In the mean time the moft barbarous and inhuman popular fongs, but fet to no unpleasant tunes, were fabricated for the people of Paris, in order, if poffible, to increafe their native ferocity and cruelty. One of thefe, the verfes of which ended with the pious with that all the arif tocrates might be hanged at the lantern, was to be heard from morning till night, in every fireet and almost every houfe, fung by all claffes and orders, the fairer part of the fofter, fex degrading themfelves in this refpect to the fame level with the most profligate and abandoned. Thefe barbarous word, like the war whoop of the lavages in North America, became afterwards the death fignal in every part of France. The feeds of revenge and murder, thus induftrioufly fown, foon thewed their fruits in the horrible deaths of Foulon and Berthier. The firft of thele was an old rich financier, a man of bad character, and was fufpected of having accepted a place, though he had not time to occupy it, under the late administration. Berthier was intendant of Paris, a man of a totally different character, and who feems to have been neither accufed nor fufpected of any crime, unlets his being married to Foulon's daughter could have conftituted one. Thele unhappy men having fome intelligence of their danger, had attempted to elcape, but July 21ft. were purfued, feized, and dragged back to Paris, where they were murdered with every circumftance of refined infult and cruelty which could have been exhibited by a tribe of cannibals. We fhall not enter into the shocking detail, which 1 has been published in every part of The fafe return of the king from Paris did not inspire the vanquished party with the malleft hope of mercy from their all-triumphant enemies. In the courfe of a few days, Marthal Broglio, the Polignacs, the Luxemburghs, with all who were fufpected of having accepted, or even intended to accept, places under the late fhort-lived adminiftration, difappeared one after another. Thefe were speedily followed by the princes of Condé and Corti, with the count d'Artois and his two fons, though the family next in fucceflion to the crown. Numbers of others, whose names are of lefs importance, were included in the general rout; wost fortunately for the fugitives, they were a good deal protected in their flight by the fmall divifions and cattered parts of the retreating ar my my which had beett commanded by Broglio; and after a feries of romantic adventures; dangers; and "hair breth" fcapes, they reached England, Germany, or Italy, as fortune or chance directed, while the princes of the blood royal of France were obliged to procure from foreigners a precarious and inglorious refuge. And it might be faid the king and queen with refpect to friends, favourites, known fervants, and relations, were almoft literally left alone. All the refractory nobles now haftened to renounce their former proteft, and held themselves abfolved by neceffity from the oath which they had taken to their conftituents. It was agreed to bury the name of fates general in oblivion, and the name of national affembly was henceforth adopted by all parties. Some reverence feemed ftill to be paid to the word royalty, although the fubftance to which it related had entirely loft its effence. It was thought that the term loyalifts, applied to those who were devoted to profcription and popular fury, would yet be too wounding to the ears of Frenchmen to be endured; the term aristocrat was therefore upon all occafions fubftituted in its place. As the fcarcity of corn ftill continued, fome fcenes of horrid murder had already taken place at St. Germain, Pontoife, and Poily, on the charge or fufpicion of monopoly, while other attempts of the fame nature were with great difficulty prevented. Doubly alarmed at the favage fpirit which was exhibited by the Parifians, and at this fanguinary difpofition, which was fpreading with fuch terrific fymptoms in the country, the moderate party in the affembly ufed their utmoft endeavours to procure the timely interference of that body; in reftraining thofe enormities. Lally Tolendal took the lead, and was well feconded by Mounier and others, in fhewing the general dangers and the horrible mischiefs that would enfue from the progrefs of this fanguinary difpofition; they accordingly propofed a proclamation, to warn the people from thus conftituting themselves judges and exécutioners of the law. But the powerful democratic party held fentiments widely dif ferent on this fubject, and did not with by any means to reftrain the hands, or to confine the authority of their over-ruling allies. One fet answered, "that the bufiness of the affembly was to make laws, and not to attend to a few particular diforders."-Another told the optrative motive for, rejecting the propofal openly, by faying, "that their interfence might induce the town of Paris to declare against the affembly"-While a third cried out, "if it was not for these Parifians, whom you blame, we should not now be fitting here." when Lally enforced his arguments, by defcribing the horrid deaths of Berthier and Foulon, the celebrated patriot Barnave ironically afked, And If the blood he lamented was fo very pure?" whilft Mirabeau told him, "It was a time to think rather than to feel." A sense of shame on one fide, and unceafing perfeverance on the other, produced at length, in fome degree, their effect, and on the 23d of July a proclamation was issued, inviting all Frenchmen to peace, order, and tranquillity: but being stripped of all the cogent expreffions proposed by Lally, fuch as the following fen tences, tences, that" whoever excited trou- this occafion to M. Neckar. Those voices which a few days before found the greatest difficulty in pro "bles was a bad citizen, and that "the punishment of a crime was "itself a crime when not command-nouncing vive le roy, now filled the "ed by the law;" these retrenchments, with others of the fame fort, rendered it so tame, so sprightless a performance, as to make it an object much more liable to contempt than to the production of refpect to the I laws, or obedience to the dictates which its title and publication feemed to imply. Neckar had been recalled by the king's letters of the 16th or 17th of July, and on his way back he heard of the horrid deaths of Berthier and Foulon, as well as the imminent danger of M. de Bezenval, commander of the Swifs troops, who had been seized at Villenaux, and threatened with the fame fate, on account of an intercepted letter, in which he had ordered M. de Launay to defend the Bastile to the laft. Neckar immediately wrote a letter of interceffion from Nogent to the magiftrates of Villenaux in his favour, and received in anfwer, that they