between rigour and concession, and not knowing how to enforce its rules with energy nor to concede opportunely, by its distraction and hesitation betrays its own weakness and cherishes the presumption of the revolutionary partisans. The sovereign in the mean-time, destitute of that firmness of mind which is the proper guardian of virtue, was deprived of that tranquillity which he was endeavouring to bestow on others. He would willingly have promoted the general good; yet by his wavering conduct, or by some unfortunate circumstance in the manner of his acting, he continually forwarded the evils which he meant to avert; and he daily added to the sources of his grief and his solicitude, whilst he was at the same time, uttering sentiments resembling those which the English bard gives to the hero of his historic drama.*

The intentions of this self-constituted legislature were evinced in their first proceedings, which were popular, but arbitrary.-After pronouncing "that "the contributions, as they are now levied in the kingdom, not having "been consented to by the nation, are all illegal, and consequently null, "the assembly declares, that it consents provisionally, for the nation, that "the taxes and contributions, though illegally established and levied, shall "continue to be levied in the same manner that they have hitherto been, "until the day of the separation of this assembly only."

f Ann. Regist. 229.

When

* We have seen an example of Lewis's feelings in his emotions on the death of de Vergennes. And, in further proof of them, he now declared to Necker, that, for several years, he had enjoyed only a few momentary intervals of happiness.—[Soulavie. 6. 280.]————————The reader, will no doubt, be pleased to carry his attention immediately to the charmingly poetic passage here alluded to; and will be struck with its applicableness to the French monarch.

How many thousand of my poorest subjects
are at this hour asleep!-O gentle Sleep,
nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
that thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down,

and steep my senses in forgetfulness?

Why rather, Sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs,

upon uneasy pallets stretching thee,

and hushed with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber;
than in the perfumed chambers of the great,
under the canopies of costly state,

and lull'd with sounds of sweetest melody?

O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile

in loathsome beds, and leav'st the kingly couch

1789

a watch

1789

When the minister heard this language spoken in the assembly, and found that the populace grew daily more tumultuous; that, in disregard of all decorum, they even intruded themselves into the hall of the assembly, and insulted those whose conduct they disapproved, he began to see the selfdelusion by which he had fondly suffered himself to be deceived in his idea respecting the influence which his popularity would give him; and he consented, when it was too late, to adopt expedients for preventing the mischief which threatened the state from his own counsels. Perceiving the dangerous tenets which prevailed among the commons, and that his sovereign, being disappointed in the flattering prospects which he had held out to him, discovered a change of sentiment respecting the wisdom of his counsels, he thought it advisable to pursue a different method for settling the matters in dispute, and recommended a royal session for that purpose. This plan was readily adopted by the court party, with whose principles it corresponded; but was entered upon with very inauspicious circumstances. It being thought expedient to execute it with the utmost promptitude, in order to prevent opposition, some workmen were sent, without previous notice, to erect a throne in the hall of the assembly: and when the president, Bailly, and several of the members came to the door, the royal session was proclaimed, and they were refused admittance. †

a watch-case, or a common 'larum bell?
Wilt thou, upon the high and giddy mast,
seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains,
in cradle of the rude imperious surge;

and in the visitation of the winds,

who take the ruffian billows by the top,

curling their monstrous heads, and hanging them
with deaf'ning clamours in the slippery shrouds,
that, with the hurly, death itself awakes?
Can'st thou, O partial Sleep! give thy repose
to the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude;
And, in the calmest and the stillest night,
with all the appliances and means to boot,
deny it to a king? Then happy lowly clown,
uneasy lies the head, that wears a crown.

An

An apprehension that the states were about to be dissolved instantly prevailing, the assembly was thrown into a flame. That they might defeat the supposed purpose of the courtiers, they hurried away, in the midst of a heavy storm of rain, to an old tennis-court; where they bound themselves by a solemn oath "not to part till the constitution should be completed." -This ill-conducted step had the effect generally produced by whatever has the appearance of persecution, of uniting the sufferers more firmly, and increasing their popularity; whcih is particularly observable in the present instance. The immediate consequence was, that a majority of the clergy, who had been elected chiefly from among the cures, many of whom had a bias to the popular party, united themselves with the tiers etat; and were received with open arms and loud acclamations by that body, from whom they were soon to experience such severe treatment and such ingratitude. +

th

i

As soon as the preparations were completed, the king held his royal session; || and ordered a plan of government to be laid before the assembly, in which all privileges respecting taxation were to be done away, and no taxes were to be laid without the consent of the national representatives.— He also invited the delegates to assist him in making such regulations with regard to lettres de cachet and the liberty of the press as might reconcile public peace and respect for religion with personal freedom.-Such propositions as these would, probably, at an earlier period, have been joyfully accepted. Or had the overtures which Mirabeau made to monsieur Necker been accepted, these statesmen, who were both popular, and both advocates for a free monarchy, might, by their joint influence, have reconciled the assembly to this constitution. But their jealousy of each other's popularity and power was inimical to such a coalition of interests: and Mirabeau was thus constrained to continue his attachment to the duke of Orleans as the only means of gratifying his ambition. There were, moreover, several circumstances unfavourable to the success of this plan of settlement. The attendance of a large body of troops during the deliberations of the assembly, and the pompous parade with which his majesty and the princes and great noblesse displayed their superior rank and wealth, were displeasing to

men

1789

June 22.

