gppearance unfriendly to each other, ftill 
more hardy than able, rather ftate(men 
than orators, or more properly f{peaking, 
-party-men, rather than itatefmen ; but 
they were audacious and delperate demia- 
gogues, who thought that ey thing 
ought to be achieved by means of the pev- 
ple, while their adverfaries were content to 
do every thing for them.  Vergniaud, 
Guadet, in fine, all thofe denominated 
the Gironde, withed at fir’ to govern 
royalty, ftill more by their influence and 
their credit, than by that authority, which 
they loved rather to fhare, than to exercile; 
and when royalty itfelf was abolithed, they 
inclined to found a republic by lawful 
means and legal forms. But their adver- 
faries,”® adds he, ** fuch 
Robefpierre, Collot de Herbcis, Billaud, 
Varennes, Marat, all the men of the 
fecond of September, purfued by the 
bloody fpeékacles of their victims, dreaded 
the idea of conftitu:tonal means and legal 
forms, which would have produced their 
punifhment. Forced alfo to declare for 
a republic, they faw that it became necef- 
fary for them to govern it, in order that 
they might govern by is In the place of 
Virtues which they did not poffefs, they 
conferred the name of virtues upon crimes, 
and thus haftened to fnaten from their 
foes thofe arms, which they themfelves 
could not make ufe of. To fum up the 
‘whole, Robefpierre, with the aid of about 
three hundred new men, at length found 
means to concentrate in his own /perfon the 
plaudits of the galleries of the Jacobins, 
and finaliy obtained an unbounded autho- 
rity over the minds of the people.” 
Relpe&ting the fall of this atrocious 
man, we have received an account, which 
includes a {mall portion of fecret hiftory. 
“* After having conduted an infinite num- 
ber of difting uithed perfonages to the fcaf- 
fold, Robefpierre abfented himfelf fre- 
quently from the Committee of General 
Surety. During his abfence, Juit 
delivered in a report, in which the follow. 
ing fingular expreffion was remarked, that 
it was necefjary to refign the care of the 
public fafety to a particular defliny. On 
being prefled, relative to the tenfe of this 
particular phrafe, he articulated the word 
Difator, and thus dilciofed the intentions 
of his colleague. The veil being ihus 
torn alunder, every one perceived chat. his 
own perfonal fafety was connected with 
that of the public. A fenfe of common 
danger pioduced un‘on ; and it was de- 
cided to commence the attack on the very 
next day, which Saab to be the Sth 
Thermidor. Robefpierre hintelf fcemed 
Retrofpect of French Literature.-— Hi ijhory. 
as Danton, : 
| 4 
339 
_to provoke this attack, ! by a difcourfe,' in 
which he aflailed the Commrters, and 
even certain individuals, Accuflomed ta 
vanguifh by means of the Jicootis, he net 
only thought -himfiif in Jafety, but allo 
mater of his enemies 5 butnotwihiteming, 
not only they, tyar ae Conmune, as weil 
as all the factions 11 te fettion:, declar dd 
againit him. Af-er a thort and iseff-crual 
ftrugele, he was arrefted, overpowered, 
imprifuned, and punithed.’”. 
“© Science de |Hiftoire, contenant f¢ 
Syfeme ¢ général des Connoifinces a ac- 
quénr avant ‘d*itudier 1H: itoire, et la 
Méthode a fuivre quand on fe livre a ce 
Genre d’Etude, developpée par Tableaux 
Synoptigues; par P. N. Cuanrazay, 
Protetleur d’ Hittowe, Membre de plufie Urs 
‘Sociétés Litt éraires, Haeeae ar et contimu- 
ateur des Tables Chronologiques de Joka 
Elair.”"—The Science of Hiltury, contain. 
ing a general Syftern of the Knowledes 
witich ought to be attained previoufly te 
_the Study of Hiftory, and alfo the Methed 
to be followed, &c. By P. N rea 
TREAU, Proteffor of Hiftory, Member of 
feveral Literary Societies, tranflator and 
contipuator of Blair's Chronological 
Tables, 1 vel. ato. 
M. Chantreau confiders hitory.as a 
{cience, -and he attributes our igaorance 
in ref{pect to this {pecies ef human know - 
ledge, to the puerile method adopted in 
our public fchcols, He maistaias thar 
hiftory ought to be preceded by prepara 
tory ftudies, and that ‘ the fanétuary Ge 
truth ought only to beopened to the init 
ated, who have gone through the prefer: 
ed trial, until which period, they are ta 
await i the periftyle et the temple.” He 
complains, that thofe entrufied ta bei 
hiftory. are not (utictently metoodical, 
confequence of which, pupils in pce 
do not reap all the advantage, of whicr 
they are capable... ‘© We have rema: ked,” 
adds he, ce tnat while fixing the attention 
of young people on oe mot interelting 
epochs, no care whatloever is ta sete ter 
convey any idea of the aoe and politicad 
confiderations that ought to accumpany 
them: this is highly effemrial to, and 1 
forms the complement of the | cience of, 
hiftory.”” 
This 
branches ; 
fcience is “divided into two 
the one which he terms da 
partie notionnaire, comprehends chrone- 
logy, § geography, and civil organifation, 
which include the elements of. pe ities 3 
biér ology, or an idea of the principal reli 
gious tyliems,; fopbotogy, or a- knowleds i: 
of the philefophical : opinions of the chiefs 
hations, bois ancient and mod 
ay 2? ga Spe 
ee | 
He Yo 
