6] 
princes who govern them; but 
such of those princes, as apprehend 
that France would endeavour to 
excite internal agitations in other 
countries, shal] Jearn that the cruel 
right of reprisal, justified by usage, 
condemned by nature, will not 
make her resort to the means em- 
ployed against her own repose, 
that she will be just to those who 
have not been so to her; that she 
will everywhere pay as much re- 
spect to peace as to liberty ; and 
that the men, who still presume 
to call themselves the masters of 
other men, will have nothing to 
dread from her but the influence 
of her example.—Resigned to the 
evils which the enemies of the 
human race united against her may 
make her suffer, she will triumph 
over them by her patience and her 
courage: Victorious, she will seek 
neither indemnification nor ven- 
geance. Such are the sentiments 
of a generous people, which their 
Tepresentatives do themselves ho- 
nour in expressing. Such are the 
projects of the new political system 
which they have adopted ; to repel 
force, to resist oppression, to forget 
all when they have nothing more 
to fear; and to treat adversaries, 
if vanquished, as brothers; if re- 
conciled, as friends. These are the 
wishes of all the French; and this 
_ as the war which they declare against 
their enemies.” 
They passed from the glory of 
arms, and the pride of conquest, 
even to the patient, meek, and 
long-suffering disposition recom- 
mended in the gospel; but, even 
in this new career of moderation, 
they were still the first of nations. 
They had rencunced conquest, dis- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
tinction of rank, and the grandeur 
of courts and kings: but they glo- 
ried in the humility of equality, 
they triumphed in the triumph of 
philosophy, and in setting an ex- 
ample, and taking the lead in a 
reformation of the world; a re- 
formation that should redeem the 
human race from many physical 
evils, and advance the improve- 
ment, not only of their intellectual 
powers, but their moral sentiments; 
and on the whole, promote the 
felicity and the perfection of hu- 
man nature. 
It was not only in France that 
the most sanguine hopes were en- 
tertained from the revolution: of 
1789, thus systematized and im- 
proved by the constituent, and 
adopted by the legislative assembly, 
and from the political efforts of hu- 
man reason in general. A spirit of 
politicalenthusiasm appeared in most 
countries of Europe; in Germany, 
Sweden, Britain, and Ireland, and 
even Spain and Italy. In Ger- 
many, and particularly in the Prus- 
sian dominions, a sect arose, though 
under different denominations,* 
who, ascribing the greater part of 
human calamities to bigotry, super- 
stition, arbitrary power, and error, 
endeavoured to awaken their cc- 
temporaries to the most animated 
hopes from political improvement, 
a philesophical education, and in 
all things, a vigorous exercise of 
reason, They professed, at the same 
time, the warniest sentiments of 
hemanity, and a spirit of universal 
philanthropy. 
It was this school that formed the 
famous Anacharsis Clootz, who be- 
ing elected a member of the legis- 
lative assembly, assumed the charac- 
* The Ilumines, the discivlesof Kant, and others, 
ter 
