This, my dear Sir, was not the triumph of France. I must believe that, as a nation, it overwhelmed you with fhame and horror. I must believe that the National Affembly find themselves in a state of the greatest humiliation, in not being able to punish the authors of this triumph, or the actors in it; and that they are in a fituation in which any enquiry they may make upon the fubject, must be deftitute even of the appearance of liberty or impartiality. The apology of that Affembly is found in their fituation; but when we approve what they muft bear, it is in us the degenerate choice of a vitiated mind.

With a compelled appearance of deliberation, they vote under the dominion of a stern neceffity. They fit in the heart, as it were, of a foreign republic: they have their refidence in a city whofe conftitution has emanated neither from the charter of their king, nor from their legislative power. There they are furrounded by an army not raised either by the authority of their crown, or by their command; and which, if they should order to diffolve itself, would inftantly diffolve them. There they fit, after a gang of affaffins had driven away all the men of moderate minds and moderating authority amongst them, and left them as a fort of dregs and refufe, under the apparent lead of those in whom they do not fo much as pretend to have any confidence. There they fit, in mockery of legiflation, repeating in refolutions the words of those whom they deteft and defpife. Captives themselves, they compel a captive king to iffue as royal edicts, at third hand, the polluted nonfenfe

fenfe of their moft licentious and giddy coffeehouses. It is notorious, that all their measures are decided before they are debated. It is beyond doubt, that under the terror of the bayonet, and the lamp-poft, and the torch to their houses, they are obliged to adopt all the crude and desperate measures fuggefted by clubs compofed of a monftrous medley of all conditions, tongues, and nations. Among these are found perfons, in comparifon of whom Catiline would be thought fcrupulous, and Cethegus a man of fobriety and moderation. Nor is it in these clubs alone that the publick measures are deformed into monsters. They undergo a previous diftortion in academies, intended as fo many feminaries for thefe clubs, which are fet up in all the places of publick refort. In these meetings of all forts, every counsel, in proportion as it is daring, and violent, and perfidious, is taken for the mark of fuperior genius. Humanity and compaffion are ridiculed as the fruits of fuperftition and ignorance. Tendernefs to individuals is confidered as treafon to the public. Liberty is always to be estimated perfect as property is rendered infecure. Amidft affaffination, maffacre, and confifcation, perpetrated or meditated, they are forming plans for the good order of future fociety. Embracing in their arms the carcafes of bafe criminals, and promoting their relations on the title of their offences, they drive hundreds of virtuous perfons to the fame end, by forcing them to fubfift by beggary or by crime.

The Affembly, their organ, acts before them the farce of deliberation with as little decency as liberty. They act like the comedians of a fair before a riotous audience; they act amidst the tumultuous cries of a mixed mob of ferocious men, and of women loft to fhame, who, according to their infolent fancies, direct, control, applaud, explode them; and fometimes mix and take their feats amongst them; domineering over them with a ftrange mixture of fervile petulance and proud prefumptuous authority. As they have inverted order in all things, the gallery is in the place of the house. This Affembly, which overthrows kings and kingdoms, has not even the phyfiognomy and afpect of a grave legislative body-nec color imperii, nec frons erat ulla fenatus. They have a power given to them, like that of the evil principle, to fubvert and destroy; but none to conftruct, except fuch machines as may be fitted for further fubverfion and further deftruction.

Who is it that admires, and from the heart is attached to national reprefentative affemblies, but must turn with horror and disgust from fuch a profane burlefque, and abominable perverfion of that facred inftitute? Lovers of monarchy, lovers of republicks, muft alike abhor it. The members of your Affembly muft themselves groan under the tyranny of which they have all the fhame, none of the direction, and little of the profit. I am fure many of the members who compofe even the majority of that body, muft feel as I do, notwithftanding the applaufes of the Revolution Society.

7

-Miferable

-Miserable king! miferable Affembly! How must that assembly be filently fcandalized with those of their members, who would call a day which feemed to blot the fun out of Heaven," un beau jour *!" How muft they be inwardly indignant at hearing others, who thought fit to declare to them, "that the veffel of the state would fly forward "in her courfe towards regeneration with more "speed than ever," from the stiff gale of treason and murder, which preceded our Preacher's triumph! What must they have felt, whilft with outward patience and inward indignation they heard of the flaughter of innocent gentlemen in their houses, that "the blood fpilled was not the "most pure?" What must they have felt, when they were befieged by complaints of disorders which fhook their country to its foundations, at being compelled coolly to tell the complainants, that they were under the protection of the law, and that they would address the king (the captive king) to caufe the laws to be enforced for their protection; when the enslaved minifters of that captive king had formally notified to them, that there were neither law, nor authority, nor power left to protect? What must they have felt at being obliged, as a felicitation on the present. new year, to request their captive king to forget the stormy period of the last, on account of the great good which he was likely to produce to his people; to the complete attainment of which good they adjourned the practical demonstrations

*

6th of October, 1789.,

of their loyalty, affuring him of their obedience, when he should no longer poffefs any authority to command?

This addrefs was made with much good-natureand affection, to be fure. But among the revolutions in France, muft be reckoned a confiderable revolution in their ideas of politenefs. In England we are faid to learn manners at fecond-hand from your fide of the water, and that we drefs our behaviour in the frippery of France. If fo, we are ftill in the old cut; and have not fo far conformed to the new Parifian mode of goodbreeding, as to think it quite in the moft refined ftrain of delicate compliment (whether in condolence or congratulation) to fay, to the most humiliated creature that crawls upon the earth, that great public benefits are derived from the murder of his fervants, the attempted affaffination of himfelf and of his wife, and the mortification, difgrace, and degradation, that he has perfonally fuffered. It is a topic of confolation which our ordinary of Newgate would be too humane to ufe to a criminal at the foot of the gallows. I fhould have thought that the hangman of Paris, now that he is liberalized by the vote of the National Affembly, and is allowed his rank and arms in the Herald's College of the rights of men, would be too generous, too gallant a man, too full of the fenfe of his new dignity, to employ that cutting confolation to any of the perfons whom the leze nation might bring under the administra¬ tion of his executive powers.

A man is fallen indeed, when he is thus flat

tered,