HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



117 



Ivimself secure, and whom he tlv-Te.- 

 iove determined to remove on the 

 first opportunity. To this last ex- 

 pedient he soon judged it necessary- 

 <o recur, in order to rid hims_^lf of a 

 rean of whose capacity lie had ohen 

 made use, and had even just avaikd 

 himself a'^aiiS3t Hebert. This 

 was CamiUe Dcsmoulins, who Itnd 

 often done him the greatest perso- 

 nal services. Br.t these were f<jr.- 

 gotten the moment he found him 

 inclined to disapprove of the vio- 

 lent measures he wa-; pursuing. It 

 seems that Camille Desmouliiis had 

 concurred with Danton, who dis- 

 approved them no less, and with 

 vyhom he was in habits of intimacy, 

 to unite their talents and credit in 

 the Convention, in (jrder to put a 

 stop to the excessive severity of the 

 present administration, by tcrmi- 

 patuig the revolutionary system of 

 •rovernment, diminishing tlie terror 

 it occasioned, and fwming a c onstir 

 tution which should reconcile all 

 parties, by admitting them to a 

 iTommon participation of pow.r. 



In pursuance of this object, Des- 

 moulius boldly condemned, in a 

 pariodical paper of ins comj)osition, 

 the frequency of arrests, and other 

 practices encouraged by- the revo- 

 jutionary system, which h-.' com- 

 pared to tlie tyranny exercised of 

 pld by the Roman Emperors. He 

 Ventured next upon a pcrsoi.al at- 

 tack upon St. .fust, tliJ bosom confix 

 dant of Robespi'?rre; w!u), jud^nng 

 from his puhl'cations and his iuti- 

 (Tiacy with Danton, that something 

 inimical to him v/as concerting be- 

 tween them, resolved u^xin t^ie 

 ruin qf both witik all convenient 

 •pf«d. 



A secret enmity had long sub- 

 slvt c! between Danton and Robes- 

 pi;:: :v, t!ic two celebrated chiefs 



of the party called the Mouatain ; 

 though it was more inveterate on 

 tlic part of Robespierre than of 

 Danton, v.ho had befriended him 

 on so.Tie critical occasions, and 

 greatli? forwarded his exaltation to 

 the ])owc'r which iie now possessed.- 

 But tlie gloomy and unfeeling cha- 

 racter 0* Robespierre could nei- 

 ther alio.vof coir.petitiou, nor even 

 of contradicti*»!). It h'lS been re- 

 ported, th;)ugh without appsarance 

 of proba'jiiitv, considering the cha- 

 racter ot the parties, that Danton, 

 desirous of living upon amicable 

 terms with Robespierrp, had, some 

 time previously to his arrest, had a 

 long interview y/ith him, wherein 

 he used many arguments to sliew 

 that their mutuai interests required 

 an unfeifrned reconciliation ; but 

 that Robespierre stood aloof, and 

 treated him with great pride and 

 indifference. Danton, it is said, 

 was deeply affiicted by this insul- 

 ting l)el)aviour, and told him at 

 parting, tliat he plainly perceived 

 his intentions; but beware, said he» 

 that if you dcstioy me, you will 

 shortly be destroyed yourself. 



Tliese words, I'.pon the supposi- 

 tion oidy of ttieir having been spo- 

 ken, proved ultimately prophetic ; 

 but they m:tdc no impression upon 

 the feroc'.o'is mii)(Tor Robespierre, 

 already h.ardened by h:ibitual cru- 

 elty, and inexorably bent on the 

 destruction of ev.;ry man that stood 

 in hjs -.viiy. Previously however to 

 the ruin he was meditating against 

 this drea4&d nival, he deteru::iied 

 to wr-.ak hi»<i resentment on some 

 persons, why eitlier li id opposed 

 the passing in decrees moved by 

 him.S''!: ov i.iis pnrtisans in tlie Con-.- 

 veniioti, or wiuim he considered as 

 secret enemies ; ■M'ld whose charao- 

 ters were at the same time in 

 /.- fi suoh 



