French; of whom it is a notable
characteristic that they are at once
prone to fufpicion and credulity:
a paradox that will not appear al-
together inexplicable to thofe who
reflect on the extreme fenfibility of
their temper, and that a momentary
belief attends the vivid conception
of every object. His Majesty's
letter to his officers, when he fled
to Montmedi, evidently tended to
throw all things into confusion †.
When the King accepted the con-
ftitution of 1791, he fhould have
done it firmly and frankly; and,
at the fame time, given pofitive
orders to his brothers and the other
emigrants to difarm: though they
would have been involved in dif-
aftrous confequences by a refufal,
he had ftill in referve the power,
of pardon. The manner too in
which he accepted the conftitution,
and the obfervations he made on it,
were not calculated to infpire a
belief and confidence in his fince-
rity." It appears to me," faid the
King, " that the conftitution does
not poffefs that energy of execution
and administration which are ne-
ceffary to imprefs the movement
and preferve the unity of fo vaft
an empire." This obfervation was
juft: but it was imprudent to make
it. In this qualified acceptance,
the republicans imagined that they
faw hypocrity, and the conftitu-
tionaliits, a King protefting against
laws entrusted to his execution.
It would be hard to cenfure with
feverity the conduct of the King at
this critis: he was fincere, but de-
ficient in decifion and vigour: he
had penetration to difcover the de-

France must eclipfe what remained
of the fplendor of the crown,
throw a cloud of difguft and even
contempt on their Majefties, as
being incapable of maintaining a
throne which they had restored,
and put all places of power and
truft in the hands of their party.
From the commencement of the
revolution the court of France was
divided into different parties: that
of the Count d'Artois, under the
direction of Mr. de Caloune, who
had been difgraced at the inftiga-
tion of the Queen in 1788; and
that of this princefs, to which the
other was in direct oppofition.
Though the imperial court, with
equal dignity and humanity, have
afforded an afylum worthy of the
Princefs Royal of France, a def-
cendant of the houfe of Auftria,
no fuch retreat was offered to the
prince: nor did they ever go to
Vienna. When their Majefties at-
tempted their efcape to Montmedi,
and were stopped at Varennes,
neither the Count d'Artois, the
Prince of Condé, nor Mr. de Ca-
lonne were in the fecret: nor did
they receive any intelligence before
they read it in the newspapers.
To fuppofe that there was a fecret
collufion and concert between their
Majefties and the princes, appeared
in reality to thofe who were ac-
quainted with the court of France,
and on whofe authority we give
thefe facts, not only improbable,
but extravagant. Yet it must be
owned that there were not wanting
many circumftances which might
naturally nourish fufpicion in the
breafts of fuch a people as the

† A measure not altogether diffimilar to that of James II. of England, who, before his flight inte France, caufed the great fal to be thrown into the river Thames,

fects

fects of the conftitution; but not to forefee the confequence of his ftrictures. There are fome other circumftances naturally tending to produce a fufpicion of the fincerity of the King, which it may be natural in this place to mention. It was a common thing for the emigrants to pafs and repafs publicly between Coblentz and the Thuilleries; and it became quite a matter of fashion for the young men when they had got into their chaifes in the court of the palace, to call out to their postillions, "To Coblentz." It was very common for those about the perfons of the King and Queen to speak with contempt and derifion both of the new conftitution and all those who were entrusted with the execution of it. The people could not eafily be induced to believe that the mafter was cordial in a cause which the fervants without restraint made an object of ridicule.

by all means to get rid of the ufual marks of refpect to his Majefty's perfon: in which infolence they were encouraged by diffentions and even bickerings in the cabinet.

Feb. 6, 1792. Condorcet, appointed prefident, was ordered to write a letter to the King, in which he was directed to lay afide the title of your Majefty, and to obferve the fame formula ufually adopted by the King in writing to the national affembly.

