France -- History -- Louis XVI, 1774-1793; France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799
But why not now, victorious Lambesc, charge through that
Tuileries Garden itself, where the fugitives are vanishing? Not
show the Sunday promenaders too, how steel glitters, besprent
with blood; that it be told of, and men’s ears tingle?—Tingle,
alas, they did; but the wrong way. Victorious Lambesc, in this
his second or Tuileries charge, succeeds but in overturning (call
it not slashing, for he struck with the flat of his sword) one
man, a poor old schoolmaster, most pacifically tottering there;
and is driven out, by barricade of chairs, by flights of “bottles
and glasses,” by execrations in bass voice and treble. Most
delicate is the mob-queller’s vocation; wherein Too-much may be
as bad as Not-enough. For each of these bass voices, and more
each treble voice, borne to all points of the City, rings now
nothing but distracted indignation; will ring all another. The
cry, _To arms!_ roars tenfold; steeples with their metal
storm-voice boom out, as the sun sinks; armorer’s shops are
broken open, plundered; the streets are a living foam-sea, chafed
by all the winds.
Such issue came of Lambesc’s charge on the Tuileries Garden: no
striking of salutary terror into Chaillot promenaders; a striking
into broad wakefulness of Frenzy and the three Furies,—which
otherwise were not asleep! For they lie always, those
subterranean Eumenides (fabulous and yet so true), in the dullest
existence of man;—and can dance, brandishing their dusky torches,
shaking their serpent-hair. Lambesc with Royal-Allemand may ride
to his barracks, with curses for his marching-music; then ride
back again, like one troubled in mind: vengeful Gardes
Françaises, _sacre_ing, with knit brows, start out on him, from
their barracks in the Chaussé d’Antin; pour a volley into him
(killing and wounding); which he must not answer, but ride
on.[173]
Counsel dwells not under the plumed hat. If the Eumenides awaken,
and Broglie has given no orders, what can a Besenval do? When the
Gardes Françaises, with Palais-Royal volunteers, roll down,
greedy of more vengeance, to the Place Louis Quinze itself, they
find neither Besenval, Lambesc, Royal-Allemand, nor any soldier
now there. Gone is military order. On the far Eastern Boulevard,
of Saint-Antoine, the Chasseurs Normandie arrive, dusty, thirsty,
after a hard day’s ride; but can find no billet-master, see no
course in this City of confusions; cannot get to Besenval, cannot
so much as discover where he is: Normandie must even bivouac
there, in its dust and thirst,—unless some patriot will treat it
to a cup of liquor, with advices.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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