This work would of itself be in- ingly. Many instances are related, in complete without the Journal of Oc- the course of this volume,of the king's currences, &c. of Clery. Together, acquiescence to personal degradathey form a full picture of all that tions, which do not tend to exalt our relates to Louis from the fatal 6th of opinion of the elevation of his mind. October, 1789, to the 22d of January We may admire his forbearance, and 1793. M. Hue was removed from his patience, and his resignation; but about the person of the king, after these are equivocal qualities; while he had been with him a short while

energy and intrepidity speak a lanin the temple, and was succeeded by guage that no tongue can misconClery, whose journal, therefore, of strue. what he witnessed, commences pre- We shall commence our extracts cisely where M. Hue's account, un. with M. Hue's account of the proder the same circumstances, leaves ceedings on the 6th of October, off. Neither of these works, there- 1789. fore, can be complete without the “ How dreadful a night was the 6th of other. And M. Hue himself has said, October! The closing hours of it spread p. 403," from the 2d of September, its shades over the most horrible of sacrithe day I was first imprisoned, the leges! Then began outrages of the black.

est die! At the breaking up of the noc, narrative of the occurrences in the turnal sitting, which the assembly had tower has been published by M. Cle- held, the conspirators repaired to the ry who succeeded me."

parish church of St. Louis. By 12 o'clock It must be evident, that in this

at night, the church, vestries, rooms, pas, work of M. Hue's, a number of new

sages, and all the offices, were thronged facts are stated, and much light pikes. In the church, for pastime, they

with national guards, and people with thrown upon old ones. As it would lighted the tapers, and walked in mock now be a waste of time to comment procession ; and at times, orators went upon events that have so long passed, up into the pulpit, and made horrible we shall perform a more acceptable motions. office to our readers, by selecting to, to know if a mass could be perform.

“ At five o'clock, the vicar* was applied such information as will be new to

ed, and he offered to celebrate it himself, them. We will, however, just ob- on condition of having a guard to protect serve, that our author's love of the him. This was granted. monarch he served, has sometimes “ While preparing for the celebration of led him into expressions respecting for the success of the project meditated :

the mass, the vicar was requested to pray monarchy itself, which savours a lit

but he replied that, being fearful of cri. tle of despotism ; as at p. 2, where

minal designs, at least, in some present, he says publick opinion was too much he could not, without impiety, comply respected by Louis. M. Hue, also, with what was asked. ' I will pray to is completely a Frenchman. We do God, added this respectable man, to not use the name insultingly ; but

vouchsafe to grant to all, the grace ne. mean that his patriotick feelings ob. them, and the mass was heard with tole

cessary for them. This reply satisfied scure his judgment, and lead him to rable decency. When it was over, the lament certain events produced by conspirators shook hands, swore to be the revolution, which were, in fact, true to one another, and flew to carnage. such as every wise and good man

Scarcely did the dawn of day cast a wished for, had they been unpolluted kings, when a legion of brigands, men

dim light on the sacred residence of our by such horrid excesses

and women, led by deputies in women's Louis wanted active magnanimity of character. He endured insults

* This was M. Jacob. He confirmed which a truly noble mind must have

to me the particulars I here relate, and resented, though immediate annihi.

told me that the seditious, forgetting for lation had been the consequence. His ly, joined him in singing the Domine sal

a moment their fury against the royal famienemies saw that, and acted accord- eum, a prayer said daily for the king:

out.

clothes, broke into the palace, and in an sins, enraged at their disappointment, vent. instant crowded the terrace of the garden. ed their fury in a thousand imprecations. and the courts. Terrible howlings an, Trembling for his son's life, the king nounced the banditti. They cried out: ran to his chamber, and carried him away • The queen's head! Down with the queen! in his arms.* In his way the light went Louis shall no longer be king. We will • Take hold of my nightgown,' said not have him. We want the duke of Or- the king, calmly, to the woman who at. leans; he will give us bread.'

tended the dauphin. Having groped his “ Fishwomen, furies bellowed: 'Where way back to his apartment, he there found is this jade? Let us carry her, alive or the queen, Madame Royale, Monsieur, dead. We will look you in the face, Madame, Madame Elizabeth, and the Marie Antoinette. You have danced for Marquise de Tourzel. Thus united, the your own pleasure-you are now going to royal family waited with less terrour the dance for ours. Let us cut her throat; fate which threatened them. let's cut off her head; let us eat her heart." “ At the commencement of the attack, One of these devils drawing a sickle from two young men of the body guards sufunder her apron, there was a cry of: fered themselves to be assassinated, ra. * That will do to despatch her?'

