if fuch wicked plans could be wifely laid and promptly executed, which, through the goodness of Providence, is not often permitted. It feems then, upon the whole, that weakness and inanity, rather than wickednefs, was the characteristic at that time of the French government; that the minifters ridiculously imagined, that the approach and fight of a few regiments would have terrified fuch a vaft, turbulent, and rebellious capital as Paris into immediate fubmiffion; and that they were at the fame time fo fhort-fighted, fo improvident, and fo narrow in their conceptions, as not to provide a remedy for any disappointment, which a failure in their principal expectation, or any unforeseen change of circumftances, otherwife might occafion.

All regal, all judicial, all municipal government being now at an end in the city of Paris, an univerfal panic was, on the Sunday night, fpread throughout all its quarters; while the dread of flaughter from the army, and of general plunder from thieves and banditti, affected every class of the people in all that was dear and precious to them. But the day which fucceeded to this night of terror and confufion produced a very different and a very extraordinary scene. Above one hundred thousand individuals feemed at the fame inftant to be animated by one common foul, and to prepare, with courage and conftancy, the means of internal order and government, as well as of prefervation and defence againft external enemies. The temporary bodies of the electors, who had returned reprefentatives to the ftates, affembled and took the command in their respective districts, and were more implicitly obeyed than Louis the XIVth had

been in the zenith of his power and victories. Thirty thousand citizens, totally unaccustomed to arms, were foon feen armed at all points, and in a few hours training affumed fome appearance of order and difcipline. The French guards now fhewed the benefits of their late education and improvements; they came in a body to tender their fervices to the people, which we fcarcely need fay were joyfully accepted. A new peculiar cockade was formed for the new army; and every appearance, not only of defence but of active war, every where prevailed.

Such were fome of the changes which one day produced in the city of Paris. Some plunder and mifchief took place in different parts of the town, particularly at the house of the congregation of St. Lazarus, who being fufpected of having corn concealed in their granaries, that charge or fufpicion expofed them to a pretence for being plundered; this was the more pitiable, as it is faid to have been a truly pious and charitable inftitution; but fuch matters were foon to be loft in the glare of greater enormities. Many flighter robberies were committed on the fame day; but as these were directed against individuals, and executed by fmall gangs of thieves on their own account, without any popular pretence, when they were feized in the fact they were inftantly dragged to the Greve, the common place of execution, and hanged by the ropes which were used to faften the lanterns. From hence originated that most horrid practice of the mob's conftituting themfelves judges and executioners in the fame inftant, without the smallest regard to rank, to laws, or to juftice; nor has all the time that fince elapfed been able in

any

any degree to wear out that villainous custom which the French populace were only a few hours in acquiring. From hence of courfe originated that horrid and barbarous cry, a la lanterne, the last founds that vibrated in the ears of fo many unhappy victims as have thus cruelly perithed.

The next day, which was the famous Tuesday the 14th of July, will be long remembered in the hiftory of mankind. On that morning the newly formed army completed their means for offenfive and defenfive operations, by ftripping the garde meuble and the invalids of their arms, and likewife by feizing a very confiderable depofit or magazine of arms and ammunition, which were lodged in the hotel of the latter; all which they performed without meeting the fmallest refiftance. Thus provided, the idea of attacking the Baftile was inftantly adopted, and De Launay, the governor, fummoned to lay down his arms, and furrender the fortrefs. The difficulty of difcovering the truth in fuch extraordinary cafes, where every man's teftimony on either fide is liable to be warped by his prejudices and paffions, was never more clearly fhewn than upon this occafion. The general report was, that De Launay held out deceitful hopes of compliance; that a number of Parifians came to the gates to demand arms and ammunition; that they were received within an outer court, then treacherously fired upon, and a cruel flaughter made. It is not eafy to reconcile the parts of this ftory, nor to give an air of probability to the whole. It is notwithstanding afferted and believed by the bulk of the Parifians, with the fame firmness as if it was an article of religious faith,

and was published as a fact through every part of Europe. But, on the other hand, the inconfiftency and improbability of the ftory have not only been fhewn, but the fact denied by pofitive evidence. It seems very probable, that the ftory might have been invented at the time to increase the animofity of the crowds who were preffing from all quarters upon the Baftile, and who could have no opportunity, either then or after, of afcertaining its truth or falfehood, fuppofing the poffibility that in the heat and tumult of fo new and dreadful a scene they could have attended to fuch an inquiry. In this cafe, the endeavour to fupport and give authenticity to the ftory afterwards will be eafily accounted for; in the firft place, to keep up and inflame the paffions of the people, and in the next, with a view of palliating, in fome degree, the fcenes of blood and cruelty that followed.

