1789 declare that the the king's person alone is sacred, and I will bring for"ward the impeachment myself." It was at this moment of extreme danger also that her majesty displayed her signal greatness of mind. The marquis de la Fayette had followed the poissardes to Versailles with his national guards, and had sworn fidelity to the king and to the laws. But even this favourite champion of liberty could not restrain the fury of the mob. -When the whole court were full of dismay, and the poissardes were heard to breathe vengeance against her majesty, the king intreated her to retire. to some place of safety. But she nobly refused; declaring "that she "would rather stay and die at the king's feet." And in the midst of this scene of confusion and terror, as is averred by one of her attendants, she went with much composure to rest.—It was not till these frantic wretches had actually broke into her palace, at the ensuing dawn, and were pursuing her with horrid threats and imprecations, which ought, for the credit of human nature, to be consigned to oblivion, that she, at last, cried out to the guard, as she was flying from room to room, "O my friends! save 66 my life! save my children!" "-Being assembled about the king, when their fury was in some measure spent, he presented himself to the populace at a balcony, attended by her majesty, bearing the dauphin in her arms. A temporary calm then ensued: which was suddenly succeeded by a cry of "to Paris! to Paris!"-No resistance could be made.. Had they hesitated, even la Fayette could not have ensured their lives. Therefore, the king, in compliance with their wishes, took his leave of Versailles with the royal family and his court, and proceeded in solemn and mournful procession to the capital; escorted by Fayette, and attended by the ruffian bands of poissardes and their associates, bearing the bloody heads of his own guards, whom they had murdered, on pikes before him, in savage triumph, and endeavouring, by these inhuman orgies, by expressions of vengeance, and their ferocious looks, to sharpen their present afflictions by an anticipation of their future sufferings." This event, which is a memorable epoch in the revolution, has been ascribed to the machinations of two factions, having different views in effecting it. The republicans, whose design was either to abolish monarchy, or to render the sovereign a mere insignificant pageant, were desirous of the the king's removal to Paris, that they might have him completely in their 1789 power. The duke of Orleans's cabal, whose grand object it was to invest " that prince with sovereign power, wished to preserve the monarchy entire: and these hoped to open a way to the execution of their plot by filling the king's mind with terrors, and at last frightening him out of the kingdom. The democrats succeeded. A vote was passed, "that the national assembly was inseparable from the king." And that they might give every possible security to their own persons, when surrounded by the Parisian mob, strong resolutions were passed respecting the inviolability of them. The president, Mounier, one of the most disinterested patriots in the assembly, then, foreseeing, that from that moment the assembly must lose its independency, and become the instrument of a tumultuous populace actuated by a desperate faction, and that the liberty for which he had been struggling would be sacrificed to democratic tyranny, immediately seceded; and was accompanied by Tolendal and other partisans of free monarchy. P The two factions had hitherto co-operated, from their common desire to subvert the present system. Their peculiar views now became obvious to each other; and they were seen divided by rivalship of power.-The republicans, having the populace devoted to them, and having no further. occasion for the duke of Orleans's purse, were desirous to free themselves of a prince whose views clashed with their own,-La Fayette had supplanted Mirabeau in his popularity. But, notwithstanding he had an ascendant with the Parisians, and was the idol worshipped by them for the moment, yet he rejoiced to be the agent in destroying the duke's power, which involved in it a partial destruction of that of his cabal, and especially of his rival, Mirabeau. Instantly availing himself of his present favourable circumstances, therefore, he insolently told the duke, "that his name was "made the pretext for disturbances, the signal of all the disorders; and "that he must leave the kingdom."-Philip, who was as pusillanimous as he was base, being furnished with an ostensible mission for England, immediately repaired to that country.* -Mirabeau, despising a prince who had the Segur. 2. 104. Ann. Regist. 1790. 61. P Ann. Regist. 1790. 58. १ Segur. 2. 105. Ann. Regist. 1790. 61. The duke of Orleans wanted eloquence, and an intrepid, dauntless spirit which bade defiance to danger, to complete the character of a Cataline; and these were supplied by Mirabeau, 1789 the villany of an usurper without courage to usurp, and who thus tamely deserted his own cause when the schemes which he had planned for him. were ripe for execution, expressed his contempt in very pointed language; telling him" that he was not deserving the trouble which he had taken for " his sake.”