renewed every two years by elections, and that this biennial period fhould be denominated a legislature. This measure of limiting the term of each convention to two years, was founded on the prejudices derived from that numerous body of English writers, who conftantly reprefent our feptennial parliaments as fraught with the greatest dangers to the ftate, and as actually productive of all our public evils. The effects produced by the adoption of this guarded measure in France will appear in its time.

It was about this time, that the affembly received a letter, written directly in the king's name, in which, after approving of the general fpirit of their determinations, he, however, declared, that there were a few articles to which he could give only a conditional affent; promifing, however, to modify or renounce his own opinions, if convinced by the obfervations of the national affembly. He then remarked on the hardship of abolishing, without any compenfation to the landlord, those rents, which had once, indeed, been paid as a compenfation for perfonal fer vitude, but which, having been fettled between the lords and their vaffals ages ago, had fince frequently changed hands, had been exchanged, or bought and fold for a valuable confideration, without the purchafers obferving or thinking of the odious origin of their titles.

The king then took notice in his letter of the danger of offending, and the impropriety of offering wrong and injury to feveral of the German princes, who held great feudal poffeffions in Alface, and fome of the neighbouring territories, which were guaranteed to them by the most folemn treaties; but

whofe eftates and property were all indifcriminately involved in the general effect of the decree for the reform of the feudal fyftem. He concluded by obferving the various difficulties which would attend the unconditional abolition of tythes, without making an honourable provifion for the clergy, and laying the burden of their fubfiftence equally upon all claffes of the citizens.

This letter was ill received, and occafioned much general discontent; not on account of its matter, which, whether agreed to or not, none could pretend to be unreasonable, but on account of the interference of the executive power in attempting to influence the legislative, by entering into a difcuffion of laws which it was only called upon to give a fanction to; or, in this inftance, as being parts of the new conftitution, merely to accept. The confequence may be eafily judged. The king was obliged to give his fanction fimply, without obfervation or comment; and the principle was established or avowed, that so far from fufpending, he could not even offer his advice upon, much less criticife the measures of the prefent legiflature. The affembly, however, paid fo much attention to him as to fend word, that in the future difcuffion or carrying into act the principles to which he objected, they would confider, and pay a proper regard to the opinions he had given.

In the mean time, things were tending faft to an unexampled crifis, which was to produce a new and extraordinary face of affairs. The violent republicans, both within and without the affembly, had it long in contemplation, and were now deter

mined, that by fome means or other, the refidence both of the court and of the national affembly fhould be transferred from Versailles to Paris. This defign being known, the court, and particularly the queen, were ftruck with horror at the idea of being compelled to refide among fo tumultuous a people, who from their bloody acts of cruelty had already been ftigmatized in the public prints by the name of the cannibals of Paris. At the fame time, that the nobility might have no doubt remaining as to their impending and abfolute ruin, they were regaled in every coffee-house with writings, in which the strongest hopes were expreffed, that in a very short time, the term 'nobility' would for ever be banished from the French language. Under thefe circumftances on both fides, it is not to be doubted (although the fact has in no degree been proved) that the queen liftened eagerly to any propofal for removing the court to some reasonable distance, which might prevent that, to her, moft dreadful of all events, the being committed to the jealous and dangerous cuftody of the frantic, uncontrolled, and ever fufpicious Parifians; nor will it be doubted, on the other hand, their character confidered, that many rash and imprudent things were faid or propofed by the difcontented nobles.

As correlative to this ftate of things, the most atrocious accufations, which the bittereft rancour could imagine, were unfparingly laid by each party against the other. The nobles and clergy were every day charged with new confpiracies against the revolution; and each garnished with its peculiar circumftances of alarm or of horror. It was feriously and confidently afferted,

as if the writer had himself feen it, that a fubfcription was fecretly opened for the murder of all good citizens; and that priefts and nobles were the fubfcribers to this bloody inftrument of profcription. It was further faid, that it was refolved once more to inveft Paris and Verfailles with an army, to diffolve, fword in hand, the national af fembly, and to kindle in every part of the empire the flames of civil war. On the other fide a charge was openly laid, by men of eminence, who did not thrink from fupporting it, that the violent republicans were refolved, at the hazard of murder and civil war, to compel the king and the national affembly to refide within the walls of Paris, and thus render both, and through them the whole nation, fubfervient to the influence, and inftruments to the caprice of that turbulent capital.

