Heroism. — 20, To Disinterestedness. — 21, To Stoicism. 
 22, To Love.— 23, To conjugal fidelity.— 24, To paternal 
 affection.— 25, To filial piety.— 26, To Infancy.— 27, To 
 Youth.— 28, To Manhood.— 29, To Old Age.— 30, To Mis- 
 fortune.— 31, To Agriculture.— 32, To Industry.^33, To 
 ■our ancestors. — 34, To Posterity. — 35, To Happiness. 
 
 A French politician has said, " La langue a ete donnee 
 A I'homme pour cacher sa pensee." (The tongue has been 
 given to man to disguise his thoughts.) This aphorism 
 
198 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 is unfortunately a necessary truth ; its appKcation is of 
 everyday occurrence ; but never was it so impudently 
 illustrated as in the altisonant oration of Robespierre. In 
 reading that eloquent masterpiece of imposture, the reader 
 will no doubt, following the example of the convention- 
 alists who heard it, ,be impressed with a high sense of 
 admiration ; and it is not to be wondered at, since the 
 French people of the time were so grossly imposed upon, 
 that som.e writers have even attempted to jpwrify this abo- 
 minable character with lustral ahluUons. Tet, whatever 
 people may have thought, and still think of him, I do not 
 hesitate to say with my usual impartiality that, when 
 Robespierre is weighed in the balance of Justice, I find 
 him one of the most sanguinary tyrants that ever lived. 
 Nero, Dom.itian, Dionysius of Syracuse, &c., were nothing 
 compared to him. Whilst he was uttering his pompous 
 declamations, he was making every efEort to establish a 
 Dictature, which, if it had been carried out, would have 
 been unparalleled in the annals of the world for its des- 
 potism and cruelty. Meanwhile, more than thirty inno- 
 cent victims were sent to the guillotine every day by the 
 order of that abominable hypocrite. 
 
FKENOH REVOLUTION. 199 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXI. 
 
 FBSTIYAL OF THE SUPEBME BEING. CONSPIEACT OP EOBES- 
 
 PIEREE, SAINT-JUST, AND COUTHON. — ATTEMPT TO POEM 
 A DICTATOEIAL TEIUMYIEATE. — PALL AND EXECUTION OP 
 THE CONSPIKATOKS. 
 
 In the foregoing chapter, we have seen how, after the 
 extermination of the hostile factions, Robespierre and his 
 accomplices remained masters of the situation, and the nse 
 •they made of their authority, by adopting measures, which, 
 under the appearance of religion, justice and patriotism, 
 had for their principal motive the insidious design of 
 building on the ruins of their atrocities a Society in ac- 
 cordance with their eccentric notions. We have seen, also, 
 how the country and the Convention, intimidated and 
 dazzled by Robespierre's pompous duplicity, were led to 
 hope that France would at last assuage her pains, and heal 
 the incalculable wounds from which she was still suffering. 
 This consoling impression was joyfully shared by aU 
 Frenchmen, who, in their exultation, looked on the per- 
 fidious Robespierre as their Saviour, although, under pre- 
 tence of precautionary measures, as he said, carts full of 
 victims were sent to the guillotine every day. And how 
 could it be otherwise ! All the Judges of the Revolu- 
 tionary tribunal and most of the members of the Committee 
 of Public Safety were either released convicts or malicious 
 
 P 
 
200 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 TiUains, in whose eyes people's lives h.ad no more worth 
 than that of cattle destined for the slanghter-house. 
 Blinded by their abhorrence of whoever did not share their 
 perfidious vices, or yielded to their ferocious rule ; carried 
 away by their cruel passions, and naturally inclined to 
 destruction, they were the vampires of the nation. With 
 such a ravaging element Society was never safe. 
 
 It is probable that if Robespierre, instead of leaguing 
 with those miscreants and the Jacobins, had adhered to 
 the doctrine which he pretended to profess, and remained 
 faithful to the National Convention, the country might 
 have been spared further horrors, and he with his friends 
 would have escaped from an ignominious end. But when 
 men are naturally vitiated; virtue cannot have any control 
 over them ; they are compelled, in spite of themselves, to 
 follow the current of their original propensities. 
 
 Man cannot be otherwise than what nature has made 
 him ; circumstances and education may modify his indi- 
 vidual qualities, but his essential principles can never be 
 reformed. Like the germ which includes in itself all the 
 incipient attributes of the embryo ia its development, so 
 he cannot change by any possible means the constituent 
 parts of his organization. If nature has made hica self- 
 willed or cruel, ambitious or implacable, intrepid or ven- 
 turesome, it is by these qualities that he will either rise or 
 fall. Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, and many others are 
 striking examples from which political men have much to 
 learn. All these great generals, notwithstanding their 
 noble qualities, their victories, and their conquests, were 
 nevertheless the victims of their inherent dispositions. 
 Like those beautiful meteors which glitter with a transient 
 flame, they illuminated with their effulgent splendour the 
 
FEENCH KBVOLUTION. 201 
 
 sphere in whicli they rose, and vanished like the prismatic 
 colours generated by the solar rays, leaving after them 
 only a name, and the fame of bygone exploits. 
 
 Be that as it may, for about four months V entente cordiale 
 between B/obespierre, the Committees, and the National 
 Convention, remained apparently undisturbed ; yet, in 
 presence of this pretended harmony, uneasiness and fear 
 prevailed everywhere, and the most criminal plots were 
 hatched in the dark. 
 
 " The sun of Liberty," says HazUtt, " was in eclipse, 
 while the crested hydra of the coalition glared round the 
 horizon. The atmosphere was dark and sultry. There 
 was a dead pause — a stillness in the air, except as the 
 silence was broken by a shout like distant thunder, or the 
 wild sound of patriotic songs. There was a fear, as in the 
 time of a plague — a fierceness, as before and after a deadly 
 strife. It was a civil war raging in the heart of a great 
 city, as in a field of battle, and turning it into a charnel- 
 house. The eye was sleepless — -the brain heated. Sights 
 of horror grew familiar to the mind, which had no other 
 choice than that of being either the victim or the execu- 
 tioner. What at first was stem necessity, or public duty, 
 became a habit and sport ; and the arm, inured to slaugh- 
 ter, struck at random, sparing neither friend nor foe. The 
 soul, harrowed up by the spectacle of the most appalling 
 cruelties, could not do without them, and nursed the dread- 
 ful appetite for death. The habit of going to the place of 
 execution resembled that of visiting the theatre. Legal 
 murder was the order of the day, a holiday sight, till 
 France became one scene of wild disorder, and the Revo- 
 lution a stage of blood. The chief actor in this tragic 
 scene, the presiding demon of the storm, was Robespierre." 
 
 p2 
 
202 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 It is during this short but violent period that the abomi- 
 nable law of the Suspects was enforced and carried out to 
 its fullest extent. The monstrous cruelties in which the 
 Committee of Public Safety indulged, and the horrid suf- 
 ferings endured by their victims is beyond description — 
 they are without parallel in the annals of the known 
 world ! In the course of this work, I have often tried to 
 represent, as much as the human heart can bear, the 
 frightful tortures to which the French nation was daily 
 subjected under the rule of the revolutionary tribunal ; 
 but in this instance, I am compelled to pause ; the mind is 
 disturbed at the ghastly sight, and the pen refuses to depict 
 the hideous tableau before me. 
 
 Many eloquent writers have expended all their inventive 
 powers to picture as vividly as possible the harrowing 
 scenes which made the French revolution so notorious, but 
 their colours have never been equal to the impressions 
 received. No language possesses expressions adequate 
 enough to qualify the barbarity of the actors, and the tor- 
 ments of the sacrificed victims. 
 
 The history of the French Revolution, from the taking 
 of the Bastille to 1794, is an unbroken record of misery, 
 famine, plots despair, cruelties and bloodshed, increasing 
 in intensity as it approached its end — it is a demonology. 
 Shall I say that the malicious tyrants of the revolutionary 
 tribunal were serpents, tigers, or alligators ? — No, because 
 these irrational animals are impelled to carnage by neces- 
 sity ; whereas Robespierre and his confederates were 
 rational beings, as far as their nature is admitted, having 
 nothing to fear, nothing to desire. They were in power, 
 they were obeyed, they enjoyed all the commodities of life ; 
 therefore, if they killed, it was not through necessity, but 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 203 
 
 for tte mere pleasure of spilling Inimaii blood. This is 
 how an eminent contemporary describes the painful situa- 
 tion. "Seven thousand prisoners," says Alison, "were 
 soon accumulated in the different places of confinement in 
 Paris ; the number throughout France exceeded two hun- 
 dred thousand ! The long nights of these wretched victims 
 were frequently interrupted by visits from the executioners, 
 solely intended to excite alarm, the few hours of sleep 
 allowed them were broken by the rattling of chains and 
 unbarring of doors, to induce the belief that their fellow- 
 suflEerers were about to be led to the scaffold. From the 
 farthest extremities of France crowds of prisoners daily 
 arrived at the gates of the Conciergerie, which successively 
 sent forth its band of victims to the guillotine. Gray 
 hairs and youthful forms, countenances blooming with 
 health, and faces worn with suffering, beauty and talent, 
 rank and virtue, were indiscriminatelj rolled together to 
 the fatal doors. Sixty persons often arrived in a day, and 
 as many were, on the following morning, sent out to exe- 
 cution. Night and day, the cars incessantly discharged 
 victims into the prison. Fifteen prisoners only were at 
 first placed on the fatal chariot, but their number was soon 
 augmented to thirty, and gradually rose to eighty, who 
 were daily sent forth to execution. An immense aqueduct 
 to remove the gore had been dug as far as the Place Saint 
 Antoine, and four men were daily employed in emptying 
 the blood of the victims into this reservoir. It was at 
 three in the afternoon when the melancholy procession set 
 out from the Conciergerie. The higher orders in general 
 behaved with firmness and serenity, and silently marched 
 to death. The pity of the spectators was, in a peculiar 
 manner, excited by the bands of females let out together 
 
204 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 to execution. Fourteen young -women of Verdun, of the 
 most attractive forms, were cut off together. ' The day 
 after their execution,' says Rioufie, 'the court of the 
 prison looked like a garden bereaved of its flowers by a 
 tempest.' " 
 
 " On another occasion, twenty women of Poitou, chiefly 
 the wives of peasants, were placed together on the chariot ; 
 some died on the way, and the wretches guillotined their 
 lifeless remains. One kept her infant in her bosom till 
 she reached the foot of the scaffold; the executioners tore 
 the baby from her breast as she suckled it for the last 
 time, and the screams of her maternal agony were only 
 stifled with her life. In removing the prisoners from 
 the gaol of the Maison Lazare, one of the women declared 
 herself with child, and on the point of delivery. The 
 hard-hearted gaolers compelled her to move on; she did 
 so, uttering piercing shrieks, and at length fell on the 
 ground, and was delivered of a child in the presence of 
 her persecutors ! Such accumulated horrors annihilated 
 all the charities and intercourse of life. Passengers hesi- 
 tated to address their most intimate friends on meeting. 
 The extent of the calamity had rendered men suspicious 
 even of those they loved most. Every one assumed the 
 coarsest dress and the most squalid appearance. An. ele- 
 gant exterior would have been the certain forerunner of 
 destruction. Night came, but with it no diminution of 
 the anxiety of the people. Every family early assembled 
 its members. With trembling looks, they gazed round 
 the room, fearful that the very walls might harbour trai- 
 tors. The sound of a foot — ^the stroke of a hammer — a 
 voice in the street — ^froze all hearts with horror. If a 
 knock was heard at the door, every one, in agonizing sus- 
 
FEMNCH REVOLUTION. 205 
 
 pense, expected his fate. Unable to indure such protracted 
 misery, numbers committed suicide." 
 
 The above is as much as a human pen can describe 
 touching the tragic reign of Robespierre ; but this is not all ; 
 more still will be said hereafter. Such a horrible state of 
 things was too monstrous to last longer. It is even sur- 
 prising how a great nation of civilized people, with an 
 army of disciplined soldiers commanded by able generals, 
 could have permitted it. They united with unparalleled 
 devotion and courage to drive away the foreign foe from 
 their frontiers ; and, whilst they shed their blood and died 
 like heroes to uphold their national honour and save 
 France from invasion, they allowed a few miscreants to 
 lay waste the country, and slaughter their innocent fellow- 
 citizens by thousands. What a contradiction ! and this is 
 what society calls discipline and passive obedience to law ; 
 as if Justice were an assassin intended to massacre hu- 
 manity for mere caprice. 
 
 Nevertheless, with all his vices and criminal passions, 
 Robespierre, whether through fear or admiration, was the 
 idol of his party — ^the fetich of the masses : he was adu- 
 lated, admired and worshipped ; people spoke of him as a 
 man of genius, unblemished conduct, and virtuous aspira- 
 tions. But what tended to increase the importance of this 
 blood-thirsty tyrant in the minds of his admirers was an 
 attempt on his life by two obscure individuals, who, moved 
 by a patriotic sentiment, decided to sacrifice themselves to 
 save Prance from the grasp of Robespierre and Oollot 
 d'Herbois. 
 
 On the 3rd of Prairial (May^ 22nd), an iatrepid man, 
 named Henri Ladmiral, formerly a servant of a minister of 
 State, posted himself in the house of the latter (Collot 
 
206 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 d'Herbois), and about midnight, when he was going up- 
 stairs, Ladmiral fired at him three times, but unfortunately 
 missed him. He was directly arrested and sent to execu- 
 tion. On the following day, a young and courageous girl 
 of twenty years of age, named Cecile Renault, following 
 the example of the heroic Charlotte Corday, presented her- 
 self at Rehespierre's residence, but, being suspected, she 
 was likewise arrested and executed with all her family, 
 who had committed no other crime but that of being her 
 relatives. It is needless to say that in this circumstance, 
 according to the rules of allegiance, Robespierre and Collet 
 d'Herbois, like all great potentates indispensable to the 
 safety of their States and to the welfare of their subjects, 
 received congratulations ; and fervent prayers were offered 
 
 up to the God of assassins, for having 
 
 preserved the lives of two fiends. 
 
 Meanwhile, the inaugural ceremony of the newly con- 
 ceived Supreme Being was drawing nigh, and great prepa- 
 rations were made in Paris, as well as throughout Bepuh- 
 lican France, to celebrate with great pomp its nativity. 
 Robespierre, as the prophet of the forthcoming deity, was 
 now the principal figure towards which all eyes were 
 directed — ^the central point in which all minds were focal- 
 ized. France, with her numerous foes without, and her 
 calamities within, was now lost in joy and foolish expecta- 
 tions ; all her past misfortunes, and her present terrorism 
 — all the threatening black clouds accumulated over her 
 head, vanished at once before this transient sunshine, the 
 harbinger of more violent tempests. 
 
 A committee of fanatics presided over by a maniac 
 named Catherine Thdot, derisively termed Theos (God), 
 because of her saying that she was going to be the mother 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 207 
 
 of a new Messiah, spread tlie most absurd predictions 
 about Robespierre, whom they proclaimed the great apostle 
 of deism. A monk, named Don Gerle, to whom Robes- 
 pierre had rendered certain important services, (?) was the 
 leading spirit of those sectarians, and the reader will easily 
 understand that his propaganda was moved by the most 
 artful machinery imaginable. The world has at all times 
 been amused with the juggleries practised by superstitious 
 projectors with a view to speculate upon public credulity. 
 Johanna Southcott, the visions of Sainte Therese, Santa 
 Cattarina of Sienna, Ezechiel, Amos, and many others 
 cannot be forgotten. 
 
 The readers, who are not accustomed to view the subjects 
 that present themselves to their minds in their different 
 aspects and positions, would do well to bear in mind that 
 the success of most achievements — whether political or 
 religious — for which generally great men are noted, are 
 principally the result of imposture. Most people very 
 little know, indeed, the fraud practised in the name of 
 God and Religion. I must, however, acknowledge that 
 when stratagems are devised, not to satisfy personal mo- 
 tives, but for deceiving an enemy, or to carry out plans 
 for the good of mankind, such schemes are to be com- 
 mended. Thus the means adopted by Numa PompiHus 
 to subject the uncultivated Romans to his wise laws ; the 
 exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the conduct of 
 Moses; the luminous cross of the Emperor Constantine, 
 ■&0., are artifices which cannot be blamed. But Robes- 
 pierre cannot be ranked amongst such men ; all his efforts 
 tended to gratify his vanity at any cost. With him, men 
 must either be passive instruments, or tortured victims. 
 It is doubted whether, as Don Gerle and Catherine Theot 
 
208 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 tried to iasinuate, lie did not warp his raiad to tlie belief 
 that God had sent him in this world as another SaTiour 
 of mankind. Physically well formed, vain and afBected, 
 insimiant and treacherous; more snhtle than learned, more 
 ingenious than good politician, he possessed the art of being 
 adored by the fair sex, admired by the common people, 
 adulated by his friends, and despised by aU men of 
 honour. Yet so great was his influence and his perfidy 
 implacable at the time here alluded to, that his name 
 produced more terror than the contact of a venomous 
 serpent ; so that, although generally hated, no one would 
 have venture to accuse or attack that Judaic Asmodeusj 
 who, notwithstandiug all his satanic vices, passed for the 
 spirit of Wisdom, the apostle of Peace, and the redeemer 
 of Prance. 
 
 Meanwhile soaagnificent preparations w^ere carried on for 
 the solemnization of the new religion : all the civil, military, 
 and diplomatic authorities disposable arrived, according to 
 order, daily in Paris to be present at the ceremony. A. 
 large amphitheatre pompously carpeted, decked with sym- 
 boUcal flags, flowers, and adorned with emblematic figures, 
 had been erected in the garden of the Tuileries, which was 
 to be occupied by the Convention and Robespierre, who 
 had been unanimously appointed the presiding spirit of the 
 day. On the morning of the 20th of Prairial (8th of June) 
 the garden of the Tuileries was Hterally crammed to suffo- 
 cation with people of every description ; and the members 
 of the Convention as well as the other authorities soon 
 followed, each taking his respective place on the celestial 
 stage. Some time after, Robespierre, iu the array of a 
 Mephistopheles, accompanied by the members of the 
 Revolutionary Tribunal and the chiefs of the twelve 
 
FEBNCH EEVOLUTIOK. SOQ' 
 
 Commissions, made his appearance, and were received on 
 the platform with such puffed acclamations as to betray 
 the contempt under which they were carefully disguised ; 
 but the High Priest was too occupied with himself to per- 
 ceive it. After a little pause, he rose from his throne, and 
 made a speech appropriate to the occasion. As soon as he 
 had finished, the procession repaired to the Champs de 
 Mars, where a still greater ostentatious display, more 
 intended to dazzle than to impress with reverence was. 
 exhibited ; and thence, after some public rejoicings, they 
 returned to the Tuileries, where they dispersed, each satis- 
 fied with himself, and Robespierre more than anybody 
 else. 
 
 A short time after the conclusion of this mock-comedy, 
 Robespierre, elated by his success, thought it expedient to 
 change his policy, and with it his criminal friends. "With 
 this object in view, he formed a triumvirate composed of 
 Saint-Just, Couthon, and himself, and assumed the abso- 
 lute government of the country. This eov^ d'etat did not 
 take anybody by surprise. Since some time it was whis- 
 pered here and there that he was aiming at the Dictature, 
 and, consequently, all his steps and motions were secretly 
 and carefully watched. It was known that he often fre- 
 quented a club of seditious seata/rians', who held their- 
 meetings in the house occupied by Catherine Theot ; so a 
 secret agent, named Senart, was despatched to that place, 
 under pretence that he desired to become one of their co- 
 religionists, and, on being admitted, his investigation led 
 to discoveries fatal to the Mother of God and to her Beloved 
 Son, Robespierre, as she called him. 
 
 As soon as it was known in what profane manner the 
 sacred house had been violated, Robespierre hastened to 
 
210 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 proceed against tlie impious ofEenders, and ordered that 
 they should be arrested, and punished accordingly. But 
 it was too late : the magical power of his prestige had lost 
 its influence. The assemhly and the members of all the 
 Committees leagued against him, and, notwithstanding the 
 menacing attitude of the Jacobins, who ran to his assis- 
 tance, he and his accomplices were accused of treason and 
 conspiracy. An armed force was dispatched to the H6tel 
 de Ville where they were holding a meeting, with strict 
 orders to arrest them and fire if they made any resistance. 
 
