22 Laura B. Pfeiffer 



that the remedy for the situation was to be found in the king's 

 support of the assembly and the constitution and in his sanction 

 of the decrees.^" 



Just how this letter was communicated to the king is not known. 

 According to Dumouriez, it was read in the council meeting June 

 10, but according to Madame Roland it was sent to the king 

 June II. Dumouriez accused Roland of bad faith respecting 

 this letter, asserting that he promised the king that the letter 

 should remain a secret between them and then read it to the 

 council and sent it to the assembly.^' His statement is not 

 convincing. 



The feeling at the court was very bitter. The king was indig- 

 nant at what he considered an insult. On the following morning 

 Dumouriez, who was now at the height of royal favor, was called 

 to the chateau.^* He found the king and queen together. The 



malheurs certains environneront votre trone, s'il n'est appuye par vous- 

 meme sur les bases de la constitution." Ibid. 



""Le retard de leur sanction inspire des defiances: s'il est prolonge, il 

 causera des mecontens. . . . que votre Majeste lui donne sa sanction! la 

 tranquillite publique la reclame. Pourquoi faut-il que des retards lui don- 

 nent I'air du regret, lorsque la celerite lui gagnerait tous les coeurs ! . . . 

 deja I'opinion compromet les intentions de Votre Majeste." Ibid.; "II est 

 evident pour la nation frangaise que sa constitution peut marcher; que le 

 gouvernment aura toute la force qui lui est necessaire, du moment ou 

 Votre Majeste, voulant absolument le triomphe de cette constitution, 

 soutiendra le corps legislatif de toute la puissance de I'execution, otera tout 

 pretexte aux inquietudes du peuple, et tout espoir aux mecontens." Ibid.; 

 See the letter in full, Momteur, XII, 658. This letter was written by 

 Madame Roland, though she and Roland had agreed on the groundwork 

 of it. Memoires de Madame Roland, I, 387, Roederer {Chronique de 

 cinquante jours, 8) refers to it as written by Roland, but he wrote thirty 

 years after and we do not know his authority. 



" Dumouriz says the letter began, " Sire, cette lettre-ci restera eternelle- 

 ment ensevelie entre vous et moi." Neither this nor any similar passage 

 is found in the letter as published in the Memoires of Madame Roland 

 nor in the Moniteur. It is difficult to say whether Roland cut out from 

 his letter the expression that would have inconvenienced him or whether 

 Dumouriez reported what would have aggravated Roland's mistakes. 

 Memoires de Dumouriez, II, 274. Moniteur, XII, 658. 



" Oelsner in Revue historique, LXXXIII, 308. 



218 



