HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



165 



of September ; but, from various 

 circumstances, united with his in- 

 human despotism, there is little 

 doubt of his having been accessary 

 to them. 



From this dreadful period may 

 be dated those ambitious prospects 

 that filled the mind of Robespierre. 

 Had he been cautious enough to let 

 no indication of his design escape 

 him till the destruction of the un- 

 happy Lewis had been perfectly 

 completed, the violent part he 

 acted against him might have ap- 

 peared to proceed from other mo- 

 tives : but his precipitatioo and 

 vanity got the better of all discre- 

 tion. The Convention was hardly 

 met, when he was not only suspected 

 but accused of designs inimical to 

 liberty. They were in the course 

 of a few sittingsbrought so strongly 

 home to him, that hadnot the party 

 that favoured his designs found 

 means to elude, not to disprove 

 the accusation, which was evidently 

 well founded, not only his popula- 

 rity but his very life must have been 

 forfeited. The danger he incurred 

 on this occasion did not render him 

 quite so cautious as his unexpected 

 and triumphant escape made him 

 presumptuous and confident. He 

 urged the King's death with every 

 argument that his ferocious and 

 sanguinarydispositioncouldsuggest. 

 His motives were constantly held 

 up as patrioiic, and founded on his 

 conviction of the King's guilt, and 

 the propriety of his being brought 

 to public justice; But the dttec- 

 tion of the criminal projects he had 

 antecedently formed, was not for- 

 gotten ; and the real motives that 

 actuated him were visible to the 

 world. He had however other ira- 

 j)''diments toremove, still morehea- 



• y and difficult to bc«vercome [Imw 



even the monarchy and the mo- 

 narch. A party, consisting of men 

 of much superior endowments to 

 his own, had paved the way for the 

 establishment of that form of go- 

 vernment of which he projected, to 

 avail himself for the execution of 

 his plan. As their character was 

 much more respectable than that of 

 hisparty.he used every calumnyand 

 falsehood to blacken it. Plots and 

 conspiracies were imputedto them, 

 which had not the least shadow of 

 probability, or even of consistency^ 

 he lavished, as it were, every means 

 of yillany to bring them todestru?- 

 tion. After accomplishing this, he 

 proceeded to lay schemes of ruin for 

 every man whose talents or spirit 

 might prove an obstacle to that ini- 

 quitous exaltation he secretly medi- 

 tated over all law and justice, and 

 over all the constituted authorities 

 of his country. In the prosecution 

 of this attempt nothing wasomitted 

 that could forward it. Imprison- 

 ment, confiscation, banishment, 

 death, wereindiscriminatelyuscd,as 

 they seemed most conveniently to 

 suit his purposes. The friendships 

 and attachments he had feigned, fgr 

 he was incapable of forming them 

 sincerely, dissolved tlie moment he 

 thought he no longer needed them, 

 and might by destroying tlr. indi- 

 viduals he had thiis deceived, either 

 rid himself of rivals, or obviate li.is 

 fears of futnre rivalship: conscious 

 that he must be hated by all that 

 . knew him, he felt no alfection for 

 them ; and he looked upon his 

 .nearest intimates as his most dan- 

 ' gerous enemies, unless he had se- 

 cured their attachment by a parti- 

 cipation of his crimes. On this 

 principle he sacrificed successively 

 to his suspicions some who bad 

 bceii the principal instruments and 

 jil 3 promot.-r^ 