The rebellious French guards, who had deferted and fought againft their fovereign, and who were now in the actual pay of the city of Paris, under the denomination of center companies, were feized (unless it proceeded from fome hidden caufe) with a most unaccountable fit of ambition, to have again the honour of attending and guarding the king's perfon, which they claimed as an undoubted right, and even talked of marching to Verfailles to enforce the claim. St. Huruge, who was now at liberty, was the chief inftigator and caballer in this matter. It will be easily judged that, exclufive of the apparent danger of entrufting the king's perfon in fuch hands, nothing could be more perfonally odious or mortifying to him, than to be compelled to endure the fight and attendance

fo fhamefully trampled upon their oaths, and violated all the bonds of military fubordination, duty as foldiers, and loyalty as fubjects.

In the mean time, the

the hereditary fucceffion of the crown in its ancient form, and according to the Salic law; and feemed difpofed to recur to ancient loyalty, by declaring the king's perfon facred and inviolable. The duke of Orleans and his party brought on a violent debate upon the fubject of the fucceffion, in which Mirabeau took an eager part, and which was productive of words and circumftances that ferved to open the eyes of many, who had not before difcerned the operative motives of many parts of their conduct, and the grand object of their views. They eagerly contended, that the affembly fhould confirm the renunciations made by Philip the Vth of Spain, of his right of fucceffion to the French crown, by declaring them to be valid and legal; and of courfe that the Orleans branch would be the next in fucceffion, after the failure of the prefent royal line.

The only protection the king could rely on in cafe of any fudden incurfion from Paris, or of any fudden attack from the rabble of Verfailles (who were only fecond to their brethren in the capital in all acts of violence and cruelty) refted in his gardes des corps, a regiment formed upon the fame principles with our ancient English life guards, being compofed entirely of gentlemen; upon which account, they were at this time peculiarly detefted by the people. He was likewife attended by the national guards of Versailles, who had placed themselves for that purpose under the command of D'Eftaing; but their principles were known to be too deeply infected by thofe of the community to which they belonged, to warrant the fmalleft confidence being placed in their protection. It appears that letters from La Fayette to D'Estaing, indicative of fome approaching or apprehended danger, had been communicated by the latter to the municipal committee of Versailles, who were accordingly perfuaded to demand an additional regiment, in order to protect the town from any fudden violence. The compliance with this request, which was not obtained without difficulty, and the confequent fending for the regiment of Flanders to perform that duty, were the common, and, in all other cafes, indifferent and innocent circumftances, which, under the fatality of the prefent times, opened the way to all the horrid mifchiefs which fo speedily ensued.

The affembly, however, deemed it too imprudent and dangerous a measure, in the present ftate of affairs, for them to enter at all upon the fubject of the Spanish renunciations; and that it would be equally idle and ridiculous, to agitate queftions now upon events which might never take place. Mirabeau, who was the most unguarded of mankind in his expreflions, feemed to count as nothing, all the lives now exifting, which muft, fome how or other, be difpofed of, before any difpute could arife upon the ground of fucceffion; he faid openly, that fuch a fubject of difcuffion might arife much fooner than was expected; that the corpulence of the king and of Monfieur afforded little caufe for expecting

their lives to be lafting; that the dauphin was only a weakly infant; and as to the count d'Artois, and his two fons, he affected fcarcely to confider them as exifting with refpect to that queftion, reprefenting them not only as fugitives, but nearly as outlaws.

The arrival of the regiment of Flanders caused as great a ferment at Paris and Verfailles, as that of a powerful foreign invading army could have done. The ufual baggage, ftores, and fix-pounders of a regiment, were immediately fwelled into magazines of warlike ftores and trains of artillery. All the orators of the palais royal were fet to work, and feemed infpired with new vigour in their fuccesful efforts to inflame the minds of the people; affuring them, as a matter of fact of which they had direct knowledge, that the king intended to make his escape under the efcort of this regiment; and ftating in dreadful colours the confequences which muft neceffarily take place from the accomplishment of this defign.