ther than abandon their post.t Their “The horrible menaces and howlings of bloody heads were carried about on pikes these wild beasts were mixed with shouts in triumph, and their bodies left on the of • Vive d'Orleans ! Vive notre père d'Or. arade to the fury of the populace. Se. leans ! Decency will not permit me to veral of the cannibals were seen rubbing mention the obscenities that accompanied their hands and face with the blood of these infamous expressions. A price, then, their

victims. had been set upon the heads of the royal “ The chopper-off of heads, a man with family! Towards her apartment the as- a long beard, of a savage aspect, his sassins rushed. It is said, that a deputy arms naked up to the elbow, his eyes dared to point with his finger to the door. sparkling, his hands and clothes smeared The sentry, M. Durepaire, one of the with gore, was seen brandishing his axe, body guards, defended it: but assailed the instrument of his cruelties. This by a multitude, and covered with wounds, monster, whose name was Nicholas Jourhe was soon stretched upon the floor. dan, served the Academy of Painting and Miomandre de Ste. Marie took his post, Sculpture as a model. From his feats on made a bar to the entrance of the bed this day, he was surnamed Coupe-tête. chamber with his musket, and, opening one of the folding doors, called, in a loud * The king, to get to the dauphin's voice: 'save the queen !' At these words, apartments, and avoid being seen by the he received several blows which felled brigands, was obliged to go through a him to the ground. The moment he was dark, subterraneous passage. down, one of the wretches made the crowd stand back, and, coolly measuring

† M. Deshuttes and M. Varicourt. his distance, struck the guard so violent a blow, with the but-end of the musket, dan has been confounded with the author

# In some accounts, this Nicholas Jour. that the lock stuck in his head.* Some of of the massacres at Avignon. They had the queen's women,f whom their attach.

no relation, but in barbarity and the mere ment had kept all night with their august

name. In 1789, thousands of ruffians, mistress, having hastily awaked her, her coming from Marseilles and the coasts majesty hurried on a petticoat, threw a

of Africa and Italy, spread themselves counterpane over her shoulders, and, by throughout the province. Sacrilege, rape, a passage of communication, escaped to

and murder, marked their way. At Avigthe king's apartment. In the way, she

non, headed by one Jourdan, they mas. heard these cries: 'She must be hanged; sacred many of the inhabitants, sparing her throat must be cut. At the same in.

neither age nor sex; broke open the pri. stant, a gun and pistol were fired. The

sons, killed the prisoners in cold blood ; queen was hardly out of her chamber, crowded the victims marked out for their when the door was forced in. The assas.

fury into the town ice-house ; put them to

death by unheard-of tortures; mutilated * M. Miomandre de Ste. Marie lay sense

them, cut them in pieces, and scrambled less, and weltering in his blood. The ban

for the flesh. Never did the world exhi. ditti thought him dead, and left him, after

bit a more horrible scene. The river robbing him. He afterwards recovered.

within Avignon was coloured with human Madame Thibaud and Madame Oguier. blood, and full of dead bodies.

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Who can read the following anec- whoever you are, wherever you residen dote, and not confess, with Burke,

receive the tribute of a gratitude which,

while I live, will know no end ! that the days of chivalry were gone?

Six-and-thirty bours passed without The days of chivalry ; the days of

any person coming into my cell, without common manhood were passed, and food, or the hope of any. I knew that the demons ruled triumphant.

warden and his wife had fied. I imagined

On “ At night, the king and the royal fa. that the turnkey had done the same. mily were taken back to their lodging this reflection, the remainder of my forti

tude forsook me. under a strong guard. They always met

A cold sweat, a shiverwith new insults. One night, as they were ing all over, and the pangs of death came going through the garden of the convent,

upon me: I fell into a swoon. When I a young man, well dressed, went up to came to myself, I was ready to call the the queen, and, doubling his fist at her, assassins, whom, by the light of the lamps, said: “Infamous Antoinette, you wanted

I saw passing and repassing in the court. to bathe the Austrians in our blood : your

I was going to beg them to put an end to head shall pay for it.' The queen treat

my protracted agonies, when a faint light ed this atrocious speech with silent con

coming through the boards above me tempt.”

struck my eyes. By means of a wretched Louis was of opinion that the pre

table and two stools, which I piled one disposing causes of the revolution enough to reach the top of the cell, and I

upon the other, I raised myself high were to be found in the writings of rapped several times at the spot through the French philosophers, as they which the light came. A trap door openwere called. He one day said to ed, and some person in a mild voice said: M. Hue, in a low voice, pointing to

What do you want ?' I replied in the acthe works of Rousseau and Vol

cents of despair, ‘Bread or death. It

was the warden's wife* who spoke to me. taire : “ Those two men have ruined

• Recover yourself,' said she, I will take France."

care of you.' She immediately brought The dangers of M. Hue himself me bread, a bit of meat, and some water. were not small, as the following nar.

