HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
contrary to their hopes, and in con- 
tradiction to those principles of 
equality #n which the French laid 
so much stress, these, with a degree 
of carelessness and improvidence, 
that belied the ideas, which had 
been so universally formed of their 
sagacity, left the repartition of the 
sums to be raised to the manage- 
ment of those very persons who had 
been objects of public discontent 
and complaint, for the injustice and 
partiality of which they had been 
the instruments, under their respec- 
live governments. ‘These being, for 
the sake of expedition, entrusted 
with those levies, madeno alteration 
in the manner, and adhered to estab- 
lished precedents. Thus the pri- 
vileged classes still enjcyed their 
former exemptions, and the inferior 
part of the community was loaded, 
as antecedently, with almost the 
whole burden of the taxes, imposed 
for the raising of the contributions, 
This was the most injudicious of 
all the measures adopted by the 
French in the management of their 
new acquisitions, and it operated 
more fatally to their interest than 
was perceptible to the generality. 
It excited the most violent. resent- 
ment in the multitude, which had 
“been taught to believe, that where- 
ever the French became masters, 
all oppressions would be at anend, 
and no man would be treated worse 
than his neighbour. To be deceived 
in so barbarous and oppressive 3 
manner : to behold their tyrannical 
tulers authorized to lord it over 
them as usual, and to find that the 
presence of the French, from which 
so much had been expected, pro- 
duced no mitigation of thoirslavery. 
To be rendered, in short, no less 
[133 
miserable by the successes of the 
French, than they could have been, 
had their boasted republic been de-’ 
stroyed, and the completest despo~ 
lism established on its ruins, filled 
them with the keenest indignation at 
a people whom they now branded 
as deceivers and impostors, and 
wholly unworthy of the good for- 
tune that had attended them. Had 
the French republic been true to 
the principles professed in their de- 
clarations and manifestoes to all na- 
tions, they would have been wholly 
irresistible. All thrones raised on 
despotic power would have fallen ; 
and, as was said of Alexander * the 
Great, the earth would have stood 
silent before them. It is totheir 
weakness and vices, the incon- 
sistency of their conduct in Italy, 
Germany, and wherever they went 
with their professions, the preva- 
lence of their passions over their 
principles, that most of the Euro- 
pean potentates owe their crowns at 
the present moment. 
One of the causes of the readiness 
with which the lrench allowed the 
petty sovereigns of Germany to 
collect in their own manner the 
contributions imposed upon them, 
was, to conciliate their good will, 
and convince them that no inter- 
ference was aimed at in their do- 
mestic affairs, by leaving to them 
the arraugement, of which their 
sovereignty and independence re- 
mained unviolated. Had the French 
pursued another system, and pro- 
claimed an entire emancipation of 
their subjects from all farther allegi-e 
ance to their native princes, it was 
far from clear that such a measure 
would have producedanyother conse- 
quence than throwing the countries, 
* First Book of the Maccabees, Ch, 1, 
[K3] thus 
