122 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



inoted the revolution, he bad his 

 private vie\vs; but they were mixed 

 with publ'C considerations. ' His 

 conduct respecting the King, can- 

 not in any manner be exculpated ; 

 but he would not possibly have gone 

 the lengtiis lie did on tliis occasion, 

 had he not been convinced that his 

 opposition would have been fiuit- 

 Jess; and that henmst have perished 

 as all those ultimately did, who 

 ventured to oppose the party of the 

 Mountain. As ambition was his 

 predominant passion, he joined that 

 iniquitous faction, through which 

 only his discernment pointed nut 

 the attainment of power, and of 

 riches, to the latter of which he 

 frequently paid a criminal attention, 

 and of which he seldom lost sight in 

 any of his projects. In other re- 

 spects, he was neither of an opprcs- 

 sivedisposition, nor wantonly cruel; 

 though it must be acknowledged, to 

 his shame, that to serve his political 

 ends, he occasionally countenanced 

 great cruelties. As soon as he be- 

 came possessed of power and conse- 

 quence, heshewed himself adequate 

 to his exaltation, and displayed abi- 

 lities tliat equally confirmed the 

 attachment of his partisans, and 

 struck his enemies with dread, -Yet 

 even to tliesc he neither acted w ith 

 inveteracy, nor showed himself ir- 

 reconpileaWe. His coiuage on 

 great occasion?, seemed precisely 

 calculated for th m } and he ex- 

 celled in the greatest of political 

 arts, — that of inspiring others with 

 his own sentiments and animation. 

 Difficulties never daunted him, and 

 only drew forth the latent resources 

 of his fertile and intrepid mind. 

 Danger seemed the element wherein 

 he was most himself. He encoun- 

 tered it with so chearfiil and unaf- 

 fected magnanimity, as to lessen its 



appeirance and terror to all wh© 

 were concerned with him in repell- 

 ing it. When the Austrian and 

 Prussian armies had invaded France, 

 and were advancing through Cham- 

 pagne towards Paris, he stood fore- 

 most among tliose who resolved to 

 wait the enemy, and bury them- 

 selves in the luins of the capital 

 sooner thnn abandon it. This de- 

 termination, through the powers 

 of his elo(]uence, became thatof ali 

 men ; aud he had the honour of 

 preventing the disgrace that would 

 have fallen upon the French nauie 

 and character, had Paris, at this 

 critical period, been deserted by 

 tho<;e on whom it was chiefly in- 

 cumbent to behave with unyielding 

 firmness ; and to give those exam- 

 ples of patriotism to their country- 

 men, which were then so much 

 needed. He became, during a con- 

 siderable time, the moving spring ot 

 the Jacobin and Cordelier Clubs, 

 which then directed the motions of 

 all Frr.nce : and though he fre- 

 quently excited and made use of 

 their fury for the accomplishment 

 of his ends, he also restrained it 

 occasionally. Though helived at an 

 pera of dissimulation, he practised it 

 little : the boldness of his dispositioii 

 set him above it. He hgd a pecu- 

 liar ta'entin discovering the talents 

 and virtues of men ; and so quick 

 was his perception, that he looked 

 through them,asit were, ata glance, 

 and seldom was deceived in the in- 

 stantaneousjudgmentsheso shrewd- 

 ly formed of their character. Rapid 

 and decisivein alibis resolves, when 

 once he had formed t^em, he was 

 uncontroulably expeditions in their 

 execution. To thismaybeascribed] 

 the criminal activity w ith which he| 

 co-operated in the king's trial, andi 

 the impetuous violence with- which' 



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