Condorcet wrote the letter according to the form prefcribed: which, after being fubmitted to the affembly, was fent to the King by one of their ushers. This paffed on the first day of their fittings.On the fecond, it was decreed that when the King fhould come to the affembly, he fhould place himfelf in an arm-chair, on the left hand of the prefident, exactly alike and on the fame level with that on which the prefident himself was feated. As nothing had been fixed by the conftitution with refpect to the King's and the prefident's chairs, and as the former affembly had never thought of refufing the moft honourable place to his Majefty, this infolent pretenfion of the new deputies excited without doors a very general indignation. Whether it was ftill thought proper by the French_nation that the King New circumftances of fufpicion fhould be honoured; or that the fprung up before the jaundiced eye ufual odium was excited against of jealoufy every day; and, in the upftart vanity and eminence; it was midft of this general miftruft and the general wifh that the King on difaffection, the predominant party this occafion fhould firmly affert his in the affembly were encouraged to dignity. The matter being difcuffed proceed in the execution of their in the council, the King himself defign of leffening the power of the found means of eluding the intendKing, and exalting their own on its ed humiliation in the conftitution, which did not oblige him to open the feilions in perfon. The affèmbly perceiving the public voice to

It was farther obferved, that the King was more inclined to admit into his familiarity and confidence the zealous partizans of the ancient monarchy, tho' of obfcure fituations, than any of the conftitutionalifts; even of those who had rifen to the moft elevated fituations in the military or other departments in the public fervice.

ruins.

The firft ftep they took for the accomplishment of this end, was,

One of their methods of infult confifted in accufing the Queen of every abomibable crime: another, in finging fongs, in which the King was treated with radicule, infolence, and even with men.ces of violence.

"

lift, and wearing an uniform different from that of the national affembly.

fued for peace, and having refufed
to obey a decree of the affembly of
the 22d of January, for a declara-
tion to the Emperor, in the name
of the King, "That he cannot any
longer hold a political correfpond-
ence with any fovereign but in the
name of the French nation, and
according to the powers with which
he was invested by its national af-
fembly; that the King fhould be
invited to intreat the Emperor, as
head of the houfe of Auftria, to live
in peace with the French nation;
-that the King fhould be invited
to declare to the Emperor, that if
he fhould not give a fatisfactory
anfwer to the above decree before
the first of March, it fhould be held
equivalent to a declaration of war."
He was conducted under a ftrong
guard to Orleans, to take his trial
before the high court, appointed
for the trial of the ftate criminals.
Mr. de Leffart, it was alleged, was
a leading member of what was cal-
led the Auftrian Committee: a jun-
to, it was pretended, whofe bufinefs
it was to correfpond with the court
of Vienna, for the purpofe of facili-
tating the entrance of the Ger-
mans into France, and their march
to Paris; but which exifted only,
as clearly appeared on a public trial,
in the fufpicious imaginations of
the Jacobins: nor is it thought by
many that its exiftence was feriouf-
ly believed, even by the leaders of
that party, though it was deemed
good policy to spread this fable;
which was done by methods in which
great fubtlety of centrivance was
combined with extreme profligacy.
The King was allowed by the
conftitution, befides the national
guards of honour, eighteen hun-
dred men for a guard, or household-
troops, to be paid from the civil

The neceffity of making great facrifices to popularity, conftrained the King to compofe this body of officers and foldiers, taken half from the national guards and half from the line-But inftead of chufing that half which was to be taken from the national guards, out of the body of the national guards of Paris, among whom it was of great importance that he fhould be po'pular, and where the character of thofe chofen could be better known, his Majefty was prevailed on to allow a certain number to be named by each department of France, Thofe departments in which men of character prefided, fent very good men; but others fent a fet of worthlefs fellows; who, foon after their arrival at Paris, were received in the Jacobin clubs; where they were prompted to make daily accufations, ridiculous indeed, but well adapted to excite the animofity of the people against their comrades of the King's guards;against whom a lively jealoufy was excited among the whole of the national guards at Paris. Continual difputes took place between the two corps; which would certainly have occafioned bloodshed, had not the King ordained that they fhould do duty at the palace' alternately; affuring them, at the fame time, that the highest proof they could give him of their attachment, would be to live amicably together. The new guards did every thing in their power to cement air union: but it happened too often, that fome of the national guards, more envious or irritable than the reft, complained, that the King and

Queen