70 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



Italy shut against the French ; or. 



clergy, persons in office, and the 

 opulent atherents to gijvernment, 

 were now called upon to assist it to 

 the utmost of their abilities. A 

 fourth part of salaries and pen- 

 sions was now made a voluntai-y 

 donation by the incumbents them- 

 S-lves. The rich ecclesiastics con- 

 tributed largely ; and the wealthy 

 in all classes imitated these prece- 

 dents in the most liberal manner. 

 Besides all this, it was resolved that 

 henceforward no placeman or pen- 

 sioner should be entitled to the 

 receipt of more than a stated salaiy, 

 though in the exercise of various 

 employments. The very highest 

 offices were placed under this ar- 

 rangement ; and the zeal and ala- 

 crity with which they testified their 

 readiness to make these sacrifces, 

 did much credit to the Spanish 

 character, though it proved at the 

 same time to what distresses the 

 government was reduced. These 

 transactions took place in Septem- 

 ber ; a period distinguished in 

 every theatre of the war by the 

 calamities that were accumulating 

 upon the enemies to the French 

 republic. 



While the armies of France were 

 thus triumphant in the Nether- 

 lands, in Germany, and in Spain, 

 they were no hss victorious in 

 Italy. During th: preceding cam- 

 paign, the frrtine of war had re- 

 mained undecic'i-d in this part; and 

 the French had experienced some 

 considerable defeats : but the pre- 

 sent year totally a'tcred the face of 

 things, and p!ac d the arms of 

 France on a Too. ng of success, 

 ■which alarni'il al the j.ovvers of 

 that ' ountry. The arn.ici of the 

 Eiij" ror and the King of Sardinia 

 had lii form r times always suc- 

 ceeded .n keeping the entrance of 



at the worst, in expelling: them with 

 ■great loss whenever they entered. 

 Before this year, the plan of the 

 confederacy seems to have pre- 

 sumed the Sardinian armies com- 

 petent to resist the attempts of 

 France in that quarter, while it was 

 attacked by such potent enemies 

 in so many other parts. But the 

 French had now opened a career 

 of exertions, of which Europe had 

 never imagined it to be capable. 

 Accustomed to judge of the pre- 

 sent by the past, it calculated the 

 strenrth of France on a relative 

 proportion at the utmost, to that 

 which it had yet displayed in the 

 most splendid aeras of its military 

 grandeur. Lewis XIV. under 

 whom it arived at its highest sum- 

 mit, never had armies exceeding 

 altogether -iaO.OOO men ; and these 

 were deemed gieatly dispropcrtion- 

 able to the just and natural strength 

 of his dominions. The Tmisfor- 

 tunes that bcfel him towards the 

 close cf his reign, were imputed to 

 the prodigiuus expences and ef- 

 forts of every description to which 

 he was necessitated to have re- 

 course, in order to maintain such 

 enormous multitudes. Robespierre 

 was as great a despot as Lewis XIV. 

 But the court of Lewis consisted of 

 great and rich landed proprietors ; 

 whereas that of Robespierre was 

 composed of men who had neither 

 property nor character. In impo- 

 sinti- the heaviest taxes, and exacting 

 contriijutions to any amount from 

 the rich, Robi spierrc met with no 

 opposition from his courtiers. If 

 Lewis XIV. had taken it into his 

 head to sell the lands of the great 

 lords of his court, he would not 

 have carried his design into exe- 

 cution without formidable resist- 

 ance 



