STATE PAPERS. 
mine and abundance to incense the 
populace, that they might afterwards 
seduce and govern them; and, to 
add to the horror of their proceed- 
ings, they caused the virtuous mo- 
narch, who had convoked them, to 
be accused of those very crimes 
which they themselves had com- 
mitted. 
© Alarmed at the dangers which 
surrounded him, and foreseeing the 
afflicting evils which were preparing 
for his people, his Most Christian 
Majesty in vain endeavoured to 
avert them.—Concessions, rendered 
pradent by necessity*, and the ur- 
gency of circumstances, which were 
fully approved by the instructions 
of all the bailiwicks, and conse- 
quently by all Frenchmen, encreased 
that thirst for reigning with which 
the usurping assembly was inflamed. 
‘All France, deceived and misled 
bythe most infamous impostures, 
was the same day instantly in arms. 
The people imagined’ that they 
were taking them up to oppose 
robbers ; and those robbers turned 
them against the King. From that 
moment the sovereign authority was 
annihilated ; and the incontestible 
rights of the two first orders { were 
sacrificed to nourish the destructive 
ardour of the conspirators. 
The orders were proscribed §, 
the King himself, and his brothers, 
deprived of that private patrimony 
which their ancestors had brought 
to the crown on their accession to 
the throne. The parliaments, the 
239 
sovereign courts, the states of the 
provinces, and all the political bo- 
dies, almost as ancient as the’ mo- 
narchy, which in turns supported 
and moderated its power, which 
were securities to the people for the 
justice of the monarch, and secuti- 
ties to the monarch for the fidelity 
of his subjects, were buried under 
the ruins of the throne. ‘ Religion 
also was involved in the same ge- 
neral ‘wreck. Its ‘property’ was 
seized ; its altars were overturned ; 
its ‘temples profaned, sold, or de- 
molished; and its ministers perse- 
cuted, and continually placed in 
such a situation, that they must ei- 
ther violate the dictatés of their 
consciences, or ‘submit to death, 
commit perjury, or suffer punish- 
ment; often resigned themselves as 
victims, in order that they might 
avoid the commission of'a crime. 
Thus attacking Heaven’ ‘itself, 
an impious sect vilified all religions, 
under a pretence of toleration, and 
permitted all modes of worship in 
suffering them all to be oppressed; 
and offering equal violationsto them 
all. In their room, they'substituted 
political irreligion, without comfort 
for the unfortunate, without mora- 
lity for the ‘vicious, ‘and without 
any check for crimes. Nay,' crimes 
themselves were everywhere’ tole- 
rated, encouraged, rewarded. ‘In- 
surrection was consecrated || asthe 
most sacred of duties. Solemn and 
public festivals were decreed in ho- 
nour of the basest and greatest cri- 
* Declaration of the King, June 23, 1789. 
+ Declaration of the King, July 26, 1789. 
Of the 4th of August and 22d of November, 1789. 
, Declaration of the King, November 5, 1789. 
principle proposed by M, La Fayette, and adopted by the National As- 
J 
l| The 
sembly. 
’ 
minals, 
