get Brissot and others of the Gironde party arrested and involved in them; for they were then the great objects of his jealousy, and had for some time the honour of sharing with the king and queen that abuse which daily flowed from the pen of Marat and other creatures of Robespierre. By his influence and their calumnies, not one of the Brissotine party was elected as member of the convention for the department of Paris; nor indeed any one man without his approbation.

There is reason to believe that Louvet's accusation was just, that Robespierre was so intoxicated with his popularity as to have entertained hopes of being appointed dictator; and that Marat and Panis, by his connivance, sounded Barbaroux of Marseilles and Rebecqui on the subject about the time when the convention first assembled. The popularity of Robespierre at that period, however, was pretty much confined to the department of Paris. The vast majority of the deputies came to the convention strongly prejudiced against him, and with a high opinion of the integrity of Roland, and of the talents and patriotism of that Gironde party: for two or three months after the first meeting of the convention, any person who attended that assembly would have been persuaded that Robespierre and his most active adherents were so much the object of its detestation, that he had no chance of ever having influence in it. By his influence with the Jacobins, the municipality, and the mob, and with the assistance of a minority of the deputies, he forced on the king's trial, and then had the address to make the unwillingness which the Gironde party shewed to that measure, and even their popular proposal of an appeal to the people, matter of accusation against them, and the cause of their ruin. Having now devolved the command of the national guards of Paris on a creature of his own, he imperceptibly obtained an irresistible sway in the committee of public safety. Being supported by the municipality and the Jacobin clubs; never once yielding to pecuniary corruption, or shocking the eyes of the populace with personal magnifi

cence; turning the talents and crimes of others to the purposes of his own ambition; cutting off his most confidential friends without remorse, when he became in the least jealous of them; having, by wonderful address, found means to have creatures of his own appointed commissioners to most of the departments; and the mob of Paris being always under the management of his agents, he at last obtained his object; the convention was the passive organ of his will, and Robespierre was the dictator of the French republic. But, after having drenched every department of France with blood, he became giddy by the exercise of power, forgot his original caution, and, by filling his very associates with terror, obliged them to be his executioners, that they might not become his victims.

CHAPTER XXVII.

A curious Account of Petion by Robespierre-M. Barnave-Tumultuous assembling in the Champ de Mars-Two Persons massacred by the Mob-M. La Fayette, at the head of the National Guards, attacks and disperses the Mob-DantonCamille Desmoulins-Marat-Charlotte Cordé-ReflectionsDissolution of the Constituent Assembly.

To give at once an idea of the character and conduct of Robespierre, it was necessary to allude to events that happened long after the period of which we were treating, and to which it is now necessary to revert.

When it was evident that a republican form of government was unpopular, that the periodical paper called Républicain, and all the efforts of the few republicans then at Paris, made little impression, Brissot published a new proposal, which was adopted by some members of the national assembly, and obtained the approbation of many more of the Jacobin club; namely, that since it seemed to be determined to re-establish royalty, the king ought to have a council, not of his own choosing, nor of the national assembly's appointment, but to be elected by the

electors of the deputies, and to be renewed annually according to a plan which he published. Brissot concludes his proposal with this expression. En un mot, point de roi, ou un roi avec un conseil électif et amovible. est un deux mots ma profession de foi.'*

Telle

The great error of the constituent assembly, and which they were led into by the dread of a return of the ancient system, was that of leaving monarchy too weak to resist the force that was likely to assail it; but this plan of Brissot tended to render it ridiculous as well as weak, and exposed it to be overset by the first attack, which in all probability was his intention. This plan however was no better received than his avowed project for immediately establishing a republic.

In the meantime M. Muguet de Nanthou made a report relative to the king's escape, in the name of the committees appointed by the assembly. In this report they give an opinion in favour of the king's inviolability; and that of course he ought not to undergo a trial. Immediately after hearing this report, the national assembly began a debate, which was resumed every day for three days on that subject. It would seem not to require above three minutes deliberation; for these obvicus reasons, that the constitution rendered the person of the monarch inviolable; and determined besides, that in case the king should ever withdraw from the kingdom and actually reside in an enemy's territories, he should be formally summoned to return; and that only in the event of his refusing to comply with the summons, he was to be declared to have abdicated the crown. To have brought the king to trial, therefore, on the present occasion, would have betrayed a disregard of all principle; and shewn that the constitution, which they had bestowed such pains in rearing, was built upon a bank of sand, to be washed away by the first torrent that should issue from the kennels of the suburbs of St. Antoine.