 As soon as they saw themselves. surrounded on all sides, 
 their first movement was to resist ; but finding that their 
 efforts were hopeless, and that the multitude, who a few 
 days before had extolled them to the skies, now asked that 
 they should be put to death, their arrogance suddenly 
 changed into despair and pusillanimity. Robespierre had, 
 it is said, one of his jaws shattered by a pistol-shot 
 fired at him by a gendarme ; his brother threw himself 
 out of the window, but survived; Lebas killed himself 
 with a pistol ; Henriot was thrown out of the window by 
 Coffinal ; Saint- Just and Couthon, following the example 
 of Vitellius Aulus, were found, one ia a comer of the room 
 trying to hide himself, and the other concealed under a 
 table, both with weapons in their hands, which they had 
 neither the courage to use against their adversaries, nor 
 against themselves. 
 
 When the national guard, says Alison, rushed into the 
 room where the leaders of the revolt were assembled, they 
 found Robespierre sitting with his elbow on his knees, and 
 his head resting on his hand, and Saint- Just imploring 
 Lebas to put an end to his life. — " Coward ! follow my 
 example," said he, and blew out his brains. Robespierre 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 211 
 
 and Couthon, being supposed to be dead, were dragged by 
 the heels to the Quai Pelletier, where it was proposed to 
 throw them into the river ; but it being discovered that 
 they still breathed, they were stretched on a board, and 
 conveyed to the Committee of General Safety. 
 
 Between the 27th and 28th of July, 1794, the conspira- 
 tors of the Commune, twenty in number, were arrested 
 and sent to the guillotine amidst the clamour of the people,, 
 who, frantic with joy, cried, " Hurrah ! Hurrah !" and 
 embraced one another as on the announcement of a national 
 victory. They were all beheaded one after the other, and 
 Robespierre was the last that closed the mournful scene L 
 The end of these blood-thirsty tyrants was hailed with a 
 long and loud applause of joy quite worthy of their final 
 career, though most painful to any human heart ! 
 
212 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXII. 
 
 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH OF EOBESPIBEEE EEOM A PHILOSO- 
 PHICAL POINT OP VIEW. 
 
 Cidpam poena premit comes. 
 EOBESPIEEEB. 
 
 Altlioiigli I have already spoken in the last chapter of 
 this singular man, a further examination of his inherent 
 qualities cannot be without some interest to the reader, 
 were it only to inquire into the causes by which human 
 passions are m^oved. When we consider attentively the 
 character of Robespierre, we arrive at the conclusion that, 
 among all the proclivities of his nature, vanity was the 
 m.ost predominant element that exercised an absolute 
 influence over him, and determined his ruin. Some his- 
 torians have advanced that he was ambitious; but I hum- 
 bly assert that those historians either did not obtain an 
 €xact estimate of his natural disposition, or mistook the 
 effect for the cause. The ambitious man is modest, pru- 
 dent in all his actions, reserved in his conduct, intrepid 
 before danger, and semper animis opihusque parati 
 (Always prepared in mind and resources). Whereas 
 Robespierre was vainglorious, imprudent, unreserved, 
 pusillanimous, irresolute and destitute of expedients : the 
 aim of his life consisted in being admired and feared; and 
 
FRENCH EETOLTJTION. 213 
 
 these cliaracteristics are the attribute of tyranny, not of 
 ambition. 
 
 It may be — and it is my belief — ^that the high opinion 
 which he had of himself may haTe induced him to seek 
 honours, not to satisfy his ambition, but to flatter his in- 
 ordinate self-esteem, and this vain desire has perhaps been 
 mistaken for a noble aspiration. Ambition does not hanker 
 after honours, it receives them ; vanity only covets them, 
 and debases itself to obtain them. That aims at emi- 
 nence, this to frivolous displays ; and whereas the former 
 is the factor of excellence, the latter is the exponent of 
 corruption. 
 
 Voltaire also was so greedy of praise as to be taxed of 
 vanity; but what an immense difference between these 
 two men ! The eminent author of ' La Henriade ' was a 
 great genius, and deserved admiration; whereas the cruel 
 leader of the ' Reign of Terror ' was a monster, and 
 merited contempt. Be that as it may, we must under- 
 stand that Vanity, when well disguised, is very apt to mis- 
 lead; owing to the various springs that it sets to work. 
 Like Proteus, who had the faculty of assuming different 
 shapes, it presents itself under divers forms. If the reader 
 will take the trouble to observe what passes every day 
 before his eyes, he need not go very far to acquire a useful 
 knowledge of all the theatrical parts that Vanity plays on 
 the stage of the world. A study of this kind is worth the 
 time devoted to it, inasmuch as, by meditating on such a 
 subject, the observer acquaints himself with the human 
 heart, and is thus able to guide his own. 
 
 One of the principal failings of man, and which is in- 
 dubitably the source of aU his disappointments and mise- 
 ries in life, is to judge things by their outward appearances 
 
214 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 and not by their essential qualities. We are generally like 
 those tender-hearted simpletons, who, taking for realities 
 the fictions of a dramatical play, cry, scream, or fall into 
 hysterics at the mock personation of the actors, according 
 as the performance evinces pity or horror. Let ns not be 
 carried away by delusions, lest we should be the victims 
 of our mental extravagances, since all that we see is not 
 really what we believe it to be. 
 
 Man is a complex machine which can give to its springs 
 any movement it likes, and the more its refinement, the 
 greater its power. We must not, however, confound vanity 
 with dignity, that is to say self-respect ; because that is as 
 much to be despised, as this is worthy of commendation. 
 Without self-respect all social bonds would be broken, and 
 civilization annihilated. As it has been said above, Yanity 
 is the principal lever that moves the human heart ; it is 
 put into action ia all the operations of social life, and its 
 transformations are so manifold that the most skilful are 
 often deceived. 
 
 Observe attentively, dear reader, and, whether under 
 one cloak or another, Vanity will be found everywhere. 
 You will see it in royal Palaces under crowns, tiaras, and 
 crescents; in Mansions under coronets, wreaths, and gar- 
 lands ; in Courts of Justice and Guildhalls under profes- 
 sional wigs and the ermine ; in Churches under the surplice, 
 at the altar, and in confessionals ; in Colleges under the 
 official gown ; in Convents and Monasteries under monks' 
 cowls and religious hoods ; in Private residences and Public 
 houses, in Cottages, Hovels, and Dens of corruption. 
 Some trying to pass for demi-gods, others for prophets, 
 this for a great orator, that for a Jurisconsult, one for an 
 example of virtue, another for the prototype of beauty; 
 
FEENCH EETOLDTiON. 215 
 
 here imposition, there credulity or cunning ; everywliere 
 fraud and hypocrisy. 
 
 But, in order to give a freer scope to this subject I shall 
 give you a full description of Vanity. Will the reader 
 follow attentively the delineation given hereafter of its 
 character ? If he-does so, I promise that much advantage 
 will he derived from its perusal. Tet, to avoid disappoint- 
 ment, I beg to inform those who might expect something 
 supernatural, that my m.odel is not from Olynvpian descent : 
 it is merely a sublunary mortal, such as numerous copies 
 may be found in every town ; and this explains at once 
 that, in producrQg the sketch in view, the writer's mind 
 does not rest on any particular individual. 
 
216 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXIII. 
 
 CHAEACTEE OF YANITT AND HTPOCEISY COMBINED ; EXAMINED 
 FEOM A MOBAL POINT OF VIEW. 
 
 Tanity is an individual generally termed of gentlemanly 
 appearance, amiable, and courteous. He has a fair com- 
 plexion, palisli face, bold and sly eyes. He is elegantly 
 dressed, Ms manners are afEected, his step light, and has 
 the free deportment of a comedisCn on the stage. Whilst 
 walking, he often stops suddenly, sometimes assuming a 
 thoughtful attitude, at others a malicious smile, as i£ 
 pleased with the object of his imagination ; then he 
 starts off with a flourish of the legs like a dancer at the 
 opening of a ballet. He waddles like a duck, with the 
 intention of giving raore grace to his body, whereas he 
 personates only the " Dandin of Moliere." He always 
 places himself in the middle of the persons with whom he 
 walks ; he sticks out his elbows like a peasant in his Sun- 
 day's clothes ; he looks at everybody through his glass ; he 
 often raises his hat with affectation, as if to relieve his 
 head from the great pressure of lofty thoughts ; passes his 
 hand over his forehead, as if to remove some dark cloud 
 that obscures his tormented imagination; lifts up his eyes 
 to heaven, considers a moment, and then resumes his con- 
 versation in a grave and sententious tone. 
 
PEENCH EETOLUTION. 217 
 
 If he perceives any ladies in. tlie streets wlio attract Hs 
 attention, he hastens to pull his coat, adjusts his necktie, 
 puts his chaia in sight, smooths his hair with his hand, ' 
 and stretches his body to appear erect. He speaks with 
 confidence and aloud, accompanying his words with gesti- 
 culations of the hands, noddings of the head, and bursts of 
 laughter, which he closes with the trivial exclamations of 
 "ODear! dear!" 
 
 He flatters others to be flattered in return, and defames 
 the honest people who have the manliness to avoid his 
 society and despise his principles. He makes people repeat 
 the same words, and pays but little attention to what they 
 say ; he interrupts everybody, and will not be interrupted; 
 he often takes ofE his gloves to look at his hands and 
 admire his nails, which he sometimes bites by distraction; 
 then, turning abruptly towards his interlocutors, he ex- 
 claims in an impertinent tone of voice mingled with impa- 
 tience—" What ! " 
 
 When he is in society, he speaks always and on all 
 subjects— Commerce, Agriculture, Politics, Philosophy, 
 History, Arts, and Sciences; all is familiar to him; he 
 knows everything and everybody; he has visited the most 
 fashionable cities in the world, and has been admitted at 
 the table of the highest personages, with whom he is inti- 
 mately connected : he has learnt some fpreign aphorisms 
 or quotations in Prench, Italian, Latin, &p., of which he 
 makes a very frequent use to show that he is vgrsed in 
 languages. 
 
 He talks repeatedly of his country-residence, and de- 
 lightful surroundings ; of his library and gallery of paint- 
 ings; of his cellar and of the wines contained in it, which, 
 according to what he says, are the finest that can be 
 
 q2 
 
218 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 f OTUid ; whereas ttey, like anything else he possesses, are 
 not worth mentioning. 
 
 When he attends a local meeting or any other assembly, 
 he always tries to obtain the presidential chair, and calls 
 to order this and that, for no other motive than to exhibit 
 his authority. He often speaks of his influence and popn - 
 larity, of his income and unbounded generosity, of his 
 equity and moral virtues. He says that he is respected, 
 esteemed and admired by everybody, more especially by 
 the fair sex. 
 
 He is always surrounded by sycophants, who, with a 
 view to obtain some favour, approve all his doings, and 
 flatter him. If he is sitting they sit; if he gets up, they 
 get up; if he walks, they walk; if he laughs, they laugh; 
 if he is serious, they are sedate ; in a word they do all that 
 he does, and regulate their movements by his own. At 
 table or in society, he occupies more place than anybody 
 else; he eats well and drinks better; he sleeps after 
 dinner, and snores in company. In his own mind there is 
 no man so accomplished as he, and, therefore, he believes 
 that the flatterers who delude him seek his society for his 
 merits. In short, he believes himself, or rather tries to 
 make people believe that he is adorned with all the essen- 
 tial qualities of man's perfection, and that he is to be 
 regarded as the iacarnation of wisdom and of virtue, 
 whereas he is a vaiu Hypocrite despised by everybody, 
 and in whom nobody places any confidence. 
 "'Tis an old maxim in the schools, 
 
 That vanity's the food of fools j 
 
 Tet now and then your men of wit 
 
 Will condescend to tate a bit." 
 
 Swift's Miscellany. 
 I beg the reader to bear in mind that all the peculiar 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 219 
 
 qualities ascribed to the above cbaracter may, in a greater 
 or lesser degree, be applied to any person, whetlier male 
 or female, moved by ihe same internal sensations; and so 
 persuaded am I that similar consequences will always 
 result from the corresponding causes, that, out of a 
 hundred cases included in the same category, it is doubt- 
 ful whether two can be excepted from the general rule. 
 Generally speaking my opinion is that vanity is to success 
 what poison is to life : one acts on the mental faculties 
 with as much effect as the other on the constitution. 
 
 If the disposition alluded to above is the natural attri- 
 bute of a woman, her honour will suffer by it ; if of a man, 
 his purse and reputation will be exposed to the same 
 perils. 
 
 In a statesman the same tendency is still more dangerous,, 
 because he not only pays with his own. person, but, as a 
 governing power, the State which he represents is exposed 
 to the same deleterious influence. 
 
 Let us, therefore, affirm without the least hesitation that 
 where Vanity exists. Honour is not to be trusted ; and 
 Robespierre, amongst many others, is an example that 
 proves incontestably my argument. Had he not been a 
 vain man, in lieu of the abominable Dictator who decided 
 for some time the fortunes of France, he might have been 
 an honourable advocate, respected and esteemed both by 
 his friends and his countrymen ; whereas he lived a mis- 
 creant and died a criminal. 
 
220 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXIV. 
 
 KOBESPIEEEE. — ^HIS FAMILY, BIETH AND EDUCATION. — HIS 
 POLITICAL OPINIONS AND HIDDEN DESIGNS. 
 
 Heaven was in his eyes. Hell in his heart : 
 Like a Siren, he played a douhle-part. 
 
 Bom in 1759, of an honest family of Arras, Robespierre 
 Frangois Maximilien, after leaving tlie college Louis le 
 Grand wliere h.e was educated-, lie became an advocate of 
 some distinction ; althongh he was neither a genius, n,or 
 even a man possessed of any qualities, either physical or 
 moral, capable of fixing the attention. Rather short in 
 stature, weakly constituted, with small and forbidding 
 features, low forehead, the eyes small, insignifi^cant and 
 sunk in their orbits ; his mouth large with very thin lips 
 and most disagreeably contracted; his complexion Hvidly 
 pale ; all in him, under the veU of sadness and taciturnity, 
 betrayed duplicity, a restless mind, and sinister thoughts. 
 
 In 1789 he was elected deputy, and directly afteif he 
 joined the Jacobin club, where he gained a great ascen- 
 dency over its members, and became their most ijifluential 
 leader. It is then that his natural disposition, so long 
 compressed in its germ, revealed itself in all its horrible 
 grandeur. Imbued with the theories expounded in the 
 " Oontrat- Social " of Jean JaccLues Rousseau, a great ad- 
 mirer of Cromwell, whom he chose as his adventurous 
 
PEENCH EEVOLUTIOir. 221 
 
 model, without possessing, however, either his military 
 talents and political foresight, or his courage and sang- 
 froid ; he set himself to plan a social system, which, if it 
 had been carried into effect, would have resulted in a dic- 
 tature unparalleled in the annals of history. 
 
 He proposed and insisted upon the execution of Louis 
 XVI. without a trial. The death of the Queen, that of 
 Madame Elizabeth, sister of the King, who was executed 
 at the same time as twenty other victims ; the slaughter of 
 the Girondins, of the Hebertists, and of the Dantonists ; 
 of BaUly, Roland, Malesherbes and all his family ; all the 
 cruelties of the Reign of Terror with many other atrocities 
 too considerable to enumerate, too revolting to record, 
 were the work of his diabolical hand. 
 
 However, such is the man to whom some writers have 
 attributed great qualities, and exonerated his character 
 from the hateful vices with which it was polluted. But 
 if such opinions were unfortunately accepted by general 
 consent, history would become a criminal record tending 
 to destroy all social laws and humane sentiments — it would 
 be a social monument from which honour and virtue are 
 entirely banished ; and its study a dark abyss of corrup- 
 tion, rather than a luminary of moral knowledge. 
 
 Those who have written against Robespierre, the above 
 writers say, are his enemies ; but can it not be said with 
 equal right and more justice that those who have pro- 
 nounced in his favour are his friends ? Criticism, as 
 understood by Aristotle, who first instituted it, was meant 
 as the standard of impartial judgment. A writer cannot be 
 a conscientious historian if his judgment be biased by secret 
 passions, or personal feeliugs. Let us, therefore, conclude 
 by saying that when Robespierre is weighed in the balance 
 
222 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 of Justice, we find Hra. destitute of any redeeming qualities : 
 lie was tlie incarnation of tyranny. 
 
 As soon as lie attained the apex of power, so much was 
 he dazzled hy his success and vanity that he called French- 
 men his subjects, and the military forces of the country Ms 
 army. He was inimical to William Pitt, for whom he 
 always expressed much contempt, and yet "nobody," as he 
 used to say, " was above Pitt but himself." It is unques- 
 tionably an outrage to the immortal memory of the great 
 English statesman to place him in parallel with the tyrant 
 of the French Revolution, but justice commands me to 
 confront those two men, in order that the uninformed 
 reader may see the immense gap that exists between them ; 
 and thus be able to reject with disdain the self-sufficiency 
 of that arrogant adventurer. 
 
 WILLIAM PITT AND EOBBSPIBEEE CONPEONTED. 
 
 William Pitt, second son of the Earl of Chatham — one 
 of the most illustrious statesmen who have honoured their 
 country and mankind — was born in 1759, at Hayes (Kent), 
 in the same year as Robespierre, but under a more auspi- 
 cious star, and with a nobler nature ; and, like his father, 
 he won the esteem of his countrymen, the confidence of his 
 Sovereign, and the admiration of Europe. At an age 
 when young men have had scarcely time to mature their 
 thoughts, and pass their time in frivolous diversions, Pitt, 
 to the astonishment of the world, and with unparalleled 
 example in history, was admitted into the Grand Legis- 
 lative Assembly of Great Britain, he being then only 
 twenty-one years of age, at twenty-three Chancellor 
 of the Exchequer, and Prime Minister at twenty-four. 
 Erom that moment, and when England was involved 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 223 
 
 in Continental wars, Pitt became tlie ruling spirit of 
 Parliament, the incorruptible arbitrator of bis country's 
 fortunes, and tbe irresistible leader of European diplo- 
 macy. He was not perhaps so amiable and witty as 
 his great opponent Fox, so captivating as his father, nor so 
 profound a rhetorician as the Prince of Roman orators, 
 Cicero ; but his tactics in debate were so varied, and the 
 power of his fertile imagination so prodigious and rapid, 
 that the words flowed from his lips like an impetuous tor- 
 rent, carrying before it whatever obstructed its course. 
 Some of his enemies have tried to sully the purity of his 
 character, but history and the good sense of public opinion 
 have confounded his detractors, and the reputation of 
 William Pitt is as great and imperishable as that of Robes- 
 pierre is odious and ephemeral. The former is the Giant 
 adorned with all the qualities of human perfection, the 
 latter the dwarf infected by all the disorders of impurity. 
 
224 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 EETE06EADE MAECH OP THE EETOLTJTION. — END OP THE 
 
 EBIGN OP TEEEOE. IMPEACHMENT AND JUDGMENT OP THE. 
 
 MOUNTAINEEES. 
 
 The fall of Robespierre and of Ms accomplices was the- 
 hopeful signal of the close of the Reign of Terror, and the 
 retrograde march of the ReTolution. If France was not 
 altogether released from her merciless oppressors and hei? 
 long sufferings, at least she did not witness any more the 
 cart-loads of victims sent daily to the guillotine. A glim- 
 mering dawn, the forerunner of a brighter sunshine, began 
 to beam upon her, and in the midst of all the terrible con- 
 vulsions through which she had passed, she could finally 
 breathe more freely, and contemplate with a smile of satis- 
 faction the Hydra of factions lying at her feet in the pangs 
 . of death. It is true that other revolutionary terrorists — 
 such as Carrier, Gollot d'Herbois, Fouquier-Tinville, Bar- 
 rfere, Billaud-Varrennes, Yadier, Lebon, Amar, &c., were 
 still powerful in Paris, and attempted a counter-revolution ; 
 but their efforts were defeated : the Convention being now 
 the only legal power acknowledged by the nation, had 
 them arrested, sent to execution, or transported. How- 
 ever, the faubourgs, principally Saint Antoine and Saint 
 Marceau, were still armed, and great agitation prevailed 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 225 
 
 amongst the insurgents, wliose number, having been con- 
 siderably increased by provincial and foreign desperadoes, 
 became alarming, and menaced France with new perils 
 and greater calamities. 
 
 On the 20th of May, 1795, renewed attempts were made 
 by them to invade the Assembly, with a view to regain 
 their lost power ; but such prudent measures had been 
 taken by the government that they were at last compelled 
 to surrender ; and on the 2nd of June, 1795, France was 
 completely liberated from her persecutors, and united 
 under a legal authority. 
 
226 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXVI. 
 
 POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL RETIEW OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 "WTien we consider attentively the conxse of Nature, 
 ■whetlier from a physical or from a moral point of view, we 
 see that Creation is governed by two great laws ; one 
 tending to create, the other to destroy ; that attraction, 
 this repulsion ; and it is according as there is Byrrvpathy or 
 Antipathy between them that the same Effects are invari- 
 ably the result of the same Causes. The tendency that 
 these two Forces have to counteract one another, and 
 which might be ascribed to positive and negative electricity, 
 are indispensable to the eternal existence of the Universe ; 
 without which movement, time, space, and seasons ; all 
 would perish, and the world cease to be. 
 
 There is no doubt that harmony, in whatever condition 
 or state it may be viewed, could not exist without Con- 
 trast ; this is a fundamental principle from which all that 
 exists receives life, regularity, and beauty ; it is the cur- 
 rent which purifies all systems from their impurities, and 
 infuses animation wherever decay threatens degeneration. 
 In effect, dear reader, you the pioneers of toil and in- 
 dustry whose education has not been favoured by fortune 
 —for it is to you that these lines are principally dedicated 
 and for whom I principally write, and not for those who 
 have knowle dge or means to acquire it — follow me in the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 227 
 
 boundless space, and admire attentively the surprising 
 regularity witli which the numberless celestial bodies that 
 roll in the infinite accomplish their respective revolutions 
 without either confusion or shock ; what is the cause of 
 such a wonderful harmony ? — It is in virtue of the relative 
 Contrast that results from the law of gravitation. Descend 
 with me into the laboratory of Nature and observe those 
 beautiful stalactites and the wonderful process of crystal- 
 lization ; how is so much uniformity obtained ? — By the 
 contrast between percolated water and bi-carbonate of lime 
 in solution, and owing to the cohesive attraction of the 
 fixed axial ratios, to which the forms of all crystals are 
 mathematically referable. Look at those splendid flowers 
 with what brilliant variety of shades they sparkle and 
 charm the eyes ; where have they borrowed the lovely 
 apparel with which they are so elegantly decked ? — From 
 the contrast of the primary colours generated by solar- 
 radiation. Listen to the musical strains that you hear in 
 the distance, which, although formed of different notes, 
 produce, however, such a magical melody as to imagine it 
 to be the symphony of a Celestial Concert; how is so 
 much harmony produced ? — By the contrasted measure of 
 successive modulations. Observe the social concord ex- 
 isting under a wise government ; how are order and 
 uniformity maintained among so many people of different 
 principles and opinions ? — By a homologous agreement 
 between the governing power and the classes governed, 
 and more especially by the contrast of their tastes and 
 characters. Now that you have examined how harmony 
 is obtained by contrast, and order preserved by regularity, 
 it will be very easy for you, dear Eeader, to discriminate 
 the causes which produce contrary effects. 
 
228 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 Transport yourself in thonght in tlie midst of that vast 
 Empire governed by an Autocrat, and compare it with 
 your own country — Great Britain : why is the former 
 undermined by a burning volcano which threatens the 
 dissolution of its present system, and why harmony and 
 concord exist in the latter ? Because the Russian legisla- 
 tion, being stUl based on the despotic principles of the past, 
 is thus in diametrical opposition to the wants and views 
 of modern ideas ; hence confusion, conspiracies, anarchy, 
 and, consequently, Terrorism. It is oppressed society 
 struggling for its rights against the uncontrolled power 
 of Tyranny. It is quite the reverse in England. The 
 government of this country, being essentially Consti- 
 tutional, thus its authority is based on the will of the 
 people ; and with such a system, whatever changes may 
 result from the victory obtained by the Conservatives over 
 the Liberals, or by these over those, the fundamental laws 
 of the country are not affected in the least by them ; the 
 principle remains the same, and Society is never disturbed. 
 
 This philosophical inquiry leads us to the important 
 truth that whenever the constituffiit parts of a whole are 
 not in harmonical contrast between them^ confusion 
 ensues, dissolution follows, and, if applied to a political 
 system, a revolution is indispensable to eradicate the 
 abuses. Revolutions rarely take place in a country where 
 the government is just and the people happy. 
 
 " Ce qui produit les revoltes," Fenelon says, " c'est 
 I'ambition et I'inquifetude des grands d'un etat, quand on 
 leur a donn6 trop de licence, et qu'on a laisse leurs pas- 
 sions s'etendre sans homes. C'est la multitude des graaids 
 et des petits qui vivent dans le luxe et I'oisivete. C'est la 
 trop grande abondance d'hommes adonn^s a la guerre, qui 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 229 
 
 ont neglige toutes les occupations utiles dans le temps de 
 la paix, Enfin, c'est le d^sespoir des peuples maltraites ; 
 c'est la durete, la hauteur des rois, et leur mollesse qui les 
 rend incapables de veiUer sur tous les membres de I'^tat, 
 pour pr^venir les troubles. Voila ce qui cause les revoltes, 
 et non pas le pain qu'on laisse manger en pais au 
 labourer, apres qu'il I'a gagne a la sueur de son visage. 
 
 Le monarque contient ses sujets dans leur devoir en se 
 laissant aimer d'eux, en ne reMchant rien de son autorite, 
 en punissant, les coupables, mais en soulageant les malheu- 
 reux ; enfin en procurant aux enf ants une bonne education, 
 et a tous une exacte discipline au milieu d'une vie simple, 
 sobre, et laborieuse : les peuples ainsi traites seront toujours 
 tres fideles a leurs princes." 
 
 (Bevolutions are caused by the ambition and the restless- 
 ness of the grandees of a state, when too much license has 
 been granted to them, and their passions have been allowed 
 to extend beyond reasonable limits. They are attributable 
 to the multitude of the great and small living in luxury 
 and idleness, no less than to the large number of men 
 incliaed to warfare, who have neglected every kind of 
 useful occupations in time of peace. In short, it is in con- 
 sequence of the peoples being driven to despair by ill- 
 treatment, and owing to the rigour, the haughtiness, and the 
 effeminacy of kings, which render them incapable of keep- 
 ing a watchful eye upon all the members of the state, so 
 as to prevent confusion. These are the causes of revolu- 
 tions, and not the bread thgi the labourer is allowed to eat 
 in peace, after he has got it by the sweat of his brow. 
 
 The monarch keeps his subjects within the boundaries 
 of their duty, by making himself beloved by them, with- 
 out relaxing his authority ; by punishing the guilty, and 
 
230 EPISODES OF THK 
 
 at the same time hj relieving the misery of the poor ; in a 
 word, hy procTudng a good education for the children, and 
 for all an exact discipline in the midst of a simple, sober, 
 and laborious life : the peoples who are treated in this 
 manner will always be faithful to their princes.) 
 
 Why Louis XVI., for whom the eminent Prelate pur- 
 posely wrote his "Telemaque," did not listen to those 
 prudent counsels ? Had he done so, he might have 
 avoided the fatal end which closed his life and that of his 
 family. But princes must be flattered, even when they 
 are most blamable ; truth is offensive, and so Fenelon in- 
 curred the displeasure of his weak sovereign for having 
 been too virtuous. This is the lot of all sincere men who 
 undertake to serve royalty conscientiously. 
 
 But bow is it that, after such a terrible example as that 
 of 1789, Alexander, the present Emperor of Russia, should 
 not have benefitted by it ? Axe despots blind, or do they 
 believe that men are mere instruments of their royal 
 caprices ? This is a great mistake. To whatever position 
 man may be elevated, whether by birth or circumstances, 
 he ought never to forget that he, like any other mortal, 
 belongs to the human race ; it is, therefore, his sacred duty 
 to treat others as he would like to be treated himself in 
 similar circumstances. Whoever forgets this moral maxim 
 cannot hope to live happy ; sooner or later the final Judg- 
 ment of Justice will be pronounced, and his retribution 
 shall prove proportionate to his actions. This is what the 
 general History of the world confirms ; it tells us that no 
 sovereign is exempt from the fatal consequences of misrule, 
 wherever society has been constituted under a ruling 
 power, and the more the oppression the greater the exas- 
 peration of the oppressed. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTIOF. 231 
 
 " The violence of ReTolutions," says Macaulay, " is 
 generally proportioned to the degree of maladministration, 
 which has produced them." If this aphorism is true, and 
 we have no reason to believe the contrary, the French 
 Revolution and that by which Russia is now convulsed are 
 incontestably justified. When the governing body is 
 diseased, a radical change of government and institutions 
 is necessary, lest the whole nation should become the 
 victim of the political virus that infests the atmosphere 
 surrounding it. This is no doubt the irresistible course 
 that all nations are compelled to follow, whenever all 
 other means fail to obtain from their sovereigns such re- 
 forms as are indispensable to their welfare, and to which 
 they are justly entitled. Those times, when humanity was 
 bent under the yoke of inviolable Kings and infallible 
 Popes, are now past. The clouds of ignorance that obscured 
 man's intelligence are dispelled. Everybody can read and 
 write, and very few are those who cannot think and judge. 
 It is, therefore, indispensable that the Heads of nations 
 should govern their peoples with wisdom and moderation, 
 if they will maintain themselves in power. 
 
 Tet, notwithstanding the justice of the expedient alluded 
 to above, and to which I readily give my undivided adhe- 
 sion, it so happens that Revolutions are either carried too 
 far, or do not obtain the object intended ; at the same time 
 that they very seldom benefit those who make them. Most 
 often, and I dare say always, the principal actors of a 
 revolution — all equally anxious to seize upon the power for 
 which they have fought, and to which all likewise believe 
 to have the same right — whether through jealousy and 
 ambition, or prompted by inimical feelings, soon quarrel 
 amongst themselves, exterminate one another, and, when 
 
 R 
 
232 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 reaction does not emerge from its lurking place, some astute 
 spectator steps in and puts an end to tlie farce by assuming 
 tlie sovereign command. Tkis is what happened during 
 the Trench Revolution. Girondists, Hebertists, Dantonists, 
 and Robespierrists ; all perished successively in the pursuit 
 of the Hydra of Power, which devoured them as they 
 approached it. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 233 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXVII. 
 
 EOTALIST ATTEMPT TO OVEETHEOW THE EEPtjBLIC. — DEFEAT 
 OP THE CONSPIEATOES. — END OF THE CONVENTION. — LIST 
 OF THE VICTIMS OF THE FEENCH EEVOLUTION FEOM 1789 
 TO 1795. 
 
 When we think of man's wickedness, we cannot help 
 coming to the conclusion that the substance with which 
 the Creator made him. must have been very imperfect. 
 The reader cannot have forgotten the terrible treatment to 
 which Louis XVI., his family, and all his friends were 
 subjected during the revolution, and the cortege of iniqui- 
 ties that followed his fatal end. Tet such is man's unre- 
 strained desire for vengeance and power, that no sooner 
 was order established than a royalist reaction took place. 
 
 Profiting by the misfortunes of France, and having 
 nothing more to fear from the revolutionary conspirators, 
 by skilful manoeuvres, intrigues, and foreign assistance, the 
 royalists had now become so bold and powerful, that it raised 
 the standard of rebellion, and made a vigorous attempt 
 to overthrow the Republic. It counted a large number 
 of adherents in the National Guard of Paris, and had 
 gained over to their cause the traitor Pichegru, who, 
 being then the commander-in-chief of the army of the 
 Rhine, possessed the confidence of the government, and 
 
 E 2 
 
234 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 his influence was great. This General entered into a secret 
 agreement with the Prince of Conde to co-operate in the 
 restoration of the Bourbons, for the sum of one million 
 ready money, and 200,000 francs a year promised to him 
 in the event of success ; but, fortunately, the plot having 
 been discovered, he was dismissed from his command, and 
 a little later he was transported with many other royalist 
 conspirators. 
 
 Meanwhile the revolt gained ground, and on the 3rd 
 of October, 1795, Paris presented the aspect of a vast 
 field of battle, occupied on one side by the insurgents, and 
 on the other by the conventional forces. The Royalists 
 began the movement, and were advancing resolutely 
 toward the Tuileries where the Convention was assembled. 
 The peril was imminent, inasmuch as general Menou, 
 whether through complicity or want of foresight, failed in 
 carrying out the instructions of the government ; that is, 
 to surround the rebels with a view to disarm them, so 
 as to terminate the insurrection without too much blood- 
 shed. He was, therefore, dismissed, and Barras assumed 
 the command in chief. 
 
 This superior officer immediately appointed as his 
 second in command a young General who had distinguished 
 himself before Toulon, and in whose m^ilitary talent he had 
 an unshaken confidence ; but who, for some political rea- 
 sons, or perhaps jealousy, had been dismissed by Aubry, 
 after the 9th Thermidor (28th of July, 1794). This 
 General was Napoleon Bonaparte. The troops under his 
 command did not number more than 7,000, whereas the 
 royalists had more than 40,000 combatants under arms. 
 On the 5th of October, styled the 13th Vend^miaire, the 
 commander of the artillery, NapoMon, had transformed 
 
FEENCH REVOLUTION. 235 
 
 tte large railed quadrangle inclosing the Tuileries into a 
 formidable strongliold defended on every side by cannons 
 of a large calibre. At noon of the same day the signal for 
 the attack was given, and the artillery began to boom, 
 with a tremendous noise against the insurgents barricaded 
 on the Pont Royal, Place de la Convention (now Place de 
 la Concorde), Rue St. Honor6, Rue de I'Bchelle, Pont- 
 Neuf, &c. ; and in a few hours the insurrection was 
 quelled, and the insurgents disarmed; October 6 (14th 
 Vendemiaire). 
 
 After this memorable event, the Convention freed of all 
 the enemies of the Republic, occupied itself to realize all 
 the reforms which it had prepared for the welfare and 
 unity of France. It abolished all the decrees enacted by 
 the terrorists, promulgated a uniform Code of Laws, 
 founded educational institutions, the metrical system was 
 adopted as the standard of weights and measures, it 
 opened the doors of the Country to all the emigrants who 
 had deserted their homes in despair, and all that belonged 
 to them was restored. It rebuilt what had been de- 
 molished, relieved the misery of the poor, organized work- 
 shops and manufactories, encouraged arts, sciences, and 
 industry, reformed the array and the navy, and placed 
 them in a good state of defence ; finally it suppressed all 
 revolutionary clubs, and, having thus accomplished its 
 work, on the 26th of October, 1795 (4th Brumaire), it re- 
 linquished the supreme power to a Directory composed of 
 five members. 
 
 This is the period which, I may say, put really a term to 
 the Revolution, and, with the exception of some transpor- 
 tations of ambitious conspirators, who were still plotting 
 in the dark, the nation did not experience any more those 
 
236 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 frightful scenes of horror whicli had. oonTolsed it in suoh a 
 terrible manner. Tet, with all the brilliant prospect of the 
 dawn of a new era, the wounds which France had received 
 were so deep and numerous that it took her many years to 
 heal them. 
 
 If the reader has followed attentively the course of the 
 events which succeeded one another so rapidly during 
 the Revolution, he cannot have failed to notice that, from 
 1789 to the time we have now arrived at, the Country had 
 been transformed into an immense Calvary of torture, 
 where victims were daily immolated by the thousands to 
 the fury of maddened sacrificators. Hereafter is subjoined 
 a list of the victims of the Revolution, which is extracted 
 from an account given by Prudhomme : it is impossible to 
 read it without feeling a shivering sensation of horror 
 running through one's veins. 
 
 However, formidable and odious as the Revolution 
 proved, it had for its beneficial results to fix society, to 
 tram.ple tyranny under foot, and to establish man's rights 
 in accordance with the inprescriptible laws assigned to 
 them by nature. The reader cannot have forgotten the 
 wretched condition of the lower classes before 1789. Less 
 considered than Indian pariahs, and more degraded than 
 African slaves ; attached to the soil which they cultivated, 
 without deriving any benefit from their continual and pain- 
 ful labour; treated like beasts of burden. Ill-used and 
 driven to despair without mercy; those poor wretched 
 beings had neither homes nor means of subsistence which 
 they could lay claim to as their own; even their wives 
 and children did not belong to them. Such a condition 
 was indeed unbearable ; is it then to be wondered at, if, 
 when the bonds of servitude in which they had been kept 
 
FEBNCH REVOLUTION. 237 
 
 SO long enslaved were broken asunder, they gave them- 
 selves up to every kind of extravagant cruelties ? 
 
 Those men were neither educated nor civilized ; they 
 had no religious notions ; they were such as nature had 
 made them, with hearts embittered by privation and 
 sufferings ; they had not the least idea of social laws ; they 
 moved like machines impelled by an invisible power ; in a 
 word they believed themselves quite of a different nature 
 from the merciless tyrants who oppressed them ; and so, 
 although f eeliag their distress, they, nevertheless, accepted 
 their sad condition as a doom of their existence. But as 
 soon as the clouds which obscured their reason were dis- 
 pelled, and they understood that in the face of Creation 
 all men are alike ; when they perceived that power, splen- 
 dour, and royal prerogatives are only things usurped by 
 men like themselves ; then the awaking was as terrible as 
 the fatal consequences which followed the outbreak of the 
 Revolution : it could not be otherwise. The violence of 
 the oppressors had been too cruel to hope any indulgence 
 from the revenge of the oppressed ! 
 
 On my part, as a Frenchman, I greatly regret the tragi- 
 cal circumstances by which Prance was so cruelly lacerated 
 during her transformation ; I deplore the blindness of 
 those men who, carried away by their criminal passions' 
 turned the course of an auspicious event into a channel of 
 blood ; I lament the irresistible influence that changed for 
 some time the most hopeful occurrence into despair and 
 confusion ; but at the same time I rejoice that the Revolu- 
 tion, notwithstanding all its errors and atrocities, destroyed 
 Tyranny for ever, gave freedom to Frenchmen, and raised 
 France to the rank of the most civilized Countries in the 
 World. 
 
238 
 
 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 lAst of the Victims of the Revolution : — 
 
 Noblemen ... ... ... ... ... 1,278 
 
 Noblewomen... ... ... ... ... 700 
 
 Wives of labourers and artisans ... ... 1,467 
 
 Religienses ... ... ... ... ... 350 
 
 Priests 1,135 
 
 Common persons ... ... ... ... 13,623 
 
 Guillotined by order of tbe Revolutionary 
 
 Tribunal 18,603 
 
 Women died of premature cbild-birth ... 3,400 
 
 In cbild-birth from grief ... ... ... 348 
 
 Women killed in La Vendee 15,000 
 
 ChUdren killed in La Yendee 22,000 
 
 Men slain in La Vendee 900,000 
 
 Victims under Carrier at Nantes ... ... 32,000 
 
 Victims at Lyons ... ... ... ... 31,000 
 
 Total 1,022,351 
 
 In this account are not included many other victims 
 massacred in tbe various prisons of Prance. 
 
 The Revolution being bare at an end, I, therefore, should 
 consider my task accomplished, so far as the Episodes 
 from 1789 to 1795 are concerned. But, as some of my 
 friends have desired me to introduce Bonaparte in the 
 same work, in compliance with their desire, I give here- 
 after a sketch of Napoleon's historical life, limiting it, 
 however, to the origin of his family, his birth, education, 
 character, genius, and military status, from his appearance 
 in the army as lieutenant of artillery to his elevation to the 
 rank of General. But, before treating this subject, for the 
 intelligence of what I have to say, a description of the 
 island in which that Great Man was bom will not be 
 without interest to the reader. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 239 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXVIII. 
 
 THE ISLAND OF COESICA. 
 
 Considered from a philosopliical point of view, Corsica, 
 like all other islands on this planet, is involved in a 
 mystery the secret of which will perhaps never be dis- 
 closed. It is impossible to ascribe any positive date as to 
 the primitive existence of the aborigenes of such conntries 
 as America, Australia, England, Ireland, Corsica, Sardinia, 
 and many others, known and unknown: yet it is proved 
 that, although separated from all other parts of the world 
 by the sea, and having no intercourse whatever with other 
 nations, they were, nevertheless, inhabited by different 
 races of men and animals at the time of their discovery. 
 Who placed those people and animals there ? From where 
 did they come, and how did they manage to find those 
 places, which have afterwards remained unknown for 
 many centuries to all navigators ? From whom can their 
 parental descent be traced, since, they not only differed 
 entirely in type, complexion, habits, language, laode of 
 living, and religion, from any of the known races ; but they 
 were found in the lowest degree of barbarism. 
 
 Let us assume that their origin in every case be assigned 
 to shipwrecks and mutinies : such a supposition would evi- 
 dently imply that they were already civilized and somewhat 
 acquainted with the art of navigation ; would they not. 
 
240 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 therefore, have tried, by some means or other, to comimi- 
 nicate with their lost countries ? The supposition of ship- 
 wrecks and mutinies is admissible, as it is likewise proba- 
 ble that egotism or fear of losing their independence, or 
 incurring some penalty may have hindered them from 
 revealing their position. That may be, so far as man is 
 concerned, but what is to be said of all the kinds of 
 animals that were found with them ? Must we conclude 
 that they also were the result of shipwrecks and mutinies ? 
 And if this be not the case, as it is almost certain that it 
 is not ; how did they get there ? 
 
