Vergniaud, who, rather than Brissot, ought to have given name to the Girondists, took the lead in gratifying the wishes of these dreadful petitioners. He moved, 1st, That a National Convention should be summoned. 2d, That the King should be suspended from his office. 3d, That the King should reside at the Luxembourg palace under safeguard of the law,--a word which they were not ashamed to use. These proposals were unanimously assented to.[263] An almost vain attempt was made to save the lives of that remaining detachment of Swiss which had formed the King's escort to the Assembly, and to whom several of the scattered Royalists had again united themselves. Their officers proposed, as a last effort of despair, to make themselves masters of the Assembly, and declare the deputies hostages for the King's safety. Considering the smallness of their numbers, such an attempt could only have produced additional bloodshed, which would have been ascribed doubtless to the King's treachery. The King commanded them to resign their arms, being the last order which he issued to any military force. He was obeyed; but, as they were instantly attacked by the insurgents, few escaped slaughter, and submission preserved but a handful. About seven hundred and fifty fell in the defence, and after the storm of the Tuileries. Some few were saved by the generous exertions of individual deputies--others were sent to prison, where a bloody end awaited them--the greater part were butchered by the rabble, so soon as they saw them without arms. The mob sought for them the whole night, and massacred many porters of private families, who, at Paris, are generally termed Swiss, though often natives of other countries. The royal family were at length permitted to spend the night, which, it may be presumed, was sleepless, in the cells of the neighbouring convent of the Feuillans.[264] Thus ended, for the period of twenty years and upwards, the reign of the Bourbons over their ancient realm of France. FOOTNOTES: [234] Lacretelle, tom. ix., p. 172. [235] "The question of abdication was discussed with a degree of frenzy. Such of the deputies as opposed the motion were abused, ill-treated, and surrounded by assassins. They had a battle to fight at every step they took; and at length they did not dare to sleep in their houses."--MONTJOIE. [236] Thus imitated by the dramatist Lee, from the historian Davila:-- "Have you not heard--the King, preventing day, Received the guards within the city gates; The jolly Swisses marching to their pipes, The crowd stood gaping heedless and amazed, Shrunk to their shops, and left the passage free."--S. [237] M. de Staël, tom. ii., p. 59. [238] When they were, in similar circumstances, maltreated by the national guard.--See _ante_, p. 119.--S.