LAVOISIEK. 39 



wild revels were frequent at the time. Bands of savage crea- 

 tures, after glutting their eyes with the sanguinary scenes of 

 a wholesale execution, would parade the streets of an evening, 

 calling at the guinguettes, and quaffing strong drinks ; carry- 

 ing with them a model of the guillotine, which every now and 

 then they would set down, and display its mechanism to all 

 who contributed a sou. It was dangerous for a well-dressed 

 person to be in the streets at this time. Rags and drunken- 

 ness were the only claims on the respect of these depraved 

 wretches, the ' sans culottes,' as they gloried in being called. 



Whilst Priestley was yet explaining the cause of his 

 absence, the ignoble throng surged by. Hoarsely they yelled 

 the revolutionary street-cries of the day : ( A. bas les rois,' 

 <A bas les aristocrats,' ' Vive la Louisette,' 'A bas les philo- 

 sophes.' 



'Ah! is it come to this?' ejaculated Lavoisier faintly, as 

 he heard the latter exclamation a new one to the revolution- 

 ary vocabulary. 



Apparently, a sufficiently large crowd had now come 

 together to give hopes of a plentiful harvest of sous to the 

 bearers of the guillotine. The crowd stopped near where 

 the philosophers were assembled. The hateful machine was 

 placed on the ground ; the mock executioner raised the knife, 

 and, instead of letting it fall immediately, gave out the first 

 line of a revolutionary song, whilst one of the party went 

 round for contributions, as the proprietor of a punch raree- 

 show does in our own streets. Amid shouts of wild laughter, 

 and abuse of all that is great and good, the words of a song 

 written in honour of the guillotine fell on the ear. 



6 1 wish those ruffians would pass on,' remarked Lavoisier, 

 losing his patience, as they continued the revolutionary air. 

 But the men had other ends in view. 



The cry of 'Farmer-General Diamond philosopher!' 

 rose on the breeze, and the crowd surged on. 



So, by some means or another, the outside myrmidons of 



