STATE PAPERS. 



369 



;> the brightest gem in a soldier's 

 character, and exhorts them r.of to 

 buffer their resentment to lead tliera 

 to any precipitate act of cruelty (iji 

 their part, which may sally the re- 

 putation they have acquired in the 

 world. His royal highness believes 

 that it would be difficult for brave 

 men to conceive that any set of 

 men who are themselves exemjat 

 from sharing in the dangers of war 

 should be so base and cowardly as' 

 to seek to ag2,i'avate the calamities 

 of it upon the unfortunate p-ople 

 who are subject to their orders. 



It was, indeed, reserved for the 

 present times to produce to tlie 

 world the proof of the possibility of 

 the existence of such afocity and 

 infamy. The pretence for issuing 

 this decree, even it founded in 

 truth, would justify it only to minds 

 similar to those ot the members of 

 the national convention. It is, in 

 fact, too absurd to be noticed, and 

 •^till less 10 be refuted. The French 

 must themselves see through the 

 liimsy artifice of an intended assas- 

 sination; by which Robespierre has 

 succeeded in procuring that military 

 guard, which ha-, at once established 

 him the successor of the unfortunate 

 Louis, by whatever name he may 

 choose to dignify his future reiga. 

 In ail the wars which trom the 

 earliest times have existed between 

 the English and the french nations, 

 tlicy have been accustomed to con- 

 sider each other in tl-.e light of ge- 

 nerous as well as brave enemies, 

 while the Hanoverians for a centu- 

 ry, the allies of the former, have 

 shared in this reciprocal esteem. 

 ITumanily and kindness have at all 

 limes taken place, the instant that 

 opposition ceased ; and the same 

 cloak has been frequently seen co- 

 vering those who were wounded. 



and enemies, whilst indiscriminate- 

 ly conveying to the hospitals of the 

 conqucn.irs, 



lire British and Hanoverian ar- 

 mies will not believe that/, jhe 

 French nation, even under their 

 present infatuation, can so tar for- 

 get- iheir characters as soldiers, 'as 

 to pay any attention to a decree^ as 

 injurious to themselves, as it is dis- 

 graceful to the persons who passed 

 it : on this conlidence, his royal 

 highness trusts, that the soldiers of 

 both nations wiil confine their sen- 

 timents of resentment and abhor- 

 rence to the national convention 

 alone ; persuaded that thev will be 

 joined in them by every Frenchman 

 who possesses one spark of honour, 

 or one principle of a soldier: and 

 his royal highness is confadent, that 

 it will only be on finding, contrary 

 to every expectation, that the 

 French army has relinquished every 

 title to. the fair character of sol- 

 diers, and of men, by submitting 

 to and obeying so atrocious an or- 

 der, that the brave troops under 

 his command will tliink themselves 

 justiiied, and indeed under the ne- 

 cessity of ^.dopting a specie^ of war- 

 fare, tor which tiicy v.iil then: stand 

 acquitted to their own conscience, 

 to their country, and the world: in 

 such an event, the French army 

 alone will be answerable for the 

 ten-fold vengeance which will fall 

 upon themselves, their wives, and 

 th<~ir children, and their unfortunate 

 country, already groaning under, 

 every calamity, which the accumu- 

 lated crimes of unprincipled ambi- 

 tion and avarice can heap upon 

 their devoted victims. 



His royal highness desires these 

 orders may be read and, explained 

 to the men at their successive roU- 

 cailings, 



. Prodaviation 