 It is well known that this globe has, from time to time, 
 passed through terrible vicissitudes. Violent tempests, 
 subterrenean explosions, conflagrations caused by light- 
 nings and other discharges of atmospheric electricity, par- 
 tial inundation and general cataclysms, have no doubt 
 caused incalculable changes. It is impossible to demon- 
 strate in an absolute manner how our world began, the 
 different shapes and forms it assumed in the course of its 
 formation, the destruction caused during its creative pro- 
 cess by the elements attracting aud repelling one another, 
 struggling with each other. Tet, geological and paleonto- 
 logical sciences prove sufficiently that the revolutions 
 which took place before Nature had established her equili- 
 bration and fixed her cosmical laws are unaccountable. 
 What is now land was sea in past times; immense tracts 
 of countries, which were formerly parts of continents, are 
 islands or oceans ; and large empires, cities, and lux- 
 uriant meadows flourish in our days on the same places 
 which were at one time forests and deserts. According to 
 geological data, England was formerly joined to France, 
 Sardinia to Corsica, and lower Egypt was a part of the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 241 
 
 Mediterranean sea. But when did all those great trans- 
 formations take place ? Is it during those considerable 
 inundations mentioned in the sacred and profa/ne history, 
 such as the Diliviiom-Deuaalidoneum, the deluge of Ogyges, 
 and that of Prometheus ? It may be so ; but, long before 
 all those partial floods happened ; in B.C. 2293, there has 
 been a universal deluge, by which, we are told, the whole 
 creation was extinct ; excepting Noah, his family, and all 
 the animals which were shut up in his Ark. Now, as the 
 Ark rested on the mountains of Armenia, it is impossible 
 to understand how men, and above all animals, went in 
 those remote islands, from which Noah and his family 
 were separated by vast oceans. Some philosophers think 
 that Creation has been spontaneous, and, as regards the 
 universal deluge, they believe it to be exaggerated. But, 
 as such doctrines are in opposition to the holy scripture, 
 nobody has any right to say the contrary. Consequently as 
 this argument would lead m.e into a controversy foreign 
 to my intended design, I return to my Subject-matter. 
 
 Corsica — one of the principal and most fertile islands of 
 the Mediterranean sea, to the south of Sardinia, from which 
 it is separated by the straits of Bonifacio — is about 135 
 miles in length, by 69 miles in breadth, and 1320 square 
 miles in superficies. 
 
 As already hinted at, the origin of the inhabitants, like 
 that of all primitive people, is uncertain, and lost in the 
 remote obscurity of time. Its appellation has always 
 been a subject of controversy ; no historian having hitherto 
 been able to give a satisfactory etymology of Gymos and 
 Corsica, two names by which it has generally been known 
 at different times. Some narrators say that Oyrnos is 
 derived from " Cyrnus," a son of Hercules, who, having 
 
242 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 landed in that island in the course of his adventnrons 
 expeditions, gave his name to it. Others say that Gyrne, 
 meaning, in Phenician language, " covered, with forests," 
 was so called by Phenician explorers, who, on landing in 
 the island, were struck by the beauty and extensiveness 
 of its woods. The legend attached to the name of Gorsioa 
 is not less doubtful. They make it derive from " Corsus," 
 another son of Hercules, or from Oomua (angular) owing 
 to the sharp tops of its mountains, and its ridged promon- 
 tories stretching out into the sea like peaks. Another 
 legend informs us that a Ligurian woman called Corsica 
 having followed a bull, which was going to " an unknown 
 land " by swimming, arrived in that island, where her 
 parents soon joined her, and finding that it was " beautiful 
 and rich in pasture," established themselves there, and 
 called it Corsica, in honour of the name of the woman that 
 had discovered it. This story is too romantic to find any 
 credit in a sound mind : in reading it, one would beHeve 
 to have before him the fable of Jupiter pursuing lo, 
 daughter of the River Inaohia, in Ovidius' Metamorphosis, 
 so much it resembles it. A fourth version, but less won- 
 derful and more credible than the latter is that Corsus, a 
 nephew of Eneas, while staying at Carthage with his 
 voluptuary uncle, carried off a niece of the unfortunate 
 queen Dido, called 8ica, and took her in that island, which 
 they called Corsica, a compound of their double name 
 Corsus and Sica. But the authenticity of these beautiful 
 inventions is not supported neither by serious chronolo- 
 gers, nor by verisimilitude. 
 
 On the other hand, Herodotus affirms that the first in- 
 habitants of the island in question were Phenicians, who 
 occupied it undisturbed for about eight generations (264 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 243 
 
 years), and named it Oollista ; whicli name was afterwards 
 changed into Thera, derived from Theras, under whose 
 leadersliip some Lacedemonians took possession of it. 
 However, these two last names cannot have been long in 
 existence ; Cimo and Corsica being the only two appella- 
 tions given to the island by all the Chroniclers who have 
 written on it. 
 
 Be that as it may, Corsica is now no more the theatre of 
 those successive and sanguinary battles that her inhabi- 
 tants have bravely and persistently fought at different 
 epochs against their relentless invaders in defence of their 
 national rights. But the repose and peace which the Oor- 
 sicans enjoy since 1796 has cost them dear. No island, 
 nor any other country in the world has been so much dis- 
 puted and valiantly defended ; which has borne more 
 stoically the calamities that have so long and repeatedly 
 afflicted it, and which has been so cruelly oppressed. 
 
 Directly after the conquest of the unhappy Carthage by 
 the Romans, Corsica passed under the domination of the 
 conquerors, B.C. 146. On the irruption of the Goths in 
 Italy, a great number of those barbarians took possession 
 of it, A.D. 253, but, from that invasion to its conquest by 
 the Saracens, a.d. 800, the history of that country falls 
 into obscurity ; nothing being known of it, except that it 
 became the theatre of furious contests, and murderous dis- 
 asters. In A.D. 1079, inthe pontificate of Gregory VII., 
 first known as the monk Hildebrand, it was annexed to 
 the Holy See. Genoa has at different intervals, but not 
 without great opposition, bloodshed and expenses, con- 
 quered, lost, and retaken it, until, at last, Paoh, in a.d. 
 1794, expelled the Genoese, and ceded it to George III. 
 King of England. Napoleon Bonaparte conquered it two 
 
244 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 years after, a.d. 1796, and it has remained since tlien a 
 !French possession. 
 
 The Heroes that have shed their Hood or died for the 
 independence of their country are Sampierro di Bastelica, 
 Gindice, Giacomosanto de Mare, Altohello de Costa, and 
 his brother Grimaldo, Giacomo della Casabianca, Omano, 
 &o. 
 
 The Gorsicans are very intelligent, disinterested, gener- 
 ous, brave, and just ; but as implacable in their animosities 
 as they are faithful and devoted in friendship : their word 
 is as binding as a legal document. Tet, although vindic- 
 tive, people must not believe, as they generally do, that 
 their Vendetta is motived by any other sentiment than 
 that of honour. There is no example that travellers or 
 strangers, however rich they be, have ever been molested 
 by Corsican ianditi. Should a slain enemy have his 
 pockets full of gold, the handito who has killed him would 
 consider himself dishonoured to touch his money : his 
 family and friends would disown him as a Corsican. 
 
 Corsica is a mountainous country, but its charming val- 
 leys, its rivers and streams of limpid water, its large forests 
 of pine-trees and oaks, which are suflBcient for the supply 
 of a fleet; its verdant prairies, gardens and orchards 
 shadowed by thousands of useful and fragrant plants, tend 
 to purify its atmosphere, and render its climate a genial 
 sojourn, eagerly sought by invalids and visitors from all 
 parts of the world. Olive, chestnut, citron, orange, almond, 
 walnut, fig, pomegranate, jujube, apple, pear, and mulberry 
 trees, on which innum.erable birds of all kinds and colours 
 fill the air with harmony, grow there in abundance and 
 make of it a fairy-land impossible to describe. The hills 
 are covered with luxuriant vines, peach, apricots, and plum 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 245 
 
 trees, wMdi produce the best wines and fruits in the 
 world. The island possesses mineral wells, mines of cop- 
 per, iron, silver, alum, antimony and coal ; and its granite, 
 porphiry, jasper, and other marbles are very beautiful. It 
 abounds in animals of every description ; — ^horses, raules, 
 oxen, goats, sheep, deer, quails, partridges, grouse, wood- 
 cocks, snipes, pheasants, ring and turtle-doves — whilst the 
 sea and the rivers are stocked with delicate fish. In a 
 word, Corsica is a country which would soon become very 
 prosperous were industry encouraged, and railways estab- 
 lished. 
 
 But, notwithstanding its richness, and the men of note 
 whom it has produced, Corsica has been left to its fate. 
 Neither Napoleon, nor France has done anything to de- 
 velope its immense resources. Had it remained under 
 England, it is probable that it would now be in a better 
 position. Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, San-Piorenzo (the native 
 place of the writer), Isola-Rossa, Porto- Vecchio, andMac- 
 cinajo are sea-ports of importance, and it is very easy to 
 judge of what great value such an island could be to a 
 European Maritime Power, if harbours, docks, and arsenals 
 were constructed there. It is in that island that the 
 greatest. Captain of modem times was bom. 
 
246 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXIX. 
 
 NAPOLEON BONAPAHTE. 
 
 The historical biography of the Great Napoleon cannot 
 be condensed in a few pages. The illustrious Captain 
 who, by his niihtary talent and glorious exploits raised 
 himself from comparative obscurity to the most powerful 
 Tank amongst Monarchs; who led to victory the most 
 warlike armies in the world; who has conquered, de- 
 stroyed and created cities, empires and kingdoms ; deposed 
 kings, and made of his soldiers Generals, Marshals, Princes 
 and Sovereigns ; who has kept in admiration and reveren- 
 tial fear all the Potentates of the earth ; whose name has 
 filled the two hemispheres with a splendour the brilliancy 
 of which will never be obscured, and whose fame will be 
 handed down from posterity to posterity, and grow greater 
 and imperishable as generations succeed and inimical 
 feelings subside ; such a Colossus would fill volumes that 
 no ordinary man can undertake to write. The talent of 
 the writer who is to portray Napoleon I. must be as vast 
 as the genius of his subject was immense, and his pen as 
 steeled as the sword of the Great Warrior was invincible. 
 
 Many historians have written on Napoleon, but few are 
 those who have judged him conscientiously; they have 
 either gone beyond the truth or remained within it. 
 Amongst the former, some, dazzled by his great achieve- 
 ments, have made of him a god ; whereas others, moved 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 247 
 
 by national or party passions, have not hesitated to distort 
 his personal qualities, or pry into his private character in 
 order to snlly his memory. 
 
 There have been at all times pseudo-authors, as there 
 have been false prophets, and insidious fabulists. All 
 ■writers do not always consult their honour or public 
 opinion : a great many are, unfortunately, mercenaries hired 
 to serve some political or dynastic cause, but, as one can 
 easily understand, the judgment derived from such a source 
 cannot have any weight in the minds of impartial men. 
 History is not intended to be the record of defamatory 
 reports for the delight of interested persons.. Man's 
 malignity is such that he always feels an indescribable 
 sense of rapture when his enemies are either painted in 
 black colours, or some great misfortune befalls them. Yet 
 we go to church and pray; we invoke the Almighty to 
 pour upon us His blessings, as if we were worthy of His 
 Providence ; in a word we call ourselves kind, charitable 
 Christians ; whilst our minds are undermined by ranpour, 
 and our hearts full of venom. Envy and hatred disturb 
 our minds to such a point as to become blind and irra- 
 tional. What are we ? 
 
 However, let the reader understand that, from the 
 above remarks, he has not to conclude that my object is 
 to point out any particular author, or to suggest that 
 Napoleon was free from censure. Far from me such a 
 thought: he, like all other men, had his failings; but, on 
 the other hand, when the good qualities of a man outweigh 
 his imperfections, my opinion is that the former only 
 must be remembered and the latter entirely forgotten. 
 This is what I believe to be in direct accordance with 
 moral law. Meanwhile, in order to avoid misconstruc- 
 
 s 
 
248 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 tion, on the part of those people who, because I am 
 a Oorsioan, might infer that my mind is influenced by 
 party or national spirit in favour of Napol6on, let me tell 
 them in two words that I have at one time, it is true, 
 served faithfully the Bonapartes, but never did I receive 
 from them the least token of recognition for my services. 
 It is quite the reverse ; but, whatever my 'personal feelings 
 are, as an historian, I must be impartial. With this short 
 and perhaps necessary explanation, I return to my subject. 
 
 There is no doubt that great conquerors like Napoleon, 
 Julius Csesar, the Great Alexander, &c., must necessarily 
 have created much dissatisfaction, embittered many minds, 
 raised great passions, and provoked irreconcilable hatred. 
 How could all that be avoided? They would not 
 have been what they were, had they not done what they 
 did. The disasters they caused were the natural conse- 
 quence of their heroic deeds. The wider the sphere in 
 which a man moves, the more numerous are his enemies. 
 But this does not imply that he is unworthy of considera- 
 tion ; on the contrary, it proves his superiority over those 
 who, although inferior, pretend to be equal to him. My 
 opinion is that a man who has no enemies cannot have 
 any true friends, because he who tries to please everybody 
 pleases nobody. 
 
 Therefore, Napoleon, as already said above, must by 
 the lofty position he occupied, and the circumstances by 
 which he was irresistibly impelled, have displeased many 
 whom he could not possibly please without altering his 
 character and destroying his plans. If by his actions he 
 aroused hatred and indignation, or committed what his 
 antagonists call errors, it is because they were a part of 
 his system, quite in the same manner as it enter into the 
 
FRENCH EETOLUTION. 249 
 
 xQtimate end of God to do good or efoil according as Hia 
 Universal Laws require it. Thus, wliat we believe to be a 
 deviation from the right course, is often the true result of 
 combinations unknown to us. Great operations carry 
 always after them great commotions, and, as we do not 
 understand them, we pronounce our verdict f roni a false 
 point of view. This error ia judgment on our part is 
 most often the cause of our contests, fights, and public 
 miseries; it tends to inflame great animosities which 
 always result in social disorders and irreparable disasters. 
 Among many insinuations, too numerous to be con- 
 signed in this book, it is alleged that Napoleon's ambition 
 was so unbounded, and his opinion of other Sovereigns so 
 indifferent, as to have made him conceive the unrealizable 
 project of conquering the world and proclaim himself the 
 King of Icings. Such an imputation is really too absurd to 
 have deserved the attention even of intelligent writers. It 
 must be remembered that during the Revolution of 1789- 
 1795, whether under pretence of suppressing the insurrec- 
 tion, or with a view to restore Louis XVI.'s tottering 
 power, France was attacked on every point of her fron- 
 tiers by the Allied Armies ; and if Napoleon, who was a 
 man of the revolution, continued the war carried on with 
 so much pertinacity and relentlessness against France's 
 national rights and liberties, it is because he was forced 
 into it, and it is perhaps from that moment that his war- 
 like spirit revealed itself with all the impetuosity of a 
 torrent. He is likewise censured for having betrayed the 
 Republic and usurped the Imperial crown. Csesar and 
 Cromwell have been prompted by the same ambition. 
 When men expose their repose and life for the honour and 
 welfare of their countries, it is but just that they should 
 
 s 2 
 
250 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 be rewarded accordingly. Napoleon would have desired 
 peace, and proposed it several times to the other Powers ; 
 but, under some pretext or other, they eluded it. 
 
 The following pages, extracted from the " Memoirs of 
 Napoleon," will prove that all the efforts made by the 
 Emperor for the restoration of peace failed. 
 
FRENCH EBTOIiUTION. 251 
 
 PROTOCOL 
 
 OP THE 
 
 CONFERENCES AT CHATILLON-SUR-SEINE. 
 
 Sitting of the Jfli of Feb., I8I4. 
 
 His Excellency tlie Duke of Vicenza, Minister of Exte- 
 rior Relations, and Plenipotentiary of France, on the one 
 part : 
 
 And the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts : that is 
 to say. 
 
 His Excellency Count Stadion, &c., for Austria : 
 
 His Excellency Count Razoumowski, &c., for Russia : 
 
 Their Excellencies Lord Aberdeen, Lord Cathcart, and 
 Sir Charles Stewart, &c., for Great Britain : 
 
 And His Excellency Baron Humboldt, &c., for Prussia, 
 on the other part : 
 
 Having reciprocally paid the customary visits on the 
 4th of February, agreed at the same time to hold their 
 first sitting on the morrow, the 5th of the month of 
 February. 
 
 Sitting of the Sth of Feb., at One d clock in the afternoon. 
 The Plenipotentiaries above designated assembled at the 
 house of a third party (that of M. de Montmort) chosen for 
 
.252 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 the place of session; and after having indiscriminately 
 taken their places at a round table, produced their re- 
 spective full powers in the original, and in attested copies; 
 which were mutually accepted. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts then gave in 
 the following declaration : 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts declare that 
 they do not present themselves to open these conferences 
 as merely sent by the four Courts, whose full powers they 
 bear, but as being empowered to treat for peace with 
 France in the name of Europe as forming only one whole ; 
 the four Powers answer for the accession of their Allies to 
 the arrangements which shall be agreed upon at the actual 
 period of peace. 
 
 His Excellency the Duke of Yicenza replied, that 
 nothing could be more agreeable to the views of his Court 
 than whatever tended to simplify and shorten the negotia- 
 tions. 
 
 After this declaration, the Plenipotentiaries of the 
 Allied Courts passed to the determination of the forms of 
 the conferences, wherein they declare on this point ; 
 
 That they are bound to treat only conjointly, and to 
 admit no other form of negotiations than that of Sittings, 
 with protocol to be kept thereof. 
 
 His Excellency the French Plenipotentiary declared, 
 that he had no objection to make to this form. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts then declare : 
 
 That the Allied Courts adhere to the declaration of the 
 British Government, purporting : 
 
 That all discussion on the maritime code would be con- 
 trary to the usages hitherto observed in negotiations of 
 the nature of the present : that Great Britain neither asks 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 253 
 
 other nations nor grants them any concession relative to 
 the rights which she considers as of reciprocal obHgation, 
 and of such a nature that they ought only to be regulated 
 by the law of nations, except where the same rights have 
 been modified by special conventions between particular 
 states : 
 
 That, consequently, the Allied Courts would consider 
 the insisting on this article, by France, as contrary to the 
 object of the meeting of the Plenipotentiaries, and as tend- 
 ing to prevent the re-establishment of peace. 
 
 On receiving this declaration, his Excellency the Duke 
 of Vicenza answered, that it had never been the intention 
 of France to demand anything derogatory to the rules of 
 the law of nations, and that he had no other observation 
 to make. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts thereupon 
 observe, that they take this declaration as an acceptance. 
 
 The Duke of Vicenza, after saying that his Government 
 had despatched him long since to accelerate the conclusion 
 of peace as much as possible, demanded that the subject of 
 the negotiation should be immediately entered into, pro- 
 testing that France had no other desire than to arrive at a 
 knowledge of the whole of the propositions which might 
 produce the cessation of the calamities of war. 
 
 His Excellency Count Razoumowski said he had not 
 yet received the signed despatch of his instructions. 
 
 His Excellency the Duke of Vicenza observed, that, 
 according to the time which had elapsed. Count Razou- 
 mowski being so near his Sovereign, this hindrance could 
 not have been expected, and proposed proceeding. 
 
 But their ExoeUenoies, the Plenipotentiaries of the 
 Allied Courts, having said that they had expected the 
 
254 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 first sitting to be wliolly occupied by the above-mentioned 
 objects, and it baving been observed tbat Count Razou- 
 mowski's instructions would probably arrive in the course 
 of the day, the conference was adjourned until to-morrow. 
 Chatillan-gur-Seine, Feb. S, ISUf. 
 
 (Signed,) OArfLAiNCOUET, Duke of Yicenza. 
 (Signed,) Count A. de Razoumowski, Cath- 
 
 CAET, HtJMBOLDT, ABERDEEN, 
 
 J. Count Stadion, Chaeles 
 Stewaet, Lieutenant-general. 
 
 SiMing of February, 7, 181J^. 
 
 The protocols of the sitting of the 5th having been 
 engrossed in duplicate, and compared yesterday, all the 
 Plenipotentiaries, on the opening of the present sitting, 
 affixed their signatures to such engrossments, observiug 
 the alternative between the Plenipotentiary of France on 
 the one side, and the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied 
 Courts on the other, the latter having proceeded amongst 
 themselves in an indiscriminate order, saving all claims. 
 
