The Uprising of June 20, Tj(}2 13 



Looking toward this end the assembly had passed the series of 

 decrees already mentioned, the first of which was directed against 

 the priests who had refused the oath to the civil constitution. 

 Religious disturbances necessitated some decisive action against 

 them for it would have been incompatible with the preservation 

 of the state to treat longer as members of society those who were 

 evidently seeking to dissolve it.'^ To consent to the project of 

 assembling the non-juring priests in the chief places of the depart- 

 ments would have been equal to creating eighty-three centers of 

 discord, fanaticism, and counter-revolution. The country must 

 be purged. Such was the feeling of the majority of the 

 assembly.^ ^ 



After a discussion of several days, the assembly, actuated by 

 the fear of the overthrow of the constitution, i)assed the follow- 

 ing decree. May 27, 1792:^^ "When twenty active citizens of a 

 canton shall demand that a non-juring priest leave the realm, the 

 directory of the department must pronounce his deportation, if 

 the opinion of the directory conforms to the petition. If the 

 opinion of the directory does not conform to the demand of the 

 twenty citizens, it shall determine through conimittees whether 

 the presence of the priest is a menace to public peace, and if the 

 opinion of the committee conforms to the demand of the twenty 

 petitioners, the deportation shall be ordered."^* This decree 

 placed the clergy between the oath and deportation, but while 

 they trembled at the assembly's project many still refused to take 

 the oath.^^ 



This measure was followed by another directed against the 

 king's bodyguard. The guard had allowed anti-revolutionary 

 sentiments to escape it and had uttered menaces against the 



^Revolutions de Paris, XII, 390; Louis Blanc, Ilistoire de la revolution 

 franqaise, VIII, 17; Memoires de Madame Roland, I, 386; Carro, Santerre, 

 106. 



^Correspondance de Thomas Lindet, 348-50; Chaumette, Memoires, 4. 



" Morris, Diary and Letters, II, 535- 



'*Moniteur, XII, 483, 560. 



"Revolution de Paris, XII, 390; Correspondance de Thomas Lindet, 

 347-53- 



209 



