CONDORCET: A BIOGRAPHY. 217 



actual value of the literary titles be could regard the withdrawal of 

 these coufirtnations as a fact little w^orth his attention. 



Condorcet had seen arise in the legislative assembly the personal dis- 

 sensions which, growing in bitterness, threatened to imbrue the conven- 

 tion in blood, and bring the country to the verge of ruin, lie was never 

 willing to take part in these combats when they seemed to center upon 

 individual names. All his tendencies were to moderate rather than 

 to excite these broils. Several times he addressed to the ears of the 

 factions these words, full of wisdom : "Think a little less of yourselves 

 and a little more of the public good." 



In times of revolutionary agitations, he who is governed by principle 

 alone is soon considered weak by all parties. Of this Condorcet was an 

 example. Witness on the one hand this passage from ]\radame Uoland: 

 "We may say of the intelligence of Condorcet in relation to Lis person, 

 it is a fine essence pervading cotton." On the other hand, the electoral 

 corps of Paris, then completely Jacobin, when called upon to nominate 

 its representatives to the convention, withdrew Irom Condorcet the 

 mandate which had made him a member of the legislative assembly. 



A little later in this same convention, lor which hve departments, in 

 default of that of tlie Seine, had nominated Condorcet, we will see that 

 it is possible to be both cotton for personal questions and bronze for 

 questions of [)rinciple. 



Condorcet acted as one of the judges of Louis XVI I know that, by 

 a sort of tacit consent, it is customary to consider this period of our 

 history as ground too hot to dwell upon with prudence. I think such 

 reserve objectionable. The mystery in whieh the events of the time 

 are enveloped tends to promote the belief that, to the eternal shame of 

 our national character, not a patriotic feeling, not au act of courage, 

 not au elevated idea, not a sentiment of justice, was brought to light 

 during the long period of the painlul drama. 



The large portion of the public to whom the Moniteur and other offi- 

 cial sources of information are interdicted, on account of their high price 

 or their rarity,areacquainted with this part of cur annals only through 

 a few barbarous phrases, several of which have been repeated from 

 generation to generation, but are none the less contrary to the truth. 

 The overcaution, which under such circumstances would ]u\nent the 

 historian from attributing to each person his real part of the responsi- 

 bility, is, iu my opinion, inexcusable. I will, therefore, tell you faith- 

 fully and without reticence what was Condorcet's conduct during the 

 celebrated trial. 



Could the King be tried? His inviolability: was it not absolute ac- 

 cording to the terms of the constitution"^ Liberty: was it possible iu 

 a country where ijositive law ceased to be the rule of judgment"^ 

 Would it not be violating an eternal axiom, founded upon humanity 

 and upon reason, to prosecute actions which no anterior law had 

 stamped as derelict or criminal? In strict justice, should not the mode 



