66 IV. 1789. Remarkable Father gard. May was at hand. The ex-Jesuit Beau-Regard, when preaching CHAP. before the court in Lent, on May 20th, appeared to be suddenly seized with a fit of frenzy, like the Pythian goddess when under divine inspiration, and pronounced with an 41. emphatic voice these remarkable words, which subsequent prophecy of events rendered prophetic :-" Yes! thy temples, O Lord, Beau-Reshall be destroyed; thy worship abolished; thy name 20. blasphemed. But what do I hear, great God !-to the holy strains which beneath sacred roofs arose in thy praise shall succeed profane and licentious songs; the infamous rites of Venus shall usurp the place of the worship of the Most High and she herself sit on the throne of the Holy of 1 Lac. vii. Holies, to receive the incense of her new adorers." Who 11. Prudcould have imagined that this was literally to be accom- Rév. de plished in four years within the cathedral walls of Notre 349. Dame !1* homme, Paris, vi. 42. Views of the conspi It was not surprising that these desponding views were entertained by all persons of a reflecting turn in Paris; for the designs of the conspirators against the throne were rators on the popular fully formed, firmly acted upon, and rapidly approached side. their accomplishment. They were thus unfolded by Chamfort, Mirabeau's friend and confidant, to Marmontel. "It is useless to talk of repairing and not destroying; extensive ameliorations soon reduce an old edifice to a heap of ruins. It is necessary to destroy the old edifice from top to bottom. Is it any great grievance to think that you are likely to hear no more of titles, or noblesse, or roturiers, or eminences, or greatness, or high or low clergy? Be assured the leaders know what they are about."" But will the nation," said Marmontel, " agree to all that?"—"The nation!" returned Chamfort: "bah! the nation is a huge flock of sheep, which is intent only on getting good pasture, and which can easily be guided at pleasure by good shepherds and fierce dogs. The old worship, the ancient régime, the manners and prejudices * This remarkable prophecy appears in all the contemporary journals, and may be fully relied on.--See PRUDHOMME, Révolution de Paris, Mai 23, 1789. IV. 1789. CHAP. of the last age, only excite pity in the present. The throne and the altar will fall together; we must have a clean sweep for our new institutions. Every thing is foreseen and calculated upon. Our main reliance is on the humanity of the King, which is so excessive as to amount to pusillanimity rely upon it, he will never, even in the last extremity, authorise the shedding of blood. The clergy will oppose no resistance: those of them interested in the old abuses are corrupted by their long continuance; those who are not, pant for their destruction. The high noblesse contains some energetic characters; but their number is too small, the majority of their body too corrupted to act, too detested to make others do so. The Tiers Etat, on the other hand, numerous, enthusiastic, united, possessing nearly all the available riches of the kingdom, is combined in a vast league, having its ramifications over the whole kingdom, and, directed by leaders of equal courage and ability at Paris, will soon become omnipotent. Many of the commons, we are well aware, will disapprove such vigorous measures, and tremble at any thing which threatens to disturb their repose or their enjoyment; but the murmurs of that timid class will come to nothing, and be speedily overwhelmed by the shouts of the multitude, tenfold as numerous, who have every thing to gain and nothing to lose by public convulsions. Should they prove sluggish, we have powerful means to rouse them-want, famine, money, rumours of alarm, and the general delusions. Our orators, at five francs a-head, spread through the primary assemblies, will beat Demosthenes himself in producing an effect. We have lately tried our strength in the Faubourg St Antoine: you would hardly believe how little it 1 Marmon- cost the Duke of Orleans to excite that tumult at Reveil289293. lon's: Mirabeau always maintains, that with a thousand louis he can any day get up a very pretty sedition."1 tel, Mém. ii. While the political atmosphere was thus daily becoming darker in Paris, and that uncertainty and suspense pre IV. 1789. 43. sembly. vailed which is so powerful an agent in augmenting public CHAP. effervescence, the States-general remained inactive and paralysed by the continued and obstinate resistance of the Tiers Etat to constituting themselves, unless in concert First apwith the other orders. During the discussion on this pearance of Robespierre important subject, the clergy, who wished to bring about in the Asa union of the orders without openly yielding to the commons, sent a deputation, headed by the Archbishop of Aix, to make a pathetic appeal to them on the miseries of May 16. the country people; and he concluded by making a proposal that some deputies of the commons should join a conference with a few of the clergy and nobles, on the best means of assuaging these sufferings. The former, who did not wish to yield any thing, and yet knew not how to decline such a proposal without compromising themselves with the people, were at a loss what answer to return, when a young man, unknown to the Assembly, rose and said, "Go and tell your colleagues, that if they are so impatient to assuage the