HISTORY OF EUROPE. [12% 
they could not avow; but which did 
not operate with the lefs force from 
its being concealed; this was the 
want and private diftrefs they al- 
ready forely felt in their families, 
“through the lofs of thofe pecuniary 
and other reliefs they conitantly 
drew from that court, which they 
could not endure, nor would fuffer 
to exift among them, at the time 
that ic was affording them all thefz 
benefits. From thefe, and other 
caufes, Verfailles continued in a-itate 
of the greateit infubordination and 
diforder from the time of the king’s 
removal to Paris; but this flate of 
_ things was fo common, and it being 
hefides a generaily received doétrine, 
that tumults and diforders were the 
a. effeéts. of patriotifm, and 
t their worft confequences, fuch 
as conflagrations and mafiacres, were 
the natural refult and legitimate 
iffue of revolutions; while fuch par- 
tial evils were not worth a confide- 
ration, when oppofed to that im- 
menfe maf of benefits by which they 
were produced; under all thefe cir- 
cumiftances and confiderations, to- 
gether with a fenfe of their paft fer- 
vices, and a full confidence in the 
purity of their intentions, however 
miltaken or mifguided they might 
be in the mode of expreflion, thé 
exorbitances of the Veriaillians pafi- 
ed for a long time without any par- 
“ticular notice. 
’ It happened, howéver, in procefs 
of time, that the national affernbly 
became ferioufly apprehenfive, that 
thefe people, whom they had conii- 
dered only as noify and riotous 
_ friends, were, after all their intem- 
perance and violence on the other 
fide of the queftion, become fecret 
and dangerous enemies. In fine; 
they came to be confidered as no 
Wetter than a generation. of plotters 
and confpirators ; and were ftrongly- 
fufpetted of a criminality, which, it. 
any other feafon, and with refpe& to: 
any other nation, would-have ap- 
peared incredible, that of leaguing 
with the ariftocrates for the over- 
throw of thé new conititution, and’ 
the eftablifhment of a counter-revo-» 
lution, About the feaion of Chrift- 
mas thefe {uipicions and charges ran 
fo high; that nothmg was talked of 
but Veriaillian plots. and confpira~ 
cies; and the alarm became very 
general. One of the ridiculous fto~ 
ries then believed and circulated! 
was, that a body of men was in rea- 
dinefs to march from Verfailles ta 
Paris; in order to murder La Fay- 
ette, Bailiy, Neckar, and fome other 
popular characters. Thisamprobable 
tale, deficient in every circumitance 
whieh could give it the moft diftant 
appearance of credibility, produced, 
however, the effect, of occafioning 
fome confiderable increafe of the 
guards in Paris, as well as fome al- 
terations in théir arrangement. An- 
other much more probable ftory was, 
that a great number of the rabble of 
Vertaillés. had intermixed with their 
brethren at Paris, in order to excite 
them to diforders and tumults. All 
thefe plots, like fo many hundred 
others which were hourly diffemi- 
nated, came, however, at length to 
nothing ; and it was not long before 
Veriailles and its inhabitants were 
funk in a ftate of utter oblivion. 
Before we entirely difmifs this 
people, who are not likely ever again 
to afford any occafion for coming 
within our notice, altheugh it muft 
be attended with fome anticipation 
in point of chronology, we think it 
may afford no fmall fatisfaétion to 
many of our readers to be informed 
of a certain fort of poetical juftice, 
whieb, in the common courfe of 
eVENtss 
