HISTORY OF EUROPE. 162 



?3teem he was in at the time when 

 the court thov.ght it necessary to 

 convoke the States General, pro- 

 cured his election as deputy to the 

 I'iers Etat. Kere his behaviour at 

 firstwascautionsand moderate; and 

 he seems to have enjoyed the fa- 

 vourable opinion of his fellow- 

 members. His principles however 

 were completely popular, and the 

 declamations in union with the 

 f >pposition to court. He did not at 

 this period shine much as an orator, 

 being rather bold than argxmien- 

 tative. It was not till towards the 

 close of the constituent assembly 

 that he was held in any considt-ra- 

 tion as a speaker: by this time 

 his faculties had expanded; and 

 through assiduity of practice, and 

 study of those models continually 



»;■ before him, especially of Mirabeau 

 .» and Rarnave, he attained at length 

 to a degrfete of oratorial metit that 

 strongly recommended him to the 

 notice of his party. His ambitious 

 disposition began now to operate. 



^ Favoured by the commonalty, 

 with riiany of whom the intrigues 



y; of tlie time had made him ac- 



vS quainted, he readily perceived to 

 Xviiat use they could be converted, 

 and of course of what importance 

 fie might render himself by the in- 

 fluence he could exert over them. 

 But ihe connexion which laid 

 the foundation ef his subsequent 

 power, and raised him to the sum- 

 mit of his ambition, was, that 

 which he formed with the Jacobin 

 club, now become the moving 

 spring of all the political transac- 

 tions of that day. His initiation 

 Into that society, and his vehement 

 speeches on the manifold sul)jccts 

 brought forward by the restless spi- 

 rit of that tempestuous a;ra, in- 

 creased liii popularity to the highest 



pitch. He became the decided fa- 

 vourite of this assembly, and of tlie 

 people of Paris ; and lie had the 

 address to retain them equally in 

 his interest to the very last moment 

 of his existence ; a proof, it may be 

 added, of his talents for intrigue, 

 and no less of his \incommon dex- 

 terity in securing the attachment of 

 those whom he wanted. 



Theariimosity wliichactu^ted ihdl 

 opposite partiesjhadshaipenetflheir 

 industry in devising all possible 

 means to thwart each other's mea. 

 sures in the Convention, People 

 were hired by both parties, wiro 

 tilled the galleries, and applauded 

 and disapproved, by murmurs and 

 vociferations, whatever was pro- 

 posed by the party which they were 

 engaged to abet or to disoounte*- 

 nance. Robespierre was particu- 

 larly active in organizing the in- 

 struments of his party; and to his 

 ingenuity were due various of the 

 metliods and devices practised on 

 those occasions. ■" 



He no less distinguished himself 

 by his exeitions to depress the royal 

 authority, and to criminate the 

 conduct of its ministers and adhe- 

 rents, to exculpate the people in the 

 excesses of which they were guilty, 

 and which he maintained ought 

 to be attributed solely to the misery 

 and wretchedness to which tKey 

 were reduced: they were naturallr 

 well-intentioned, and seldom apt to 

 complain without sutficient reason. 

 It was by speeches of this tendency 

 that he laboured with indefatigable 

 assiduity to recommend himself to 

 the mu'titude, and he succeeded to 

 the utmostofhis wishes He took up, 

 with the same ardour, thedef nee of 

 the clubs. There was, in short, not 

 a motion made to extend therigtits 

 and immunities of the people, and 



M;2 to 



