12 BIOGRAPHIES OF SCIENTIFIC MEN 



des poudres et des salpetres, qui a mis Paris en prison et 

 a interrompu la circulation de Tair avec un mur. . . ." 



De Fourcroy spoke indignantly of Lavoisier's sentence : 

 " L'homme qui auroit illustre son siecle par ses talens, 

 qui auroit r^pandu ses lumieres sur la socie'te', dont les 

 travaux auroient eu pour but d'instruire de rendre meil- 

 leurs et plus heureux les hommes, seroit place* dans un 

 meme tombeau avec celui qui en auroit fait le tourment 

 ou qui en auriot e" te la honte ! " 



Yet De Fourcroy, De Morveau, Monge, and others who 

 were his friends and pupils did nothing to save the head of 

 their master. Jealousy despicable jealousy was the cause 

 of these men forsaking their friend. "Sa supe'riorite," they 

 confessed, stood in their way ! They only talked, but did 

 not act; and it is stated that De Fourcroy even contributed, 

 by " sa terrible accusation," to the death of Lavoisier. 



Petitions for the commutation of the death sentence 

 were scornfully rejected. The Revolution knew no bounds 

 "away to the guillotine," "a la lanterne!" were the 

 constant cries during the years of its existence. With 

 tricoloured scarfs and Phrygian caps of crimson cloth they 

 sang as they marched the streets of Paris that terrible 

 song of the " Marseillaise " : 



Aliens, enfants de la patrie, 

 Le jour de gloire est arrive* ! 

 Centre nous, de la tyrannic, 

 L'e"tendard sanglant est leve? 



and the murderous levelling song " Qa Ira." 



