42] 
tendance of men, who had already 
fo fhamefully trampled upon their 
oaths, and violated all the bonds of 
military fubordination, duty as fol- 
diers, and loyalty as fubjects. 
The only proteétion the king 
could rely on in cafe of any fudden 
incurfion from Paris, or of any fud- 
den attack from the rabble of Ver- 
failles (who were only fecond to 
their brethren in the capital in all 
aéts of violence and cruelty) refted 
in his gardes des corps, a regiment 
formed upon the fame’ principles 
with our ancient Englifh life guards, 
being compofed entirely of gentle- 
men; upon which account, . they 
were at this time peculiarly de- 
tefted by the people. He was 
likewife attended by the national 
guards of Verfailles, who had placed 
themfelves for that purpofe under 
the command of D’Eftaing; but 
their principles were known to be 
too deeply infected by thofe of the 
coramunity to which they belonged, 
to warrant the fimalleft confidence 
being placed in their protection. 
It appears that letters from La 
Fayette to D’Eftaing, indicative of 
fome approaching or apprehended 
danger, had been communicated by 
the latter to the municipal commit- 
tee of Verfailles, who were accord- 
ingly perfuaded to demand an ad- 
ditional regiment, in order to pro- 
te& the town from any fudden vi- 
olence. The compliance with this 
requeft, which was not obtained 
without difficulty, and the confe- 
quent fending for the regiment of 
Flanders to perform that duty, were 
the common, and, in all other cafes, 
indifferent and innocent circum- 
ftances, which, under the fatality of 
the prefent times, opened the way 
to all the horrid mifchiefs which fo 
fpeedily enfued. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
In the mean time, the 
affembly had confirmed 
the hereditary fucceffion of the’ 
crown in its ancient form, and ac- 
cording to the Salic law; and feem- 
ed difpofed to recur to ancient loy- 
alty, by declaring the king’s perfor 
facred and inviolable. The duke 
of Orleans and his party brought 
on a violent debate upon the fubject 
of the ficceffion, in which Mira- 
beau took an eager part, and whick 
was produétive of words and cir- 
cumftances that ferved to open the 
eyes of many, who had not before 
difcerned the operative motives of 
many parts of their conduét, and 
the grand obje&t of their views. 
They eagerly contended, that the 
aflembly fhould confirm the renun- 
ciations made by Philip the Vth of 
Spain, of his right of fucceffion to 
the French crown, by declaring 
them to be valid and legal; and of 
courfe that the Orleans branch 
would be the next in fucceffion, 
after the failure of the prefent 
royal line. The affembly, how- 
ever, deemed it too imprudent and 
dangerous a meafure, in the prefent 
ftate of affairs, for them to enter at 
all upon the fubje& of the Spanifh 
renunciations ; and that it would be 
equally idle and ridiculous to agi- 
tate queftions now upon events 
which might never take place, 
Mirabeau, who was the moft un- 
guarded of mankind in his expref- 
fions, feemed to count as nothing 
all the lives now exifttng, which 
muft, fome how or other, be dif- 
pofed of, before any difpute could 
arife upon the ground of fucceffion 5 
he faid openly, that fuch a fubjec& 
of difcuffion mightarife much fooner 
than was expected; that the corpu- 
lence of the king and of Monfieur — 
afforded little caufe for Pe 
their — 
Sept. 15. 
