"Robespierre listened to me with dismay， turned pale and kept silent for some moments. This interview confirmed me in the idea I always had of him， that he combined the enlightenment of a wise senator with the uprightness of a genuine good man and the zeal of a true patriot， but that he equally lacked the views and boldness of a statesman." -Thibaudeau， "Mémoires，" 58. - He was the only member of the committee of Public Safety who did not join the department missions.
[153] Someone is "grandisonian" when he is like the novelist Richardson's hero， Sir Walter Grandison， beneficient， polite and chivalrous. (SR).
[154] Buchez et Roux XX.， 198. (Speech of Robespierre in the Convention， November 5， 1792.)[155] All these statements by Robespierre are opposed to the truth. -("Procés-verbaux des Séances de la Commune de Paris.") Sep. 1， 1792， Robespierre speaks twice at the evening session. - The testimony of two persons， both agreeing， indicate， moreover， that he spoke at the morning session， the names of the speakers not being given. "The question，" says Pétion (Buchez et Roux， XXI.， 103)， "was the decree opening the barriers." This decree is under discussion at the Commune at the morning session of September 1： "Robespierre， on this question， spoke in the most animated manner， wandering off in sombre flights of imagination； he saw precipices at his feet and plots of liberticides；he designated the pretended conspirators."- Louvet (ibid.， 130)， assigns the same date， (except that he takes the evening for the morning session)， for Robespierre's first denunciation of the Girondists： "Nobody， then，" says Robespierre， "dare name the traitors？
Very well， I denounce them. I denounce them for the security of the people. I denounce the liberticide Brissot， the Girondist faction， the villainous committee of twenty-one in the National Assembly. Idenounce them for having sold France to Brunswick and for having received pay in advance for their baseness." - Sep. 2， ("Procès verbaux de la Commune，" evening session)， "MM. Billaud-Varennes and Robespierre， in developing their civic sentiments， . . denounce to the Conseil-Général the conspirators in favor of the Duke of Brunswick， whom a powerful party want to put on the throne of France."- September 3， at 6 o'clock in the morning， (Buchez et Roux， 16， 132， letter of Louvet)， commissioners of the Commune present themselves at Brissot's house with an order to inspect his papers； one of them says to Brissot that he has eight similar orders against the Gironde deputies and that he is to begin with Guadet. (Letter of Brissot complaining of this visit， Monitur， Sep. 7， 1792.) This same day， Sep. 31 Robespierre presides at the Commune. (Granier de Cassagnac， "Les Girondins" II.， 63.) It is here that a deputation of the Mauconseil section comes to find him， and he is charged by the "Conseil" with a commission at the Temple. - Sept. 4 (Buchez et Roux， XXI.， 106， Speech of Petion)， the Commune issues a warrant of arrest against Roland； Danton comes to the Mayoralty with Robespierre and has the warrant revoked； Robespierre ends by telling Petion： " Ibelieve that Brissot belongs to Brunswick." - Ibid.， 506.
"Robespierre (before Sept. 2)， took the lead in the Conseil"- Ibid.， 107. " Robespierre，" I said， "you are making a good deal of mischief.
Your denunciations， your fears， hatreds and suspicions， excite the people."[156] Garat， 86.-Cf. Hamel， I.， 264. (Speech， June 9， 1791.)[157] "The Revolution，" II.， 338， 339. (Speech. Aug. 3， 1792.)[158] Buchez et Roux， XXXIII.， 420. (Speech， Thermidor 8.)[159] Ibid.， XXXII.， 71. (Speech against Danton.) "What have you done that you have not done freely？"[160] Ibid.， XXXIII.， 199 and 221. (Speech on the law of Prairial 22.)[161] Mirabeau said of Robespierre： "Whatever that man has said， he believes in it. - Robespierre， Duplay's guest， dined every day with Duplay， a juryman in the revolutionary tribunal and co-operator for the guillotine， at eighteen francs a day. The talk at the table probably turned on the current abstractions； but there must have been frequent allusions to the condemnations of the day， and， even when not mentioned， they were in their minds. Only Robert Browning， at the present day， could imagine and revive what was spoken and thought in those evening conversations before the mother and daughters.