the

of

es

of Cléry's story which can be supported or supplemented
by later testimonies that we are here concerned; and we
do not profess to follow that well-known narrative in de-
tail. But, as it happens, the tragedy of the Princesse de
Lamballe comes among the first of Cléry's experiences, as
the September massacres in the prisons took place only
a few days after he had taken up his abode at the
Temple At one o'clock on the 3rd, the royal family,
disturbed by the continual beating of drums and the cries
of the populace, had hurriedly assembled in the Queen's
apartment. Cléry meanwhile went down to the lower
story to have his dinner with the two prison attendants,
Pere Tison and his wife. They were scarcely seated
before a head on the point of a pike was presented at the
window. It was that of Madame de Lamballe, which
some of the mob, who had penetrated into the enclosure
of the Tower, had brought to show the Queen. Though
bleeding,' says Cléry, [it] was not disfigured, and her
fine light hair, still curling, waved round the pike.'*

At this ghastly sight Tison's wife shrieked dismally;
and the wretches below, concluding the voice to be that of
the Queen, were heard to laugh savagely. Cléry, horri-
hel, at once mounted to the upper room, hoping that the
Queen had been spared the sight. By this time, however,
a deputation of the Septembriseurs had arrived to satisfy
themselves by personal inspection that the royal family
were really in the Tower; and one of them, in answer to
enquiries, brutally told the Queen, whom the officers of
the Commune had charitably kept back from the window,
that they wanted to prevent her from seeing de Lam-
halle's head, which had been brought her that she might
At this Marie Antoinette fainted; and the King said
how the people avenged themselves upon tyrants.'

firmly, We are

t have dispensed with relating this horrible disaster the Queen. Between the blinds ('à travers les stores') Dry could still see the swaying trophy which the bearer,

prepared for everything, Sir, but you

We quote, here and hereafter, the English version of Cléry published odon in 1798. Apparently Cléry did not know that, according to a Sycepted by Bertin, Lescure, and others, the mob, fiendishly deterbe valed, curled, powdered, and generally accommodée by a perruquier mine that the Queen should recognise her friend, had caused the head to

in the Place de la Bastille.

Tom Costaci on the débris of some demolished was setugging to raise to the upper windows; and econd use early distinguish the voice of one of the mare pus extcers on duty, who, by an artful appeal to his audience, was endeavouring to dissuade De body of the mob from forcing an entrance. tead of Antoinette,' Cléry heard him say, 'does not. bocus to you; the Departments have their respective France has confided these great culprits to the ce of the City of Paris; and it is your part to assist in wy dig them, until the national justice takes vengeance tos vão people.' After an hour of similar rodomontade,

were induced to retire; and Louis XVI, through Clory, was thoughtfully mulcted in the sum of five and toy sous for a tricoloured sash which, as a sacred and ailable symbol, had been hung for a barrier across the principal gate.

The above is Cléry's narrative from within; the story from without is supplied by the municipal officer above referred to, in a document which formed part of the autographs of the late Victorien Sardou, and was printed for the first time in its entirety by M. Lenotre. Daujon, as he is rightly called by Cléry-though he seems for some years to have been confused with an unfrocked priest and schoolmaster named Danjou-was a sculptor by profession, a commissioner of the Commune, and for the nonce an acting member of the Provisional Council of the Temple charged with the safe custody of the prisoners. A revolutionary by conviction, he was hard and unsympathetic, but neither wicked nor cruel.' After describing the events which preceded Cléry's Lamballe episode, he relates how the tricoloured sash was hung across the main entrance, behind which, mounted on a chair, he awaited the Septembriseurs, of whose approach and intentions the Temple authorities had been forewarned by an orderly. At first he made an impassioned appeal against violence, as a result of which a limited number of them, 'bearing their spoils,' were admitted into the enclosure, round which they paraded triumphantly, the municipal officers at their head.

But the

* 'Last Days of Marie Antoinette,' by G. Lenotre (1907), translated by Mrs Rodolph Stawell, pp. 33-58.

18

ach

ed

Ted

ed

ph

-he

situation speedily became acute, especially as the intruders
were at once reinforced by the workmen engaged in
clearing away the buildings about the Tower. Voices
began to clamour for Marie Antoinette. She must show
herself at the window; she must be made to kiss the
head of the Lamballe. The municipal officers strove in
vain to calm the tumult, and one of the ruffians turned
furiously on Daujon with his pike. He was saved from
sudden death only by his presence of mind and the inter-
ventin of a bystander, who pointed out that he was
doing no more than his duty.