had fent to Paris for orders concerning him. Neckar was welcomed at Verfailles with fuch demonftrations of general and exceffive joy, that the democratic writers could compare it to nothing lefs expreffive, than the transports of the Romans when Cicero was recalled from exile. He prefented himself to the national affembly, complimented them highly, and was no lefs complimented and flattered in return A few days after he July 30th. made his triumphal entry into Paris, and the gratifications of vanity were never more amply difpented to any conqueror in ancient Rome, than they were upon VOL. XXXI. air with the universal shout of vive M. Neckar. He endeavoured to convert this moment of popular applause and enthufiafm to an excellent purpofe, by attempting, in an eloquent fpeech, to perfuade the Parifians to fend orders for the release of M. Bezenval, and at the fame time to fet the example of a general amnefty, as the means of restoring peace to the diftracted kingdom. But M. Neckar was yet to learn the difficulty of managing a factious and outrageous populace, who hav ing already kicked off every degree of fubordination, abominated every thing that bore any relation to peace, order, humanity, or justice,. The refufal to comply with a request which he had taken the utmost pains to enforce, and which he, to a certainty, thought he might have commanded, tarnished all the glories of the triumph, and rendered the overwhelming flatteries of the day difgufting and naufeous. It was peculiarly unlucky that in this attempt, fo truly confonant to virtue and humanity, he fhould have fallen into two political errors of fuch importance that they lerved much to weaken the enthusiasm of his admirers, and to leffen the general opinion conceived of his abilities. The first of these related to the national affembly, and the fecond to the Parifians. The former, and by much the greater, was his applying to the city of Paris for the liberty or life of an accufed criminal, and at the fame time for a general pardon, knowing, that as the national affembly now fupplied the places both of the fovereign and [*R] par parliament, there was no other power exifting which could lawfully grant either. This was accordingly, in a very great degree, diftafteful to that aflembly. It was indeed but too true, that Paris was faft affuming the fhape of an independent republic, and making alarming strides towards the poffeffion of power; and it was no lefs true, that the national affembly, though fully aware and apprehenfive of the danger, yet, whether through want of fpirit, or through whatever other caufe, did not venture to attempt confining that turbulent capital within due bounds of fubjection; but they were by no means pleafed or fatisfied that her independence or power fhould be formally acknowledged by a minifter of state. The fecond fault was his addreffing the electors of Paris as a legal body, when their proper functions extended no farther than to the choofing of reprefentatives; and the new command with which they were intrufted by the people on the 13th proceeded merely from there being no other body of men in whom they could immediately confide; but that refactory populace, who abhorred every degree of fubordination, were already heartily tired of the government exerciled by the electors, and were befides become much diffatisfied with, and extremely jealous of them on the very grounds of Neckar's fpeech; fo that when he probably thought he was highly flattering and pleafing the people by the compliments he paid, and the powers which he attributed to their council at the Hotel de Ville, his eloquent harangue was producing a directly contrary effect, and exciting the utmoft difguft and averfion in the minds of the crowd. For the coun cil having already given a promife that Bezenval fhould have his li berty, and having likewife fent a proclamation for general pardon and peace round to the different municipalities for their approba tion, the people confidered this as a flagrant invafion of their most facred rights, and reftriction upon their new powers of determination on the queftions of peace or war, as well as on their favourite exercife of adminiftering fummary justice; and being now farther irritated by this direct and public appeal to an authority which was become in the higheft degree odious, they grew outrageous, and a fecond general tumult was expected and threal ened. The more violent of the malcontent diftricts in Paris were so inflamed at the very mention or thought of an amnesty, that they fent a deputation to the national alfembly, partly to complain of the attempt, and partly to warn them againft adopting or giving a fanction to fuch a measure. The affembly who were not much more difpofed than themselves to approve of it, declared that a tribunal fhould foon be appointed to try the late minifters, and other delinquents, and a committee appointed in the mean time to examine into the accufations against them. The affembly likewife decreed, that Bezenval fhould be kept under fafe guard at Brie Comte Robert, the town where he was then confined. This was to him the most fortunate clause that ever was or could be penned; for the writers on both fides acknowledge and declare, that no human power could have prevented another public murder if he had been brought to Paris. This opinion was indeed fully confirmed by the following fact, that thirty thoufand frantic Parifians waited for him a whole day at the Place de Greve, and had, with favage pleafure, all the inftruments of infult and death prepared for his recep tion. Indeed it was evident that things were now arrived at such a pitch, that no fecurity for liberty, propertity, or life could be found in the country, unless fome effectual curb was speedily placed upon the revengeful and cruel fpirit of the people; for it had already fpread with dreadful difplay into the provinces, where they had generally taken up arms as foon as they heard of the revolution at Paris. Every bad man (and that order was at least as numerous as ufual) made the public good a pretence for wreaking his malice upon his private enemies. The tenants thought this a happy opportunity for fhaking of all dependence on their landlords, and converting their farms into eftates; and petty wars were thus generated in various parts between the former and the landed proprietors. Numerous other fources of difcord were invented or found, and details of crimes and cruelties were echoed from every quarter. [The extraordinary length of our Hiftory, which has this year gone far beyond its prescribed limits, and all paft example, compels us, unwillingly, to defer the completion of this fingular revolution to our next volume.] CHRONICLE. |