The Sword of Honor; or, The Foundation of the French Republic: A Tale of The French RevolutionSue, Eugène
History
The Sword of Honor; or, The Foundation of the French Republic: A Tale of The French Revolution
Sue, Eugène
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Fiction
In the front part of the carriage we saw the King's sister, Madam
Elizabeth, her face sad and sweet. She seemed greatly afraid, and held
her eyes cast down. Close beside her was Petion, one of the
commissioners of the Assembly, grave and severe. The other commissioner,
Barnave, one of the chiefs of the Girondin party, a fine-looking young
man, attached at times a furtive but passionate gaze upon Marie
Antoinette, with whom, according to report, he was already seriously
smitten. Between his knees he held the Dauphin, Marie Antoinette's son,
a pretty child with golden curly hair, who laughed and smiled with
boyish carefreeness.
The second coach contained the personages of the court who had
participated in the King's escape. Next came a little open carriage
trimmed with green twigs from which floated the tricolored flag. In this
vehicle, standing erect, in an attitude of triumph, rode Drouet the
post-keeper and his postillion William, both of whom had helped bring
about the arrest of the King at Varennes.
The procession was closed by the St. Antoine battalion, commanded by
Santerre. As it came in sight the people cried with one voice, "Long
live the law! Long live the Nation!" Then the storm broke over Paris,
and amidst such exclamations, mingled with the crashing of thunder,
Louis XVI entered as a prisoner the palace of his fathers.
Such was the blindness of the Assembly in its bourgeois egotism, in its
mistrust of the people, in its absurd hatred of republican government,
that it still thought to impose upon France the authority of this King,
disgraced, despised even by his own partisans, and convicted of perjury,
treason, and conspiracy with the foreigner.
CHAPTER V.
THE DAY OF THE FIELD OF MARS.
JULY 17, 1791 (Midnight).--I have just returned to our lodging, my
spirits still in the grip of horror and affright. I have been at the
massacre of the Field of Mars. Curses upon Lafayette!
The recital of this mournful event, which must be charged to the
bourgeoisie, will be of service to the sons of Joel.
From early morning, the weather was magnificent. Not a cloud flecked the
azure of the sky. A great mass of people, myself among them, directed
their steps toward the Field of Mars, men, women and children in holiday
apparel. Every face breathed joy, and on all countenances shone
satisfaction. At least as many women as citizens were in the throng.
They, also, felt a legitimate pride in being able to prove their
devotion to civic duty by affixing their names to a petition destined
for the National Assembly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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