dure was in my opinion a high misdemeanor in those who acted thus in England, if they were not fo very low and fo very base, that no acts of theirs 'can be called high, even as a description of criminality; and the affembly in accepting, proclaiming and publishing this forged alliance, has been guilty of a plain aggreffion, which would justify our court in demanding a direct difavowal, if our policy should not lead us to wink at it.

Whilft I look over this paper to have it copied, I fee a manifefto of the affembly, as a preliminary to a declaration of war against the German princes on the Rhine. This manifefto contains the whole fubftance of the French politicks with regard to foreign ftates. They have ordered it to be circulated amongst the people in every country of Europe-even previoufly to its acceptance by the king and his new privy council, the club of the Feuillans. Therefore, as a fummary of their policy avowed by themfelves, let us confider fome of the circumstances attending that piece, as well as the spirit and temper of the piece itself.

against the

It was preceded by a fpeech from Briffot, full of Declaration unexampled infolence towards all the fovereign Emperour. ftates of Germany, if not of Europe. The affembly, to exprefs their fatisfaction in the fentiments which it contained, ordered it to be printed. This Briffot had been in the lowest and bafest employ under the depofed monarchy: a fort of thief-taker,

or

or fpy of police, in which character he acted after the manner of perfons in that defcription. He had been employed by his mafter, the lieutenant de police, for a confiderable time in London, in the fame or fome fuch honourable occupation. The revolution which has brought forward all merit of that kind, raised him, with others of a fimilar clafs and difpofition, to fame and eminence. On the revolution he became a publifher of an infa. mous newspaper, which he ftill continues. He is charged, and I believe justly, as the first mover of the troubles in Hifpaniola. There is no wickednefs, if I am rightly informed, in which he is not verfed, and of which he is not perfectly capable, His quality of news writer, now an employment of the first dignity in France, and his practices and principles, procured his election into the affembly, where he is one of the leading members. M. Condorcet produced on the fame day a draft of a declaration to the king, which the affembly pub lifhed before it was prefented.

Condorcet (though no marquis, as he ftyled himself before the revolution) is a man of another fort of birth, fashion, and occupation from Briffot; but in every principle, and every disposition to the lowest as well as the highest and most determined villanies, fully his equal. He feconds Briffot in the affembly, and is at once his coadjutor and his rival in a newspaper, which in his own name and

as

as fucceffor to M. Garat, a member alfo of the af fembly, he has juft fet up in that empire of Gazettes. Condorcet was chofen to draw the first declaration prefented by the affembly to the king, as a threat to the elector of Treves, and the other princes on the Rhine. In that piece, in which both Feuillans and Jacobins concurred, they declared publickly, and most proudly and infolently, the principle on which they mean to proceed in their future difputes with any of the fovereigns of Europe; for they fay, "that it is not with fire "and fword they mean to attack their territories, "but by what will be more dreadful to them, the "introduction of liberty.”—I have not the paper by me to give the exact words-but I believe they are nearly as I ftate them. Dreadful indeed will be their hostility, if they should be able to carry it on according to the example of their modes of introducing liberty. They have fhewn a perfect model of their whole defign, very complete, though in little. This gang of murderers and favages have wholly laid waste and utterly ruined the beautiful and happy country of the Comtat Venaiffin and the city of Avignon. This cruel and treacherous outrage the fovereigns of Europe, in my opinion, with a great mistake of their honour and intereft, have permitted even without a remonftrance to be carried to the defired point, on the principles on which they are now themselves threatened in their

own

State of the
Empire.

own ftates; and this, because, according to the poor and narrow fpirit now in fashion, their brother sovereign, whose subjects have been thus traiterously and inhumanly treated in violation of the law of nature and of nations, has a name fomewhat different from theirs, and inftead of being styled king, or duke, or landgrave, is ufually called pope.

The electors of Treves and Mentz were frightened with the menace of a fimilar mode of war. The affembly, however, not thinking that the electors of Treves and Mentz had done enough under their first terrour, have again brought forward Condorcet, preceded by Briffot, as I have juft ftated. The declaration which they have ordered now to be circulated in all countries, is in fubftance the fame as the firft, but still more infolent, because more full of detail. There they have the impudence to state that they aim at no conqueft; infinuating that all the old lawful powers of the world had each made a conftant open profeffion of a defign of fubduing his neighbours. They add, that if they are provoked, their war will be directed only against those who affume to be masters. But to the people they will bring peace, law, liberty, &c. &c. There is not the leaft hint that they confider. those whom they call perfons affuming to be mafters," to be the lawful government of their country, or perfons to be treated

with the leaft management or refpect. They regard them as ufurpers and enflavers of the people. IfI do not mistake they are described by the name of tyrants in Condorcet's firft draft. I am fure they are fo in Briffot's fpeech, ordered by the af fembly to be printed at the fame time and for the fame purposes. The whole is in the fame ftrain, full of false philofophy and falfe rhetorick, both however calculated to captivate and influence the vulgar mind, and to excite fedition in the countries in which it is ordered to be circulated. Indeed it is fuch, that if any of the lawful acknowledged fovereigns of Europe had publickly ordered fuch a manifefto to be circulated in the dominions of another, the ambaffador of that power would. inftantly be ordered to quit every court without an audience.

The powers of Europe have a pretext for concealing their fears, by saying that this language is not used by the king; though they well know that there is in effect no fuch person, that the af fembly is in reality, and by that king is acknowledged to be the mafter, that what he does is but matter of formality, and that he can neither cause nor hinder, accelerate nor retard any measure whatfoever, nor add to nor soften the manifefto which the affembly has directed to be published, with the declared purpose of exciting mutiny and rebellion in the feveral countries governed by thefe powers. VOL. VII. G

By

Effect of

fear on the

Sovereign

Powers.