bitants was liable, upon any accidental occafion, to be ftimulated to acts of outrage and violence.

The coming in of Mr. Neckar was attended with the difmiffion of all the principles of the archbishop's party, of whom, his brother, the count de Brienne, minister of the war department, and M. de Lamoignon, the keeper of the feals, could not but lead the way. Every body fuppofed that the restoration of the parliament of Paris to its functions would have been one of the first effects of the change in the miniftry; and the fhort delay which intervened, was attributed to fome explanations which were required from the leaders of that body, as to the courfe which they intended to purfae, with respect to the mealures adopted by the late adminiftration, particularly with regard to the fufpenfion.

However that was, the parliament met about the middle of September, and, after fome difplay of moderation in their first fittings, foon began a new fquabble with the crown, on the ground of profecuting thofe members of the late miniftry who were forthcoming, particularly Meff, de Lamoignon and de Brienne, for the evil advice they had given, and the milchiefs which they had thereby drawn upon the nation. But the king peremptorily refused to admit this profecution, declaring that he alone was refponfible for all the late measures; and that if any mi chiefs took place, they proceeded entirely from the refractory conduct and obitinacy of the parliament.

In the mean time, the populace of Paris began to make a difplay of that ungoverned and riotous difpofition, which has fincerendered them fo confpicuous. It feems probable

that the king's refufal to admit the profecution against M. de Lamoignon, the late keeper of the feals, di̟rected their fury against that gentleman, as the riot commenced immediately after. A multitude of people, feemingly for fport, affembled about the Pont Neuf, where they amufed themfelves for fome time with throwing fquibs and crackers, and obliging the paffers-by to take off their hats, and bow to the ftatue of Henry the Fourth. But feeming to grow tired of that fport, they fuddenly provided themfelves with lighted torches, and proceeded in a body to burn and destroy the house of M. de Lamoignon. The timely interference of the guards faved the house, and probably the life of that gentleman, to whom his country owed fo much for his admirable reform of the code of criminal juftice, and in whofe humane regulations in the mode of profecution, the order of men who now fought his deftruction were fo nearly and particularly concerned. The crowd difperfed upon the interference of the military, but re-affembled in another part, and were proceeding to burn the late keeper in effigy, when finding themfelves purfued, and again interrupted by the guards, their indignation was raifed to high, that they ftood a battle with them; but were foon routed, above thirty of their number being killed, and a much greater number undoubtedly wounded.

The parliament foon afforded an inftance of the degree of moderation with which they were difpofed to exercile power or to enjoy triumph, as well as of the terns upon which they intended to ftand with the court. That body caufed all the king's decrees, which related to their fulpen[C] 2

fion,

fion, or which they confidered as encroaching upon their privileges, to be publicly burnt in Oct. 11th. Paris. In this act, the heinioufnefs of the example to a turbulent and inflamed populace, kept pace with the wantonnefs of the infult.

The only public bufinefs of any confequence, which was tranfacted during the remainder of the year 1788, was the fummoning a new convention of the Notables, who met in the beginning of November. The object of affembling them was to receive their opinion and advice, in anfwer to a number of written questions propofed to them, relative to the organization of the ftates general, the mode of election to be purfued, the qualifications of the electors, and of the elected, the numbers to be returned by the refpective districts, whether with refpect to their wealth or population, the general number of which the ftates were to be compofed, the proportionate number of the three orders with refpect to each other, and other matters upon the fame fubject. The meeting of the ftates was fixed for the 1ft of May, 1789.

The unequalled feverity of the winter could not but produce the moft deplorable effects, in a country where the people were already fo much diftreffed for want of fubfiftence. It was in vain that bounties were offered for the importation of wheat, rye, and other grain. The countries of Europe were in no con

dition, in any degree, to fupply the wants of fo prodigious a number of people; the relief, however, thus furnished, although far from fufficient, undoubtedly preferved multitudes from perifhing. Paris probably fuffered more than the' provinces; but the want in all was extreme. The turbulence and extraordinary ill temper of the people, induced them, inftead of looking to the general effect of bad harvests, or to the particular ruin occafioned by the late hurricane, to attribute the fcarcity and dearness of bread to the nefarious fchemes of the court, which they charged with the impoffible crime of exporting the corn by ftealth to foreign countries. Next to the court, their rage was directed against fuppofed monopolizers, fo that, in procefs of time, the property of those merchants and corn-dealers, who endeavoured to feed the markets regularly with fuch a proportion of grain, as the ftock in the country could afford for a continuance, was not only fubjected to the rapine and deftruction of the lawless rabble, but their perfons to the most ignominious and cruel deaths. Thus every thing concurred to fofter and promote that lawlefs ungovernable fpirit which now prevailed; and the common people proceeding fuccessfully from one act of atrocity to the commiffion of another, became at length thoroughly hardened, and capable, as we fhall have occasion to relate, of unheard-of cruelties and barbarity.

CHAP.

calamities of war in defence of their ancient rights, yet it was impoffible to confider, without terror, the inequality of the conteft into which they were entering with fo mighty a power; fo that their refiftance must be attributed rather to the violence of despair, than to a courage founded on any rational hope of fuccefs.

This joy was, however, damped with the more ferious and reflecting by the fore confideration, founded on repeated experience, that they could place no reliance on the faith of the fovereign, and were deftitute of all other fecurity. Some room for hope, however, ftill remained. It became now known that the emperor was fo deeply involved in fchemes of war and conquest with Ruffia on the fide of Tur key, that it feemed probable his other neighbours, and the more remote of his own fubjects, might, at leaft for a time, efcape the effects of that reftlefs ambition and incurable fpirit of innovation, which had been fo continual a fource of alarm and trouble to both. Yet even this confideration could not remove the apprehenfions of those who knew the high refentment and lafting animofity which he bore against all oppofers of his authority; which he held paramount to all laws, couftitutions, and covenants; and who, regarding all refiftance to his will as a deep wound to his dignity, muft accordingly confider it as a crime of the firft magnitude. Thefe could not but fufpect the prefent calm; nor were they eafily induced to believe, that all the late violence was already buried in oblivion. They accordingly dreaded, that however deeply his

generals were engaged on the Danube, he would find leisure himself to renew his defigns on the Netherlands, and means to punish the fuppofed affront he had received.

most

They faw too well that notwithftanding all the joy excited by the late accommodation, it had been too haftily concluded to afford any well-founded hopes of its permanence; that fome of the critical fubjects in difpute, particularly with refpect to the new feminary at Louvain, were still undecided; and the confequence of leaving any point of difcuffion open with fuch a controvertist, was too much to be apprehended. Too much, they thought; had been trufted on their fide to promifed and implied gracious and good intentions; and they imagined they knew from experience at what rate to eftimate the value of thefe. Even the emperor's de claration (which had with fuch difficulty been drawn forth, after every guard had been furrendered on truft to it) was too loosely framed and worded not to be eafily fet afide by the forced conftruction which it might receive. To increale their apprehenfions they had the mortification to obferve, that while no fecurity, that could properly be confidered as fuch, was afforded on the other fide, they had themselves given up the only one they poffeffed. They had disbanded their young, bold, and fpirited militia: annihila ted all their badges and bands of military diftinétion and union; and taken the arms out of their hands, to place them in thofe which might poflibly ute them to their deftruc tion. So that, with respect to de

fence,