In the mean time, numerous detachments of thofe zealous and indefatigable fupporters of Parifian liberty, the women of pleafure, were dispatched to Versailles, in order to make converts and establish their influence among the new-comers; one of their principal objects being to embroil the private foldiers and their officers, by continually leading the former into thofe petty acglects of duty, which, though apparently trivial in themselves, are fo totally fubverive of all military difcipline and order, that no relaxation of them can be admitted in any army. We are informed by Rabaut, that on the arrival of the regiment of Flanders, the citizens of Verfailles

and the court ftrove which fhould fhower moft carefes upon it; the former on the foldiers, the latter on the officers. It is evident that this regiment, for the fhort period that the funfhine laited, needed not to have envied any other in Chriftendom for the goodness of its quarters; the foldiers, from the first day, being in fuch a flate of fraternity with the inhabitants, that they feemed incorporated in one body; and fuch a continual fcene of feafting and good chear prevailing, as left little time or difpofition for recalling to remembrance the severity of military duties.

Before we enter into the particulars of the fucceeding convulfions, perhaps it may not be difpleafing to many of our readers, to take a view of that picture of the ftate of public affairs at this time which was drawn by Rabaut;hich he affures us was faithfully done; and which includes the pre-difpofing caufes which operated upon the Parifians in their conduct He fays, that "Paris was a prey to all the miseries of famine, even in the midst of abundance; bread was dear, and of a bad quality the inhabitants were knocking at the doors of the bakers, in order to obtain relief; it seemed that measures had been taken to exafperate the people against the new popular powers; and perfons, evidently paid for occafioning dif turbances, befeged the fhops of the bakers, carried away the bread, threw it into the river, and returned for the purpose of renewing this practice. The provinces were affrighted by a circulated whisper, of the approaching fight of the king, and of a counter-revolution; and the party which defired it, already vaunted of it loudly, and with that overweening

overweening confidence, which it hath fhewn upon every new confpiracy. At length, the alarmed capital faw no other means of termihating its fears, both for France and for the deputies, than by poffeffing the national affembly and the king within her walls, where a hundred thousand arms were ready to defend them, where fix hundred thoufand perfons were continually on the watch against confpiracies."

ac÷

A queftion, which fhould never be out of mind in reading this count is, In whofe hands was the government of Paris at that time placed? and, as derived from the fame, Who were the perfons employed to provide the capital with Corn ; and if they did not fulfil their duty, why were they not removed? It might have been fuppofed, that the rabble of Paris In that feafon of famine, would have been much more profitably employed along the Seine, in angling for the loaves newly thrown into the river, than in raifing ufeless riots in the ftreets, and about the bakers fhops. It will perhaps be a matter of furprize to fome, that of the fix hundred thousand pairs of jealous and fufpicious eyes which were Watching confpiracies in Paris, they fhould all look fo directly one way, as never to take a view of the banks of the river, nor of the paffages lead ing thereto; and that neither chance or fortune fhould fo far befriend them, as to enable them in a fingle inftance to detect any of that atrocious gang of confpirators, who thus wantonly robbed them of the means of fubfiftance and life. We cannot help obferving, that the abundant plenty of which Rabaut fpeaks, accords but badly with the immenfe fums of money which were foon

ever

after difpofed of to foreign nations, in order to induce them to tranfport corn or grain of any kind into France; a meafúre which was not, however, fufficient to preferve that country from all the bitterness of famine.

But whether the picture be correct or not, it was at the period which it intends to defcribe, that the officers of the king's October 1. life guards at Vertailles gave an entertainment to those of the regiment of Flanders; it being, according to the writers on one fide of the queftion, the ufual etiquette in the fervice, for the officers in garrison to entertain the new-comers upon their being joined by ftrangers; but Rabaut afterts, that this was the firft banquet which the king's guards, as a corps, had ever yet given. He farther afferts, that the great object of this feaft was, to attach the military to the king; and that, in purfuance of endeavours which had been used for fome days to gain over the national guards of Verfailles, feveral of their officers were invited upon this feftive occafion. Rabaut feems to confider it in every respect as the effect of a fettled plan, contrived by the court. However that was, the proceedings of this extraordinary day and night were too fidiculously contemptible, to merit any enquiry, whether they were the effect of deliberative folly, or of cafual intemperance and madness.

The king and queen were moft injudiciously advised to vifit thefe bacchanals after dinner, and to bring the infant dauphin with them. The extravagance of the joy that prevailed upon their appearance was beyond all defcription, and the whole company feemed to be men

mad