’ ness. 
HISTORY OF ‘EUROPE. 
and becom: the base instruments of 
their reciprocal barbarities. 
The convention sheltered their 
conduct under the necessity of pro- 
viding for the public safety, by se- 
curing the clection of a due number 
of men*experienced in public busi- 
Conscious, however, how 
little this apology would avail, they 
determined to accelerate their ven- 
ance upon their opponents ; lest 
by spreading their opinions, their 
numbers should increase in the de. 
partments, where they had already 
gained grcund. No time was now 
to be lost on either side, If the 
convention did not immediately 
suppress the spirit of insurre¢tion 
that began to shew itself, their ex- 
istence would be at stake, and the 
hourly arrival in Paris of large bo- 
dies of troops from the aimies, was 
a sufficient warning to the inhabi- 
tants, not to delay the execution of 
their designs against the convention, 
till it was become superior to all 
- their attempts, 
Unhappily for the citizens, they 
¢onfided so strongly in the attach. 
ment of the soldiery, that they 
were persuaded no danger needed 
to be apprehended from them, and 
that as they had done at the first © 
breaking out of the revolution, they 
would refuse to fire upon men whom 
they had so much reason to consider 
as friends and fellow.citizens, It 
seems, the convention were also ap- 
prehensive that the general good 
will of the troops to the Parisians 
would render them unwilling to ac 
against these. But there wag at this 
time, in the prisons of Paris, a great 
number of thase who went by the 
mame of terrorists, full of-rancour 
at the Parisians, for having so reso- 
lately assisted in quelling the insur- 
' uu 
[10% 
rections they had raised. To these, 
- men-those who direéted the motions 
of the convention did not scruple to 
make application on ‘this: emer- 
gency. 
The truth was, that the most 
active men in the convention, were, 
if not avowed terrorists, yet closely 
-conneéted with them, and aCtuated, 
in a great measure, by their prin- 
ciples. The ground on which they 
proceeded in the business of the re- 
election was clearly that of fear, lest 
tired of the bloodshed that had so 
frequently recurred in the repeated 
contests for power between the ri- 
val parties, the people of France 
might exclude from the legislature 
all those individuals who had either 
excited or given occasion for con- 
tests, and elect none but men of 
pacific dispositions, who would. 
make it their duty to silence all dis- 
putes for pre-eminence, and re- 
establish a cordial concord among all 
citizens, by espousing no party, and 
directing all their labours to the 
tranquillity and welfare of the pub- 
lic. Certain it is, that the conven. 
tiom was chiefly governed by the 
most ambitious among them. They 
thought possibly thar having steered 
the vessel of the state through so 
many storms, and escaped so many 
dangers, they ought not to be laid 
aside after bringing it safe into port; 
and, tocontinue the metaphor, that 
if unforeseen storms should again 
arise, which was farfromimprobable, 
they surely were the best qualifted 
to weather them. Doubtless they 
reasoned justly upon this suppo- 
sition, which also. was well founded : 
but it was not the mere re-eleétion 
of able men, against which the me. 
tropolis protested, or would have ob~ 
jected; it was the great dispropor- 
{H4] tion 
