[5] "Correspondance du Baron de Sta？l，" Jan.19， 1792. -- Gouverneur Morris (II.162， Feb. 4， 1792) writes to Washington that M. de Warville， on the diplomatic committee， proposed to cede Dunkirk and Calais to England， as a pledge of fidelity by France， in any engagement which she might enter into. You can judge， by this， of the wisdom and virtue of the faction to which he belongs -- Buchez et Roux， XXX 89 (defense of Brissot， Jan. 5， 1793) "Brissot， like all noisy， reckless， ambitious men， started in full blast with the strangest paradoxes. In 1780. in his 'Recherches philosophiques sur le droit de propriété，' he wrote as follows： 'If 40 crowns suffice to maintain existence， the possession of 200，000 crowns is plainly unjust and a robbery . . . Exclusive ownership is a veritable crime against nature . . . The punishment of robbery in our institutions is an act of virtue which nature herself commands.'"[6] Moniteur， speech by Cambon， sittings of Feb. 2 and April 20， 1792.
[7] Ibid.， (sitting of April 3). Speech by M. Cailliasson. The property belonging to the nation， sold and to be sold， is valued at 2，195 millions， while the assignats already issued amount to 2，100millions. -- Cf. Mercure de France， Dec. 17， 1791， p.201； Jan.28， 1792， p. 215； May 19， 1792， p. 205. -- Dumouriez， "Mémoires，" III.
296， and 339， 340， 344， 346. - "Cambon， a raving lunatic， without education， humane principle， or integrity (public) a meddler， an ignoramus， and very giddy. He tells me that one resource remained to him， which is， to seize all the coin in Belgium， all the plate belonging to the churches， and all the cash deposits . . . that， on ruining the Belgians， on reducing them to the same state of suffering as the French， they would necessarily share their fate with them； that they would then be admitted members of the Republic， with the prospect of always making headway， through the same line of policy； that the decree of Dec. 15， 1792， admirably favored this and， because it tended to a complete disorganization， and that the luckiest thing that could happen to France was to disorganize all its neighbors and reduce them to the same state of anarchy." (This conversation between Cambon and Dumouriez occurs in the middle of January， 1793.) - Moniteur， XIV. 758(sitting of Dec. 15， 1792). Report by Cambon.
[8] Chronique de Paris， Sept. 4， 1792. "It is a sad and terrible situation which forces a people， naturally amiable and generous， to take such vengeance！ " - Cf. the very acute article， by St. Beuve， on Condorcet， in "Causeries du Lundi，" -- Hua (a colleague of Condorcet， in the Legislative Assembly)， "Mémoires，" 89. "Condorcet， in his journal， regularly falsified things， with an audacity which is unparelleled. The opinions of the 'Right' were so mutilated and travestied the next day in his journal， that we， who had uttered them， could scarcely recognise them. On complaining of this to him and on charging him with perfidy， the philosopher only smiled."[9] Malouet， II. 215. -- Dumouriez， III. ch. V. "They were elected to represent the nation to defend， they say， its interests against a perfidious court."[10] Moniteur， X. 223 (session of Oct. 26， 1791). Speech by M.
Fran？ois Duval. -- Grandiloquence is the order of the day at the very first meeting. On the 1st of October， 1791， twelve old men， marching in procession， go out to fetch the constitutional act. "M. Camus， keeper of the records， with a composed air and downcast eyes， enters with measured steps，" bearing in both hands the sacred document which he holds against his breast， while the deputies stand up and bare their heads. "People of France，" says an orator， "citizens of Paris， all generous Frenchmen， and you， our fellow citizens -- virtuous， intelligent women， bringing your gentle influence into the sanctuary of the law -- behold the guarantee of peace which the legislature presents to you！" -- We seem to be witnessing the last act of an opera.
[11] Ibid.， XII. 230 (sessions of April 26 and May 5). Report and speech by Fran？ois de Nantes. The whole speech， a comic treasure from the beginning to the end， ought to have been quoted： "Tell me， pontiff of Rome， what your sentiments will be when you welcome your worthy and faithful co-operators？ . . I behold your sacred hands， ready to launch those pontifical thunderbolts， which， etc. . . Let the brazier of Sc？vola be brought in， and， with our outstretched palms above the burning coals， we will show that there is no species of torture， no torment which can excite a frown on the brow of him whom the love of country exalts above humanity！" -- Suppose that， just at this moment， a lighted candle had been placed under his hand！
[12] Moniteur， XI. 179 (session of Jan. 20， 1792). - Ibid.， 216(session of Jan. 24). - XII. 426 (May 9).
[13] Ibid.， XII. 479 (session of May 24). - XIII. 71 (session of July 7， speech by Lasource). - Cf. XIV. 301 (session of July 31) a quotation from Voltaire brought in for the suppression of the convents.
[14] Moniteur. Speech by Aubert Dubayer， session of Aug. 30.
[15] Speech by Chaumette， procureur of the commune， to the newly married. (Mortimer-Ternaux， IV. 408).
[16] The class to which they belonged has been portrayed， to the life， by M. Roye-Collard (Sainte-Beuve， "Nouveaux Lundis，" IV. 263)： "Ayoung lawyer at Paris， at first received in a few houses on the Ile St. Louis， he soon withdrew from this inferior world of attorneys and pettyfoggers， whose tone oppressed him. The very thought of the impression this gallant and intensely vulgar mediocrity made upon him， still inspired disgust. He much preferred to talk with longshoremen， if need be， than with these scented limbs of the law."[17] Etienne Dumont， "Mémoires，" 40. -- Mercure de France， Nov. 19， 1791； Feb. 11 and March 3， 1792. (articles by Mallet du Pan).