Danton might possibly have become a legal filibuster， a highwayman or gangster， and finally throttled or hung. Robespierre， on the contrary， might have continued as he began，[101] a busy， hard-working lawyer of good standing， member of the Arras Academy， winner of competitive prizes， author of literary eulogies， moral essays and philanthropic pamphlets； his little lamp， lighted like hundreds of others of equal capacity at the focus of the new philosophy， would have burned moderately without doing harm to any one， and diffused over a provincial circle a dim， commonplace illumination proportionate to the little oil his lamp would hold.
But the Revolution bore him into the Constituent Assembly， where， for a long time on this great stage， his amour propre， the dominant feeling of the pedant， suffered terribly. He had already suffered on this score from his earliest youth， and his wounds being still fresh made him only the more sensitive. - Born in Arras in 1758， orphaned and poor， protégé of his bishop， a bursar through favor at the college Louis-le-Grand， later a clerk with Brissot under the revolutionary system of law-practice， and at length settled down in his gloomy rue des Rapporteurs as a pettifogger. Living with a bad-tempered sister， he has adopts Rousseau， whom he had once seen and whom he ardently studies， for his master in philosophy， politics and style. Fancying， probably， like other young men of his age and condition， that he could play a similar part and thus emerge from his blind alley， he published law pleadings for effect， contended for Academy prizes， and read papers before his Arras colleagues. His success was moderate： one of his harangues obtained a notice in the Artois Almanac； the Academy of Metz awarded him only a second prize； that of Amiens gave him no prize， while the critic of the "Mercure" spoke of his style as smacking of the provinces. - In the National Assembly， eclipsed by men of great and spontaneous ability， he remains a long time in the shade， and， more than once， through obstination or lack of tact， makes himself ridiculous. With his sharp， thin， attorney's visage， "dull， monotonous， coarse voice and wearisome delivery，" - " an artesian accent " and constrained air，[102] his constantly putting himself forward， his elaboration of commonplaces， his evident determination to impose on cultivated people， still a body of intelligent listeners， and the intolerable boredom he caused them - all this is not calculated to render the Assembly indulgent to errors of sense and taste.[103] One day， referring to certain acts of the "Conseil：" "It is necessary that a noble and simple formula should announce national rights and carry respect for law into the hearts of the people.
Consequently， in the decrees as promulgated， after the words Louis， by the grace of God，" etc.， these words should follow：
"People， behold the law imposed on you！ Let this law be considered sacred and inviolable for all！" Upon this， a Gascon deputy arises and remarks in his southern accent， "Gentlemen， this style is unsuitable -there is no need for sermons.[104] (cantique)."General laughter； Robespierre keeps silent and bleeds internally： two or three such mishaps nettle such a man from head to foot. It is not that his stupid remarks seem silly to him； no pedant taken in the act and hissed would avow that he deserved such treatment； on the contrary， he is content to have spoken as becomes a philosophic and moral legislator， and so much the worse for the narrow minds and corrupt hearts unable to comprehend him.- Thrown back upon himself， his wounded vanity seeks inward nourishment and takes what it can find in the sterile uniformity of his bourgeois moderation. Robespierre， unlike Danton， has no cravings. He is sober； he is not tormented by his senses； if he gives way to them， it is only no further than he can help， and with a bad grace. In the rue Saintonge in Paris， "for seven months，" says his secretary，[105] "I knew of but one woman that he kept company with， and he did not treat her very well. . . very often he would not let her enter his room"： when busy， he must not be disturbed. He is naturally steady， hard-working， studious and fond of seclusion， at college a model pupil， at home in his province an attentive advocate， a punctual deputy in the Assembly， everywhere free of temptation and incapable of going astray. - "Irreproachable" is the word which from early youth an inward voice constantly repeats to him in low tones to console him for obscurity and patience. Thus has he ever been， is now， and ever will be； he says this to himself， tells others so， and on this foundation， all of a piece， he builds up his character. He is not， like Desmoulins， to be seduced by dinners， like Barnave， by flattery， like Mirabeau and Danton， by money， like the Girondists， by the insinuating charm of ancient politeness and select society， like the Dantonists， by the bait of joviality and unbounded license - he is the incorruptible. He is not to be deterred or diverted， like the Feuillants， Girondists， and Dantonists， like statesmen or specialists， by considerations of a lower order， by regard for interests or respect for acquired positions， by the danger of undertaking too much at once， by the necessity of not disorganizing the service and of giving play to human passions， motives of utility and opportunity： he is the uncompromising champion of the right.[106]