_ them. 
HISTORY OF EUWROPE. 
tives of the people are {pecially 
called upon. to declare them, be- 
caufe it is their duty to lay the 
foundations before they raife the 
edifice ; to eftablifh principles be- 
- fore they draw conclufions; to fix 
upon a determinate and invariable 
end, before they make choice of 
the means by which it is to be ob- 
tained. That it is neceflary to-de- 
clare them, in order that the people 
may underftand and decide upon 
the motives of their legiflators ; 
that our fucceflors may tread in our 
footiteps, and, feeing clearly our ob- 
ject, and comprehending fully the 
fcope of our defign, may be ena- 
bled-to bring our work to perfec- 
tion; and that other nations may 
be made fenfible by our precepts 
of the injuries they fuffer, and may 
learn by our example how to redreis 
It. is a debt which France 
owes to mankind. 
This celebrated declaration of 
rights-has been fo long before the 
world, and has every where, parti- 
tularly in this country, been already 
fo much difcuffed, that any obfer- 
Vation now upon it would not only 
be needlefs, but could fcarcely avoid 
being a repetition of what has been 
already faid. It was allowed by all 
parties, even. in France, to contain. 
much good matter, and the nobles 
and clergy acknowledged that many 
of its articles were excellent. Con- 
_fidered as a compofition, it bears 
_ evident marks of hafte, and is by 
no means a regular and homo- 
genecus work. Sometimes it an- 
nounces rights; again it prefcribes 
reftraints: here it anticipates the 
objects of legiflation; and there it 
direéts and attack againft defpotifm, 
which it could not confiftently fup- 
pofe to exift. It was not till the 
y Vou. XXXII. 
[33 
end of Auguft that the produétion 
was finifhed. if 
Perkaps there was fearcely lefs 
truth than wit in Mirabeau’s obfer- 
vation on this declaration, « That it 
** would anfwer no other purpofe 
* than that of a political almanack 
‘© for the current year.” 
Through this whole courfe, the 
affembly was divided into a number 
of fe&tions or commitieés, to each 
of which was affigned {cmz {pecified 
part of the new conftitution, on 
which it was to give its opinion and 
advice in a report, which thenbe- 
came a fubjeét of general difcuffion, 
But in thus fettling the conftitution, 
a queftion (as all things were now 
unhinged) neceffarily arofe, which 
ferved more to divide the opinions 
and to agitate the minds of men 
than any other; this was the grand 
queftion, What fhare of a2utho- 
rity it was fitting the king fhould 
poffefs in the new legiflature ? This 
operated like a touchflone. In 
other matters, the different orders 
and parties were conftantly divided 
among themfelves, but now, every 
man found himfelf under a necef- 
fity of avowing and fupporting his 
principles, or of giving them up’ 
for ever. What had never hap- 
pened before, the prefident now faw, 
on his right hand and on his left, — 
the whole affembly arranged in two 
grand hoftile divifions, and théfe fo: 
nearly poifed in point of number, 
that the moft experienced eye could 
not determine on which fide the 
advantage might lie. The conflicts 
were fo hard fought on both: fides; 
fo often reneWed, and fo long con- 
tinued, and the fubjeét of debate fo 
induftrioufly fpread and univerfally 
known, that the whole nation be- 
came parties in the conteft, and the 
Cc * diffention 