 This formality being fulfilled, the Plenipotentaries 
 register what follows on the protocol. 
 
 The Allied Powers, combining their views for the future 
 safety and independence of Europe, with the desire of see- 
 ing France possessed of an extent of territory analogous 
 to the rank she has always held in the political system; 
 and considering the situation in which Europe stands with 
 respect to France, in consequence of the successes of their 
 arms, the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts have 
 orders to demand : 
 
FRENCH EBTOLUTION. 255 
 
 That France shall be confined "within the limits she was 
 bounded by before the Revolution, saving all arrange- 
 ments of reciprocal convenience with respect to portions 
 of territory without the limits on both sides, and saving 
 the restitutions which England is ready to make for the 
 general interest of Europe, in return for the retrocessions 
 hereinbefore demanded of France, which restitutions shall 
 be taken out of the conquests made by England during 
 the war ; that Prance shall consequently abandon all direct 
 influence beyond her future limits ; and that the renuncia- 
 tion of all titles which spring from the relations of sove- 
 reignty and protectorship over Italy, Germany, and 
 Switzerland, shall be an immediate consequence of this 
 arrangement. 
 
 After the Duke of Vicenza had heard this proposition 
 read, a conversation, explanatory of its object, took place 
 between the Plenipotentiaries, in closing which his Excel- 
 lency the French Plenipotentiary observes, that the propo- 
 sition is of too great importance for him to be able to give 
 an answer; he therefore desires that the sitting be sus- 
 pended. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts do not 
 hesitate to comply with this wish ; and it is agreed that 
 the sitting shall be continued at eight o'clock in the 
 evening. 
 
 At which hour, the sitting being resumed by the 
 Plenipotentiaries, the Duke of Vicenza declares as 
 follows : — 
 
 The Plenipotentiary for France again renews the en- 
 gagement already taken by his Court to make the greatest 
 sacrifices, for the sake of peace, remote as the demand 
 made in the sitting of this day, in the name of the Allied 
 
256 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Powers, is from tlie principles proposed hy themselves at 
 Frankfort, and founded on wliat the Allies themselves 
 called the natural limits of France; remote from tlie 
 declarations which all the Courts have constantly repeated 
 in the face of Europe; inconsistent as their proposition 
 even is with an extent of territory analogous to the rank 
 which France has always occupied in the political system, 
 principles to which the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied 
 Powers still refer in their proposition of this day. In 
 short, although the result of this proposition is to apply 
 to France alone, a principle which the Allied Powers do 
 not speak of adopting for themselves, and of which, never- 
 theless, the application cannot be just unless it be reci- 
 procal and impartial, the French Plenipotentiary would 
 not hesitate to explain himself, without delay, in the most 
 positive manner, respecting this demand, if every sacrifice 
 that can be made, and the degree in which it can be made, 
 did not necessarily depend on the kind and number of 
 those which shall be demanded, as the sum of the sacri- 
 fices also necessarily depends on that of the compensa- 
 tions ; every question in such a negotiation is so connected 
 with and dependent on the rest, that no determination 
 can be formed on any one, without a knowledge of the 
 whole. It cannot be indifEerent to him from whom sacri- 
 fices are demanded, to know for whose advantage they 
 are to be made, and to what use they will be applied ; and 
 finally, whether by making them, an immediate stop can 
 be put to the miseries of war. A plan developing the 
 whole extent of the views of the Allies would fulfil this 
 object. 
 
 The Plenipotentiary, therefore, in the most earnest 
 manner, renews the request, that the Plenipotentiaries 
 
FEESrCH REVOLUTION. 267 
 
 of tlie Allied Courts will explain themselves postively on 
 all the foregoing points. 
 
 After having read what has just been inserted in the 
 protocol on the part of the Plenipotentiary for Prance, 
 the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts declare that 
 they take his answer ad referendum. 
 
 Chatillon-sur-Seine, JPei. 7, I8I4. 
 
 (Signed,) Catilaincotjet, Duke of Vicenza. 
 
 (Signed,) Count Stadion, Aberdeen, Humboldt, 
 Count Eazoumowski, Cathcaet, 
 Chaeles Stewaet. 
 
 NOTE OF THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES OF THE 
 ALLIES. 
 
 Chatillon-sur-Seine, Feb. 7, I8I4. 
 
 The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Allied 
 Courts, have just received from his Excellency the 
 Plenipotentiary for Russia, a communication purporting, 
 
 That his Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, having 
 thought proper to consult with the Sovereigns his Allies 
 on the subject of the conferences at Chatillon, has given 
 orders to his Plenipotentiary to declare, that he desires 
 the conferences may be suspended until his Majesty shall 
 have furnished his Plenipotentiary with farther in- 
 structions. 
 
 The undersigned have the honour to give the Plenipo- 
 tentiary of France notice thereof, informing him at the 
 same time, that the conferences can only remain suspended 
 for the moment. They will hasten to inform the French 
 Plenipotentiary of their being ready to resume the course 
 of the proceedings, the moment they are in a situation to 
 do so. 
 
258 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 The undersigned Lave the honour, at the same time, to 
 present to his Excellency the assurance of their high 
 consideration. 
 
 (Signed,) C. A. Razoumowski, Cathcaet, 
 Count Stadion, Humboldt, 
 Abbedebn, Chaeles Stewaet. 
 
 NOTE TO THE PLENIPOTEJSTTIARIES OF THE 
 ALLIES. 
 ChatiUon-sur- Seine, Feb. 10, 1814. 
 
 The undersigned. Plenipotentiary for Prance, having 
 only this day received, between the hours of ten and 
 eleven o'clock in the morning, a declaration dated yester- 
 day the 9th, and signed hy their Excellencies the Plenipo- 
 tentiaries of the Allied Courts, could not but be much sur- 
 prised at its reaching him in this manner, after their 
 Excellencies had themselves, at the first conference, esta- 
 blished it as an invariable principle, that nothing relative 
 to the negotiation could be treated on, nor consec[uently 
 any resolution relating thereto be put in or received, but 
 in the conferences ; and when it might so easily have been 
 delivered to him at the sittiag he has been requiring these 
 two days, and which it still seems to him impossible that 
 the Plenipotentiaries should not grant him, were it only to 
 settle and sign the protocol of the last conference, which, 
 belonging to the past, does not depend on the present or 
 future determinations of the Allied Courts. 
 
 But the undersigned was extremely astonished on per- 
 ceiving by the note of the Plenipotentiaries, that the mere 
 wish of one of the Allied Courts only seems to them all 
 a sufficient cause for an indefinite suspension of the nego- 
 tiations ; although the only motive that has been assigned 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 259 
 
 for this wish, is an intention of consulting with the Allies ; 
 and although it was declared repeatedly, and in the most 
 solemn manner, that the Allied Sovereigns and their 
 Cabinets had long since communicated to each other all 
 their views, and had framed them by common consent. 
 
 The undersigned therefore considers it a duty to protest 
 against the determination announced by their Excellen- 
 cies the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts; and the 
 more so, since he finds himself, through a singularity of 
 circumstances which he cannot but notice, charged with 
 the defence, not only of his own cause, but of that of the 
 powers whose Ministers are assembled at the Congress, 
 and of all those powers in whose names the same Ministers 
 are instructed to treat. 
 
 Whatever may be the result of the protest, the evils 
 occasioned by the interruption of the negotiations cannot, 
 at least, be imputed to Prance, which power, as the un- 
 dersigned declared in the answer which he deHvered in the 
 conference of the 7th, and, as he now repeats, is ready to 
 make the greatest sacrifices to put an immediate end to 
 the evils of war. 
 
 The undersigned has the honour to offer their Excellen- 
 cies the Plenipotentiaries the assurances of his high consi- 
 deration. 
 
 (Signed,) Caitlaincouet, Duke of Vicenza. 
 
 NOTE OP THE PLENIPOTENTIARIES OP THE 
 ALLIES. 
 
 Chatillon-mrSeinp, Feb. SI, I8I4. 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts at the con- 
 ferences of Chatillon had the honour, by a note of the 9th 
 of this month, to inform his Excellency the Plenipotentiary 
 
260 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 of France, of the motiye on account of which the confer- 
 ences were to be momentarily suspended. Being now 
 enabled to resume them, they have the honour to inform 
 the Plenipotentiary of France thereof. 
 
 At the same time they present to his Excellency the 
 assurances of their high consideration. 
 
 (Signed) Count Razotimowski, Cathcaet, 
 
 Humboldt, Aberdeen, Stauion. 
 
 CONTINUATION OF THE PROTOCOL OF THE 
 CONFERENCES OF CHATILLON-SUR-SEINE. 
 
 Sitting of February 17, 1814. 
 
 The Sittiags having been suspended, according to a 
 note of the Plenipotentiaries of the Allies, dated the 9th 
 inst. were resxuned this day, Feb. 17th. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Powers begin the 
 conference by the following insertion in the Protocol : 
 
 The French Plenipotentiary introduced his declaration, 
 contained in the protocol of the 7th of this month, by a 
 preamble, in which he makes comparisons between the 
 anterior declarations and present proposals. It would be 
 easy to reply to these comparisons, as well as to the other 
 reflections contained in this preamble, and to prove that 
 the political proceedings of the Courts, during the present 
 transactions, have been constantly directed by the firm 
 and unalterable intention of restoring a proper equilibrium 
 in Europe, adapted to the events produced hy the operations 
 of their armies ; but as such a discussion would be entirely 
 foreign to the object of the negotiation, from which the 
 Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts are scrupulously 
 ■desirous not to depart, as such digressions would degrade 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 261 
 
 the protocols of their conference into mere verbal notes ; 
 and as they are firmly resolved not to suffer themselves to 
 be diverted, by any cause whatsoever, from the simple 
 course of proceeding to which, in the first instance, they 
 declared their determination to adhere, they entirely 
 disallow what is set forth in the preamble of the said 
 declaration of the French Plenipotentiary, and pass on im- 
 mediately to the principal object. 
 
 To this end, the Austrian Plenipotentiary, speaking in the 
 name of his colleagues, says, that after the sitting of 7th of 
 this month, the French Plenipotentiary did, by a letter 
 addressed on the 9th to Prince Mettemich, intimate an in- 
 tention of asking the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied 
 Courts, whether in case France should consent, according 
 to the demand of the Allies, to return within her ancient 
 limits, she would immediately obtain an armistice ; that if 
 an armistice could be immediately obtained by such a 
 sacrifice, he would be ready to make it ; and farther, that 
 on that supposition, he would instantly be ready to give 
 up part of the fortresses which France was to lose by that 
 sacrifice. 
 
 That the Minister for Foreign Affairs to his Majesty the 
 Emperor of Austria, having communicated this overture 
 to the Allied Courts, the latter had authorized their Pleni- 
 potentiaries at the conferences to declare : 
 
 That they consider that a preliminary treaty, founded 
 on the principle above specified, and having as its imme- 
 diate result the cessation of hostilities by land and sea; by 
 thereby putting an equally speedy termination to the 
 miseries of war, would attain the object generally desired ■• 
 better and more suitably than an armistice; and that, 
 farther to shorten the negotiations, the Allied Powers have 
 
262 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 transmitted to their Plenipotentiaries fhe projet of a preli- 
 minary treaty, which, was about to he read. 
 
 The Trench Plenipotentiary ohserves, that in making to 
 Prince Metternich the confidential request of an armistice, 
 which he had addressed to that Minister, he had been far 
 from expecting that the sittings would be suspended in 
 such an unlooked-for manner, and the negotiations inter- 
 rupted for nine days; which suspension had altered the 
 state of the question and the object which he proposed to 
 himself; that preliminaries, as they require more or less 
 discussion, do not instantly stop the efEusion of blood, like 
 an armistice. 
 
 The Austrian Plenipotentiary then reads the following 
 projet of a preliminary treaty. 
 
 PKOJET OF A PEELIMESrAUT TREATY BETWEEN 
 THE HIGH ALLIED POWEES AJSTD PEANCE. 
 
 In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity : 
 Their Imperial Majesties the Emperors of Austria and 
 Russia, His Majesty the Eang of the United Kingdom of 
 Great Britain and Ireland, and His Majesty the King of 
 Prussia, acting in the name of all their Allies, on the one 
 part, and His Majesty the Umperor of the French on the 
 other part, desiring to cement the repose and future 
 weHare of Europe, by a solid and durable peace by sea 
 and land; and having, in order to accomplish this salutary 
 end, their Pleniptentiaries now assembled at Ohatillon-sur- 
 Seine, to discuss the conditions of this peace, the said 
 Plenipotentiaries have agreed on the following articles : 
 
 Art. 1. There shall be peace and amity between theip 
 Imperial Majesties of Austria and Hussia, His Majesty 
 the Bang of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
 Ireland, and His Majesty the King of Prussia, acting at 
 
FEBNCH EBVOLUTION. 263 
 
 the same time in the name of all their Allies, and His 
 Majesty the Emperor of the French, their heirs and succes- 
 sors for ever. 
 
 The high contracting parties engage to exert their 
 utmost endeavours to maintain the harmony so happily 
 re-established ietween them, for the future happiness of 
 Europe. 
 
 Art. 2. His Majesty the Emperor of the French re- 
 nounces, for himself and his successors, the whole of the 
 acquisitions, annexations, and incorporations of territory 
 made hy France, since the commencement of the war of 
 1792. 
 
 His Majesty equally renounces all constitutional influ- 
 ence, direct or indirect, out of the ancient limits of France, 
 such as they stood fixed before the war of 1792, and the 
 titles derived therefrom, and namely, those of King of 
 Italy, King of Borne, Protector of the Confederation of the 
 Rhine, and Mediator of the Swiss Confederation. 
 
 Art. 3. The high contracting parties formally and so- 
 lemnly acknowledge the principle of the sovereignty and 
 independence of all the states of Europe, as they shall be 
 constituted on the definitive peace. 
 
 Art. 4. His Majesty the Emperor of the French formally 
 acknowledges the following reconstruction of the countries 
 bordering on France. 
 
 1st. Germany, composed of independent states, united 
 by a federative connexion. 
 
 2d. Italy, divided into independent states, placed be- 
 tween the Austrian possessions in Italy and France. 
 
 3d. Holland, under the sovereignty of the House of 
 Orange, with an increase of territory. 
 
 4th. Switzerland, a free and independent state, with 
 
 T 
 
264 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 her ancient boundaries restored, under the guarantee of 
 all the great powers, including France. 
 
 5th. Spain, under the dominion of Ferdinand YII., 
 with her ancient boundaries. 
 
 His Majesty, the Emperor of the French, farther ac- 
 knowledges the right of the Allied Powers to determine, 
 according to treaties existing between the Powers, the 
 limits and relations, as well of the countries ceded by 
 France, as of their 'states with respect to each other, 
 without any right of interference on the part of France. 
 
 Art. 5. On the other hand, his Britannic Majesty con- 
 sents to restore to France, with the exception of the Isles 
 called the Saintes, all the conquests she had made from 
 France, during the war, and which are at present in the 
 power of His Britannic Majesty, in the West Indies, 
 Africa, and America. 
 
 The Isle of Tobago, conformably to the 2d Article of 
 the present treaty, shall remain to Great Britain ; and the 
 Allies promise to use their good offices, to induce their 
 Swedish and Portuguese Majesties to throw no obstacle 
 in the way of the restoration of Guadaloupe and Cayenne 
 to France. 
 
 All the establishments and factories conquered from 
 France to the East of the Cape of Good Hope, except the 
 Mauritius (Isle de France), Bourbon, and their dependen- 
 cies, shall be restored to her. France shall only resume 
 such of the said factories and establishments as are situa.te 
 on the continent of India, and within the limits of the 
 British possessions, on condition of possessing them wholly 
 as commercial establishments ; and she consequently pro- 
 mises to have no fortifications constructed therein, and to 
 keep up no garrisons or military forces whatsoever, beyond 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 265 
 
 ■wtat is necessary for the maintenance of the police in the 
 said establishments. 
 
 The restitutions ahove-mentioned in Asia, Africa, and 
 America, shall not extend to any possession which was not 
 actually in the power of Prance before the commencement 
 of the war of 1792. 
 
 The French government engages to prohibit the im- 
 portation of slaves in all the colonies and possessions 
 restored by the present treaty, and to interdict its sub- 
 jects, in the most efficacious manner, from the negro slave 
 trade in general. 
 
 The Isle of Malta, with its dependencies, shall remain 
 in full sovereignty to his Britannic Majesty. 
 
 Art. 6. His Majesty the Emperor of the French shall, 
 as speedily as possible after the ratification of the present 
 preliminary treaty, give up the fortresses and forts of the 
 ceded countries, and those which are still occupied by his 
 troops in Germany, without exception, and particularly 
 the fortress of Mentz, in six days; those of Hamburg, 
 Antwerp, and Bergen-op-zoom, in the space of six days; 
 Mantua, Palma-nuova, Venice, and Peschiera, and the 
 fortresses of the Oder and Elbe, in fifteen days ; and the 
 other places and forts with the least possible delay, which 
 cannot exceed fifteen days. These places and forts shall 
 be given up in their present state, with all their artillery, 
 military stores, provisions, archives, &c.; the French gar- 
 risons of these places shall march out with their arms, 
 baggage, and private property. His Majesty the Emperor 
 of the French shall likewise cause to be delivered up to 
 the Allied armies, within the space of four days, the for- 
 tresses of Besangon, Befort, and Huninguen, which shall 
 remain in pledge until the ratification of the definitive 
 
 t2 
 
266 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 peace, and wHch shall be restored in the condition in 
 whicli they shall be delivered up, as fast as the Allied 
 troops shall evacuate the French territory. 
 
 Art. 7. The generals commanding in chief shall, without 
 delay, name commissioners to determine the line of de- 
 marcation between the respective armies. 
 
 Art. 8. As soon as the present preliminary treaty shall 
 have been accepted and ratified on both sides, hostilities 
 shall cease by land and sea. 
 
 Art. 9. The present preliminary treaty shall be followed, 
 with the least possible delay, by the signature of a defini- 
 tive treaty of peace. 
 
 Art. 10. The ratifications of the preliminary treaty 
 shall be exchanged in four days, or sooner if possible. 
 
 In faith whereof the Plenipotentiaries of their Imperial 
 Majesties of Austria and Russia, of his Majesty the King 
 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and 
 of his Majesty the King of Prussia, on the one part, and 
 the Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Mnvperor of the 
 French on the other part, have signed the same, and 
 caused the seal of their arms to be affixed thereto. 
 Done at Chatillon, &c., &c. 
 
 This reading being finished, the French Plenipotentiary 
 requests the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts to 
 answer the observation and questions following : 
 
 He remarks that the Projet confounds the title of 
 King of Italy, with those of Mediator and Protector, which 
 essentially differs therefrom ; that the first is a title of 
 sovereignty, which the others are not; that it is attached 
 to the possession of a state ; that that state is independent 
 of France ; that the renunciations of the latter power 
 would by no means convey a renunciation of the crown of 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 267 
 
 Italy, wliicli the Emperor of the French, could not 
 renounce as Emperor, but only in his quality of King. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts answer, that 
 it is certainly the intention of the Allied Courts that the 
 treaty should contain the Emperor Napoleon's renunciation 
 of the possession of the kingdom of Italy, and that as it 
 appears that the projet may leave doubts on that point, it 
 will be proper to add this renunciation in explicit terms. 
 
 The French Plenipotentiary then asked if the King of 
 Saxony were comprised in the arrangements which the 
 Allies projected for Germany, and would be re-established 
 in the full possession of his kingdom ? 
 
 If the King of Westphalia, acknowledged by all the 
 Continental powers, would recover his kingdom, or obtain 
 an indemnity ? 
 
 And lastly, if the rights of the Vicer6y, as heir to the 
 Kingdom of Italy, were acknowledged, in case the King of 
 Italy should renounce the crown of that kingdom ? 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts declared, that 
 they confine themselves at present to their projet. 
 
 The French Plenipotentiary then says, that the docu- 
 ment which has just been read and communicated to him, 
 is of too high importance to admit of his giving any 
 answer to it during this Sitting, and that he will hereafter 
 propose to the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts, an 
 ulterior conference, when he shall be in a situation to 
 enter into discussion upon that which forms the subject of 
 the overtures made in the present Sitting. 
 
 (Signed,) Oaulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza. 
 (Signed,) Abeedeen, Cathcart, Count Ra- 
 zouMOWSKi, Humboldt, Count 
 Stadion, Ohaklbs Stewart, 
 Lieutenant-General. 
 
