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

68 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
and morals than the mere revolutionists and jaco- against the late ministers in the asselmbly-Resigns, and
bins, who were altogether destitute of both. departs for thefrontiers-New ministers namedfrom the
With the fall of De Lessart, all chance of peace constitutionalists.-Intsurrection of the 20th of June —
Armed mob intrude into the assembly — Thence into the
vanished- as indeed it had been gradually disappear- Tsuileries —Assembly send a deputation to the palace —
ing' before that event. The demands ofthe Austrian
court Bwent now, when fully explained, so far back And the mob disperse.-La Fayette repairs to Pariscourt wen now, e'n flly explainedso far back Remonstrates i:,favour of the king —But is compelled to
upon the Revolution, that a peace negotiated upon onstrates in favour of the king-But is compelled to
upon the Revoltion, that a peace negotiated upon return to the frontiers, and leave him to his fJate.- M.larsuch terms must have laid France and all its various seillais appear in Paris.-Duke of Brunswick's maniparties (with the exception, perhaps, of a few of festo-Jls operation against the kisyg.
the first assembly) at the foot of the sovereign, and,
what might be more dangerous, at the mercy of the IT is not our purpose here to enter into any detail
restored emigrants. The emperor demanded the es- of military events. It is sufficient to say, that the
tablishment of monarchy in France, on the basis of first results of the war were more disastrous than
the royal declaration of 23d June, 1789, which could have been expected, even from the want of
had been generally rejected by the tiers 6tat when discipline and state of mutiny in which this call to
offered to them by the king. He farther demanded arms found the troops of France.. If Austria, never
the restoration of the effects of the church, and that quick at improving an opportunity, had possessed
the German princes having rights in Alsace and more forces on the Flemish frontier, or had even
Lorraine should be replaced in those rights, agree- pressed her success with the troops she had, events
ably to the treaty of Westphalia. might have occurred to influence, if not to alter, the
The Legislative Assembly received these extra- fortunes of France and her king. They were inacvagant terms as an insult on the national dignity; tive, however, and La Fayette, who was at the
and the king, whatever might be his sentiments as head of the army, exerted himself, not without
an individual, could not, on this occasion, dispense effect, to rally the spirits of the French, and infuse
with the duty his office as constitutional monarch discipline and confidence into their ranks. But he
imposed on him.-Louis, therefore, had the melan. was able to secure no success of so marked a chacholy task of proposing* to an assembly, filled with racter as to correspond with the reputation he had
the enemies of his throne and person, a declaration acquired in America; so that as the Austrians were
of war against his brother-in-law the emperor, in few in number, and not very decisive in their
his capacity of King' of Hungary and Bohemia, in- movements, the war seemed to languish on both
volving, as matter of course, a'civil war with his sides.
own two brothers, who had taken the field at the In Paris, the absence of La Fayette had removed
head of that part of his subjects from birth and prin- the main stay from the constitutional interest, vi hich
ciple the most enthusiastically devoted to their sove- were now nearly reduced to that state of nullity to
reign's person, and who, if they had faults towards which they had themselves reduced the party, first
France, had committed them in love to hinl. of pure royalists, and then that of the snod6ris, or
The proposal was speedily agreed to by the as- friends of limited monarchy, in the first assembly.
sembly; for the constitutionalists saw their best re- The wealthier classes, indeed, continued a fruitless
maining chance for power was by obtaining victory attachment to the constitutionalists, which gradually
on the frontiers,-the girondists had need of war, diminished with their decreased power to protect
as what must necessarily lead the way to an altera- their friends. At length this became so contempttion in the constitution, and the laying aside the ible, that their enemies were emboldened to venture
regal government,-and the jacobins, whose chief, upon an insult, which showed how little they were
Robespierre, had just objected enough to give disposed to keep measures Niith a feeble adversary.
him the character and credit of a prophet if any Among other plans, by which they hoped to counreverses were sustained, resisted the war no longer, terpoise the omnipotence of the Jacobin Club, the
but remained armed and watchfll, to secure the ad- constitutionalists had established a counter associavantage of events as they might occur. tion, termed, from its place of meeting, Les
Feuillans. In this club,-which included about
CHAPTER VIII. two hundred members of the Legislative Body, the
ephemeral rival of the great jacohinical forge in
Defeats of the French on thefrontier.-Decay of the party which the revolutionists had their strength and faof constitiutionalists-They fore, the club of feuillanls, bricated their thunders,-there was more eloquence,
and are dispersedby thejacobinsforcebly.-Themninistr.y argument, learning, and wit, than was necessary;
— Dumourier- Versatility of his character.-Breach of but the feuillans wanted the terrible power of excitconfidence betwixt the king and his ministers.-Dissolu- ing the popular passions, which the orators of the
lion of the king's constitutional guard.-Extravagant Jacobin Club possessed and wielded at pleasure.
measures of the jacobins-Alarms of the girondists.- These opposed factions might be compared to two
Departmental army proposed-King puts his veto on swords, of which one had a gilded and ornamented
the decree, against Dumourier's representations.-Decree against the recusant priests-King refuses it.-Let- hslt, bet a blade formed of glass or other brittle
ter of the ministers to the king-He dismisses Roand, substance, while the brazen handle of the other corClavidre, and Servan-Dumourier, Duranton, and La- responded in strength and coarseness to the steel of
coste, appointed in their stead.-King ratifies the decree the weapon itself. When two such weapons come
and. it w.A so with the opposite clubs. The jaco2Muh April, 17i92. bins, after many preparatory insults, went dowvh