54] 
his hands to difperfe, if not to pu- 
nifh, a body of ruffians, whom he 
had detected in the very acts of 
murder and treafon, fhould degrade 
himfelf to intreaty and fupplica- 
tion to procure their forbearance. 
_ But fuch was the prefent unexam- 
pled itate of affairs, that Fayette 
could not act otherwife. His faith- 
ful foldiers, the Parifian or national 
guards, had already declared that 
they would not ufe force againit 
their fellow citizens, in which de- 
{cription they included all the ban- 
dittt who were now in and about 
Verfailles; and a few of them had 
this very morning afforded a {peci- 
men of the difpofition and conduct 
to be expected from the whole; for 
being on duty near the {pot where 
MM. de Huttes and Varicourt 
were fo barbaroufly murdered, and 
in full fight of that inhuman tranf- 
.action, no principle of generofity 
or fympathy could induce them to 
interfere, or make the {malleft at- 
tempt to fave them. 
It cannot but excite furprize that 
a man who, like Rabaut, had fome 
character to fypport and preferve, 
fhould have fo difguifed, altered, 
and miftated the tranfaétions of this 
night and morning, that no one, 
acquainted with them, could, with- 
out referring to the date, judge, 
from his account, what period he 
alluded to, or what events he was 
deicribing. In the face of the moft 
irrefragable teftimonies, and in fome 
initances of fa¢ts corroborated upon 
ath before a tribunal of juftice, he 
flates things directly contrary. In 
particular, with refpeét to the 
conduct of the national troops and 
the banditti, he ftates feveral ren- 
counters ta have taken place be- 
tween them; that the former, by 
force, not only foon cleared the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
palace and its environs of the ruf. 
fians, but that they likewife com- 
pelled them to leave all the plun- 
der which they had feized behind; 
that, upon fome new occafion, they 
purfued and routed them again; 
and they feem at length to have 
driven them quite away, and ob- 
liged them to purfue a new route to 
Paris. So that by this ftatement, 
the national troops would have 
merited high praife for the zeal and 
activity with which they quelled 
and difperfed this rabble. ie 
But it is time to return, and to 
fee things as they really were. The 
king, accompanied and protetted 
by La Fayette, went through the 
ese his mind being fo occupied 
y the danger of the guards, that 
it could dwell upon no other fubject 
than that of recommending them 
to the mercy of the crowd, with af- 
furances to all that they were un- 
juftly accufed. He then went to a 
balcony, where he repeated the fame 
interceflion ‘to the crowd who filled ” 
the courts below; but the mob, in- 
ftead of paying any attention to the 
{upplication of their fovereign, roar- 
ed out with the utmoft violence 
and indecency for the queen. Fay- 
ette accordingly went for her. She 
hefitated a moment, and afked if her 
prefence was neceflary to appeafe 
the people? He affured her it was. 
« Then,” faid the, «I will go, even 16 
« Twas {ure that I wenttoexecution,”* 
She accordingly appeared in the bal- 
cony, with the dauphin in her arms ; 
and the popular fury feemed in fome 
degree to fubfide; although in the 
depofitions given before the chate- 
let it is teflified, that mufkets were 
at that very time feen levelled in 
the crowd, which appeared to the 
deponents to be pointed direttly at 
the queen, Some fort of calm, how- 
ott, aq 