However that was, the enthusiasm and fury of the people was fo great, that, to the aftonishment of all military men (who did not yet know the weakness of its garrifon) the Baftile, the citadel of Paris, with its feemingly impaffable ditches, and its inacceffible towers and ramparts, covered with a powerful artillery, was, after an attack of two hours, carried by ftorm. De Launay was immediately dragged to the Place de Greve, and miferably murdered. M. de Lofme, the major of the Bastile, met with an equal fate and equal cruelty; although it has fince been generally acknowledged, even by the democratic writers, that he was a man of great humanity, whose tenderness to the prifoners deferved far different treatment. This was indeed ftrongly confirmed by a re

markable

markable circumftance which occurred at his death; for the marquis of Pelleport, a young man whofe fashion and figure, independent of his rank and generofity, entitled him to refpect, was fo deeply impreffed with the kindnefs which he had experienced from the major, when he was himfelf a prifoner, that eagerly clafping him in his arms, in the midst of all this terror and danger, he most pathetically intreated the people to fpare the life of his friend, to whom he owed fo much. His intreaties were in vain; the major's head was cut off, and his grateful and generous friend with difficulty escaped the fame fate.

On this day it was that the favage cuftom of infulting and mutilating the remains of the dead, and of exhibiting their heads to public view upon pikes, which had fo long been the opprobrium of the governments and people in Conftantinople, Fez, and Morocco, was first introduced into the polished city of Paris; and, like other evil habits, has fince taken fo deep a root, that it may feem a queftion whether it can ever be eradicated, except by fome convulfion fimilar in violence to that from which it derived its origin.

The garrison of the Baftile, excepting only a few gunners and artillery-men, who held a fort of finecure places, confifted only of a handful of old invalids, amounting to fomething about fifty in number. On taking the place, the new-formed foldiers loudly exclaimed, "Let us hang the whole garrison!" but the French guards, who ftill retained fome share of their old monarchical and military notions, could not endure that old foldiers, who had once ferved under the fame banners with

themfelves, fhould be thus facrificed in cold blood; they accordingly pleaded fo effectually for them, that they preferved the trembling wretches from that fate which they inftantly expected.

In the midst of these disorders, M. de Fleffelles, the prevot des marchands, or mayor of Paris, had been detected in a correfpondence with the court; he was accordingly turned out of his office by the committee of electors, and ordered to be conveyed to prifon until his trial; but he had fcarcely reached the bottom of the fteps at the hotel de ville, or town-house, when the new executors of fummary justice forced him from the guard, fhot him inftantly without trial or enquiry, difmembered his body, and carried his bleeding head about the ftreets on a pike in triumph, like the others they had cut off.

After more than two hours had paffed fpeedily away, under the double intoxication of joy and revenge, fome humane perfons reminded the populace, that the pri foners in the Baftile ought to be delivered; their cells were accordingly broke open, and they were led in triumph round the gardens of the palais royal. But how great was the furprife, if not difappointment, when it was found, that thefe dreary dungeons, which were fuppofed to be crowded with the victims of defpotifm, contained only seven prifoners; that of thefe the greatest number were confined on accufations of forgery; and that either two or three, who had continued there fince the reign of Louis the XVth, were the only objects of com. paffion among them. For thefe unhappy perfons, having loft the use of their reafon before the commence

ment

ment of the prefent reign, or at least before there was leifure to enquire into the ftate of the prifons, they had fince been detained, because the officers did not know in what manner otherwife to difpofe of them. A ftronger proof of which need not be given, than that the municipality of Paris found it neceffary a few days after to fend them to the public mad-house at Charenton.

It should not be forgotten, that the prefent fovereign, through his natural clemency and humanity, and in conformity with the moderate fyftem of government which he intended to purfue, had early cleared the ftate prifons of most of their wretched inhabitants, none being retained but those who had been guilty of notorious crimes againft fociety, or concerned in dangerous offences against the ftate. It is likewife worthy of obfervation, that with all the odium and deteftation under which the queen and the count d'Artois laboured, and with all the libels which were hourly written and fpoken against them, yet that a fingle victim to their refentment or juftice was not found in all the prifons of the kingdom. Nor is it incurious to contraft with this fact the ftate of things under the influence, or it may be called government, of Madame Pompadour, who filled all the prifons of France with the unfortunate victims to her private malice and perfonal refentments; yet Pompadour was idolized by Voltaire, and by all the poets, wits, and philofophers of the kingdom in her day, and was even at times a favourite with the people.

