The Insurrection of October, 1789 55 



of October. There is, on the contrary, a convincing amount of 

 testimony that, instead of provoking the movement, Lafayette 

 did all in his power to restrain it, and consented to go to Ver- 

 sailles at last only under practical compulsion. 1 "The guard 

 wished to go to Versailles," says the Swedish ambassador, "to 

 avenge the insult to the national cockade on the day of the ban- 

 quet of the body-guard. . . The Marquis of Lafayette did 

 all in his power to stop them. He was forced to yield to the 

 multitude." 2 According to Montlosicr, a deputation from the 

 grenadiers brought the message to Lafayette that the "people 

 are in misery ; the source of the evil is at Versailles : we must gc 

 to seek the king and bring him to Paris ; we must exterminate 

 the regiment of Flanders and the body-guard who have dared to 

 trample the national cockade under foot." And when Lafayette 

 tried to harangue the crowd "his voice was lost in cries of 'To 

 Versailles! To Versailles!'" 3 Capello says that Lafayette, "un- 

 able to resist, tried to gain time, but was threatened with hanging 

 and obliged to give way to circumstances." 4 The same story is 

 told by Morris : "Lafayette has marched by compulsion, guarded 

 by his own troops who suspect and threaten him. Dreadful sit- 

 uation! Obliged to do what he abhors or suffer an ignominious 

 death with the certainty that the sacrifice of his life will not pre- 

 vent the mischief." 5 Lafayette's own testimony confirms that 

 already given. 6 



If we consider that these troops were scarcely organized and 

 so undisciplined that they refused to mount guard in the rain, 7 

 and if we remember that it was Lafayette's duty as a man of 

 honor to protect the king and the national assembly, we shall see 

 little reason to doubt his hesitation to take the responsibility of 

 leading this movement. 



1 Rb>o'utions de Paris, No. XIII, 13; Deux amis de la liberty Histoire de 

 la revolution de France, III, 163-64. 



? De Stael-Holstein, Corrfspon dance diplomatique, 130. 

 3 Montlosier, Mtmoires, I, 283. 



4 Capello, Dispxcci degli ambasciatori Veniti,l±. 



5 Morris, Diary and Letters, I, 173. 



6 Lafayette, Mhnoires, II, 336, also III, 219. 



7 Morris, Diary and Letters, I, 156. 



321 