sufferings of the poor, let them come to this hall to unite themselves with their friends; tell them no longer to retard our operations by affected delays tell them it is vain to employ stratagems like this to induce us to change our firm resolutions. Rather let them, as worthy imitators of their Master, renounce a luxury which consumes the funds of indigence; dismiss those insolent lackeys who attend them; sell their superb equipages, and convert those vile superfluities into aliment for the poor." At this speech, which so clearly expressed the passions of the moment, a confused murmur of applause ran through the assembly; every one asked who was the young deputy who had so happily given vent to the public feeling. His name afterwards made every man in France tremble-it was MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE.1 At length the commons deemed the public mind sufficiently declared to authorise a departure from the system of passive resistance they had hitherto pursued, and to adopt measures of aggression against the King and the Hist. Parl. Dumont, i. 411, 415. 61. Th. i. 48, 49. IV. 1789. 44. Proposals Etat. May 18. CHAP. constitution. It was gradually, and with caution, however, that their leaders entered on that adventurous career. The first step was to name commissioners; and they appointed, by a large majority, sixteen commissioners to of the Tiers meet with sixteen of the nobles and clergy. taken together, to endeavour to effect a reconciliation with the other orders, and an adjustment of the differences between them. These conferences accordingly took place, and the commissioners on both sides were men of the most distinguished ability; but, as might have been foreseen, they led to no other result but widening the breach between the various orders, and rendering the leaders of each aware that the differences between them were so serious as to render all hope of an accommodation chimerical. The commissioners of the commons were resolute to admit no proposition which would, by implication even, throw the slightest doubt on the vote by head; those of the nobles and clergy, composed entirely of the dignified portion of the latter, were equally firm to adhere to the invariable practice in former States-general-to verify their powers, and vote in separate chambers; and the nobles, upon a report of their commissioners, passed a resolution, on the motion of M. de Villequier, that their powers should be verified separately. In this debate d'Espréménil strongly opposed the encroachments of the commons. "After having given," said he, "a shining example of disinterestedness, it is now our duty to rally round our ancient constitution, and to give one of firmness. I demand that it be resolved, that the deliberations by order, and the power inherent in each order of putting a veto on the resolutions of the others, are fundamental in the monarchy. The nobility will ever profess principles 1 Hist. Parl. Conservative alike of the throne and of liberty." This i. 412, 417. resolution was carried by a majority of two hundred and two to forty-six-the Duke of Orleans voting and protesting with the minority. It was adopted, although in the course of it a letter was brought to the noblesse from May 28. Moniteur, 23 to 30 May, 1789, vol. ii. IV. Louis, expressing an earnest wish that the conference CHAP. should be resumed on the following day at six, in presence of the keeper of the seals and commissioners appointed by the King. 1789. 45. the arbitra orders. When the King's letter was received by the commons, they perceived at once the immense advantage which it Rejection of gave them, and immediately resolved, while still main- tion of the taining their principles, to fall, or feign to fall, into the King by the views of the sovereign. "We are in danger," said Mirabeau, "if we adopt the recommendation of the King; we are in danger if we refuse it. Let us steer between these two shoals let us accede to the King's invitation, but preface the renewed conferences with a dazzling declaration, which may at once defeat intrigue, and unmask calumny. The sovereign has sent us a message full of goodness let us vote him an address overflowing with affection, wherein we may consecrate at once our sentiments and our opinions." In pursuance of this advice, they resolved to accede to the King's proposal, and reappointed May 29. their commissioners to confer with those of the nobles and clergy, with the addition of those appointed by the crown. Their address concluded with these words"Sire! your faithful commons will never forget what they owe to their King: they will never forget the natural alliance of the throne and the people against both branches of the aristocracy, whose powers cannot be established save on the ruins of the royal authority and of the public felicity." But the deputation of the Tiers insisted that they should have no intermediate communication, but be received by the King in person; and this personal interview was prevented, partly by a difficulty as to whether they should be presented according to ancient etiquette on their knees, and partly by the alarming illness of the dauphin, whose health, long declining, at length gave way, and he expired, fortunately for himself, in the arms of June 4. his inconsolable parents a few days afterwards. Bailly, with the deputation, was at length admitted on 6th June June 6. 2 H VOL. I. |