During the Sunday and the Monday, those two critical days, on which their own fate and that of

their fovereign feemed depending, and on the first of which the fcale feemed to vibrate so much, that it was evident a vigorous exertion might have fixed its bias, the mi nifters at Verfailles, and the commanders of the army, feemed either afleep or in a trance; the former indeed, when unwillingly rouzed to hear the accounts from Paris, treated them with the utmost contempt and ridicule, as matters not worthy of confideration; but on the fatal Tuesday, the 14th of July, evil tidings crowded fo faft from every quarter, that they were overwhelmed with confternation and terror, and rendered totally inca-, pable, if it had not even been too late, to adopt any measures which required decifion or vigour, either with refpect to orders or execution. It now appeared that the defection of the French guards had, with other pre-difpofing caufes and motives, produced a most unfortunate effect upon the national troops in the army; that they were no longer to be depended on; and that they openly afferted the unlawfulness of fighting their fellow citizens. Before they had yet time to reflect on the confequences of this deplorable news, or to confider what measures were proper to be pursued, they were farther confounded by the intelligence, that the foreign regiments were little more to be depended on than the national troops. The former had ever been unpopular in France, chiefly upon the idea (exclufive of national pique and vanity) that being entirely dependent on the crown, and having no intereft in the country, they would be found, upon any occafion that offered, the ready and cruel inftruments of defpotifm; but now, to the aftonishment

aftonishment of every body, they fhewed themselves very little inclined to engage in national difputes, and feemed very cold and indifferent with respect to the cause they were called to fupport. In this difmal ftate of things, the only policy which the genius of the minifters was capable of reaching, was the fhort-lived, miferable, and cowardly expedient of concealment, in keeping the king ignorant of the misfortunes and dangers with which he was furrounded.

The national affembly, who upon the difgrace of Neckar thought their own ruin determined, met on Monday the 13th, and with all the terrors of diffolution and imprison ment before their eyes, refolved, with the firmness of a Roman fenate, not to give up a fingle point which they had been pre-determined to maintain. The moderate party took the lead on this day, and fhewed themselves as little difpofed to fubmit in any degree to the defpotifm of the crown as the most furious of those who were called patriots. Mounier opened the debate with an eloquent fpeech, in which, after ftating the great and immutable line which must be drawn between the legislative and the executive power, (a line which was acknowledged and confirmed by the affembly) he then proceeded to ftate, that though the affembly had no legal right to direct the king's choice of minifters, yet as the choice he had now made led to the moft dangerous confequences, it was neceffary to vote their folemn and grateful thanks to M. Neckar, and to declare, that the prefent minifters had not the confidence of the nation. Lally Tolendal feconded his motion, and this and other fimilar

votes were carried with the greatest unanimity.

The affembly then paffed a famous refolution, by which they declared, "That the actual counfel"lors of the king were perfonally "refponfible for the prefent mif"fortunes, and for all that might "enfue." This refolution, which bore the character of an ex poft facto law, was juftified on the ground of neceffity, and the defperate fituation of the affembly. They likewife folicited the king to recal his troops, and to entrust Paris to the guard of its own citizens.-The king returned a general anfwer, "That he was deeply afflicted with the me"lancholy fituation of Paris; that "it was impoffible the troops he "had fent for could be the real

caufe of it; that they were indis"penfably neceffary for the pre"fervation of peace and order; and "that he invited the affembly to go "on with its labours."

But when, on the Tuesday evening or night, the news arrived at Versailles of the taking of the Baftile, of a powerful army being in an inftant formed in Paris, and of the deplorable fate of Launay, Flesfelles, and Lofme, the ministers, all aghaft, feemed as if ftricken by a thunderbolt, while each thinking he read his own fate in that of Launay, all their prefumptuous hopes, their fchemes and intrigues, were at once levelled in the duft. Whether any of thofe fanguinary defigns which have been fo peremptorily and repeatedly charged by the other fide to the courtiers and minifters were at this time or any other in their meditation, remains ftill an entire fecret, and muft continue fo, until time or occafion throw future light upon the subject. No proof what