("202 
) ; f May. 
ANECDOTES OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
futerefing and Original Anecdnes of the 
French Revolution ; 10 be continued in a 
regular fertes from its commencement to 
the prefint period, and including tts fecret 
kiffory. , 
NEW PARTICULARS OF THE FLIGHT OF 
LOUIS X¥J. TO, VARENNES. 
HEN the king, at about nine 
o'clock in the evening, paffed 
through Sainte-Menehould, Drouet, the 
poft-matter, fince reprefentative of the peo- 
ple, conceived the firft fulpicion of his 
flight, not only from the extraordinary 
movement among the troops, but alto 
from the myfterious and timid manner in 
which he enquired after a bye road that 
would take him to the Abbey of Orval, 
, without pafting through Verdun. This 
he did in conformity with the inftruétions 
of Bouillé, who had reprefented that city 
as likely to be unfavourable to his emi-- 
gration. Dryouet to clear up a doubt of 
fo much importance, took an affignat of 
five livres, compared the face engraved 
upon it with that of the traveller, and, 
convinced of their identity, rode in all 
hatte through the woods , and arrived at 
Varennes an hour and_a half before the 
king. He immediately went to Saulé, 
the procuratcr of the commune, a man of 
a firm mind, and confulted with him con- 
cerning the means of ftopping the fugi- 
tive. Saulé fent off, without Jofs of 
time, a requilition for men to the neigh- 
bouring towns and cities ; while Drouet 
repaired to the farther end of Varennes, 
where there is a bridge, only wide enough 
for one carriage and two or three perfons 
on foot to pals. By the poft-mafter’s di- 
rections a cart loaded with manure was 
taken to the middle of it, and overturned. 
This operation was fcarcely complete, 
when the king’s carriage made its appear- 
ance, and {topped in a {mall open place at 
the entrance of the town. It was now 
ai quarter before twelve o’clock. The 
king was perfuaded that he fhould find 
there the relay provided for him by the 
Marquis de Bouillé; enquired after it at 
feveral houfes; and as yet faw no ftir or 
buftle, that could infpire him with the 
fmalleft! alarm; the procurator of the 
commune and Drouet, having been able 
to collect no more than feven men to op- 
cfe his paflage. 
“The Marquis de Bouillé’s two aid-du- 
camps, his fon and d’Ofize, were the per-- 
fons who were charged to have the relay 
veady.at Varennes. <cdrriving there at it- 
ven o’clock in the evening, they ftopped 
at an inn beyond the bridge ; fat down te 
table; and, after their repaft was over, 
inftead of attending to the relay, were fo 
intent on adorning their perfons, that 
they {pent the whole evening in drefling, 
imagining that they could never- maké 
themfelves fine enough to appear before 
the queen. The confequence was, that 
they were ftill before the looking-glafs, | 
when Lewis X¥I. was flopped, and knew 
nothing of that event till one cr two 
o’clock in the morning, when far from en- 
deavouring to fuccour the king by join- 
ing the thirty huffars of the regiment of 
Laufan, who did not declare for the peo- 
ple till three o’clock, they made off from 
Varennes with all poflible fpeed, for fear 
of being hanged. 
The king’s carriage having ftopped 
under a kind of arch, which, except a few 
remnants of a wall, was all that remained 
of the ancient fortifications, Saufé came 
to afk the names of the travellers, and re- 
quefted to fe their paffports, offering 
them his fervices at the fame time. §* 7 
am the Baronefs de Keorpf,” faid the 
queen; ‘‘and am going to Ruffia with 
my family and valets de-chambre.’ The 
king travelled under the name of one of 
thele valets. 
Saujé, who fought only to protract 
their {tay, in order to give the inhabitants 
of the neighbouring towns and hamlets 
time to take arms, was very prefling in his 
invitations to the baronefs to walk into 
his honfe, under the pretence of examin- 
ing her paffport. He offered her befides, 
refrefnments for herfelf and children. 
After many ufelefs entreaties, the fuppofed - - 
valet-de-chambre mixed in the converfa- 
tion: ‘* Let us alight, madam,” faid he 3. 
“¢ the children mutt in truth want fome- 
thing to eat.” 
The procurator of the commune, highly 
pleafed with this firft fuecefs, offered the 
fugitive family the beft of every thing. 
that his houfe afforded. The queen and 
the princefs Elizabeth declined taking any 
thing; the royal children ate a few bif- 
cuits; and the king feemed to find fome 
excellent champaign very much to his 
tafte. Saufé managed fo well that he found 
means to make the converfation laft up- 
wards of two hours, till it was intimated 
to him in a whifper that a fufficient force 
was affembled. : 
He then began to look attentively ata 
portrait of the king, which he had in his 
apartment; 
