256 
which had showered down upon 
France the blessings .of Heaven. 
We wish to restore its altars; by 
prescribing justice to sovereigns 
and fidelity to subjets, it maintains 
good order, ensures the triumph 
of the laws, and produces the te- 
licity of empires. You must restore 
that government which, for fourteen 
centuries, constituted the glory of 
France and the delight of her in- 
habitants ; which rendered our 
country the most flourishing of 
states, and yourselves the happiest 
of people : it is our wish to restore 
it. Have not the various revolu- 
tions which have occurred aug- 
mented your distress, since the 
period of its destruction, and con. 
vinced you that it is the only go- 
vernment that is fit for you? 
Give no credit to those rapacious 
and ambitious men, who, in order 
to violate your property and to 
engross all power, have told you 
that France had no constitution, or, 
at least, that its constitution was 
despotic. Its existence is as an- 
cient.as the monarchy of the Franks ; 
it is the produce of genius, the 
master-piece of wisdom, and the 
fruit of experience. 
_ In composing the body of the 
French people of three distinét 
orders,.it traced with precision that 
scale of subordination, without 
which .society cannot exist, But 
it. gives-tg neither of the three 
orders any political right which is 
not common to all. It leaves all, 
employments open to Frenchmen. 
of every class; it affords equal 
proteétion to ;all persons and. to all 
property ; and by this means,’ in 
the eye of the, law, and -In_ the 
temple. of justice, all those, ine. 
qualities of rank and fortune dis. 
appear, which civil order necessarily 
de “* “es ae 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1705. 
introduces among the inhabitants 
of the same empire. 
These are great advantages ; but 
there are others still more essential. 
It subjeéts the laws to certain spe- 
cific forms prescribed by itself; and 
the sovereign himself is equally 
bound “to the observance of the 
laws, in order to guard the wisdom - 
of the legislature against the snares 
of seduétion, and to defend the lis 
berty of the subjeét against the 
abuse of authority. © It prescribes 
conditions to the éstablishment of 
imposts, in order to satisfy. the 
people that the tributes which 
they pay are necessary for the pres 
servation of the state ; it confides 
to the first body of the magistracy 
the care of enforcing the execution 
of the Jaws, and of -undeceiving 
the monarchy: 4f'-he should chance 
to be ‘imposed upon; it places the 
fundamental laws. under; the: pros 
tection of the:ktuig and’of the three 
orders, for the ‘purpose. of: pres 
venting revolutions, which are the 
greatest. calamities. that the people 
can possibly sustain ; it has adopted 
a multiplicity of .*pretautégns -in 
order to secure to yoa thetadvan- 
tages of a monarchical government, 
and to.screen you from ‘its dangers’. 
Do not your unexampled misfor~ 
tunes, as much as its venerable air. 
tiquity, bear testimony ‘of its wis= 
dom? Did your ancestors ever: ex- 
perience the evils which you have 
borne, since the hands of ignorant 
and obstinate innovators have dver- 
thrown’ their constitution? It was 
thecommon support of the cottage: 
of thé poor, and the palace of the 
rich of* personal freedom, and. of 
public safety, ;* of the rights of :the 
throne, and. of the prosperity of the 
states The moment it was-oVer- 
thrown, property; safety, freedom, 
5 Lane all 
. 
