?02 FRA 
from his feat, demanded ah unequivocal explanation. He 
ftated that the convention hung upon two precipices ; the 
public force was in the hands of a man denounced by the 
committee, but who was retained in his poft by an indi¬ 
vidual ; that individual had for more than a month plotted 
the deftruction of the convention : and that individual was 
Robef'pierre. He deprecated his tyranny, and would put the 
queftion whether any member would wifti to live under it. 
Robefpierre, at firft thunderftruck, endeavoured to ex¬ 
culpate himfelf; but was prevented by the fiery menaces 
of Tallien, who, drawing a dagger, and brandifhing it in 
the eyes of his colleagues, faid he would inflantly deftroy 
him, unlefs the convention delivered him up to the (word 
of juftice. After the fird emotions of this violent eclair- 
ciffement had fubfided, Tallien moved that the fitting 
fhould be declared permanent. His efforts were feconded 
by Delmas and Barrere, by Billaud de Varennes, and Col- 
lot d’Hetbois, who was prefident. 
A decree was now obtained for the arreftation of Hen- 
riot, d’Aubigni, Lavalette, Dufraifie, all the ffaff of the 
national guard, and a man named Sijas ; but they had not 
courage to feize the tyrant himfelf. While the prefident 
was arranging tliefe decrees, Robefpierre got poffeffion of 
the tribune ; but the convention would not permit him 
to utter a word; “Down with him!” refounded from 
every quarter. As he perfevered in his efforts to obtain 
a hearing, a member faid to him, “Robefpierre, you (hall 
not fpeak; the blood of Danton is upon your head, it 
flows into your throat, it choaks you 1 ” “Ah, ah! (ex¬ 
claimed he, gnafliing his teeth and foaming with rage,)— 
ah, ah ! villains 1 it is Danton then 1 ”—He was heard no 
more ; Vadier, interrupting him, made a fpeech to unfold 
his iniquities : this blow at once overpowered him ; he 
caff a look of piercing indignation towards the Mountain, 
fitting filently aloof, and reproached their defection ; he 
is even reported, in his extremity, to have turned to the 
other fide, to folicit their protection, but in vain. 
Tallien and Billaud poured frefli accufations on his 
head, while others brought freffi charges with unceafing 
affiduity. The tyrant now perceived the world Aiding 
from under him, and that he (hould be fpeedily precipi¬ 
tated into the abyfs of deftruCtion: “Well! (he ex¬ 
claimed, in a tone of defperation,) lead me, then, to in- 
ffant death.” “ Execrable monffer ! (retorted Dumont) 
thou had deferved it in an hundred forms !” The decree 
for his accufation was immediately put, and carried una- 
nimoufly ; and Couthon and St. Juft were added. The 
younger Robefpierre and Lebas, infulting the convention, 
and threatening fame of the members, were al(o included 
in the decree of accufation. The officer who was ordered 
to take them into cuftody, imprefled with the habitual 
fear excited by the prefence of Robefpierre, hefilated to 
obey the-eommands of the prefident, and would not re¬ 
ceive the prifoners till their chief made a fign expreflive 
of his obedience to the law, when'they were all led out. 
Meantime the rumour of what was paffing in the con¬ 
vention l’pread all over Paris; Robefpierre’s partizans 
loft no time in endeavouring to repel the rifing (form. 
The Jacobins affembled in their hall, and fent to'put the 
feCtions of Paris in a (late of infurreClion. The toc.fin 
was founded, the Greve covered with armed men, and 
fevetal pieces of artillery planted on the Quai Pelletier, 
threatening the hall of the convention ; the barriers were 
fhut, and Henriot, who had been arrefted and had efcaped, 
was indefatigable in collecting an armed force to refill the 
execution of the decree. 