While I remained confined in this place, rative will testify, after being dragged this compassionate woman had the goodaway from the service of the king and furnished me with a wickered bottle,

ness to supply me with nourishment. She sent to prison.

which, whenever I wanted water, I pre. “ In entering my dungeon, I saw, by sented at the trap door, and she filled it. the light of the turnkey's lanthorn, a sor- By this means the door of my cell was sel. ry bed. I groped my way to it. Oppressed dom opened, and I remained the better with fatigue, and at length overcome by concealed. sleep, I had become for a moment insen- “Nevertheless, men whose arms and sible of my dangerous position, when I clothes were smeared with blood, came was suddenly awakened by a confused up at times to the window of my cell, noise. I listened, and distinctly heard looking to see if any victim were lodged these words : * 'Wife, the assassins have there. But the darkness of the place, indone in the other prisons, and are coming creased by the interposition of their boto those of the commune. Quick, throw

dies, prevented their observing me. ine our best things : come down, and let

there any one here to be worked ?'t said nis fly. At these words I started from they, in their horrible jargon. As soon as my bed, fell on my knees, and raising my they were gone, I peeped out to see what hands to heaven, waited in that posture was passing in the court. The first thing the blow that was to put an end to my I saw was the assassins profaning with life. In about an hour I heard myself their filth the statue of Louis XIV. which called. I made no reply. I was called lay overturned upon the ground, and playagain. I listened. • Come to your win- ing with the bloody remains of their vicdow,' said somebody, in a low voice. I tims. They were relating to one another ailvanced. “Do not be afraid,' added the the details of their murders, showing the Loice, several people here are taking care of your life. After my enlargement, Madame Viel, whose goodness I can I made fruitless inquiries to discover this

never acknowledge too much. generous protector. Compassionate man!

+ To work, in the revolutionary lan. It was the warden, whose name was guage of that time, was synonymous to Viel, speaking to his wife.

massacreing.

Is

sons.

money they had earned,* and complaining social system, reciprocal duties. Believe of not having received what had been pro. me, it is impossible to govern the people mised them."

by the principles of philosophy. This There is no part of the present vo

conviction was the firm basis of the virlume more interesting than the con

tues of Louis XVI. It made him a king versations between M. Hue and the just, clement, humane, and beneficent: it

rendered him a faithful husband, a tender great and good Malesherbes, whose father, an affectionate brother, a good loyalty made him a volunteer in de master; in a word, a paragon of moral fence of his king, and whose magna- and domestick virtues. nimity enabled to effect his wishes. “ At my introduction into the ministry, Though he perished on the scaffold wishing to ascertain the motives of the

lettres de cachet, previously issued, I confor his generous conduct, yet he has

ceived the plan of visiting the state prileft a name behind him dear to pos

I wanted the king himself to visit terity. M. Hue was confined in the some of them, and that he should become same prison [Port Royal] with this acquainted with their situation and intervenerable man, and they solaced their nal government : and I was particularly confinement by discoursing upon the desirous that such prisoners as had been sufferings and virtues of Louis. . M. receive the news of their liberty, from the

too lightly or too long confined, should Hue has preserved the conversations mouth of the monarch himself. The king of Malesherbes, with the apparent was highly delighted with the object of accuracy of a Boswell; and we wish my plan, ordered me to put it in execu. we had room to extract them all. We tion, and to employ in it the intendants of shall select, however, some of them. he, I will not visit any prison. Let us do

the provinces. “But as for me,' added “My friend,' said he to me one day, good, M. de Malesherbes; but let us do • You, I hope, will long survive the death it without ostentation.' which awaits me. Store up then in your

“ Thus did the king throw over his virmemory, what you deserve to hear. To

tues a veil which he even extended to his the points of view in which you have be- understanding. This was wrong. A king held the most virtuous, the most undaunt. ed of men, add those which I shall de.

should display both. One day, being with

his majesty on business, I was surprised scribe to you. Some days after, M. de Malesherbes, yielding to my entreaties, vered. The king perceived it. I was

at the extent of the knowledge he discohad the goodness to give me a manuscript sensible," said he to me, at the finishing containing in substance the different con

of my education, that I was far from haversations I am going to report. "I saw Louis mount the throne," said ving

completed it ; and I resolved to acM. de Malesherbes to me, and though at

quire the instruction I wanted. I wished

to know the English, Italian, and Spanish an age when the passions are strongest, languages. I learned them by myself

. I and the illusions of the imagination most

made a sufficient progress in the Latin to powerful, he carried with him pure morals, translate the most difficult authors. Then, a contempt of pomp, a wise bias to tolera- diving into history, I went back to the tion, and

an inexhaustible desire of doing earliest ages of the world, and, descend. good. His respect for religion was equal to the firmness of his belief. More than ing from century to century to our own

times, I applied myself more particularly once expressing to me, how much he

to the history of France. I undertook as wished me to be of his religious opinions,

a task to clear up its obscurities. I stuhe said: "Without religion, my dear died the laws and customs of the kingMalesherbes, there is no true happiness dom; I compared the measures of the diffor men, either in society, or as individuals.

