116]. 
the city of Paris, ‘and againit the 
national guards, whom they men- 
tioned with extraordinary contempt. 
Pamphlets fucceeded  pamphilets, 
with a rapidity proportioned to the 
fury which engendered them. By this 
account, which is given by Rabaut, 
it would feem, that the royalitts, 
who were ever too late in all their 
attempts, enterprizes and defigns, 
Were now, when it was of no ufe, 
feized with a fpirit of writing and 
publication, which, if it had ope- 
rated in due time, might have been 
produtiveto them, and the caufe, of 
the moft ufeful and happy effects. 
The aan kifs of fraternity, as 
it was termed, by which the clergy 
faid they had been circumvented 
and betrayed, was feldom forgotten 
in thefe publications. 
The parliaments, who had fo 
great a fhare, though indireétly, in 
bringing on the prefent order of 
things, which it muft, however, be 
acknowledged, they by no means 
forefaw, began now to fhudder at 
the thoughts of their approaching 
diffolution, and wanted nothing but 
power, to make a vigorous effort 
for averting their impending fate. 
Thofe of Rouen, of Bretagne, and 
of Metz, determined, however hope- 
Jefs the iffue, not to perifh without 
a ftruggle. They had accordingly 
the hardihood to proteft againft the 
decrees of the national affembly. 
But they foon experienced to their 
grief, how. different the power was 
which they had now to’ contend 
with, from that which they were 
wont to infult under the name of the 
roya! authority. They were for- 
faken and deferted by thofe towns 
and thofe people on whom they the 
moft confided, and over whom they 
fo lately held the moft: fupreme 
af{cendancy, Their fall, to which 
ANNUAL REGISTER, “1760. 
they fubmitted with a bad grace, 
was accelerated by this fruitlefs ef 
fort; and was embittered by thofe 
laft and moft galling curfes of fallen 
ambition, by contempt and deri- 
fion. The parliament of Bourdeaux, 
which ftood fingly, held out much 
longer, and was much more trou- 
blefome, than the other three: it 
was indeed accufed of ufing every 
pofble exertion to excite an infar- 
rection in the South. 
The newly-created municipalities 
beganearly to detract from the fan- 
guine hopes which had been formed 
on their inftitution, This failure 
of defign, or misfortune, was, as 
ufual, attributed entirely to the evil 
machinations of the ariftocrates ; 
who, it was faid, feeing that this 
new authority was the firft degree 
in the future adminiftration, and 
the only popular power at that time 
exilting ; and always endeavouring 
by diminution or divifion to attain — 
the power of deftroying; they ufed 
all their influence to get their own 
creatures elected into thefe authori- 
ties. We are told afterwards, with 
a face of the utmoft gravity, that 
whenever the electors had been thus 
led to make an improper choice, 
they became victims to the-arts of 
their enemies; and that the mafiacres 
which have taken place in certain 
cities of the kingdom, were occa-_ 
fioned by evil-minded municipali- 
ties. Thus was a party ever at 
hand, on which to throw the odium 
of every misfortune, domeftic or fo- 
reign, which could poffibly befal 
the nation. ; 
As it was neceflary not only to. 
keep the people conftantly awake, 
but in a ftate of abfolute agitation, 
and as the king and queen were too 
clofely guarded, to admit of their. 
being held out to excite fufpicion 
or 
’ 
\ 