The keepers of the various prifons, participating in the 
general dread excited by the name of Robefpierre, had 
refilled to receive him and the other deputies, who were 
now fpeedily refeued from their guard ; and having opened 
a fitting at the hotel-de-ville, proceeded to outlaw the na¬ 
tional convention. After (pending much time in debate, 
they at length lent an armed force, with Henriot at their 
head, to dilfolve the convention. But that body, con¬ 
vinced that they were ftruggling for their lives, had al- 
N C E. 
ready concerted meafures for their fafety, Legendre had 
difperfed the Jacobin club ; feven deputies were fent into 
various parts of the city with a proclamation, explaining 
the true (late of things; a decree of outlawry was paffed 
againft the commune ; and when Henriot, at the head of 
his troop, made his appearance in the court-yard of the 
Thuilleries, they put him alfo “out of the law.” The 
effeft operated like electricity ; his foldiers, panic-ftruck, 
refufed to obey him ; the people demanded his arrefta¬ 
tion ; and he, confufed and abaflied, haftened to the hotel- 
de-ville, to inform his colleagues of his ill fuccefs. The 
convention, feeing the operation of things in their favour, 
proclaimed fentence of outlawry againft Robefpierre and 
all his affociates, and fet a price on their heads. 
The feven deputies foon fucceeded in railing a party of 
the armed inhabitants of Paris in their favour ; and with 
thefe, reinforced by fome foldiers who remained faithful 
to the national reprefentation, they found themfelves 
able, at about three o’clock in the morning of the 18th 
of July, to march againft the commune ; having firft per- 
fuaded the cannoneers at the Quai Pelletier to refill the com¬ 
mands of Henriot, and to join them. The hotel-de-ville 
might have made a powerful refiftance, and perhaps have 
turned the tide of fuccefs ; but the foldiers of the na¬ 
tional guard, hearing that the commune and the deputies 
there affembled were outlawed, refufed obedience ; the 
cannoneers were differently difpofed ; but the mob had 
obtained poffeffion of the gun-carriages, and were ufing 
them as ladder.' to enable them to look into the windows 
of the hotel-de-ville, to fee how the confpirators behaved 
in this emergency. Bourbon de l’Oife, having firft read 
to the people the proclamation of outlawry, ru(hed into 
the hotel-de-ville, armed with a fabre and piftols, and 
was followed by a conficlerable force. The younger Ro- 
befpierre leaped out of a window, but was taken up mi- 
ferably bruifed and wounded : St. Juft, too pufillanimous 
to effect his own deftruCtion, befought Lebas to ftioot 
him ; “ Coward, (anfwered Lebas,) I have fomething 
elfe to do;” and immediately blew out his own brains. 
Coffinhal, in a rage, threw Henriot out of a window. 
Goffinhal himfelf efcaped, but was afterwards betrayed 
by an intimate friend, and delivered up to judgment. 
The remaining adherents of Robefpierre were taken with¬ 
out difficulty ; and he himfelf was found in one of the 
apartments of the hotel-de-ville, leaning againft a wall 
with a knife in his hand, apparently intended for the pur- 
pofe of felf-deftru.6tion, but which he durft not ufe. A 
foldier who difeovered him, apprehending refiftance from 
the knife, fired tw’o piffols at him, one of which wounded 
him on the head, the other broke his under jaw ; he was 
taken before the committee of general fecurity in an arm 
chair ; and a meflage was fent to the convention, to know 
if Robefpierre fhould be brought to the bar; but the 
members unanimoufly exclaimed, that they wo did no 
more fuffer their hall to be polluted by the prelence of 
foch a monffer. He lay for fome hours in an anti-cham¬ 
ber of the committee of general fecurity, ftretched on a 
table, motionlefs, apparently infenfible of corporal an- 
guiffi, though the blood flowed from his eyes, mouth, 
and noftrils; but torn with racking reflections, and aban¬ 
doned to remorfe and defpair, he appeared wholly over¬ 
come with convulfive agony. After enduring, in this 
fituation, the taunts of all who approached him, he was 
replaced in the arm-chair, and carried to the Hotel Dieu, 
where his wounds were drefled to prolong the pains of 
exiftence ; and from thence he was fent to the prifon of 
the Conciergerie. He was brought before the revolu¬ 
tionary tribunal the fame day, together with his accom¬ 
plices, in number twenty-one; and as they were all out 
of the law, the identification of their perfons alone was 
neceffary, and fentence of death was demanded againft 
them by their former paflive creature, Fouquier Tinville, 
the public accufer. 
In the evening of the fame day, foon after five o’clock, 
they were eonduCted to the place of execution, amidft 
a the 