ferent reigns'; I investigated the causes Religion is the strongest bond between man and man. It prevents the abuse of With this regular study, I united the pe

of their prosperity and of their disasters. power and strength, protects the weak, rusal of all works of merit that appeared: consoles the unhappy, and ensures, in the particularly those on government and

politicks; on which I made my own re* Those municipals of the commune of marks.' Paris, who more particularly exercised “ This avowal of the king's, continued the power, had agreed with the men who M. de Malesherbes, 'gave me a high opimassacred in the prisons, to pay them a nion of the steadiness of his disposition, stated sun in money.

and of his capacity. While I was in the

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ministry I daily had occasion to observe, person against the enterprises of a factious that the timidity habitual to this prince assembly, have brought me to. You are was owing to too great a share of diffi. come to assist me with your advice. You dence, which kept him constantly on are not afraid of exposing your life to save guard against presumption, and made him mine ; but it will be all in vain !-- No, think that, in business, his ministers

pos.

sire,' replied I; 'I do not expose my life; sessed discernment superiour to his own. and I even hope that your majesty's is in It was this that made him so easily give no danger: your cause is so just, and the up his opinion to that of his council. He means of your defence so clear!– No; was also apprehensive that he did not ex- they will put me to death. But no matter; press his thoughts clearly. He said to it will be gaining my cause to leave a spotme one day: 'I would rather leave my less name. Let us occupy ourselves on silence to be interpreted than my words.' my means of defence. The king after.

“ To the same stock of diffidence, is to wards spoke to me about M. Tronchet be attributed the undecisive character and M. de Sèze, my coadjutors. The which you have perhaps sometimes heard former, having been a member and presi. mentioned as a reproach to him. I was a

dent of the constituent assembly, was daily witness of it in the council, and saw known to him. He asked me for some that it arose from his balancing what part account of M. de Sèze, whom he knew was best to be taken, and from the many only as a celebrated lawyer. difficulties that occurred. He often said: “When the king was taken before the • What a responsibility! every step I take assembly, called the National Convention, affects the fate of five-and-twenty millions to be examined, he was made to wait of men.' If, in the course of the revolu- three-and-twenty minutes in a hall leading tion, it has sometimes happened that he to the bar of the assembly. His majesty decided wrongly, it was upon grounds, as walked backwards and forwards : M. he has said to me, which would have ren- Tronchet and M. de Sèze, as well as mydered his decision right, had it not been self, kept at a little distance from the for acts of treachery, against which the king. As he spoke to me at times, in my most consummate prudence could be of answers I made use of the words, Sire, no avail.

Your Majesty.-Treilhard, one of the de. “ The king was particularly pleased at puties, came suddenly in, and, enraged on the contempt I had for those outward hearing the expressions I used in speak. forms which the world call graces, but ing to the king, put himself between his which are too often the masks of deceit. majesty and me : And what makes you • M. de Malesherbes,' said he to me, ' you so hardy,' said he to me as to utter, in and I are ridiculed here for adhering to this place, words proscribed by the con. the manners of old times; but are not they vention ? — Contempt for you,' I replied, better than the present fine airs ? There ' and a contempt of death. are often vile things under their varnish.' “I, at first, thought that the national The king was not ignorant of the jokes convention, not daring to pronounce a which the youth at the court took the li. sentence of death upon the king, would berty of casting on his manners ; but he banish him. On that supposition, I asked despised their opinion.

him what country he would prefer for his “While I was in the ministry, I never residence. “Switzerland,' replied he: knew him order or approve any superflu. what history reports of the lot of fugi. ous expense. He used to say to his minis. tive kings . :'- But, sire,' said I, if ters: Let us be frugal dispensers of the the French people, coming to themselves, publick treasure. It is the product of the should recall you, would your majesty resweat, and sometimes of the tears, of the turn?'—Not to please myself; but as a people. Unfortunately, all his ministers duty, I would. In that case, however, I were not of that opinion.

should stipulate for two conditions on my “ The first time that, as his counsel, I return : the one, that the Apostolick and was admitted into the tower of the tem. Roman Catholick religion should continue ple, the king no sooner saw me, than he to be the religion of the state, not exclud. came up to me, and, without giving me ing, however, other modes of worship; time to finish my bow, took me into his the other, that if a national bankruptcy

Ah! is it you, my friend !' said were inevitable, it should be declared by he, with the tears in his eyes : 'You see to the usurping power; for that power ha. what the excess of my love for the people, ving made it necessary, should bear the and that self-renunciation which induced shame of it.' me to consent to the removal of the troops “ One day, the conversation turning intended for the defence of my power and upon the different parties in the conven