268 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 Sitting of Feb. 28, 1814. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of tiie Allied Courts deliver the 
 following Declaration to be inserted in the Protocol : 
 
 Several days having elapsed since the Projet of the 
 preliminaries of a general peace was presented by the 
 Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts to the French Pleni- 
 potentiary, and no answer having been given, either in the 
 form of acceptance or modification of the said projet, their 
 Imperial and Royal Majesties have considered it expedient 
 to enjoin their Plenipotentiaries to demand of the Prench 
 Plenipotentiary a distinct and explicit declaration from 
 his government on the projet in question. The Plenipo- 
 tentiaries of the Allied Courts think that there is the less 
 reason for delay on the part of the French government, 
 with respect to a decision on the preliminaries proposed, as 
 the projet delivered by them was founded, in substance, 
 on an offer made by the French Plenipotentiary in his 
 letter to Prince Mettemioh, dated the 9th of this month, 
 which the Prince submitted to the Allied Courts. 
 
 Moreover, the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts are 
 instructed to declare, in the name of their Sovereigns, that 
 adhering firmly, as they do, to the substance of the 
 demands contained in those conditions, which they regard 
 as equally essential to the safety of Europe, and necessary 
 to the arrangement of a general peace, they cannot in- 
 terpret any farther delay of an answer to their proposals, 
 otherwise than as a refusal on the part of the French 
 government. Consequently, the Plenipotentiaries of the 
 Allied Courts, being ready to agree with the French 
 Plenipotentiary, with regard to the time indispensably 
 necessary for communicating with his government, have 
 orders to declare, that if on the expiration of the time con- 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 269 
 
 sidered. sufficient, and agreed on with the French Pleni- 
 potentiary, an answer shall not have arrived acceding, in 
 substance, to the basis laid down in the projet of the 
 Allies, the negotiations shall be considered as terminated, 
 and the Plenipotentaries of the Allied Courts shall return 
 to head-quarters. 
 
 After having delivered this declaration, of which a copy 
 was handed to the French Plenipotentiary, the Austrian 
 Plenipotentiary, in the name of his colleagues, adds ver- 
 bally, that the Plenipotentaries of the Allied Courts are 
 ready to discuss, in a spirit of conciliation, any modifica- 
 tion which the French Plenipotentiary may be autho- 
 rized to propose ; but that the Allied Courts could listen 
 to no proposal which should essentially differ from the 
 sense of the offer already made by the Plenipotentiary for 
 France, and that, if such pretensions should be brought 
 forward by France, the Allies would be compelled, though 
 with regret, to refer the decision to the fortune of arms. 
 
 The" Plenipotentiary for France answers, that their 
 Excellencies the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts, 
 after having had so much time to prepare their projet, 
 cannot complain of the time occupied by him in preparing 
 his answer ; that time is requisite for the examination of a 
 projet embracing so raany questions of high importance, 
 and for most of which there had been nothing antecedent 
 to prepare him. 
 
 That their Excellencies are aware, from his numerous 
 complaints, of the delays which his couriers have experi- 
 enced, through the circuitous routes they have been forced 
 to take ; 
 
 That they also know that since the delivery of the 
 projet, the armies have been incessantly in motion, and 
 
270 EPISODES OE THE 
 
 that the projet by wliich tliat of the Allies is to be 
 answered cannot be made out during an almost hourly- 
 change of place. 
 
 That the Allies are the less justified in complaining of 
 delay, from having suspended the sittings for nine days, 
 immediately after the opening of the negotiations, without 
 giving any reason. 
 
 Finally, that Prance has sufficiently proved, by all that 
 preceded the delivery of the projet, that she is desirous of 
 peace; That as to what is said in the new declaration of 
 their Excellencies, respecting an offer made by him. in a 
 confidential letter to Prince Metfernich, he must repeat 
 what he has already remarked, that this offer was made 
 subject to the demand of an immediate armistice, which 
 was refused, and that consequently such offer cannot now 
 be urged. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts invite the 
 Prench Plenipotentiary to specify the time he considers 
 sufficient for the communications above alluded to. 
 
 He answers that in so weighty an affair, the obligation 
 to answer by a fixed day ought neither to be imposed nor 
 entered into. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts insisting, 
 according to the formal orders of their Courts, on having 
 the term fixed, it was finally agreed to limit it, on both 
 sides, to the 10th of March inclusively. 
 
 (Signed,) Catjlaincotjet, Duke of Yicenza. 
 (Signed,) Charles Stewart, Count Stadion, 
 Cathcart, Humboldt, Count 
 Razoumowski, Aberdeen. 
 
FRENCH EBTOLTJTION. 271 
 
 Sitting of March 10, 1814. 
 
 The rrench. Plenipotentiary tegins the conference by 
 consigning what follows to the Protocol. 
 
 The Plenipotentiary of Prance had hoped, according to 
 the representations which it had fallen to him to make to 
 the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts, and by the 
 manner in which their Excellencies had been pleased to 
 accept them, that orders would be given to enable his 
 couriers to reach him without difficulty or delay. Never- 
 theless, the last courier who reached him, was not only 
 stopped for a long time by several Russian officers and 
 generals, but even obliged to give up his despatches, which 
 were not restored to him until thirty-six hours after, at 
 Chaumont. The French Plenipotentiary is therefore sorry 
 to find himself under the necessity of again calling the 
 attention of the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts to 
 this subject, and to protest the more earnestly against a 
 line of conduct contrary to received usages and to the pre- 
 rogatives which the law of nations secures to Ministers in- 
 trusted with a negotiation, because it is the true cause of 
 the delays which impede the present conferences. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts not being in- 
 formed of the fact, promise to communicate this protest to 
 their Courts. 
 
 The French Plenipotentiary then causes the following 
 document to be read, demanding its insertion in the Pro- 
 tocol, as well as that of the documents thereto annexed, 
 numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 
 
 The Plenipotentiary of France has received from his 
 Court orders to muke the following observations on the 
 Frotocol : 
 
 The Allied Sovereigns, in their declaration of Frankfort, 
 
272 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 with which all Europe is acquainted, and their Excellen- 
 cies the Plenipotentiaries, in their proposal of the 7th o£ 
 February, have alike laid it down as a principle, that 
 France ought to retain, in peace, the same relative power 
 as she possessed previously to the wars which are to he 
 terminated by this peace ; for what the Plenipotentiaries 
 say in the preamble to their proposition, of the wish of the 
 Allied Powers to see France possessed of a territory anala- 
 gous to the rank she has always held in the political 
 system, neither has nor can have any other meaning. The 
 Allied Sovereigns had, consequently, demanded that 
 France should be confined within the limits formed by the 
 Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Rhine, and France had 
 acquiesced therein. But their Plenipotentiaries, on the 
 contrary, have, by their note of the 7th, and by the projet 
 of articles which they delivered on the 17th, demanded 
 that France should be restricted within her ancient limits. 
 How could they, without ceasing to insist on the same 
 principle, pass from one of these demands to the other ? 
 What has happened since the first to justify the second ? 
 This last demand could not, either on the 7th or the 17th, 
 still less can it now be founded on the confidential ofEer 
 made by the Plenipotentiary of France to the Minister of 
 the Cabinet of one of the Allied Courts ; for the letter con- 
 taining that offer was not written until the 9th, and it 
 was indispensable to answer it immediately, since the ofEer 
 was made on the absolute condition of an immediate 
 armistice, to stay the effusion of blood, and avoid a battle 
 which the Allies wished to fight; instead of which the 
 conferences were, by the mere will of the Allies, and with- 
 out any motive assigned, suspended from the 10th to the 
 I7th, on which day the proposed condition was even for- 
 
FRENCH KEVOLUTIOK. 273 
 
 mally rejected. An offer made subject to that condition 
 could not, therefore, nor can now, by any means, be urged. 
 Did not the Allied Sovereigns wish, three months ago, to 
 establish a just equilibrium in Europe? Do they not 
 declare that this is still their intention ? It is also the 
 only wish of France to preserve the same relative power 
 which she has always possessed. But Europe no longer 
 resembles what she was twenty years ago. At that period 
 the kingdom of Poland, which had already been dismem- 
 bered, disappeared entirely; the immense territory of 
 Russia was increased by the accession of vast and wealthy 
 provinces. Six millions of people were added to a popula- 
 tion already greater than that of any European state. 
 Nine millions more were allotted to Austria and Prussia. 
 
 The face of Germany was speedily changed. The 
 ecclesiastical states, and the greater part of the free Ger- 
 manic towns, were divided amongst the secular princes 
 Prussia and Austria received the greater part of them. 
 The ancient republic of Venice became a province of the 
 Austrian monarchy ; two additional millions of subjects, 
 with new territories and new resources, were afterwards 
 given to Russia by the treaties of Tilsit, Vienna, Jassi, and 
 Abo. England, during the same lapse of time, has not 
 only acquired by the treaty of Amiens, the Dutch posses- 
 sions of Ceylon and the Island of Trinidada; but has 
 doubled her Indian possessions, and made thereof an 
 empire which two of the greatest European monarchies 
 would scarcely equal. If the population of this empire 
 cannot be considered as an increase of the British popula- 
 tion, does not England, nevertheless, derive from it, both 
 by sovereignty and by commerce, an immense increase of 
 her wealth, that other element of power. Russia and 
 
274 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 England have preserved all they have acquired. Austria 
 and Prussia have, indeed, suffered losses ; but do they give 
 up all intention of retrieving them ? and are they now con- 
 tent with the extent of territory with which the present 
 war found them ? Yet it differs little from that which 
 they possessed twenty years ago. 
 
 It is not for her own interest alone that France ought to 
 be anxious to preserve the same relative power as she pos- 
 sessed. The declaration of Frankfort (see the annexed 
 document, No. 4.) will shew that the Allied Sovereigns 
 were convinced it was also the interest of Europe. Now 
 when every thing round France has been altered, how can 
 she preserve tTie same relative power hy being replaced in the 
 same state as before ? Were she replaced in that state, 
 sTie would not even have the degree of absolute power which 
 she then had; for her possessions beyond sea were incon- 
 testably one of the elements of that power ; and the most 
 important of these possessions, that which in value 
 equalled or surpassed all the rest together, has been 
 wrested from her: it is of little importance from what 
 cause ; she has lost it. It suffices that she no longer has it, 
 and that it is no longer in the power of the Allies to restore 
 it to her. 
 
 To estimate the relative powers of states, it is not 
 enough to compare their absolute strength ; the use which 
 their geographical situation allows or obliges them to 
 make of their means, must needs be taken in the calcula- 
 tion. 
 
 England is a power essentially maritime, which can 
 place all her forces on the water. Austria has not suffi- 
 cient coasts to become so ; Russia and Prussia have no 
 occasion to be so, because they have no possessions beyond 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 275 
 
 the seas ; they are powers essentially continental. France, 
 on the contrary, is at once essentially maritime, on account 
 of the extent of her coasts and colonies, and essentially 
 continental also. England can only be attacked hy fleets. 
 Russia, with her hack against the pole of the world, and 
 bounded on almost every side by seas or vast solitudes, 
 has only been assailable on one side, ever since her acqui- 
 sition of Finland. France is liable to attach at every 
 point of her circumference ; at once on the land side, where 
 she every where adjoins valiant nations, ty sea, and in her 
 distant possessions. 
 
 To restore a real equlibrium, her relative power ought 
 therefore to be considered under two distinct aspects : to 
 estimate it justly, it must be divided; and its absolute 
 forces must not be compared with those of the other 
 states of the continent, until after deducting the part she 
 has to employ by sea ; or to those of the maritime states, 
 until after deducting the part she must employ on the 
 continent. 
 
 The Plenipotentiary for. France requests their Excel- 
 lencies, the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts, to 
 weigh attentively the preceding considerations of striking 
 truth, and to judge whether the acquisitions which France 
 has made on this side of the Alps and Rhine, aud which 
 were secured to her by the treaties of Luneville and 
 Amiens, would even be sufficient to restore that equilibri- 
 um between her and the other great European powers, 
 which has been destroyed by the changes that have taken 
 place in the extent of the possessions of those powers. 
 
 The simplest calculation clearly demonstrates that these 
 acquisitions, added to all that France possessed in 1792, 
 would still be far from giving her the degree of relative 
 
276 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 power which she then possessed, and which she had con- 
 stantly had in preceding times; and yet she is required, 
 not to abandon any particular part, but the whole of them ; 
 although the Allied Sovereigns, in their declaration of 
 Frankfort, had proclaimed to the world, tliat they acknow- 
 ledged France with a more extensive territory than she had 
 possessed under her Idngs. 
 
 The internal strength of a state is not the only element 
 of its relative power, which is partly composed of the ties 
 that unite it with other states; ties which are generally 
 stronger and more durable between states governed by 
 princes of the same blood. The Emperor of the French 
 posseses, besides his empire, a kingdom; to which his 
 adopted son is the appointed heir. Other princes of the 
 French dynasty possessed foreign crowns or sovereignties. 
 Their rights had been sanctioned by treaties, and acknow- 
 ledged by the Continent. The projet of the Allied Courts 
 preserves a silence with respect to them, which the very 
 proper and natural questions of the French Plenipoten- 
 tiary have not induced them to break. 
 
 But in renouncing the rights of these princes, and the 
 portion of relative power thence derived, as well as what 
 she has acquired on this side of the Alps and the Rhine, 
 France would find herself a loser of her ancient relative 
 power, maritime and continental, exactly in the same ratio 
 as that of the other great states is already increased, or 
 will be increased on the conclusion of peace, by their re- 
 spective acquisitions. The restitution of her colonies, 
 which would only place her, then, in her ancient state of 
 absolute greatness, (but which the situation of Saint- 
 Domingo would not allow to be completely effected), 
 would not and could not be a compensation for her losses : 
 
FEENOH REVOLUTION. 277 
 
 those losses would merely be diminislied thereby, and 
 undoubtedly this would be the least she would have a 
 right to look for. But what does the projet of the Allied 
 Courts ofBer her in this respect ? 
 
 Of the French colonies fallen into the power of the 
 enemy, (and the wars of the continent have placed them 
 all in his power,) there are three, the importance of which, 
 in various respects, places them beyond all comparison 
 with the others ; these are Guadaloupe, Guiana, and the 
 Isle of France. Instead of the restitution of the two 
 former, the projet of the Allied Courts only offers their 
 good of&ces in procuring this restitution; and it would 
 appear from that circumstance, that these two colonies 
 were in the hands of powers which are strangers to the 
 present negotiation, and ought not to be included in the 
 future peace. But, on the contrary, the powers which 
 occupy them are amongst those in whose name, and for 
 whom the Allied Courts have declared they were autho- 
 rized to treat ; are they then only authorized to treat on 
 clauses at the expense of France; does their authority 
 cease when clauses in her favour are brought forward ? If 
 this were the case, it would become indispensable that all 
 the states engaged in the present war should immediately 
 take part in the negotiations, and each send Plenipoten- 
 tiaries to the Congress. 
 
 It, is, inoreover to be remarked that Guadaloupe having 
 only ceased to be in the hands of England, by means of an 
 act which the law of nations did not authorize, it is Eng- 
 land alone which, with respect to France, can be consi- 
 dered to occupy it, and it is of her only that restitution 
 can be demanded. 
 
 England wishes to keep to herself the Isles of France 
 
278 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 and la Reunion, witliout which the other possessions of 
 France, east of the Cape of Good Hope, lose aU their 
 value; the Saintes, without which the possession of 
 Guadaloupe would he precarious ; and the Isle of Tobago ; 
 the,last under the pretext that France was not possessed 
 of it in 1792, and the others, although France had pos- 
 sessed them, from time immemorial : thus establishing a 
 rule which is strict only towards France, allows of no ex- 
 ception but against her, and thus becomes a two-edged 
 sword. 
 
 An isle of a certain extent, but which has lost its ancient 
 fertility, two or three others infinitely less, and a few fac- 
 tories which the loss of the Isle of France would compel 
 us to abandon, — -this is what the grand restitutions which 
 England promised to make, are reduced to. 
 
 Are these what she made at Amiens, where, neverthe- 
 less, she restored Malta, which she now wishes to keep, 
 and which is no longer disputed with her? What could 
 she have offered less, if France had nothing to give up 
 except to her ? The restitutions she promised were an- 
 nounced as an equivalent for the sacrifices which were to 
 be made to the continent. Tt was upon this condition 
 that France declared herself ready to make great sacri- 
 fices. They ought to be proportioned to the restitutions. 
 Could a projet have been expected, by which the Continent 
 demands every thing, and England restores scarcely any 
 thing ; and the result of which is in substance, that all 
 the other great powers of Europe ought to retain what 
 they have acquired, retrieve the losses they may have 
 suffered, and gain still more possessions ; but that France 
 alone was to preserve none of her acquisitions, and to 
 recover only the least and worst part of what she had lost ? 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 27& 
 
 After so many sacrifioes demanded of France, nothing- 
 remained to be required of her hut the sacrifice of her 
 honour! 
 
 The projet tends to deprive her of the right of interfer- 
 ence in favo ur of unfortunate old Allies. The Plenipoten- 
 tiary of France having asked whether the King of Saxony 
 would he replaced in possession of his estates, could not 
 even obtain an answer. 
 
 Cessions and renunciations are demanded of France; 
 and she is required to make them without knowing by 
 whom, under what titles, or in what proportions the ter- 
 ritories she is to relinquish are to be possessed. It is re~ 
 quired that she shall not Jcnow who are to he her nearest 
 neighbours; it is wished to regulate, without her, the fate 
 of the cou ntries which she shall have renounced, and the- 
 condition of those with whom her sovereign was connected 
 by particular ties; it is wished to make arrangements, 
 without her, to settle the general system of possessions 
 and balance of power in Europe; it is wished that she 
 should be a stranger to the arrangement of a whole, of 
 which she is a considerable and necessary part; in short, 
 it is wished, that by subscribing to such conditions, she 
 should in some sort exclude herself from European 
 society. 
 
 Her establishments on the continent of India are re- 
 stored ; but on condition of possessing in dependency and 
 subjection, what she formerly held in sovereignty. 
 
 Finally, rules of conduct are dictated to her for the 
 ulterior government of her colonies, and towards people 
 unconnected with the governments of Europe by any tie 
 of subjection or dependence, and with respect to whom na 
 right of patronage can be acknowledged in any of them^ 
 
280 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 Such propositions as these could not have been ex- 
 pected from the language of the Allied Sovereigns, or 
 that of the Prince Regent of England, when he told the 
 British Parliament, That no disposition on his part to 
 demand of France any sacrifice incompatible with her 
 interest as a nation, or with her honour, should be an 
 •obstacle to peace. 
 
 Attacked at once by all the powers combined against 
 her, the French nation feels, more than any other, the 
 want of peace, and therefore is more desirous of it ; hut 
 ■all generous nations, as well as individuals, prefer honour 
 even to existence. 
 
 It cannot surely have entered into the views of the 
 Allied Sovereigns to debase France; and although the 
 French Plenipotentiary cannot account for the want of 
 •conformity between the projet of articles which has been 
 delivered to him, and the sentiments which they have so 
 •often and so explicitly declared, he still presents with un- 
 diminished confidence to the judgment of the Allied Courts 
 themselves and of the Plenipotentiaries, the foregoing 
 •observations, dictated by the general interest of Europe 
 as much as by the particular interest of France, and which 
 in no point deviate from the declarations of the Allied 
 Sovereigns, and that of the Prince Regent to the English 
 Parliament. 
 
 DOCDMENTS ANNEXED. 
 
 No. 1. Note written at Frankfort Nov. 9, 1813, by 
 Baron Saint-Aignan. 
 
 No. 2. Letter from Prince Metternich to the French 
 Minister of Exterior Relations, dated Frankfort, Nov. 25, 
 1813. 
 
FEENCH EEVOLUTION. 281 
 
 No. 3. Letter from the Dake of Vicenza to Prince 
 Metternich, dated Paris, Dec. 2, 1813. 
 
 No. 4. Declaration of Frankfort, extracted from tlie 
 Journal of Frankfort of Dec. 7, 1813, and dated the 1st of 
 the said month. 
 
 No. 5. Extract of a Speech of the Prince Regent to the 
 Parliament of England. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts aas wer, that the 
 observations they have just heard read do not contain a dis- 
 tinct and explicit declaration from the French governm^ent 
 on the projet presented by them in the sitting of the 17th 
 of Febmary, and consequently do not satisfy the demand 
 •which the Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts made in 
 the conference of the 28th of February, to have a distinct 
 and explicit answer in the course of ten days, on which 
 term they m-utually agreed with the Plenipotentiary for 
 France. They farther declare that by the admission of 
 these observations in the protocol, they do not acknowledge 
 all the papers annexed as of an official character. 
 
 The French Plenipotentiary answers that such of those 
 papers as are not strictly official, are at least authentic and 
 public. 
 
