HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
had equal rights by nature, with 
those to whom the constitution had 
given the rights of voters or active 
citizens: and certainly it could not 
be contested that, if all men were 
born and remained free and equal, 
there was an absurdity in giving a 
full exercise of his rights to the per- 
son who paid sixty sols of taxes, 
and refused it to another because 
he paid only fifty-nine. After the 
declaration of rights, it was not to 
be expected that any considerable 
portion of the inhabitants of the 
country could be excluded from a 
full and free participation. If the 
nobility could not defend the an- 
cient distinctions of the feudal sys- 
tem two years before, it was not to 
be supposed that the newaristocrats 
would be able to maintain the dis- 
tinctions that had been made in 
their favour: shops and warehouses 
were not likely to be held more sa- 
ered than gentlemen’s castles and 
feudal rights. 
The national guards of Paris, so 
highly respected and proud of their 
military honours in the beginning 
of the revolution, began not only 
to be cbjects of jealousy, but to be 
regarded with less respect from the 
time when they permitted the mob, 
in June 1791, notwithstanding the 
remonstrances of M. de la Fayette, 
to stop the King in the way to St. 
Cloud. 
A ragged coat was now become 
more honourable than the embroid- 
ered epaulet. The ragged emissa- 
ries of the Jacobins began to arm 
themselves with pikes, and to form 
“pretensions which evidently tended 
to the destruction of their aristocra- 
‘tical superiors. 
- In the midst of these internal 
-Ontests and distractions, war was 
declared by France against the Em- 
uv 
[23 
peror and the King of Prussia, on 
account ofa treaty said tohave been 
formed at Pilnitz forthe dismember- 
ment of France, and the permission 
granted to the emigrants to enroll 
themselves in a military manner at 
Coblentz. Dumouriez, minister 
for foreign affairs, laid before the 
National Assembly, April 14, 1792, 
the correspondence that passed be- 
tween the French and Austrian go- 
vernments relative to the circum- 
stances and measures that had ex- 
cited apprehension and alarm on 
either side. The French King hav- 
ing repeatedly remonstrated against 
the hostile posture and appearances 
in Germany, to no purpose, trans- 
mitted to the King of Hungary a 
letter demanding an entire renun- 
ciation on the part of his Hunga- 
rian Majesty, of all coalition of all 
armament against France; and de- 
claring to him, that if he did not 
agree to this, he would regard him, 
from the present moment, as in a 
state of war. The renunciation 
demanded not being obtained, the 
King came to the Assembly, April 
26th, 1792, and said, *‘ | have come 
among you for an object of the 
highest importance in the present 
circumstances. My minister of fo- 
reign affairs will read to you the re- 
port which he made to me in coun- 
cil on our situation with respect to 
Germany.”’ The report being 
read, the King, resuming hisspeech, 
said, ‘1 come therefore to propose 
to you formally to declare war 
against the King of Bohemia and 
Hungary ;” which was done ac- 
cordingly with the usual formalities 
in every city throughout the king- 
dom. The kisg himself, appre- 
hending many evils from the victo- 
ries which he believed would be 
gained by the Prussians and Austri- 
[C 4] ans, 
