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REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



The Capture of the Bastile, July 14, 1789. 



The Bastile represented to the people 

 of Paris all that was worst in the gov- 

 ernment of the Aristocracy, which had 

 ground them down. When the long 

 smouldering fire of revolution burst 

 into flame in 1789, it was natural that 

 this grim fortress prison — where so 

 many had dragged out a horrible exis- 

 tence — should be the first object against 

 which the infuriated mob hurled itself. 

 The Governor made practically no re- 

 sistance, and the building was easily 

 taken and wholly destroyed. Only 

 seven prisoners were found within its 

 walls. The taking of the Bastile was 

 the first episode in that period of blood 

 and horror known as the Reign of Ter- 

 ror, when the masses crushed the classes 

 for all time in France. 



Mignet, in his " History of the 

 French Revolution," thus describes the 

 downfall of the Bastile: — - 



" From time to time the crv rose ' The 

 Bastile! — we will have the Bastile!' 

 At length two men, more determined 

 than the rest, dashing from the crowd, 

 sprang upon a guardhouse, and struck 

 at the chain of the drawbridge with 

 heavy hatchets. The soldiers shouted to 

 them to retire, and threatened to fire ; 

 but they continued to strike, succeeded 

 in breaking the chain and lowering the 

 bridge, and then rushed over it, fol- 

 lowed by the crowd. 



" In this way they advanced to cut 

 the chain of the second bridge. A mur- 

 derous d scharge of grape shot pro- 



ceeded from the garrison, and many 

 of the besiegers were killed and 

 wounded. 



" The unfortunate Delaunay, dread- 

 ing the fate that awaited him, wished to 

 blow up the fortress and bury himself 

 under the ruins. He went in despair 

 towards the powder magazine, with a 

 lighted match in his hand. The garri- 

 son stopped him, raised a white stan- 

 dard on its platform, and reversed the 

 guns in the token of peace. 



" But the assailants still continued to 

 fight and advance, shoutin?, ' Lower 

 the bridges!' Through the battlements 

 a Swiss officer proposed to lay down 

 arms on the promise that their lives 

 should be spared. 



"'Lower the bridges!' rejoined the 

 foremost of the assailants; 'you shall 

 not be injured.' 



" The gates were opened, and the 

 bridges lowered on this assurance, and 

 the crowd rushed into the Bastile. 

 Those who led the multitude wished to 

 save from its vengeance the Governor, 

 Swiss soldiers and invalides ; but cries 

 of ' Give them up ! Give them up ! 

 They fired on their fellow-citizens! — 

 they deserve to be hanged!' rose on 

 every side. 



" The Governor, a few Swiss soldiers, 

 and invalides were torn from the pro- 

 tection of those who sought to defend 

 them, and put to death by the implac- 

 able crowd." 



The Invincible Armada, July 20-29, 1 588. 



In May, 1588, a vast fleet of 130 ves- 

 sels left Lisbon to conquer England. 

 Spain was at that time the foremost 

 nation in the world. She had great 

 possessions in North and South Amer- 

 ica, her King Phillip was the arbiter of 

 Europe. The Protestants of Holland 

 were crushed. England alone stood out 

 against her. Her ships sailed every sea, 

 even reaching Australia, and her wealth 

 was enormous. The great Armada, 

 crowded with soldiers, was scattered by 

 a storm, and reassembled at Corunna, 

 from whence, in July, another start was 



made. The first engagement with the 

 English ships took place on July 20, 

 off Plymouth. Hanging to the rear of 

 the Spaniards, Queen Elizabeth's sea 

 captains attacked at every opportunity. 

 The ships of the Armada won in safety 

 to Gravelines, where on July 29th a gen- 

 eral engagement was fought, and the 

 Spanish ships were driven northwards 

 in full flight. Storm did the rest. Only 

 25 ships reached Spain again. Since 

 then none save the Dutch have ever suc- 

 cessfully challenged English supremacy 

 at sea. 