h the meantime' (Daujon proceeds) 'two commissioners had
thrown themselves in front of the first inner door of the
lower, and prepared to defend the approaches with devoted
courage; whereupon the others, seeing they could not win us
over, broke into horrible imprecations, pouring out the most
disgusting obscenities, mingled with fearful yells. This was
the final gust of the storm, and we waited for it to blow over.
Fearing, however, lest the scene should lead to some climax
worthy of the actors, I decided to make them another speech.
But what could I say? How could I find the way to such
degraded hearts? I attracted their attention by gestures;
they looked at me and listened. I praised their courage and
their exploits, and made heroes of them; then, seeing they
were calming down, I gradually mingled reproach with praise.
I told them the trophies they were carrying were common
property. "By what right," I added, "do you alone enjoy
the fruits of your victory? Do they not belong to the whole

of Paris? Night is coming on.
Do not delay, then, to leave
these precincts, which are so much too narrow for your glory.

hi in the Palais Royal, or in the garden of the Tuileries, where
the sovereignty of the people has so often been trodden under
at that you should plant this trophy as an everlasting
Burial of the victory you have just won."

This ridiculous harangue,' in Daujon's own words, must have been that of which Cléry overheard an imperfect ment. It produced the desired effect of diverting the etion of the mob elsewhere. Daujon confirms Cléry uring that the King subsequently thanked him for pportune intervention. I shall never forget how risked your life to save ours,' his Majesty said. And its truly 'risking his life.' 'If I had failed,' says Danjon in a note, 'I should have snatched the sabre of

who had clambered on the débris of some
houses, was struggling to raise to the upper
he could also clearly distinguish the voice
municipal officers on duty, who, by an
the vanity of his audience, was endeavo
the main body of the mob from for
'The head of Antoinette,' Cléry heard
belong to you; the Departments b
rights to it; France has confided the
care of the City of Paris; and it is
securing them, until the national
for the people.' After an hour
they were induced to retire ;
Cléry, was thoughtfully mule
forty sous for a tricoloured
inviolable symbol, had been
principal gate.

ue be Jescribes gnified, and himself. A m as 'pale and ars,' and seeming r his own safety. ad been a king, he d all the cowardice of servility of a convicted Aly finds this disquieting ce, looking to the general rative, it is impossible to doubt cture. He points out, neverthecollapse and unreasoning fear' it

The above is Cléry's n from without is supplier referred to, in a docu autographs of the late for the first time in i' as he is rightly ca some years to ha priest and school by profession, a the nonce an ac of the Templ prisoners. A

Compatible with the conduct of Louis on and he even builds upon it the theory must have habitually succeeded in self-control than he displayed in this This, as it seems to us, is to protest however truthful, was (where 'the

concerned) a thoroughly unsympathetic and demptuous spectator; and it is unnecessary, even if be accepted literally, to attribute the King's conweakness in presence of the unexpected. The fortitude on in this instance to more than a mere momentary slept to the morning of his execution as soundly as Argyll, is not to be discredited for a passing crise Of the daily round of the prisoners in the Little Tower, the methodical way in which they parcelled out their Clery has given a sufficiently familiar account, showing children, and so forth. They must however, in addition time in reading, recreation, needlework, instructing the

who, according to Cléry watching by his bed

"S JOURNAL

ntrivance of Mme Cléry,
he eastern side of the
other means in the
hese things only

CLERY'S JOURNAL

61

lily became acute, especially as the intruders inforced by the workmen engaged in buildings about the Tower. Voices Marie Antoinette. She must show she must be made to kiss the municipal officers strove in ne of the ruffians turned He was saved from

mind and the inter

out that he was

joners had

of the voted 14

prote

here netic

event

ng's cat

mentary Fortitude his bed

soundy g crise

Tower, howing

t their

ng the

dition

ining intelli

a humble

ith two

to the Argy, first M. Lenotre,

elaborate and ed by the Queen uscomfiture of the was supplemented by uspicious warders were he napkins, testing the e beds, messages written in were freely exchanged under ed in prearranged hiding-places.

ace of eight or ten persons, hardly a day y) 'during the fourteen months that I was without my delivering some notes or other to amily, either by means of the devices already ed, or while I was giving them the objects connected I would put the note in a ball of thread or cotton, and hide it my duties, or receiving them from their hands. Or else in a corner of a cupboard, or under the marble table, or in the hot-air holes of the stove, or even in the basket in which

the sweepings were carried away.

A movement of my hand

eyes indicated the spot where I had succeeded in hiding
e ball. In this way the King and the princesses were
y always kept informed of the progress of events. ...
Stage to say' (he adds elsewhere) 'not one of our notes
Ter discovered! Every day I thank Heaven for it.'

Latre, pp. 65, 75).

In Clery's account of the wanton insults inflicted upon to Turgy that we owe a story which tends to concaptives by some of the soldiery and municipal From many of the latter, recruited as they

We from all ranks of society, ill-informed, ill-educated,

animated by an unreasoning antipathy to their unite charges, rose-water civilities and polite considention could hardly be expected. But Turgy's anec