tered. The anodyne draught of oblivion, thus drugged, is well calculated to preferve a galling wakefulness, and to feed the living ulcer of a corroding memory. Thus to adminifter the opiate potion of amnefty, powdered with all the ingredients of fcorn and contempt, is to hold to his lips, inftead of "the balm of hurt minds," the cup of human mifery full to the brim, and to force him to drink it to the dregs.

Yielding to reasons, at least as forcible as thofe which were fo delicately urged in the compliment on the new year, the king of France will probably endeavour to forget thefe events, and that compliment. But hiftory, who keeps a durable record of all our acts, and exercifes her awful cenfure over the proceedings of all forts of fovereigns, will not forget, either thofe events, or the æra of this liberal refinement in the intercourfe of mankind. History will record, that on the morning of the 6th of October 1789, the king and queen of France, after a day of confufion, alarm, difmay, and flaughter, lay down, under the pledged fecurity of public faith, to indulge nature in a few hours of refpite, and troubled melancholy repofe. From this fleep the queen was first ftartled by the voice of the centinel at her door, who cried out to her, to fave herself by flightthat this was the laft proof of fidelity he could give-that they were upon him, and he was dead. Inftantly he was cut down. A band of cruel ruffians and affaffins, reeking with his blood, rushed into the chamber of the queen, and pierced

with an hundred ftrokes of bayonets and poniards the bed, from whence this perfecuted woman had but just time to fly almost naked, and through ways unknown to the murderers had escaped to feek refuge at the feet of a king and husband, not secure of his own life for a moment.

was

This king, to fay no more of him, and this queen, and their infant children (who once would have been the pride and hope of a great and generous people) were then forced to abandon the fanctuary of the moft fplendid palace in the world, which they left fwimming in blood, polluted by maffacre, and ftrewed with scattered limbs and mutilated carcafes. Thence they were conducted into the capital of their kingdom. Two had been felected from the unprovoked, unrefifted, promifcuous flaughter, which made of the gentlemen of birth and family who compofed the king's body guard. guard. Thefe two gentlemen, with all the parade of an execution of justice, were cruelly and publickly dragged to the block, and beheaded in the great court of the palace. Their heads were stuck upon fpears, and led the proceffion; whilft the royal captives who followed in the train were flowly moved along, amidst the horrid yells, and fhrilling fcreams, and frantic dances, and infamous contumelies, and all the unutterable abominations of the furies of hell, in the abused fhape of the vileft of women. After they had been made to tafte, drop by drop, more than the bitterness of death, in the flow torture of a journey of twelve

miles,

miles, protracted to fix hours, they were, under a guard, compofed of thofe very foldiers who had thus conducted them through this famous triumph, lodged in one of the old palaces of Paris, now converted into a Baftile for kings.

Is this a triumph to be confecrated at altars? to be commemorated with grateful thanksgiving? to be offered to the divine humanity with fervent prayer and enthufiaftick ejaculation ?-Thefe Theban and Thracian Orgies, acted in France, and applauded only in the Old Jewry, I affure you, kindle prophetic enthufiafm in the minds but of very few people in this kingdom; although a faint and apostle, who may have revelations of his own, and who has fo completely vanquished all the mean fuperftitions of the heart, may incline to think it pious and decorous to compare it with the entrance into the world of the Prince of Peace, proclaimed in an holy temple by a venerable fage, and not long before not worse announced by the voice of angels to the quiet innocence of fhepherds.

At first I was at a lofs to account for this fit of unguarded transport. I knew, indeed, that the fufferings of monarchs make a delicious repast to some sort of palates. There were reflexions which might ferve to keep this appetite within fome bounds of temperance. But. when I took one circumftance into my confideration, I was obliged to confefs, that muchallowance ought to be made for the Society, and that the temptation was too ftrong for common

difcretion; I mean, the circumstance of the Io Pæan of the triumph, the animating cry which called "for all the BISHOPS to be hanged on"the lamp-pofts," might well have brought forth a burft of enthufiafm on the forefeen confequences of this happy day. I allow to fo much enthufiafm fome little deviation from prudence. I allow this prophet to break forth into hymns of joy and thanksgiving on an event which appears like the precurfor of the Millenium, and the projected fifth monarchy, in the deftruction of all church establishments. There was, however (as in all human affairs there is) in the midst of this joy fomething to exercife the patience of these worthy gentlemen, and to try the long-fuffering of their faith. The actual murder of the king and queen, and their child, was wanting to the other aufpicious circumftances of this "beautiful day." The actual murder of the bifhops, though called for by fo many holy ejaculations, was alfo wanting. A groupe of regicide and facrilegious flaughter, was indeed boldly fketched, but it was only sketched. It unhappily was left unfinished, in this great hiftory-piece of the maffacre of innocents. What hardy pencil of a great mafter, from the fchool of the rights of men, will finish it, is to be feen hereafter. The age has not yet the compleat benefit of that diffufion of knowledge that has undermined fuperftition and error; and the king of France wants another object or two, to confign to ob

Tous les Eveques à la lanterne.

livion,

livion, in confideration of all the good which is to arife from his own fufferings, and the patriotic crimes of an enlightened age *.

Although

* It is proper here to refer to a letter written upon this fubject by an eye-witnefs. That eye-witnefs was one of the most honeft, intelligent, and eloquent members of the National Affembly, one of the most active and zealous reformers of the

He was obliged to fecede from the affembly; and he afterwards became a voluntary exile, on account of the horrots of this pious triumph, and the difpofitions of men, who, profiting of crimes, if not caufing them, have taken the lead in public affairs.

EXTRACT of M. de Lally Tollendal's Second Letter to a Friend.

"Parlons du parti que j'ai pris; il eft bien juftifié dans ma confcience.-Ni cette ville coupable, ni cette affemblée plus coupable encore, ne meritoient que je me juftifie; mais j'ai à cœur que vous, et les perfonnes qui penfent comme vous, ne me condamnent pas.-Ma fanté, je vous jure, me rendoit mes fonctions impoffibles; mais meme en les mettant de coté il a eté au-deffus de mes forces de fupporter plus long-tems l'horreur que me caufoit ce fang,-ces têtes,-cette reine prefque egorgie,-ce roi,-amené efclave,-entrant à Paris, au milieu de fes affaffins, et precedé des tetes de fes malheureux gardes. Ces perfides janniffaires, ces affaflins, ces femmes cannibales, ce cri de, TOUS LES EVEQUES A LA LANTERNE, dans le moment ou le roi entre fa capitale avec deux eveques de fon confeil dans fa voiture. Un coup de fufil, que j'ai vu tirer dans un des caroffes de la reine. M. Bailley appellant cela un beau jour. L'affemblée ayant declaré froidement le matin, qu'il n'étoit pas de fa dignité d'aller toute entiere environner le roi. M. Mirabeau difant impunement dans cette affemblée, que le vaiffeau de l'état, loins d'etre arrêté dans fa courfe, s'élanceroit avec plus de rapidité que jamais vers fa régénération. M. Barnave, riant avec lui, quand des flots de fang couloient autour de nous.

Le