lence alone excepted, was made, by 
the royal party, in favour of their 
friends. Nor were the republicans 
less earnest in opposing their adver- 
 garies, in the same manner. Reci- 
__ procal accusations of bribery, and 
_ every unfair method of carrying 
elections, were laid to the charge of 
Mg both parties, and they criminated 
each other with all the virulence 
a and animosity of men, who were 
- ~ eagerly seeking for means to effect 
their mutual destruction. 
A. paper, published about this 
time, in the name of Lewis, afforded 
an opportunity to the directory, not 
only of insisting on the reality of 
the recent conspiracy, but of bring- 
ing home, to the royal party, the 
charge of making every ettort to fill 
the legislature with their partizans. 
In this paper, Lewis explicitly ac- 
_ knowledged,) that he had agents in 
panies who were commissioned by 
people to renounce their allegi- 
nce to the republican goverument, 
which he represented as a state of 
anarchy ‘and of despotism, and to 
ietore the ancient monarchy, which 
alone could put an end to the cala- 
 mities that had afflicted France ever 
since it had wanted aking. After 
making solemn promises to rectify 
ll abuses, and to redress all grie- 
ces, conformably to the wish and 
ill of the nation, he directed his 
nts to employ themselves parti- 
eularly in procuring the choice of the 
public, in the approaching renewal 
of its representatives, to fall upon 
his own adherents. In order to ob- 
tain this end, they were to hold out 
. ewards, proportioned to the ser- 
Vices performed, to the military of 
€évery rank, and to every person in 
ap HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
to urge every motive to induce 
[53 
to embrace their cause, and to come 
into their measures. 
This address of Lewis to the 
French, which was dated the tenth 
of March, 1797, was accompanied 
by the resolute exertions of his 
party, throughout France. Govern- 
ment was openly attacked, both in 
speech and writing. Every argu- 
ment was: used toasperse and vi- 
lify its members: every report 
and anecdote was circulated, that 
could disparage their character, and 
bring them into contempt. The 
cause of the emigrants was. boldly 
pleaded, and their conduct justi- 
fied. ‘Lhe republic itself was re- 
presented as unstable and fluctu~ 
ating, and the probability of its 
continuance denied. 
But a subject of still greater 
alarm to government, was, that a 
considerable number of the public 
functionaries reftised to take the 
oath of hatred to royalty. Though 
this refusal was grounded on their 
compliance with this injunction 
upon their entering into office, yet, 
their denial to comply with it, at 
the present juncture, could not fail 
to subject them to suspicions of 
enmity to government. 
The directory, against which the 
attacks of opposition were chiefly 
levelled, resolved, on this emergen- 
cy, to apply to the legislature, for 
its aid, in compelling the refractory 
to submit to a regulation, which ald 
the friends to the republic judged 
indispensibly requisite to enable go- 
vernment to distinguish between its 
adherents and opponents. With 
this view, a message was sent by the 
directory to the council of five 
hundred, complaining of the disre- 
spectful and audacious writings 
published against the constitution 
[E 3] and 
