28 Julia Creii'itt Stoddard 



What wonder that the people hated and suspected her! 1 The 

 distrust which they had always felt for the "Austrian" increased 

 in intensity. All sorts of wild rumors about her were current 

 and were universally believed. "All the world knew the queen 

 was conspiring - against France in the most daring manner." 

 Young heard a report on the 31st of July that Marie Antoinette 

 had been "convicted of a plot to poison the king and monsieur 

 and give the regency to the Count of Artois." 2 Two weeks later 

 Young was himself arrested in Roya near Clermont on suspicion 

 of being an "agent of the queen who intended to blow up the 

 town with a mine and send all that escaped to the galleys." Com- 

 menting on this Young says : "That princess was so detested 

 among the people that there seemed to be no absurdity too gross 

 nor circumstances too impossible for their faith." 3 



Although much that was said of Marie Antoinette was without 

 foundation, yet it is true that she was in touch with all that was 

 going on about her, looking towards the restoration of the old 

 order of things. The idea of defeating the revolution 'had never 

 been given up. And there can be no doubt that the queen was 

 in sympathy with the idea, or that she used her influence with 

 the king to further the intrigues of the court party. 



An example of this influence is seen in Necker's account of 

 the preparations for the royal session in June. There had been 

 several meetings and at last a council of state. The king and 

 his ministers had agreed upon a plan and all seemed settled, when 

 his majesty was suddenly called out. During his half-hour's 

 absence the presumption was offered that they had "accomplished 

 nothing," that "the queen alone would be permitted to interrupt 

 a council of state;" that "the princes had apparently won her 

 over," etc., etc., 4 an interpretation which after-events showed to 

 be only too correct. 



1 Capello, Pispicci deg^li amhn sciatori Venili, 75; Jefferson, Memoir, Cor- 

 responded" and Miscell nies, III, 41. 



2 Young, Travels in France, 151. 

 *I/>id., 162. 



4 Necker, De la re" volution f ran caise, I, 286. 



294 