* In a word, no king at all; or a king with an elective and removable council; such is my profession of faith.

1

Robespierre and Petion were the most violent against the king during this debate. Those two men started together in a race of popularity, which it might have been expected would have produced a little jostling between them. Hitherto however nothing of that nature had oc curred; Robespierre thought too meanly of the talents of Petion to be jealous of him; he even beheld him at one period get somewhat before him on the course without uneasiness. It was not in Robespierre's nature to have a friendship for any body; but he despised Petion too much to hate him, until Brissot, who had been long the object of Robespierre's jealousy and hatred, drew him over to the Gironde party. He then honoured his old companion with a little of the rancour which he felt for all that faction.

This appeared first in the month of October 1792, when Petion endeavoured in a laborious pamphlet to refute several accusations of Robespierre against him; and one in particular, which seems to have hurt him exceedingly, namely, that he was entirely led by Brissot. To this Robespierre wrote an answer; and as he there appears in a new point of view, and displays a considerable share of humour, of which it was not natural to suppose such a man possessed, a few specimens may be excusable.

In Petion's pamphlet he represents Brissot as a man only in knowledge, but a child in simplicity.“ Que Brissot est l'homme le moins propre à être chef de parti.' To this Robespierre answers- On ne consulte point le disciple sur la capacité de son maître. Orgon est-il compétent pour juger Tartuffe ?+ Petion, solicitous to remove an imputation which cruelly corroded his vanity, frequently repeats― Jamais homme en place ne pensa et n'agit par lui-même autant que moi.'

party.

Mon cher Petion,' says Robespierre, vous vous ca

Brissot is the man on earth the least fit for being the leader of a

The scholar is not consulted respecting the capacity of his master. Was Organ a competent judge of the character of Tartuffe ?

lomniez vous-même quand vous prétendez que vous n'êtes mené par personne; peut-être même vous l'êtes-vous per suadé de bonne foi: mais il n'en est rien, je vous jure. Le sait-on quand on est mené? Voyez encore ce qui se passe sur nos théâtres. Lorsqu'une adroite soubrette, ou un valet intriguant, conduit un Geronte, ou un Orgon, comme par la lisière; ne voyez-vous pas avec quel art les frippons s'extasient sur la rare sagesse et sur l'incroyable fermeté du bon homme, et comme celui-ci s'écrie, dans les éclats de la joie bruyante, Oh! je sais bien qu'on ne me mene pas, moi; et s'il y a une forte tête en France, je vous garantis que c'est celle-ci.'*

Robespiere then assures his old friend that there is a wonderful resemblance between this portrait of Geronte and Petion himself; to prove which he asserts, that, after Brissot and some others had arranged the administration, of which Roland and Claviere were the chiefs, he had directly gone to Petion, and, on the pretence of consulting him on the subject, had said, well, whom do you think we should name for ministers? How would you like Roland and Claviere ?-would not they be exactly to your mind? continued Brissot. • Parbleu! oui!' answered Petion; Oh, Roland, Claviere! savez-vous que ce seroit délicieux! qu'on les nomme.'+ Brissot then assured him that he would endeavour to bring it about exactly as Petion had appointed.

Soon after which, continues Robespierre, je vous ai vu dans la ferme croyance que c'étoit vous qui les aviez

* My dear Petion, you calumniate yourself when you pretend that you are led by nobody. Perhaps you even believe it; but you are quite mistaken, I will take my oath. But do people know when they are led? Only observe what passes on our theatres. When a sly chambermaid or a knavish valet leads a Geronte or an Orgon as if it were in leading-strings, don't you see with what art the two former extol the wonderful wisdom and incredible firmness of the poor man? while he, in the midst of their noisy joy, cries-I am pretty certain that I am not a man to be led; and if there is a steady head in France, it is this on my shoulders.

+ Roland and Claviere! that would be charming-let them be appointed by all means.