 The Plenipotentiaries of the Allied Courts thereupon 
 preparing to break up the sittings, the French Plenipoten- 
 tiary verbally declares that the Emperor of the French is 
 ready to renounce by the treaty to be concluded, every 
 title expressive of relations of sovereignty, supremacy, 
 protection, or constitutional influence with countries out of 
 the limits of France ; and to acknowledge — 
 
 The independence of Spain within her ancient ^limits, 
 under the sovereignty of Ferdinand VII. ; the independ- 
 ence of Italy, and the independence of Switzerland, under 
 
 u2 
 
282 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 the gpiarantee of great powers; the independence of Ger- 
 many ; and the independence of Holland, under the 
 sovereignty of the Prince of Orange. 
 
 He farther declares that if, to remove all possibility of 
 misunderstanding, and to render the friendship more 
 cordial, and the peace more durable between Prance and 
 England, on the part of France cessions of territories 
 beyond sea should be deemed necessary, France will be 
 ready to make them on having a reasonable equivalent. 
 Whereupon the sitting was closed. 
 
 (Signed,) Caulaincouet, Duke of Vicenza. 
 (Signed,) Aberdeen, Count Razoumowski, 
 Cathcart, Count Stadion, 
 Ch. Stewart, Lieutenant-General. 
 
 u2 
 
FKENCH REVOLUTION. 288 
 
 BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio, in the island 
 of Corsica, on tlie 15th of August, 1769. He was the 
 second child of Charles Bonaparte and of Maria Letizia 
 Eamolino, afterwards known under the name of Madame 
 Mere; a lady of great beauty and remarkable accomplish- 
 ments. She was a Corsican by birth, and belonged to one of 
 the best families in the island. Napoleon's father'descended 
 from a noble family of Italy ; was an advocate of great 
 repute, Judge at Ajaccio, and the Deputy of the Corsican 
 nobility in 1779. He died in 1785, and Maria Letizia in 
 1839. They had five sons : Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, 
 Louis, and Jer6me, and three daughters : Elisa, Pauline, 
 and Caroline. But, although the second son of the family. 
 Napoleon was considered the first, as much for his vivacity 
 as for his talent. At the age of ten he was admitted into 
 the military school of Brienne, where he so much distin- 
 guished himself by his talents, presence of mind, and bold- 
 ness, that one of his Professors in his report on the young 
 Napoleon inserted the following prophetic note: "Ilira 
 loin si les circpnstances le favorisent." (He will make his 
 
284 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 way if circumstances favour him.) Five years after, on 
 the special recommendation of his masters, he was received 
 into the military School of Paris; where he finished 
 his studies, and whence he came out to astonish the 
 world. Twelve months after, in 1785, he obtained the 
 commission of a lieutenant in a regiment of artillery. In 
 1793, when Paoli contemplated the cession of Corsica to the 
 English, Napoleon was one of the officers attached to the 
 expedition directed against his old friend (Paoli) ; but as 
 the undertaking proved unsuccessful, he was compelled to 
 retire with his mother and sisters to Marseille. In 1793, at 
 the age of twenty, during the Reign of Terror, he was 
 appointed Commander in Chief of the artillery of Toulon ; 
 where, by his intrepidity and foresight, he recovered the 
 town from the Anglo-Spanish fleets combined. In 1795, 
 he received the command of the Conventional troops, and 
 in a few hours, as already said in the Episodes, he defeated 
 the royalists and quelled the revolt. Lastly, in March, 
 1796, he was appointed General in Chief of the army of 
 Italy: he was then 27 years of age, and his fame filled 
 already the world. 
 
 Whatever may be said of Napoleon, there is not the 
 least doubt that he was the greatest man of his time. Cir- 
 cumstances and the dictates of his nature may have made 
 him a despot, but he was nevertheless the Restorer of 
 France's grandeur, and the Regenerator of Europe, which 
 he roused from the torpor into which it was plunged, and 
 infused a new life into it. 
 
 Compared to Cromwell, Napoleon was in France what 
 the latter was in England ; yet, whereas this " had the 
 frankness and decision of power, that had the craft and 
 the hypocrisy of opposed ambition." 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 285 
 
 Here is as Sir Archibald Alison expresses his opinion of 
 Napoleon : — 
 
 " After the fall of the Committee of Public Salvation, 
 the triumphs of France centred in Napoleon alone; 
 wherever he did not command in person, the greatest 
 reverses were experienced. In 1795 the republicans "were 
 defeated by Clairfait on the Rhine ; in 1796, by the Arch- 
 duke Charles in Germany. In 1799, their reverses were 
 unexampled, both in Italy and Germany ; from the 9th 
 Thermidor to the 18th Brumaire — a period of about five 
 years — the fortunes of the Republic were singly sustained 
 by the sword of Napoleon and the lustre of his Italian 
 campaigns. When he seized the helm in November, 1799, 
 he found the armies defeated and mined; the frontier 
 invaded, both on the sides of Italy and Germany ; the 
 arsenals empty, the soldiers in despair deserting their 
 colours, the royalists revolting against the government, 
 general anarchy in the interior, the treasury empty, the 
 energies of the Republic apparently exhausted. Instantly, 
 as if by enchantment, everything was changed ; order re- 
 appeared out of the chaos, talent emerged out of obscurity, 
 vigour arose out of weakness. The arsenals were filled, 
 the veterans crowded to their eagles, the conscripts joy- 
 fully repaired to the frontier. Vendee was pacified, the 
 exchequer began to overflow. In little more than six 
 months after Napoleon's accession, the Austrians were 
 forced to seek refuge under the cannon of . Ulm, Italy was 
 regained, unanimity and enthusiasm prevailed among the 
 people, and the revived energy of the nation was finally 
 launched into the career of conquest. Changes so extra- 
 ordinary cannot be explained by the influence of any one 
 man. Great as the abilities of Napoleon undoubtedly 
 
286 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 ■were, they could not be equal to the Herculean task of re- 
 animating a whole nation. It was the transition from 
 anarchy to order, from the tyranny of demagogues to the 
 ascendant of talent, from the weakness of popular to the 
 vigour of military government, which was the real cause 
 of the change. The virtuous, the able, the brave, felt that 
 they no longer recLuired to remain in obscurity; that 
 democratic jealousy would not now be permitted to eztin- 
 guish rising ability ; financial imbecility to crush patriotic 
 exertion; private cupidity to exhaust public resources, 
 civil weakness to paralyze military valour. The universal 
 conviction that the reign of the multitude was at an end, 
 produced the astonishing burst of talent which led to the 
 glories of Marengo and Hohenlinden." 
 
 Such was Napoleon the Great; such is as he ought 
 to be examined; non solum sibi, sed etiam, om.nihusque 
 patriae. 
 
FRENCH EEVOLTJTION. 287 
 
 A BEIEF BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 
 
 OP THE 
 
 GENERALS WHO DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES 
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION AND UNDER 
 
 THE EMPIRE. 
 
 In order to complete tlie Episodes of the Frenct Revo- 
 tion, and since the Generals of that time were the Heroes 
 who fought for the honour of France, drove the Allied 
 Armies from her frontiers, and afterwards followed Napo- 
 leon in his glorious campaigns against the invaders ; a 
 short biographical sketch of each of those illustrious 
 soldiers will not be without some interest to the reader. 
 
 PIGHEGRU, Chaeles. 
 This General, as much celebrated for his perfidy as for 
 his military talent, was born at Arbois, Franche Comte, in 
 1761. In his early youth he was sent to school in a con- 
 Tent, where the germs of Jesuitism, which proved so fatal 
 to him in later years, were infused into his young mind. 
 Afterwards he pursued diligently his studies at the college 
 of Brienne, where he received marks of distinction for his 
 progress in mathematical sciences. When he left school, 
 lie enlisted as a soldier, and, during the Revolution, he 
 
288 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 rose to the rank of General. In 1795, lie was styled the 
 " Saviour of tlie country," for having suppressed the 
 insurrection of the Terrorists in the Faubourgs of Paris. 
 The reader is already aware that, whilst he was Com- 
 mander in Chief of the Army of the Rhine, he favoured 
 the restoration of the Bourbons, and his conspiracy having 
 been detected, he was deported to Cayenne with other 
 conspirators. He, however, succeeded in making - his 
 escape to England, where he soon became acquainted with 
 many royalist emigrants, among whom the Chouan chief, 
 Georges Cadoudal. With this he went to Paris in dis- 
 guise, with a view, somQ say to assassinate Napoleon, others 
 to foment a counter-revolution ; but, their plot being dis- 
 covered by the French police, they were arrested and put 
 on their, trial. Cadoudal was sentenced to be beheaded on 
 the guillotine, and Pichegru imprisoned in the Temple, 
 where one morning he was found dead; but whether he 
 died of apoplexy or otherwise, it is not positively known. 
 April 6, 1804. 
 
 MOREATJ, Jean Victoe, 
 
 Was born at Morlaix, in 1793. His father destined him 
 for the law ; but, carried away by his military propensi- 
 ties, he relinquished his studies against his parents' desire, 
 and enlisted in a regiment, from which, however, his father 
 soon obtained his discharge. As soon as the Revolution 
 broke out, he organized a company of cannoneers which he 
 commanded as captain until 1792. He served with great 
 distinction under Dumouriez and Pichegru, and in 1794 he 
 was promoted to the rank of General of Division. But, 
 having been implicated in the royalist plot of Pichegru 
 and Cadoudal against Napoleon's consular government. 
 
FRENCH BEVOLUTION. 289 
 
 he was banished, and died by the amputation of his 
 right leg, which had been fractured by a cannon-ball at 
 the battle of Dresden while speaking with the Emperor 
 Alexander of Russia, in whose service he was. September 
 1, 1813. 
 
 KELLERMAN, FRAN901S Cheistophe, 
 
 Was born at Strasburgh in 1735. At the age of 17 he 
 enlisted in the Conflans legion, and in 1788 he was 
 Quartermaster General. He served under Dumouriez, 
 and distinguished himself at the celebrated battle of 
 Valmy, September 20, 1792. In 1795 he was commander 
 in chief of the army of the Alps and Italy, but he was 
 soon replaced by General Bonaparte, under whom he after- 
 wards served in Germany and Prussia. 
 
 He was Duke of Valmy, Peer, Marshal of France, 
 Member of the military board, &c., and died in the service 
 of the Bourbons in 1820. 
 
 BERTHIER, Alexandre, 
 
 Was born at Versailles in 1753. After having served as 
 colonel in the American war of independence ; a short time 
 after the breaking out of the Revolution, he was promoted 
 to the rank of General. He distinguished himself in la 
 Vendee, where he displayed great courage, presence of 
 mind, and talent; and when Napoleon was invested with 
 the power of commander in chief of the army of Italy, he 
 was placed at the head of his staff. His services in that 
 campaign were so much appreciated by Napoleon that, 
 from that moment, he became his inseparable companion, 
 and followed him in all his expeditions. When the 
 Emperor established the military aristocratic system. 
 
290 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 Berthier was raised to the dignity of Prince of Nenfchatel 
 and Wagram, he being then already a Marshal of Prance. 
 Louis XVIII., whose authority he recognised in 1814, 
 made him a Peer, and when Napoleon returned from Elba, 
 he retired to Bamberg, where he lived with hia family. 
 This breach of fidelity towards his former master and 
 friend, who had admitted him into his most intimate con- 
 fidence and loaded him with all the highest titles to which 
 any human being can aspire, seemed to have greatly 
 preyed upon his mind, so much so that when he heard that 
 the Russians were approaching the French frontiers, he 
 threw himself from a window of his chateau, putting thus 
 an end to his life. June 1, 1815. 
 
 MONCBT, Adeien, 
 Was born at Besangon in 1754. He entered the army at 
 15 years of age, and although it took him twenty-two 
 years to obtain the rank of captain, yet he soon advanced 
 rapidly from that subaltern grade to the high dignity of 
 Marshal of Prance. Whilst he was Inspector- General of 
 gendarmery, he proved himself worthy of that high post, 
 and, to reward his signal services. Napoleon created him 
 Duke of Conegliano. He took part in all the wars of the 
 Emperor till 1810, and by his military talents and mag- 
 nanimity he rendered himself illustrious, and his name 
 imperishable. When the ashes of Napoleon arrived in 
 Paris, it is he who had the honour to receive them at the 
 H6tel des Invalides of which he was the Governor. He 
 died in 1842. 
 
 DAVOUT, Louis Nicolas, 
 Was born at Annoux in 1770, and received his education 
 at the Military School of Brienne, where he made the 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 291 
 
 acquaintance of young Bon,aparte. At the age of seven- 
 teen he entered the army, where he soon distinguished 
 himself. In his early military career he served under 
 Dumouriez and the immortal Desaix ; and, when Napoleon 
 assumed the supreme command of the army, he followed 
 him in all his glorious expeditions. Jena, Eylau, Eck- 
 miihl, and Wagram. He shared the great sufferings of 
 the memorable campaign of Russia: he witnessed the 
 conflagration of Moscow, and was present at "Waterloo, 
 in 1815, when the formidable allied armies of Europe 
 marched against Napoleon the Great. He was Prince of 
 Eckmiihl, Peer and Marshal of France, Governor of Ham- 
 burgh, and Minister of War. Died 1823. 
 
 DESAIX DE VOYGOUX, Louis Charles Antoinb, 
 Was born in 1768. He distinguished himself at Rastadt 
 and Kehl, where he was wounded, and accompanied Na- 
 poleon in Egypt in 1798. He fought heroically and lost 
 his life at Marengo, where he covered himself with glory : 
 June 14, 1800. 
 
 VIESSE DE MARMONT, Augusts Feederic Louis, 
 
 Was bom at Chatillon-sur-Seine in 1774. He was with 
 Napoleon in most of his brilliant engagements, and greatly 
 contributed to the victory of Marengo. He was present 
 at Ragusa, Wagram, Liitzen, Bautzen, and Dresden, and 
 the great skill which he displayed in protecting Paris from 
 the invading armies of Russia and Austria in 1805, is suffi- 
 cient to render his name immortal. He died at Venice on 
 the 2nd of March, 1852. 
 
 MACDONALD, Etienne Jacques Joseph Alexandre, 
 Was bom at Saucerre in 1776, and was of Scotch descent. 
 Very little is known of his early education and youth, 
 
292 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 except that lie entered the army in 1784, and was sub- 
 lieutenant in 1789. He served under Dumouriez and 
 Pichegru, and distinguished himself at Jemappes, in the 
 Low Countries, and Italy; rendered his name immortal by 
 his famous passage of the Splugen ; shared the brilliant 
 victories won at Laybach, Raab, and Wagram; and dis- 
 played great military courage and talent at Bautzen and 
 Liiitzen. He was Ambassador at the Court of Copenhagen, 
 Marshal of France, Governor of Gratz, and Duke of Ta- 
 rentum. He died at Paris on the 24th of September, 
 1840. 
 
 BERNADOTTE, Jean Baptiste Jules, 
 
 Son of a lawyer, was born at Pan in 1764. He re- 
 ceived a good education, and his father destined him 
 for the bar; but, contrary to the wishes of his parents, he 
 enlisted as a private in the marines. His appearance in 
 the army did not manifest what he would be one day, as 
 he attained only the rank of sergeant after nine years' 
 service. But as soon as the Revolution broke out, he ad- 
 vanced rapidly to the dignity of Marshal of France. He 
 was created Prince of Ponte Corvo in 1806, and afterwards 
 proclaimed King of Sweden and Norway, under the name 
 of Charles John XIY. But he proved a traitor both to 
 his benefactor and to France. He died in 1844. 
 
 HOCHB, Lazaee, 
 
 Son of an ostler, was bom at Montreuil, near Versailles, 
 in 1768. He entered the military service as a private 
 soldier in 1785 ; and, after having passed gradually from 
 one rank to another, he attained by his courage and good 
 qualities the high position of a distinguished General of 
 
FRENCH REVOLUTION. 293 
 
 Division. He died at Wetzlar in 1797, when he was only 
 29 years of age. 
 
 NET, Michael; 
 
 •Generally known in France as le " Brave des Braves " (the 
 bravest of the brave), so qualified with one accord by the 
 «,rmy for his warlike exploits and undaunted courage, is 
 one of those illustrious men whose name cannot be pro- 
 nounced without a high sense of admiration. In the 
 annals of military illustrations there is not greater cele- 
 brity ; and, for the student destined to the career of arms, 
 Ney is a subject worthy to be seriously examined and 
 imitated. 
 
 This great military Hero was born at Sarre-Louis, ia 
 1769. Although he devoted his early years to the study 
 ■of the law, yet his martial spirit made him renounce his 
 professional pursuits, and, in 1787, he enlisted as a private 
 hussar. During the wars that France, after the Revolu- 
 tion of 1789, was compelled to wage against the allied 
 -armies of Europe, he distinguished himself in such a 
 brilliant manner as to be raised to the rank of General 
 in a few years. He was a Marshal and Peer of France, Duke 
 ■of Elchingen, and Prince of la Moskwa. After Napoleon's 
 return from Elba, he followed him to Waterloo ; where he 
 had five horses killed under him, and his cloak riddled with 
 musket balls. After the abdication of Napoleon at Fon- 
 tainebleau, he was urged to leave France, but would not 
 listen to the solicitations of his friends, and so he was 
 arrested and sentenced to be shot. He died courageously 
 as he had lived, and his last words were : " Je n'ai jamais 
 trahi mon pays." (I have never betrayed my country.) 
 December 7, 1815. 
 
294 EPISODES OF THE 
 
 MASSENA, Ande£, 
 
 Was born at Nice in. 1758. At the age of 17, lie entered 
 the army, and after fourteen years' service he obtained his 
 discharge, he then being only a sergeant. However, after 
 the breaking out of the Revolution, in 1796, he resumed 
 his military career, rose rapidly to the rank of General, 
 and became an intimate friend of Napoleon, whom he fol- 
 lowed in most of his campaigns. He distinguished him- 
 self at Roveredo ; routed the Austro-Russian army com- 
 manded by the Archduke Charles and General KorsakofE, 
 took possession of Naples, and won a signal victory in 
 Poland, 1805 and 1806. He subsequently fought heroi- 
 cally at Bssling and Wagra n, and his skilful advance 
 against Wellington in Spain proved him to be a stragetist 
 of no ordinary merit. He was Prince of Essling, Duke of 
 Rivoli, Marshal of France, and Grand Cross of the Legion 
 of Honour. He died at Paris on the 4th of April, 1817. 
 
 MURAT, Joachim. 
 
 Of all the Heroes that have distinguished themselves 
 during the Revolution and under the Empire, Murat was 
 doubtless one of the most intrepid. He went to war as one- 
 would go to a festivity, — arrayed in most splendid gar- 
 ments — and although his great passion for such a display 
 might have given him the reputation of being vain, which 
 is generally the sign of pusillanimity, yet on the field of 
 battle he dashed against the enemy with the same impe- 
 tuosity as surging waves dash against the rocks which bar- 
 their passage. Napoleon called him " TJn foudre de guerre " 
 (a thunderbolt of war). 
 
 By a strange coincidence, too remarkable to pass unno- 
 ticed, Murat was bom at Cahors in 1771, the birthplace of 
 
FRENCH EEVOLUTION. 295 
 
 ■Gambetta, and like him he was the son of an innkeeper. 
 The former was destined to be a churchman, the latter a 
 barrister ; both have followed a different course, probably 
 according as their nature impelled them, and both have 
 attained the most honourable stations to which a man can 
 aspire ; with this exception, however, that, whereas Murat 
 raised to eminence by his heroic virtues, Gambetta's 
 success is only due to an accident and political intrigues. Be 
 that as it may. Fortune has favoured both alike; but will 
 the same cause produce the same consequence ? Murat 
 was shot ; is Gambetta doomed to the same fate ? Nobody 
 knows what may happen ; it is very seldom that ambitious 
 men pass through life unmolested. Experience teaches 
 us that the Hydra of factions is a cruel mother that gives 
 birth to her children to devour them. 
 
 Murat distinguished himself with unparalleled valour in 
 all the battles in which he took part, whether as a 
 commander or a subordinate ; he was the friend and brother- 
 in-law of the Emperor ; was proclaimed King of Naples; 
 but, after having relished abundantly all the titles and 
 honours that Fortune showered on him, he, like the un- 
 fortunate Ney, was shot after the abdication of the 
 Emperor, in 1815. 
 
 SOULT, Nicholas Jban-de-Dieu. 
 
