154 ANNUAL R EG I S T E R, 1794. 



ism, or Materialism. Cordorcet had 

 written an epigram upon him full 

 of sarcastic truth, which was pub- 

 lished in the news-papers, and 

 much admired, before the power of 

 the tyrant had risen to such a pitch 

 as to restrain the French from ex- 

 pressing their sertiments. At the 

 time when he instituted his new ca- 

 lendar, for thepurposeof effacing, if 

 possible, the very remembrance of 

 Christianity, what he dreaded most 

 was, an attachment to monnrchyand 

 the ancient ecclesiastical estiiblish- 

 ments. He began now to dr-^ad the 

 influence of a spirit of philosophy, 

 which, when genuine, naturally 

 tends to moderationand justice toall 

 men, and orders of ir.i . , and to re- 

 flect that it was possil ie to recede 

 too fa" flora the principles and sen- 

 timents of religion, which the mur- 

 murs of so great a part of the peo- 

 ple at the abolition of Sundays and 

 other religious festivals, convinced 

 him were the sentiments of nature. 

 He therefore resolved to ptiy some 

 homage to religion, by vvav of hu- 

 mouring the mass of the people at 

 the exjTence of the philosophers. 

 Jn the samespirit we i,ha!l by 3nd by 

 find iiiin endeavourins; to raise 

 the lowest classes into considera- 

 tion, by degrading talents and ac- 

 comph.shments, as well as other 

 former maiks of distinction. It 

 will not fail to attract the atten- 

 tion of moral observers, that Kobes- 

 pierrc took care in his religious 

 creed lo inierweave all the passions 

 that were uppermost in his ouii 

 mind. In the middle of the four- 

 teenth century, Italy, having no 

 steady go\einment, was wasted by 

 bands of robbers. It was particu- 

 larly wasted by a military leader. 



of the name of Warren, an adven^- ™ 

 turer from England, who, as we are fl 

 informed by more than one Italian 

 writer, wore on a tunic, embroid- 

 ered with silver, words dcfving the 

 Deity as wellas his servant the Pope, 

 and inspi/ing horror*. — Robes- 

 pierre, though still the enemy of 

 mai. kind and of mercy, deemed it 

 good policyno longer to set Heaven 

 at defiance, but to aftect some small 

 degree of reverence for tiod and re- 

 ligion. 



Not long before the festival of 

 the 8th of June i-n event hap- 

 pened, which ought to have warned 

 him of the j recai iou-sness and dan- 

 ger of his situation, and prevented 

 his assumption of un.sea3onable 

 pride. A resolution had been 

 taken to assassinatp him and one of 

 his intimates, Collot d'Herbois, a. 

 member of the committee of pub- 

 lic safety, by a man of the name of 

 Ameral ; who, weary of life, and 

 labouring possibly under misfor- 

 tunes, had deterniinedtoput an end 

 toliis own existence; but j)reviously 

 to the execution of this design, 

 had resolved to signalize his death 

 by accompanying it witlr some me- 

 ritorious deed. 



The destruction of two such men 

 as Robespierre and Collot d'Her- 

 bois, would, he thought, be render- 

 ing a service to his country; and he 

 attempted it accordingly: but not 

 meeting with the former, and find- 

 ing an opportunity of executing his 

 design upon the latter, he fired a 

 pistol at him in open day as he was 

 crossing a street. Being immedi- 

 ately pursued and seized, he con- 

 fessed the above particulars, and 

 gloried in his intentions, itgrf tting 

 only that the attempt had tailed. 



* Dura Guarnieri, Signer della Canapagnia, Nemico di Dio, di Pieta, e di mi- 

 scficoidi^. 