—The ambitious leader, then, despairing of ever governing the state as the minister of that flagitious and despicable prince, made overtures to the court, that he might be introduced into the administration.But the republican party, fearing the effects of his intrigues, voted a resolution" that no member of the national assembly should accept a place in "the ministry."+-Finding himself foiled in his attempt by this selfdenying ordinance, he, as his last resource, once more devoted himself to the people. Such was the state of parties after the removal of the national assembly to Paris, an attention to which is essential to a proper understanding of the subsequent events.-The assembly signalized the recommencement of their proceedings by several very important measures. Having provided for their own security, they now attended to that of the public, by a decree to authorize magistrates to require military aid in case of riots. This was occasioned by the summary and outrageous execution of a baker by the mob, under a false charge of being a monopolizer of bread. '-At this time lettres de cachet were abolished; the parliaments were suspended from their functions: and the remains of aristocratic power was annihilated by destroying all distinction of orders: and a new bank was established, under the auspices of the assembly, by the name of caisse d'extraordinaire, for the purpose of reviving public credit and restoring trade." Moreover, that they might establish an entire new system of things, a fresh division of the kingdom was ordered into eighty-three departments, to be subdivided into districts and cantons, each having its assembly for the purpose of administrative government; and into electoral assemblies of the depart ments Mirabeau. But these associates experienced the disadvantage attending all confederacies.— Mirabeau could give the duke the assistance of his eloquence; but he could not inspire him with that daring spirit which made one of the strongest features of his own character. And the consequence was, that the duke was first disgraced, and at length suffered the proper punishment of a cowardly villain in being brought to the scaffold. + Sketch. 268. $ Idem. 269. November 7. Ann. Regist. 1790. 109. 11 . ments and primary assemblies of the cantons, for that of electing representatives of the people in the national assembly.-But the most memorable measure of this period was the decree by which the clergy and monastics were despoiled of their estates, estimated at 150,000,000 livres; which were decreed to be national property. Of this revenue it was resolved that 80,000,000 livres should be appropriated to public uses: pensions were settled on the clergy; which were not to be less than 8200 livres, or about £.60 a year, beside the glebe.-These arrangements, which were not completed till the ensuing year, occasioned warm debates; and notwithstanding the measure was strongly recommended by the expediency of it, particularly as affording a property on the security of which the state was enabled to issue its assignats, yet the opposition made by the partisans of the ecclesiastics called forth the eloquence of Mirabeau and the strenuous revolutionists to bear it down. Nor was the resistance of it confined to the assembly. Commotions took place in different provinces when this decree was known; which was thought an act of extreme ingratitude as well as injustice towards the clergy, who had recently given the nobles an example of willingness to join the tiers etat in one chamber, and to unite with them in their plans of reform. There have been ages when such a violation of the property of the church and the rights of corporate bodies would have brought on a religious war: but in the present, temporal considerations were seen to preponderate against the interests of the church and reverence for the priesthood. Among the memorable events of this year must be noticed the death of the dauphin; who was kindly taken by fate from the misery which befel the other branches of his family, at the age of eight years, a few days before the king's removal to Paris. 1789 SPAIN, June 5. Sketch. 272. 25. : 1789 SPAIN. THE catholic king adopted the pacific councils of his father; and, avoiding all interference in the broils among the northern powers and the war between the imperial courts and the Porte, he suffered his people to enjoy all the happiness which is compatible with a despotic government, under the auspices of a wise minister and a mild administration. 1789 ECCLESIASTICAL STATE. 1 THE evils which had been foreseen by the court of Rome were hastened by the revolution which took place this year in France. Grief and consternation filled his holiness and the conclave when informed that the abolition of annats, the abolition of tithes, and the decree of the national assembly by which all the possessions of the clergy were declared to be national property, followed each other in rapid succession. The last proceeding excited great indignation in the sacred college. By advice of the wisest men about him, Pius demeaned himself with great temper and resignation on this trying occasion: "I foresee great misfortunes," said he," but I will persist in my silence."—In the mean-time, the temperate, the politic cardinal Bernis, on information that his sovereign was desired to forbear nominating to any benefice till the general plan relative to the clergy should be presented, mourned his owu fate: "Lo, the cardinal protector of France is left," said he, "without functions and without "emoluments." GENEVA. b Life. 2. 223. Life of Pius the Sixth. 217. 22. |