The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

4') LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
might be termed a royal democracy, or, in plainer
termls, a republic, governed, in truth, by a popular
assembly, but encumbered with the expense of a CHAPTER V.
king, to whom they desired to leave no real power,
n,, Plan of the democrats to bring the king and assembly to
or free will to exercise it, although his name was Paris.-Banquet of the Gardes du Corps.-Biot at Paris
to remain in the fi-ont of edicts, and- although -A formidable mob of wonien assemble to marchi to Verhe was still to be considered entitled to command sailles —The National Gucard refuse to act against the
their armies, as the exeir.utive authority of the insurgents, etnd demtand also to be led to Versaillesstate. The feJale mob arrive-Their behlaviour to the assembly
A struggle was made to extend the royal authority -to the kicng —Alarming disorders at nigth't-La Fayette
to an absolute negative upon the decrees of the re- arrives with the National Cuarel-MbVforce the palace
presentative body; and thoullg it was limited by the -Afurer the BEy Gucrds-T'e quee's say et clanJealoulsy of the plopular party to a slspemnsive veto gered-La Fayette's arrival wvith his Jorce restores orof inflec ws su ed er. —Kilg andl royal family obliged to go to reside at
only, yet even this degree or influen ce was supp osed
only, yet even this degree Of iffience A s.pposed.. Paris-Description of the processzion-'This step agreetoo dangerous in the hands of a monarch who heag.too dangeos in the hands Of, a nona ich who had able to the views of the constitutionalists, aindt of the
but lately been absolute. There is indeed an evi- republicains, anld of the tnarchists.-Dukce of Orleans
dent dilemma in the formation of a democracy, with sent to EnZglantd.
a king for its ostensible head. Either the monarch
will relnain contented with his daily parade and WiE have mentioned tile various restrictions upon
daily food, and thus play the part of a nere pageant, the royal authority, which had been successively
in which case lie is a burthenlsome expense to the sanctioned by the National Assembly. But the
state, which a popular goverlnment, in prudent various factions, all of which tended to democracy,
economy, as well as from the severity of principle were determined upon manoeuvrls fobr abating the
assumed by republicans, are particularly bound to royal authority, more actively powerfutl than those
avoid; or else he will naturally endeavour to improve which the assembly dared yet to venture upon. For
the shadow and outward form of power into some- this purpose, all those Nwho desired to carry the
thing like sinew and substance, and tile democracy Revolution to extremity, became dlesirous to bring
will be unexpectedly assailed with the spear which the sittings of the National Assembly and tIhe rethey desired should be used only as their standard- sidence of' the king within the precincts of Paris,
pole. and to place themli under the inlluence of that poTo these reasoninlgs many of the deputies would pular frenzy which they had so many ways of excitperhaps have answered, had they spoken their real ing, and which might exercise the authority of terror
sentiments, that it was yet too early to propose to over the body of representatives, fill their galleries
the French a pure republic, and that it was necessary with a wild and tunlmltuous band of partisans, strto render the power of the kiing insignificant, before round their gates with an infuriated populace, and
abolishiing a tille to which the public ear had been thus dictate the issue of each deliberation. What
so long accustomed. In the meantiume they took fate was reserved for the king, after incidents will
care to divest the monarch of whatever protection sufficien.tly show. To etfect ain object so implolrtant,
he, mighllt have received from an intermediate senate, the republican party strained every effort, and sucor chamber, placed betwixt the, kinlg and the Na- ceeded in raising the popular fernlent to the highest
tional Assembly. " One God," exclaimed Rabaud St- pitch.
]Etienne, " one nation, one king, and one chamiber." Their first efforts were unsuccessful. A depultaThis advocate for unity at once and uniformity, tion, formidable firom their numbers and clanmorous
would scarce have been listened to ift' he had added, violence, was about to sally from Paris to petition,
1" one nose, one tongue, one arnl, and one eye;" but as they called it, for tile remlov-al of the royal famnily
his first concatenation of unities formed a phrase; and National Assembly to Paris, but Awas dispersed
and anu imposing phrase, whiclh sounds well, and by the address of La Fayette and Bailly. Neverthecan easily be repeated, has immense force in a re- less it seemed decreed that the republicans should
volution. The proposal for a Second or Upper carry their ftvourite measures, less through their
Chamber, whether hereditary like that of England, own proper strength, great as that uwas, than by the
or conservative like that of America, was rejected advantage ahtbrded by the blunders of thle royalists.
as aristocratical. Thus the King of France was An imprudence-it seenis to deserve no harsher
placed in respect to the populace, as Canute of old name-which occurred within the precincts of the
to the advancing tide-libe was entitled to sit on his royal palace at Versailles, gave tile demmagogues an
throne and conimmand the waves to respect him, and opportunity, sooner probably than they expected, of
take the chance of their obeying his commands, or carrying their point by a repetition of the violences
of being overwhelsed by.tllem. If he was designed which had already occurred.
to be ami integral part of the constitution, this should The town of Versailles owed its splendour almd
not have been. —if he was considered as sonmethling wealth entirely to its being the royal residence, yet
that it was more seemly to aba;mdon to his fate than abonlllded with a population singularly ill-disposed
to destroy by violence, the plan was not ill con- towvards thie king and royal famnily.'lThe National
certed. Guard of the place, arnourtti)ng to some thousands,
wvere amnimated by the same feelings. There w'ere
only about four hundred Gardes clu Corps, or Life
Guards, aupon wholn reliance could be,laced for the
defence of' the. royal family, inl case, of any popular
_