PARI S. 509 
Sun, a town on the Seine, at the di(lance of ten leagues 
from Paris; and another at Montargis, a few hours 
march from - Fontainebleau. The government now 
thought, that if Bonaparte attempted to proceed on the 
road to Paris he would be cut off, as he would thus be 
placed between two fires. Marfiial Ney, the prince of 
Molkwaj had already reached Lons le Saulnier, with an 
army amounting to about 14,000 men, with which he 
threatened his rear. This officer had, in an effuiion of 
loyalty, repaired to the Tuileries, and, proffering his fer- 
vices, had allured the king, on receiving the command of 
thefe troops, that he would bring Bonaparte to Paris in 
an iron cage. To which the king replied, with mild dig¬ 
nity, that this was not what he-required, and that he only 
delired of the marffial to drive back the invader. The 
prince took his leave of the king, and departed. 
Though it was greatly apprehended that the fpirit of 
difaffeftion had pervaded the army in general, it was 
hoped that a part would yet be found faithful. The mar- 
fhals, the national-guard, the reprefentatives of the 
people, and the civil authorities, feemed to vie with each 
other in their profeffions of attachment and devotion. 
The knowledge that armies were placed in front, on the 
flanks, and in the rear, cheered the drooping fpirits of 
the royal ills, who, applauding the loyalty of the national- 
guard, rather than confiding in their prowefs, faw with 
fatisfadlion the departure of the marlhals to head the ar¬ 
mies, and particularly the prince of Molkwa, whofe affu- 
rances to the king were cited in his own phrafeology, 
that he would bring the fovereign of Elba, in an iron cage, 
to Paris. The king, indeed, placed the fulleft confidence 
in this general; and meeting with Madame Ney, two 
days afterwards, he faid to her with emotion, “ Madame, 
you haveahufband whofe loyalty is equal to his courage." 
For a ffiort time confidence appeared to be in fome degree 
reftored. The government received favourable accounts 
from the north. Marlhal Oudinot having affembled the 
garrifon of Metz, amounting to 13,000 men, told them, 
that he had never deceived them when they had fought 
together ; that he was ready to give paffports to all who 
withed to join Bonaparte; but that he wiffied to be fure 
of thofe who willingly remained with him. The troops 
immediately renewed their oath of fidelity to the king. 
The old guard was foremoft in profeffing its loyalty : 
“ Although,” faid they, “ he has not ufed us well; al¬ 
though he has degraded us from our rank of guards, and, 
above all, has {flown that he diftrufted our honour, we 
will prove to him and to France that we can be generous 
in proportion as others are unjuft." When intelligence 
of this was brought to the king, he inftantly-ordered that 
every foldier ftiould have the rank of fergeant; that every 
fergeant fnould be confidered a commiffioned-officer; that 
each fubaltern ftiould rank as captain ; and that the whole 
ihould receive pay as in the time of Bonaparte. His ma- 
jefty likewife ordered that they ftiould be henceforth called 
the king's guards, and ftiould proceed by forced marches 
to Paris, and do the duty of the palace. 
On the nth of March, a report was made to the cham¬ 
ber of peers, by the king’s order, in which the whole pro- 
grefs of Bonaparte from his landing was frankly related. 
On the 14th Monfieur returned to Paris, and reported 
his unfuccefsful miffion. The king was now confirmed 
in the apprehenfions which he had entertained from the 
beginning. His majefty was urged by many to retire to 
the northern departments, or to Belgium ; but his moft 
enlightened friends thought it beft for Louis to attend 
at one of the fittings of the chambers, furrounded by the 
princes of his blood, and in the moft public, folemn, and 
unequivocal, manner, repeat his acceptance of the Con- 
ftitutional Charter,,and his determination to refpedt the 
property and the rights of all his fubje&s. It was juftly 
and unanfwerably argued, that, as the moft fanguine hopes 
of the invader were founded on the fufpicions and fears 
which unfortunately prevailed, that the charter would be 
Vofl. XVIII. No. 1261. 
broken or eluded, his defeat could only be infured by the 
prompt removal of thofe fears. 