June 23.

B

Ann. Regist. 232.

i Moore's View. 1. 234. 237.

1789

k

men whose minds were strongly tinctured with democratic principles.-
Moreover, the absence of Necker at the opening of the session, though
excused by his attendance on a sick relation at Paris, created a suspicion
that the constitution was not approved by him. *-
-The article which
expressed that it was the king's will that the ancient distinction of the three
orders should be preserved entire, as essentially connected with the consti-
tution, and that the deputies of the three orders, forming three chambers,
should deliberate by orders, having a right, at the same time, to deliberate
in common, with the sovereign's approbation, accompanied with the king's
declaration which annulled the late arbitrary proceedings of the assembly,
gave great offence to those who considered these as the first step towards the
establishment of their liberty.-The article which, for the sake of good order,
prohibited spectators from attending at the deliberations of the states afforded
the democrats an opportunity of courting the populace by opposing it.
And the authoritative manner in which his majesty ordered the members
to separate immediately, and to assemble the following day in their respec-
tive chambers, gave great advantage to the revolutionary partisans, by
enabling them to impress the public with an idea that the views of the
court were hostile to liberty, and that they must look to them for its cham-
pions. When the king was retired, and, on the assembly's delaying a com-
pliance with his command, an officer was sent to remind them of it, the
president replied, that the national assembly received orders from no
man." Mirabeau seized the favourable moment to confirm himself in
the affections of the people by treating the royal mandate with scorn.
"Go and tell those who sent you," said he, "that we are here assembled
by the will of the French people, and that nothing but the point of the
bayonet will drive them hence."-And the abbé Seyes exhorted them
to adhere firmly to their purpose, of re-establishing the nation in its
rights, and forming a free constitution, which no power on earth, he said,
had a right to do for them. These words, correspondent with his democratic
principles, were followed by a declaration calculated to secure him the
hearts of the populace: "no authority," said he, "should prevail on them
"to exclude the people from hearing their debates."m

Every firm stand made by the popular party was attended with success,

and

k Moore. 1. 237.

1

Rabaut. 75.

Moore. 1. 245.

and followed by some material advantage.-Two days after the royal 1789 session, the duke of Orleans, accompanied by forty-six of the order of nobles, among whom were the duke Rochefoucault, counts Lally, Tolendal and Clermont Tonnerre, and other men of repute, joined the tiers etat: and, on the following day,† at the king's request, the remainder of the nobles, acceded. This event, which gave a complete victory and a decisive superiority of strength to the commons, was celebrated with rapturous expressions of joy; and his majesty was once more greeted with the cry of Vive le roy!"

Had the several parties been sincerely desirous to promote the general. good, had the partisans of liberty been disposed to sacrifice to it all, personal and party interests, and to establish a monarchy on free principles, a fair opportunity now offered itself, when the talents of the whole kingdom were united in one assembly. Unhappily for the public peace and welfare, these good dispositions did not exist in the assembly. On the contrary, there appear to have been but few men in it who were actuated by patriotic motives. And his majesty's mind was poisoned by the sentiments instilled into it by the court party, who wished for the restoration of despotic government. Hence it arose that the period which ensued on: the union of the three orders was distinguished by jealousy, mistrust, and intrigue, instead of that mutual good-will and confidence which alone could lead to the accomplishment of the purposes for which the states were convened.* On the one hand, the democrats, and the partisans of the duke of Orleans, were using every possible means to prepare the populace for revolt. "It is of little importance," said Mirabeau, "whether

66

to every

+ June 25.

66 we

Bertrand de Moleville says, "that the national assembly, the capital, indeed all France, was "divided into three very distinct parties. The most considerable in number, but unhappily the "weakest through a deficiency of plan and resolution, was the party purely royal: it was adverse kind of revolution, and was solely desirous of some improvements, with the reform of "abuses and pecuniary privileges: -the most able, and most intriguing, was the constitutional party, or that which was desirous of giving France a new monarchical constitution, but modified. "after the manner of the English, or even the American, by a house of representatives. The "third party was the most dangerous of all, by its daring spirit, by its power, and by the number "of proselytes it daily acquired in all quarters of the kingdom: it comprised the democrats of

66

66

every description, from the jacobin clubs, calling themselves friends of the constitution, to the "anarchists and robbers."-Moleville's Preface. p. 16.