The Insurrection of October, 1789 25 



the king - was destructive not only of every constitution, but also 

 of the national right to have a constitution. The constitutional 

 articles were adopted only with a positive condition: he who 

 could impose a condition on a constitution had the right to hin- 

 der the making of this constitution; he placed his will above the 

 right of the nation." After a good deal of discussion the fol- 

 lowing decree was adopted : "The national assembly orders that 

 the president, at the head of a delegation, go to-day to the king, 

 to supplicate him to give his acceptance pure and simple to the 

 articles of the declaration of rights, and to those of the constitu- 

 tion which have been presented to him." 1 At ten o'clock that 

 same night, while Versailles was filled with the Parisian mob, 

 Moumier, president of the assembly, read to the crowd of women 

 and men who filled the square, the king's acceptance pure and 

 simple of the constitutional articles and of the declaration of 

 the rights of man. 2 



Why did Louis XVI. persist in opposing the will of the na- 

 tional representatives? He had been named the "Restorer of 

 Liberty," and yet he was not ready to accept a parliamentary 

 government. His letter to the archbishop shows a strong deter- 

 mination to maintain the privileges of rank. Superstitious piety 

 led him to overlook the welfare of the whole nation in order to 

 favor a class of priests. But instead of consistently upholding 

 the aristocrats he refused to join their schemes of counter-revo- 

 lution ; he would not go to Metz and bring back the army to 

 crush the revolution and restore the ancient regime. 3 Nor would 

 he trust the moderates and accept their plan to transfer the court 

 and assembly to some provincial town at a safe distance from 

 Paris. 4 Neither had he any confidence in the ministers. Sus- 

 picious of others, yet too weak and incapable to comprehend and 

 master the difficulties of his position for himself ; possessing con- 

 siderable courage and a high sense of honor, yet controlled by 



1 Pi orbs-verbal de VassemMke nationale, No. XCII. 



2 Deux amis de la liberte, Histoire de la revolution de France, III, 174. 

 3 Revolutions de Paris, No. XIII, 18. 



4 Weber, Mhnoires, I, 421; Revue historique, LXVII, 274. 



291 



