History of the Girondists, Volume I: Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French RevolutionLamartine, Alphonse de
History
History of the Girondists, Volume I: Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution
Lamartine, Alphonse de
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799; Girondists
"If," said he, "it be really desired to check the tide of emigration, we
must more particularly punish the more elevated offenders, who establish
in foreign lands a centre of counter-revolution. We should distinguish
three classes of emigrants; the brothers of the king, unworthy of
belonging to him,--the public functionaries, deserting their posts and
deluding citizens,--and finally, the simple citizens, who follow example
from imitation, weakness, or fear. You owe hate and banishment to the
first, pity and indulgence to the others. How can the citizens fear you,
when the impunity of their chiefs insures their own? Have you then two
scales of weights and measures? What can the emigrants think, when they
see a prince, after having squandered 40,000,000 (of francs) in ten
years, still receive from the National Assembly more millions, in order
to provide for his extravagance and pay his debts?
"Divide the interests of the rebellious by alarming the prime criminals.
Patriots are still amused by paltry palliatives against emigration; the
partisans of the court have thus trifled with the credulity of the
people, and you have seen even Mirabeau deriding those laws, and telling
you they would never be put into execution, because a king would not
himself become the accuser of his own family. Three years without
success, a wandering and unhappy life, their intrigues frustrated, their
conspiracies overthrown, all these defeats have not cured the emigrants;
their hearts were corrupted from the cradle. Would you check this
revolt? then strike the blow on the other side of the Rhine: it is not
in France. It was by such decided steps that the English prevented James
II. from impeding the establishment of their liberty. They did not amuse
themselves with framing petty laws against emigration, but demanded that
foreign princes should drive the English princes from their dominions.
(Applause.) The necessity of this measure was seen here from the first.
Ministers will talk to you of considerations of state, family reasons;
these considerations, these weaknesses cover a crime against liberty.
The king of a free people has no family. Again, I counsel you attack the
leaders only; let it no longer be said, 'These malcontents are then very
strong; these 25,000,000 of men must then be very weak thus to consider
them.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account