On the 16th of March, therefore, the king went in 
great ftate to the hall of the deputies. The chamber of 
peers had been invited to affift at the fitting. Louis was 
received with the moft lively teftimonies of affedtion and 
refpedV. He placed himfelf on the throne, and thus ad- 
drefted the affembly. “ Gentlemen ! In this momentous 
crifis, when the public enemy has penetrated into a part 
of the kingdom, and threatens the liberty of the remain¬ 
der, I come in the mid ft of you to draw clofer thofe ties 
which unite us together, and which conftitute the ftrength 
of the ftate. I come, in addreffing myfelf to you, to de¬ 
clare to all France my fentiments and my wiffies. I have 
revifited my country, and reconciled her to all foreign 
nations, who will doubtlefs maintain, with the utmoft 
fidelity, thofe treaties which had reftored to us peace, j 
have laboured for the benefit of my people. I have recei¬ 
ved, and itiil continue daily to receive, the moft ftriking 
proofs of their love. Can I, then, at fixly years of age, 
better terminate my career than by dying in their defence? I 
fear nothing for myfelf; but I fear for France. He who 
comes to light again amongft us the torch of civil war 
brings with him alfo the fcourge of foreign war. He comes 
to reduce our country under his iron yoke. He comes, 
in ffiort, to deftroy that Conftitutional Charter which I 
have given you ; that Charter, my brighteft title to the 
eftimation of pofterity, that Charter which all Frenchmen 
cheriffi, and which I here fwear to maintain. Let us rally, 
therefore, around it ! let it be our facred ftandard f The 
defendants of Henry the Fourth will be the firft to range 
themfelves under it. They will be followed by all good 
Frenchmen. In ihort, gentlemen, let the concurrence 
of the two chambers give to authority all the force that is 
neceffary; and this war, truly national, will prove by its 
happy termination what a great nation, united in its loye 
to its king and to its laws, can eftedL” 
At the clofe of this addrefs the whole affembly rofe, 
and extending their hands towards the throne, exclaimed 
with one voice, “ The king forever! We will die forthe 
king ! The king in life and in death !" The king, pro¬ 
foundly moved, prefented his hand to Monfieur, which 
his royal-highnefs feized, and kiffed with tranfport. 
Louis was no longer able to fupprefs his feelings, and 
prefled Monfieur to his breaft. At this touching fpec- 
tacle, every heart was melted; every eye moiftened with 
tears ; every faculty appeared abforbed, and not one voice 
dared to interrupt the fublimity of the feene. At length 
by one fimultaneous impulfe, all hands were, again 
llretched towards the throne, and the hall rung with the 
moft rapturous acclamations, “ In one day,” fays a fpec- 
tator, “ the deftinies of France would have been for ever 
allured ; the king, the country, our deareft rights, would 
have been for ever fafe, if all France could have been pre- 
fent at this feene.” But, in the prefent crifis, fcenes like 
thefe tended rather to the injury than the benefit of the 
royal caufe. They generated a fort of loquacious pa- 
triotifm, when it was far more neceflary to a< 5 t than to ha¬ 
rangue. After the tribune had fhouted forth fome ener¬ 
getic and eloquent philippics againft Napoleon, both the 
orator and his hearers fondly imagined that the invader 
was cruffied, and the decifive meafures that actually bid 
the faireft to crufti him were negledted. 
On his return from the affembly, Monfieur reviewed 
the national guard of Paris. Fifty battalions filed ia 
clofe order in the inner court of the Thuileries, amount! 
ing to nearly 25,000 men. As each battalion entered the 
fquare, the cries of “The king forever!” refounded from 
every ioldier. Unfortunately, at the moment when the 
columns were commencing their march by the balcony in 
which Louis was feated, he was feized with fo excrucia¬ 
ting a paroxyfm of gout, that his attendants were forced 
to carry him away in their arms; and the national-guard, 
after (flowing the fpirit which animated them by one full 
6 0 (hout 