 This illustrious Veteran of the French Army was bom 
 at St. Amand (Tarn), in 1769, in the same year that gave 
 birth to Napoleon the Great, Arthur Wellesley, Chateau- 
 briand, Cuvier, and Humboldt. Like all the great 
 Generals of the Revolution and of the Empire, Soult dis- 
 tinguished himself by his courage and military talents. 
 His life is much connected with the History of the 
 
296 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 English Generals with whom he often found himself face 
 to face, sometimes victorious, and at other times defeated. 
 He began his military career as a non-commissioned 
 officer, and rose to the dignity of Duke of Dalmatia and 
 Marshal of Prance. Died November 26, 1851. 
 
 AUGEREAU, Pibeee Franjois Charles. 
 Like all the Heroes that the Revolution created and the 
 Empire trained up in the science of strategy, Augereau 
 deserves a conspicuous place in the annals of military war- 
 fare. When we consider that, from the insignificant posi- 
 tion of a f enoing-master, he rose to the dignity of a Duke 
 and Marshal, this suiBciently proves that he was a man 
 of no mean order. He followed Napoleon in all his cam- 
 paigns, and always distinguished himself for his personal 
 bravery and skill. After the return of the imperial Exile 
 from Elba, he oiiered him his services, but he rejected 
 them because he had given his allegiance to the Bourbons, 
 and at the same time declared him a traitor. With this 
 judgment I cannot agree, seeing that a soldier is the 
 defender of his country, and not the servile instrument of 
 a party or of a dynasty. A traitor is he who violates his 
 allegiance to the government in power whatever it be, who 
 betrays his country, or surrenders an army or body of 
 troops to the enemy. Augereau has never been guilty of 
 such a criminal conduct. He served faithfully his country 
 during the Revolution, under the Empire, and the Bour- 
 bons ; therefore, he has never been a traitor. He was born 
 at Paris in 1757, and died in 1816. 
 
 VICTOR, Claude Perein, 
 Was bom at Marche (Vosges) in 1766. He entered the 
 army in 1781 as a private soldier, and after having passed 
 
FRENCH EEVOI.TJTION. 297 
 
 throTtgli all the intermediate grades, by his gallantry as a 
 snbaltem officer, and his intrepidity as a commander, he 
 rose to the highest eminence of military honours. He 
 distingnished himself at Ancona, in La Vendee, at Mon- 
 tehello, Marengo, at Jena and Friedland, and took a 
 prominent part in the disasters that followed the inauspi- 
 cious expedition to Russia. Napoleon made him what he 
 was,^ — Duke of Belluno and Marshal of France — but he 
 proved ungrateful to his benefactor. Louis XVIII. 
 made him a Peer of France in recompense for his services 
 to his cause. Died at Paris in 1841. 
 
 LANNBS, Jean. 
 
 Of all the Generals who served Napoleon bravely and 
 faithfully, Lannes deserves a conspicuous mention. He 
 was bom at Lectoure in 1769, and, from a dyer, he rose 
 to the highest military dignity to which a man can 
 aspire. He was Duke of Montebello and Marshal of 
 France. He distinguished himself at Millesimo, Lodi, and 
 Areola ; he took a prominent part in the expedition of 
 Egypt, Aboukir, and Marengo ; and displayed great skill 
 and courage at Austerlitz, in Prussia, Poland, and Spain, 
 more especially in the memorable siege of Saragossa. He 
 was mortally wounded at Essling on the 22nd of May, 
 1809, and a few days after the Emperor lost one of his 
 most faithful and bravest generals. 
 
 OFDINOT, Ghaeles Nicolas. 
 
 This eminent and brave General is likewke one of the 
 Heroes that sprang from the immortal nursery of the 
 Revolution and of the Empire ; and like them he distin- 
 guished himself as much for his valour as for his great 
 
 x2 
 
298 EPISODES OP THE 
 
 military skill. In 1799, by his heroic conduct, he saved 
 the French army from starvation during the siege of 
 ■Genoa. He fought bravely at Austerlitz and Wagram: 
 was present at the siege of Dantzic, and he also shared 
 the great sufferings endured by the Imperial Army during 
 the Russian War. He was Duke of Reggio and Marshal 
 of France. He was bom in 1767, and died as Governor 
 of the Invalides at Paris, in 1841. 
 
 JOURDAN, Jean Baptistb, 
 
 Was born at Limoges in 1762. After he returned from 
 the American service, during the peace which followed 
 the war, he devoted himself to commerce ; but he resumed 
 the military service in France, in 1791, and in a very short 
 time he rose to the highest military honours. He com- 
 manded the army of the Moselle, conquered Fleurus, 
 took possession of Belgium, and drove the allied forces 
 beyond the frontiers of France. He was Count, Marshal, 
 and Peer of France; but, notwithstanding all these great 
 honours conferred upon him by the Emperor, he, like 
 almost all the Generals of the empire, took up arms against 
 his master on his return from Elba. Died in 1833. 
 
 KLEBER, Jean Baptiste, 
 
 Was bom at Strasburgh in 1754. When the Revolution 
 broke out he entered the military service as a volunteer, 
 and, by his intrepidity and great talents as a commander, 
 he soon acquired the highest distinctions. Of all the 
 Oenerals that figured during the era of the French Revo- 
 lution, few surpassed Kleber in coolness, courage and 
 activity; while not one equalled him in humanity 
 and integrity. He was assassinated in Egypt by an 
 
FRENCH EBVOLUTION. 299 
 
 Arab, on the 14th of June, 1800; and thus Prance, the 
 Revolution, and Napoleon were bereft of one of their 
 greatest Heroes. Had he lived, he might have changed 
 the course of events in Europe; the Revolution might 
 have been accomplished, the empire nipped in its bud; 
 and perhaps Napoleon -would not have died at St. Helena; 
 in a word, France might perhaps be different from what 
 she is. This proves once more, as already demonstrated in 
 this book, how the physical and the moral causes are 
 closely connected together, and are often dependent on a 
 single individual. 
 
 End op the Episodes of the Fkench Revolution. 
 
APPENBIX. 301 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 HISTORICAL SYNOPSIS OP THE PRINCIPAL 
 EVENTS IN FRANCE, FROM 1789, TO THE 
 PRESENT TIME. 
 
 The most dangerous evil that France has to deplore — 
 not only because it disturbs her social equiponderance, but 
 for the more cogent reason that it paralizes her national 
 development and e.^hausts her forces — is to be attributed 
 to the various changes of government to which she is so 
 often exposed. This is to be ascribed partly to the great 
 number of Pretenders aspiring to the supreme power at 
 any price, and partly to her organic law, which is so 
 framed as to encourage ambitious designs calculated to 
 divide the country into many hostile factions ; thus destroy- 
 ing that national spirit which constitutes the highest 
 quality of all patriotic citizens. 
 
 In England such a state of things could never exist: it 
 is the majority that governs in this country : but the con- 
 stitution, which i^' the fundamental basis of her political 
 system, is respected by all; and the sovereign, although 
 subordinate to it, is nevertheless inviolable. 
 
 In presence of this short parallel between the two neigh- 
 bouring countries, it does not require a very profound 
 political knowledge to understand that, whereas Great 
 Britain enjoys in the bosom of her national concord the 
 
302 APPENDIX. 
 
 blessings of commerce, industry, and the force resulting- 
 from her unity. France, on the contrary, whether her form 
 of government be an empire, a monarchy, or a republic, is 
 continually either convulsed by revolutions, or under the 
 sway of selfish masters, who, each in his turn, causes as 
 much mischief by his exclusive measures and nepotism 
 as an open revolt ; so that, notwithstanding her enviable 
 geographical position, her fertile soil and luxuriant 
 country ; her civilization and intellectual status ; in a word, 
 with all the advantages accruing from her riches and 
 attractiveness, she will never be happy, nor much con- 
 sidered as a political power of first order. 
 
 From 1789 to the present time, that is in the space of 
 91 years, France has passed through the following transi- 
 tions : — • 
 
 1. Bailly, first president of the Assembly, disregards the 
 king's commands, and proceeds, on the 20th of June, 1789, 
 with all the deputies, to the " Tennis-court," where they 
 take the solemn oath not to separate until they have given 
 France a Constitution. 
 
 2. Insurrection of Paris, taking and demolition of the 
 Bastille, 13th and 14th of July. 
 
 3. The " Bread insurrection " headed by Maillard, one 
 of the heroes of the Bastille ; abolition of the king's pre- 
 rogatives; return of the royal family from Versailles to 
 Paris ; 5th and 6th of October. 
 
 - 4. Transfer of the church property to the municipali- 
 ties decreed on the 29th of December, and abolition of 
 monastic vows, 13th of February, 1790; rebellion of the 
 clergy against the revolution. 
 
 5. Abolition of titles, armorial bearings, liveries, and 
 orders of knighthood; 20th of June. 
 
APPENDIX. 303- 
 
 6. Confederation of the whole kingdom in the Champ 
 de Mars ; 14th of July. Invention of the guillotine, by 
 Guillotin, 1791. 
 
 7. Flight of the king with the royal family from Paris, 
 20th of June, 1791 ; his arrest at Varennes on the follow- 
 ing day ; coalition of the European Powers against the 
 revolution. 
 
 8. Suspension of the king's authority; agitation of the 
 demagogues, who, contrary to a decree adopted by the 
 Assembly, demanded the deposition of the king ; insurrec- 
 tion of the agitators assembled in the Champ de Mars ; 
 Bailly, Mayor of Paris, and General Lafayette oppose the 
 movement by unfurling the red flag, and disperse them ; 
 17th of July. 
 
 9. The king being reinstated on his throne accepts the 
 terms of the constitution, 14th of September. 
 
 10. End of the constituent Assembly ; 30th of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 11. Opening of the national legislative assembly; 1st of 
 October; Girondin Ministry. 
 
 12. The king refuses to sanction the vote of the 
 Assembly for the formation of an army of reserve of 
 twenty thousand men to be camped outside Paris ; rising 
 of the multitude ; 20th June, 1792. 
 
 13. Manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick in favour of 
 Louis XVI., declaring that the allied powers advanced 
 towards Paris to put an end to anarchy ; 26th of July, in- 
 surrection of the Faubourgs, Saint Antoine and Saint 
 Marceau ; invasion of the Tuileries ; fight with the Swiss ; 
 the king is transferred to the Temple. 
 
 14. Massacres of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th of 
 September. 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 15. ConatitTifcion of the National Convention, 20th of 
 September ; judgment against the king and his execution, 
 21st of January, 1793. 
 
 16. Coalition against France ; royalist reaction ; rising 
 of La Vendee and of the provinces, March, 1793 ; civil 
 war; terrorism. 
 
 17. Proscription of the Girondins, 2nd of June; rising 
 in the provinces ; permanence of the guillotine ; horrors of 
 the sanguinary Revolutionary Tribunal, assassination of 
 Marat by Charlotte Corday, 14th of July. 
 
 18. Impeachment, trial, and execution of the Girondins, 
 31st of October ; formation of the revolutionary government. 
 
 19. Abolition of the Catholic religion ; worship of the 
 Goddess of Reason ; Atheism ; substitution of a republican 
 for the christian calendar, November and December, 1793. 
 
 20. Impeachment, trial, and execution of the Hebertists 
 and of the Dantonists, 24th of March, and 5th of AprU, 
 1794 ; horrible scenes on the scafEold. 
 
 21. Festival of the Supreme Being 8th of June, 1794; 
 execution of Robespierre and of his associates, 28th of 
 July, 1794; abolition of the revolutionary government; 
 the Convention assumes the supreme power. 
 
 22. Accusation, arrest, and execution of Fouquier 
 Tinville, Lebon, Carrier, and other Terrorists, 1794, 1795; 
 end of the Revolutionary Tribunal ; end of the Conven- 
 tion, 26th of October, 1795. 
 
 23. Formation of the Directory, 27th of October, 1795 ; 
 Larevell^re-Lepaux, Rewbell ; Letourneur, Barras, and 
 Caxnot, invested with the dignity of Directors. 
 
 24. Defeat of the Vendeans, and end of the civil war, 
 June, 1796. 
 
 25. Conspiracy of Sieyfes, Fouche, and Talleyrand ; 
 
APPENDIX. 305 
 
 General Bonaparte invades the Assembly at the head of 
 his grenadiers ; he is supported in his coup-d'etat by the 
 Council of the Ancients, who appoint him, Sieyes, and 
 BiOger-Ducos, consuls of the provisional government; 9th 
 and 10th of November, 1799. 
 
 26. Constitution of the year VIII., composed on that 
 presented by Sieyes ; Bonaparte, Cambaceres, and Lebrun 
 elected consuls for ten years; 15th of December, 1799. 
 
 27. Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed first consul for life; 
 2d of August, 1802. 
 
 28. Conspiracy of Cadoudal and Pichegru, 15th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1804; the plot is discovered, in which more than 
 twenty personages of note are implicated: they are all 
 arrested, judged, and either sentenced to death or exiled. 
 
 29. Preconcerted intrigues in favour of an empire; the 
 government of the Republic recognises Napoleon Bonaparte 
 as hereditary Emperor, 18th of May, 1804. He is com- 
 pared to Moses, Mathew, and Cyrus; the clergy saw in his 
 elevation the "finger of God," and the Pope came to Paris 
 to consecrate the new dynasty. 
 
 30. Joseph and Louis Bonaparte recognised as French 
 princes, and Berthier, Murat, Moncey, Jourdan, Massena, 
 Augereau, Bernadotte, Soult, Brune, Lannes, Mortier, Ney, 
 Davoust, Bessieres, Kellermaun, Lefevre, Perignon, and 
 Serrurier, were named marshals of the empire as a reward 
 for their private and public services ; 1804. 
 
 31. Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed King of Italy; 
 18th of March, 1805. 
 
 32. Rupture between Napoleon and the Pope Pius YII, 
 2d of April, 1808 ; annexation of the States of the Church 
 to the French Empire; bull of excommunication against 
 the perpetrators of the invasion. 
 
306 APPENDIX. 
 
 33. Divorce of Napoleon with Josephine de Beauhar- 
 nais ; his marriage with Marie Louis, Archduchess of 
 Austria; 1st of April, 1810. 
 
 34. Birth of Bonaparte, Napoleon Frangois Joseph, 
 Duke of Reichstadt, King of Rome, 20th of March, 1811. 
 
 35. Abdication of the Emperor Napoleon, 6th of April, 
 1814 ; Louis XYIII. on the throne of France, 24th of A.prir. 
 
 36. Napoleon's return from the Isle. of Elba, and expul- 
 sion of Louis XVIII. from the kingdom; 20th March, 
 1815. 
 
 37. Second abdication of the Emperor after the battle 
 of "Waterloo ; 23d June, 1815. He is transferred on the 
 Bellorophon to St. Helena; where he arrived on the 13th 
 of October, 1815. — Louis XVIII. reinstated on the throne 
 of France ; Royalist reaction, massacres and terror. 
 
 38. Death of NapoMon Bonaparte, Emperor of the 
 French, at St. Helena, 5th May, 1821. 
 
 39. Accession of Charles X. to the throne of France on 
 the death of his brother, Louis XVIII. ; 16th of Septem- 
 ber, 1824. 
 
 40. Revolution of 1830, memorable for the three glorious 
 days, 27th, 28th and 29th of July, 1830, during which the 
 people fought bravely against the king and his soldiers to 
 maintain their usurped freedom and legitimate rights : 
 deposition of Charles; his abdication in favour of his 
 grandson, the Duke of Bordeaux; his flight to England, 
 and his death at Goritz, Illyria, on the 4th of November, 
 1837. 
 
 41. Louis Phillippe, son of the Duke of Orleans, is pro- 
 claimed King of the French, on the 9th of August, 1830- 
 
 42. Revolutionary movements of the partisans of Saint- 
 Simon and of Fourier ; insurrection in Paris, and in the 
 
APPENDIX. 307 
 
 provinces ; fight in the streets, 5th and 6th of June, 1832 ; 
 stippression of the rebellion. 
 
 43. Death of the Duke of Reichstadt, son of the Em- 
 peror Napoleon I., at the early age of 21 ; 22d of July, 
 1832. 
 
 44. Fieschi's attempt to assassinate the king by means 
 of his celebrated "infernal machine," the explosion of 
 which caused the death of eighteen persons, and twenty- 
 two wounded, amongst whom were five generals. 
 
 45. Prince Louis Napoleon's attempts at Strasburg and 
 at Boulogne, 1836, 1840; his arrest and confinement in the 
 fortress of Ham. 
 
 46. Translation of the remains of the Emperor Napoleon 
 from St. Helena to Paris, 1840. 
 
 47. Death of the Duke of Orleans, Prince-Royal of 
 France, caused by a fall from his carriage, on the 13th of 
 July, 1842. 
 
 48. Revolution of the 24th of February, 1848; flight of 
 the King to England, where he died on the 26th of August, 
 1850. 
 
 49. Proclamation of the Republic, 4th of May, 1848 ; 
 Lamartine, Arago, Gamier- Pages, Mari6, et Ledru-RoUin 
 are entrusted with the executive power. 
 
 49. The socialists, under the leadership of Blanqui and 
 of Barbes, invade the National Assembly with a view to 
 overthrow the government; dissolution of the Assembly; 
 arrest of the agitators, 15th of May, 1848. 
 
 50. Insurrection of 100,000 proletaires belonging to the 
 Ateliers nationaux ; extensive erection of barricades in the 
 streets of Paris, murderous fight with the troops of the 
 government, in which perished 5,000 persons, amongst 
 whom seven generals, the Archbishop of Paris, and two 
 
308 APPENDIX. 
 
 deputies; 22iid, 23rd, 24tli, and 25tli of June, 1848; 
 General Cavaignac is appointed Dictator with unlimited 
 powers; 24th of June. 
 
 51. Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte elected President 
 of the French Republic by 5,434,226 votes of the nation 
 against 1,448,107 given to General Cavaignac ; 10th o£ 
 December, 1848. 
 
 62. On the 2nd of December, 1851, the date of his 
 famous coup-d'etat, Prince Louis Napoleon dissolves the 
 Assembly, declares Paris in a state of siege, establishes 
 universal suffrage, and is elected President of the Republic 
 for ten years. 
 
 52. Restoration of the Empire. The Prince President 
 is proclaimed hereditary Emperor of the French, and 
 assumes the title of Napoleon III., 2nd of December, 1852. 
 
 53. Birth of the Prince Imperial on the 16th of March, 
 1856. 
 
 54. Alliance between France and England against 
 Russia in the Crimean war, 14th of September, 1854. 
 Franco-Italian war against Austria, 1859. Mexican expe- 
 dition, 1861. 
 
 55. War against Prussia, July, 1870; capitulation at 
 Sedan 2nd of September ; the Emperor at Wilhelmshohe 
 as a prisoner, 4th of September; the revolution proclaims 
 his deposition ; Siege and surrender of Paris ; treaty of 
 Peace at Versailles by which France lost Alsace and a 
 great part of Lorraine, besides a war indemnity of five 
 milliards of francs ; 26th of February, 1871 ; evacuation 
 of the Germans from France ; the Emperor is liberated 
 and takes up his residence at Camden House, Chiselhnrst, 
 in Sussex, where he died on the 9th of January, 1873. 
 
 56. The Commune, massacres and vandalism. 
 
APPENDIX. 309 
 
 57. Proclamation of tlie Republic; M. Thiers elected 
 President, 31st of August, 1871. 
 
 58. M. Thiers resigns the Presidency of the RepuMic on 
 the 24th of May, 1873, and Marshal MacMahon succeeds 
 him as President for seven years. 
 
 59. Resignation of Marshal MacMahon, and elevation of 
 M. Grevy to the Presidency of the Republic, 1878. 
 
 60. Departure of the Prince Imperial, son of the late 
 Napoleon III. from England to Zululand, 26th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1879 ; his untimely and heroic death near Itelezi, 
 1st of June, 1879. Conveyance of the Prince Imperial's 
 body from South Africa to England on board H.M.S. 
 Orontes ; his funeral ; unparalleled honours paid by this 
 country to his remains, and what is greater than all the 
 national manifestations in memory of the ill-fated young 
 Prince are the two following inscriptions from the Queen 
 and the Princess of Wales, in their own handwriting : — 
 
 " Souvenir de yivb afpectioni b'estime, ei' de pkofonds 
 begrets de la part de 
 
 VICTORIA REG." 
 
 " A TOKEN OF APPECTION AND REGARD FOR HIM WHO LIVED 
 THE MOST SPOTLESS OP LIVES, AND DIED A SOLDIEE's 
 DEATH FIGHTING FOB OUR CAUSE IN ZuLULAND." 
 
 From ALBERT EDWARD and ALEXANDRA. 
 JvJy 12, 1879.'; 
 
SWANSEA : 
 PRINTED AT "THE CAMBRIAN" OFFICE, WIND-STBBET. 
 
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