‘account as his own. 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
pot to be fuppofed that he could be 
totally indifferent to the menaces 
againtt his life which were continu- 
ally thrown out in cafe of any at- 
tempt to refcue his perfon, (an event 
hourly to be looked for, without his 
concurrence or knowledge, in the 
preéent ftate of temper and difcon- 
“tent which prevailed through {o 
great a part of the nation) and con - 
fidering his remarkable affection for 
’ the queen and children, whofe lives, 
he knew, hung by the fame hair with 
his own, it is not to be fuppofed but 
he was as deeply affected on their 
Perhaps other 
motives might have operated. 
Whatever they were, 
pr 4th, the king appeared fud- 
Pe denly at the national 
affembly, where he complained of 
_ the attempts which were made to 
fhake the bafis of the new conftitu- 
tion; and declared it to be his defire, 
that it fhould be univerfally known, 
that the monarch and the reprefene 
tatives of the nation were entirely 
united; that their wifhes were the 
fame; that he would defend the 
conititutional liberty, the principles 
of which the general with, in con- 
cert with his own, had coniecrated; 
and that, conjointly with the queen, 
_ he would early form the heart and 
the fentiments of his fon, for that 
new order of things, which the cir- 
-cumftances of the empire had intro- 
duced-and fanttified, 
As foon as the king was with- 
drawn, the affembly voted an ad- 
drefs of thanks to him; and per- 
ceiving at once the deep difmay and 
_ confternation with which this unex - 
pected meafure feemed nearly to 
overwhelm the minority, they in- 
flantly determined to take advan- 
tage of their confufion and aftonith- 
~, VoL, XXXII. 
a 
[129 
ment, and immédiately iffued a de- 
cree, which, in that ftate, none had 
the courage to oppofe, and by 
which; every member was obliged 
to take the newly-devifed civic oath, 
under the penalty of being exclud- 
ed from giving his vote on any oc» 
cafion. ‘This teft was of fuch a na- 
ture, that they had reafon for con- 
ceiving it would prove effectual in 
purging the affembly of moft,if not 
all of thote, whofe names or coun- 
tenance they no longer wanted, and 
whofe company they no farther 
wilhed to be troubled with. The 
aftembly then decreed a general ads 
drefs to the provisces, reminding 
them of all it had done for the fake 
of public liberty, laying before them 
what it propofed farther to do, for 
the complete regeneration of the 
empire, and holding out proper rea= 
fons and arguments to prepoflefs 
them, again{ft thofe -unfavourable 
impreffions which evil minded per- 
fons were endeavouring to infufe 
upon their minds. 
Soon after the exhibition of this 
ftate farce, this flrange and extra- 
ordinary coalition, by which the 
king without gaining one new fricnd 
loft many of the old, and much of 
the confidence and confideration 
which he held wich all, the nationa] 
aflembly refumed the affairs of the 
clergy, a bufinefs which they juftly 
confidered of the lait importance, as 
their eflates and property were to — 
fupply that pledge and fecurity, 
which was to be offered to the na- 
tion for the diicharge of their im- 
menfe debts, as well as to make 
good the current deficiencies which 
arofe, from the failure of payment 
of the remaining taxes, and the to- 
tal lofs of the moft produttive, 
which had been gengrally repealed. 
[4] aS 
