STATE PAPERS. 
and to kindle a civil war. In fine, 
they know that the cause of liberty, 
which is the cause of equality, can- 
not be better defended in the eyes 
of other nations than by the wis- 
dom and dignity of the French 
people ; and they wish to disho- 
nour a part of that people by excit- 
ing mobs, in which they may dex- 
terously mingle themselves to ac- 
complish their ends. They wish to 
make you demand from the King 
the revocation of the veto which 
he has pronounced on two decrees; 
and you do not see that, if the King 
had yielded to the demand of armed 
thousands assembled, and threaten- 
ing him in his palace, he would 
thereby have declared to all Europe 
that he was not free. They force 
you to penetrate into his dwelling, 
which is surely not less sacred than 
each of your own, They tell you 
the doors are not shut against us, 
and they break them open before 
your eyes; they tell you the King 
shall be respected, and you believe 
them, because you feel for his Ma- 
jesty in your hearts, but yet, in your 
presence, they offend and out- 
rage him. They strive to make you 
believe, that the sovereignty which 
belongs to the entire French peo- 
ple is the particular property of the 
suburb which they excite, and of 
the groups which assemble round 
them. ‘They assure you, that the 
constituted powers ought to hum- 
ble, and that they shall humble be- 
fore you. Citizens, this language 
is a snare ; our enemies know well 
that the magistrates, constituted by 
the people at large, and appointed 
by the citizens, cannot yield to ille- 
- crowds ; and the traitors hope 
at, in the midst even of an irritat- 
ed people, they may, with impuni- 
ty, aim mortal blows at the magis- 
21} 
trates of the people. They dare to 
tell you also, that you are all the na- 
tional force, such as it exerted in 
1789, and that nothing can resist 
you. Citizens, this is another 
snare. In 1789, there burst forth 
an insurrection; a powerful insur- 
rection, because it was general, and 
because it spread over all the em- 
pire; a holy insurrection, because it 
was directed against oppression, be- 
cause there existed no powers con- 
stituted by the people, or conferred 
either by themselves or their re- 
presentatives. At present, every 
thing is changed. ‘There can now 
arise nothing but seditions, tumults, 
and revolts, punishable by the laws, 
and easy to be repressed. And 
why? because we have a constitu- 
tion, because every Frenchman has 
sworn to it, because it is just that he 
should keep his engagements, be- 
cause the great majority will always 
be faithful to theiroath, and because 
they are determined to punish the 
factious. These factious men tell 
you that the constitution is bad, 
and that it must be instantly chang- 
ed, without having given it a trial, 
and without the forms prescribed 
by the constitution itself: the army 
at Coblentz says nothing else! Ci- 
tizens, every thing which tends to 
destroy the constitution, tends to a 
counter-revolution. Liberty is de- 
stroyed if the nation shall concert 
with intestine factions, the same as 
if it concerted with our external 
enemies. Citizens, these external 
enemies menace our frontiers; their 
force is formidable, the union and 
the exercise of ours is necessary. 
Peace must reign among ourselves 
if we wish to have energy against 
them. It is upon them that we must 
fix our eyes and turn our arms: it 
isto the frontiers, it is under thestan- 
O2 dard 
