46] 
cited by the fchemes for carrying 
off the king, were loud in their out- 
cries for proceeding to Verfailles, in 
order to demand bread from him, 
and for bringing him to Paris, and 
keeping him there, as the only 
means for re-producing plenty to 
that city. It needs fearcely to be 
obferved, that accounts of the recent 
excefles at a banquet, cannot tend 
much to tranquillize the minds of 
hungry men. 
Nothing feemed more unlucky 
than that the king fhould at this cri- 
tical period have involved himfelfin 
a difpute with the national affem- 
bly. It appears that fome of the 
firit articles of the conftitution, par- 
ticularly that which enacted the in- 
divifibility of the aflembly, the fut 
penfion on the royal veto, with the 
declaration of rights of men, had 
not yet received, the king’s fanétion ; 
and he feemed now, in the moft dan- 
gerous feafon which could pofibly 
have been chofen, toaflume an air of 
confidence, and fome difpofition to 
preferve his rights, which, though 
now totally out of time, might have 
long fince been exerted to great ad- 
vantage. Being now preffed for 
the fanétion, the king entered into 
adort of an argumentative written 
difguition with the affembly, in which 
the following words were particu- 
larly marked as affording great 
eaufe of offence: “ I grant, ac- 
** cording to your defire, my ac- 
“ ceffion to thefe articles; but on 
“the pofitive condition, which I 
“« will never depart from, that by 
« the general refult of your deli- 
“ berations, the executive power 
«« fhail have its entire effect in the 
« hands of the monarch.” » 
‘This capitulary meflage or an- 
fwer was delivered on the morning 
of the sth of Otober, and immedi- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1790. 
ately produced the moft violent de- 
bates: in the courfe of thefe, Pe- 
tion having inveighed againft the 
late imprudent feaft of the- life 
guards, and afferting that it had 
been attended both with criminal 
words and actions, a member on the 
other fide afked, whether he would 
venture to denounce. (that is to im- 
peach) any particular perfon, and 
feemed to dare him to it? With that 
Mirabeau ftarted up, and with the 
utmoft fury in his looks and man- 
ner, cried out, “ Declare that the 
“« king’s perfon alone is /acred, and 
« J will bring forward the impeach- 
“ment mytelf”? When he fat 
down, he informed the people near 
him, that the queen and the duke 
de Guiche, colonel of the life 
guards, were the objects he had in 
view. Mounier happened to be 
prefident, and values himfelf highly 
for thofe laft but powerful exer- . 
tions of his official authority, by 
which he prevented the agitation of 
a queftion, which moft probably 
would have led to the maflacre of 
the unfortunate queen. The de- 
bate on the king’s anfwer was re- 
fumed, in which it was declared, that 
the aflembly ought not to be con- _ 
tented with any thing lefs than his 
entire acceptation; that this pre- 
tended affent, including its caufes, 
amounted toa real proteft ; and that 
the rights of nations had exifted long 
before kings’ were ever thought of. 
The prefident was deputed to ftate 
this matter to the king; but a new 
fet of legiflators from Paris were 
deftined to intervene, and to throw 
all things into confufion. The king, 
however, in the courfe of all the 
tumults and dangers of the fucceed- 
ing day and night, was obliged to 
find leifure for retraéting, as ufual, 
his own pofitions ; and for giving a 
y ull 
