52 Julia Creivitt Stoddard 



by the court and who espoused the popular cause was looked 

 upon as a natural leader. Whether it be true, as Barras asserts, 

 that the Duke of Orleans would "naturally have been placed on 

 the throne at this time if he had shown the slightest ambition," 1 

 it appears evident that by reason of his lack of character he was 

 more led than leader in the movement. And although his friends 

 made use of him as far as possible to further their own interests, 

 and although he doubtless hoped to profit by their intrigues, we 

 have seen that the insurrection of October had other and more 

 potent causes. Malouet's judgment in the matter appears most 

 worthy of acceptation : "Even if the Duke of Orleans had never 

 existed we should probably have seen the same scenes . . . 

 the course of events would not have been changed." 2 



The Count of Mirabeau was suspected and accused of com- 

 plicity in the conspiracy attributed to the Duke of Orleans. 3 La- 

 fayette believed that at the time of the October troubles "Mira- 

 beau was closely allied with the Orleans party which directed 

 the movement." 4 Dumont, in his Recollections of Mirabeau, 

 says, "I remember hearing him speak somewhat favorably of this 

 prince" (the Duke of Orleans), and after some discussion con- 

 cludes : "It is impossible not to think there was some connec- 

 tion between them." 5 The attitude of Mirabeau towards the 

 pretended mission to England is taken by Mathiez as evidence 

 that his own interests were bound up with those of the Duke of 

 Orleans. When the note containing the duke's final decision to 

 leave the country was received by Mirabeau, he read it and then 

 held it out to his friends exclaiming "Read ! They pretend that I 

 am of his party. I would not have him for my valet!" 6 The 

 speech prepared to denounce Lafayette in the assembly is also 



1 Barras, Mhnoires, I, 65. 



*'Malouet, Mhnoires, I, 331; Revue hi stori que, LXVII, 276. 



3 Duquesnoy, Journal, I, 412, 462; Dumont, Recollections of Mirabeau, 13; 

 Capello, Disbacci degli ambasciatori Veniti, 77. 



4 Lafayette, Mhnoires, IV, 45. 



s Dumont, Recollections of Mirabeau, 141. 



6 Lom£nie, Les Mirabeau, IV, 513; Correspondance de Mirabeau et de La 

 Marck, I, 128. . 



318 



