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FRA 
which they had fanflioned without hefitation. Notwith- 
ftanding their defeat, the new oppofition party returned 
to the attack the next day ; and Bourdon, Merlin of 
Douay, Charles de Lacroix, Tallien, and fome others, 
objedted to one of the offences mentioned in the decree, 
by the title of “depraving the public morals.” They 
were again violently aflailed by Robefpierre : Bourdon de 
l’Oife, who led the oppofition, was driven to (hifts and 
explanations; Tallien was publicly reproached with being 
the patron of criminals; and Lacroix was driven to the 
neceflity of withdrawing his motion for an explanation of 
the moralizing w'ords in the decree. 
This viitory over an infant oppofition would, if pru¬ 
dently conducted, have rendered the fupremacy of Ro¬ 
befpierre unavailable. Nothing popular formed the 
ground of objection ; it was entirely confined to the fafety 
of the individuals who complained ; they admitted the 
law to be falutarv, but feared it might be extended to re- 
prefentatives. Had Robefpierre inftantly caufed them to 
be arrefted, no portion of the public would have been in- 
terefled in their fate ; but he feems to have occupied his 
thoughts more with the means of gaining abfolute power 
by one (ingle exertion, than with revenge on a few mem¬ 
bers whom he thought too infignificant to produce any 
ferious injury to his power and popularity. His tirfl aim 
was to let all his affociates in power dip their hands deeply 
in blood and crimes, fo as to render themfelves odious to 
mankind ; then fuddenly appearing himfelf as the only 
advocate of humanity, to have uniied round him all the 
friends of the Gironde, all the fupporters of the Chriflian 
faith, and the great mafs of people whom oppreffion had 
wearied anct dif'gufted ; and having by this divifiou over¬ 
thrown thofe whom he dreaded in the convention and 
committee of public fafety, eflabliflied a new fyftem of 
government, in which every thing fhould have moved 
round himfelf as the chief and centre. 
For the execution of this project he wanted vigour; 
as a preparatory ftep, he withdrew himfelf from the deli¬ 
berations of the committee of public fafety for four de¬ 
cades, during which period the laws of blood and plunder 
were executed with redoubled fury. Impelled by Bitlaud 
de Varennes, Collot d’Herbois, Couthon, and St. Juft, 
the guillotine worked with inceftant energy, and the 
crowds in the prifons were (till augmented ; the labours 
of the revolutionary tribunal were reduced to the mere 
ceremony of reading lifts of names, and deriding the pri- 
foners ; while crowds of women placed in the ftreets, and 
paid by government, purfued the victims to the fcaffold 
with fcreams, reproaches, and infults. 
While Robefpierre thus abfented himfelf from the com¬ 
mittee of public fafety, it was fuppofed that he was ar¬ 
ranging with his brother, Couthon, St. Juft, and a few 
more confidants, his future meafures, and marking for his 
laft vidtims Barrere, Collot d’Herbois, and a few members 
of the committee of public fafety, with Tallien, Vadier, 
and fome others of the mod fanguinary individuals in the 
convention. It is faid that a lift of thefe victims had 
been difclofed to the committee of public fafety ; but, 
without fixing extraordinary credit to this fadt, it may be 
fuppofed that thofe againft whom he had lately fhewn a 
violent animofity, could not without alarm view his mif- 
terious behaviour, and muft conclude that it betokened 
fome dreadful defign. A party was therefore combined, 
who intended, if other means failed, to aftaftinate him in 
the convention ; but Robefpierre made no vigorous ex¬ 
ertion, nor did his plans appear to be animated with the . 
energy requifite to the perfection of a great projedt. On 
the contrary, it is aliened, that while he faw on every 
fide the friends of Danton, the individuals who were 
alarmed for themfelves, and thofe who longed for change, 
as portending no portibility of greater evil, forming 
leagues againft him; while anonymous letters threatened, 
and fecret information pointed out, dangers ; he was ha- 
rafted by remorfe and fear, and loft all prefence of mind. 
