- c>- 
804 Original Anccdotes—The Direftory « «+ Carnot... Lepause [Now 
that the flag of England was then flying 
at Toulon, as that of Auftria had done 
formerly at Valenciennes ; and that every 
French patriot called out for mafculine 
and ftrentous exertion. There was an 
evident necefliry, then (and that, too, a 
neceffity not of their own creating) for 
the committee of public fafety to exert, 
evhaps, a vigour beyond ihe laws. 
No cold blooded aét of private malice, 
no deliberate inftance of perfonal revenge, 
no private and petty animofity, actuated 
or fullied his conduét. While Robef- 
Pierre was tampering with the jury, 
and impelling the public accufer to deeds 
at which huinan nature fhudders, Lin- 
det and Carnot, unable to reprefs or 
even check the tyrant, were labouring 
day and night in their bureaus ; the one, 
in procuring provifions for the armies 5 
the other, in organizing their victories. 
- The royalifts, unable to deny his me- 
rits, have attempted to leflenthem. Af- 
ter clafling him with St. Juft, Collot 
d’Herbvis, &c. they tell us, that the 
ground-work of his campaigns was 
borrowed from the pians of the great cap- 
tains of the age of Louis XIV. Now, 
as it is notorious that the papers of thefe 
celebrated commanders have been depo- 
fited near a century at the war office, 
how comes it about, that, during all the 
preceding wars, no one minifter was able 
to difcover one fignal victory, through the 
fpectacles of Condé and Turenne? 
« Enfant gaté du poltron Robefpierre, 
& De lui d’abord tu recu la lumiére 
& Et bien prifant ton naturel félon, 
“Tl t’accolale candide Couthon, 
&* Le doux St. jutt, & Vingénue Barrere, 
Et ce Collot, des Lyonnais le pére, 
Et pour tout dire, enfin ce bon Billaud 
6* Qu’injuftement on appellait Maraud. 
“ Dans cet égout revolutionnaire, 
~ Dans cetripot, dit de falut public, 
¢* J} futconnu que ton minois d’afpic 
“¢ Suffifait feul pour diriger la guerre : 
6¢ Lors des bureaux pillant tous les cartons, 
s¢ Et fans genie, officier de gé&uie, 
“ Tu virs donner avec forfauterie 
& De fort beaux plans pour plans de ta fagony 
& Plans que jadis pour abréger ta feine 
s Avaient formés les Condé, les Turenne,” Se. 
It was in the fame ftyle of inveétive that 
Freron faid : “ Qui avaii l’efprit de Bar- 
S* rere, le ceur de Collot d’ Herbos, & la 
“* ¢éte de Billaud*.’? Onthe other hand, 
the republicans have always exclaimed 
ATR EOE See SES) SI ae ae 
* <¢ That he had the wit of Barrere, the heart of 
Collot d’Herbvis, and the head of Billaud,”? 
4 
on all trying occafions: * Carnot, tw 
‘“* as la confiance des pairiotest ?’ [Fora 
charaéter and farther particulars of Carnot, 
Jee page 308, vol. i. of the Monthly Ma-_ 
Laxin e. t 
REVEILLIERE LEPAUxX, 
Or, as he was termed before the revolyu- 
tion, La Reveillieré _ de l'Epaux, was 
born at Angers, where he poffefied fome 
landed property. On his being returned 
2member of the National Affembly, he 
attached himfelt to the Gironde, and hay- 
ing been bred to the bar (for he was one 
of thofe whom Mr. Burke withes to 
ftigmatize under the appellation of wvi/- 
lage lawyers) he had acquired habits of 
bufinefs and refearch at an early period of 
life, and was very ferviceable to his col- 
leagues. Notwithfilanding he voted for 
the death of the king, Reveilliere Le- 
paux was profcribed by Robefpierre, and 
included in the lift of perfons out-lawed. 
Driven from Paris, and forced to wander 
about from department to department, 
endangering the head of every perfon 
who gave him an afylum, he was, never- 
theleis, fortunate eneugh to furvive the 
ftorm, and was the only one of his party 
that was eleéted into the direétory. 
To an irreproachable charaéter, he 
unites a tafte for letters, and for feience, 
and he is faid to have attained confide- 
rable eminence in_ botanical purfuits. 
After the conteft with the feétions, the 
heads of the victorious party wifhed te 
adjourn the conftitution, wader the ufualk 
pretext of /fate neceffity, but he oppofed 
this fatal plan with a manly firmnefs, 
and even threatened to denounce the 
authors of thofe crimes which, in /a Ven- 
aée, and other parts of the common- 
wealth, had fullied the name of a re- 
publican, and brought:an odium on 
liberty. 
The health of Reveilliere is precarious ; 
this circumftanice is, indeed, evident 
from his countenance, which exhibits a 
fickly hue; and it is faid by his friends, 
that as he was prevailed upon by 
the critical fituation of public affairs 
alone to encounter the fatigues of of- 
fice, fo he pants for peace, in order 
to enjoy domeftic tranquillity and rural 
retirement, amidft his plants and his 
books. 

+ “ Carnot, thou haft the confidence of the 
patriots.’” 
LETOURNEUR 