The ingratitude of Robefpierre was now, however, 
Vol. VII. No. 469, 
N C Eo' 
feverely puniflied in the lofs of three adherents whom he 
had facrificed. The energy and refolution of Danton, 
the eloquence of Camille-Defmoulins, and the.addrefs of 
Fabre d’Fglaniine, were ill fupplied by the brutality of 
Henriot, and the vulgarity of Couthon and St. Juft; or 
the aftiftance and Cervices of the abbe Syeyes, by La Clos. 
Yet the habitual deference paid to the didfator, the 
ftrength of his party united by guilty fear, and the dif- 
union of his opponents occafioned by terror, rendered 
the event of a conteft extremely precarious. He was 
known to poftefs an unlimited influence over the national 
guard ; and the camps i:i the vicinity of Paris were de¬ 
voted to him. The party in oppofition did not know 
their own ftrength ; for many who inwardly hated the ty¬ 
rant, and faw in his deftrudtion their only hope of l'afety, 
externally paid him the mod fervile homage, and, as well 
in his abfence as when he was prelent, made his praifes 
their favourite theme. 
At length, on the 26th of July, 1794, he threw down 
the gauntlet ; and appearing in the tribune of the con¬ 
vention after a long feceftion, in a prolix ill-connedled 
fpeech, he complained of the treatment he received from 
intriguers and calumniators both abroad and at home. 
His eye penetrated fo ftrongly fome members of the con¬ 
vention, that feveral tofe to exculpate themfelves. Le- 
cointre of Verfailles moved that his fpeech fhould be 
printed ; but Bourdon de l’Oife required a previous re¬ 
ference to the committees, againft the members of which 
many of its charges were directed : Cambon and Vadier 
complained of its infinuations againft them, and accufed 
Robefpierre of intending to deftroy the patriots, and of 
paralyfing the whole convention. 
Couthon defended the dictator, reprobated the fyftem 
of calumny which prevailed, infilled that a line of de¬ 
marcation fhould be drawn between the patriots and the 
intriguers, and that the fpeech fhould be printed without 
being referred to the committees, and fent to all the com¬ 
munes of the republic. A tumultuous debate enfued, 
in which Freron demanded the exemption of the mem¬ 
bers from the danger of arreft, adding, that no man could 
fpeak freely while influenced by that fear. Billaud de 
Varennes anfwered, that he whom fear prevented from 
delivering his opinion, was unworthy the title of repre- 
fentative of the people. Barrere expreffed himfelf in 
equivocal words ; and Bentabole, Charlier, Amar, Thi- 
rion, and Paris, united themfelves againft Robefpierre. 
In the end, however, the matter took a favourable turn 
for the ufurper, and the printing of his fpeech was or¬ 
dered unconditionally, but the tranfmiftion to the com¬ 
munes was not decreed. 
From the convention Robefpierre haftened to read his 
fpeech at the Jacobin club, where it excited a general en- 
timfiafm in his favour. Couthon denounced the two 
committees as traitors ; Coffinhal, a judge of the revolu¬ 
tionary tribunal, propofed the purification of the conven¬ 
tion, which was well underftood to import the deftruftion 
of all the members except thofe devoted to his patron ; 
and David, embracing Robefpierre, promifed if he drank 
hemlock to fhare the potion. 
The near approach of danger did not yet aroufe the op¬ 
ponents of Robefpierre to decifive condudL The conven¬ 
tion met the next day, and bufinefs was proceeding in its 
uftial channel, till St. Juft, inftigated by his evil genius, 
and inflamed by fome reproaches diredited againft him by 
Collot d’Herbois, afeended the tribune, and, after dating 
that the committees of government had directed him to 
make a report on the ftate of the country, aflerted that 
their remedies were infufficient for the exifting grievances, 
and he would fpeak to the convention from himfelf. This 
exordium was confidered as the prefage of deftrudlion ; 
Tallien, gaining courage from the emergency, pufhed the 
reporter violently from the tribune, complained of the 
audacity of individuals in attacking the government, and 
demanded that the veil fhould be inftantly withdrawn. 
He prefently was interrupted by Billaud de Varennes, who, 
9 S from 
