The National Register. — London, England, 1812-01-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL RE(ISTER. PRISON MEMOIRS of LIVING GENIUS. No. 2. 11,1 r. AIUGNIF.. Continued . fi%uu our Last. The French Revolution which swept away the wealth and titles of the richest and noblest families proved equally fatal to the men of genius, who did n)t adopt its principles, and plunge into the vortex of public infamy and guilt. Under the eretence of enlightening and liberating mankind, it rolled over the ceeednent a flood of devastation which de voured the fruits of former wisdom, and like the irruption of the bar barians on the Roman empire, threatened to extinguish for ages the tight of civilization. In the wreck of states which ensued, it is not astonish ine that the fortunes of individuain should have perished. When a mo narch, stripped of his dignity, was led to the scaffold by his rebellious subjects, it can - excite no surprise to find, that every friend who remain. ed loyal in the hour of kingly adversity, should afterwards pay the pe nalty of his virtue, and either share his fate, or only escape through the most imminent dangers. Mi. Muguie was one of those whose loyalty stood unshaken, when the throne was overturned. As a public man, he was watched; as a man of feeling, he could not hide his grief; mid as a loyalist, he was persecuted. Although still rettning his situa thin at St. Roth, he had been for some time attached to the Spanish Ambassador, under whose protection he vainly hoped to meet with at least, personal safety. To shiver the crown and assassinate its wearer, was not sufficient to secure the triumph of the revolutionary mobs. Every may who was known to abhor their excesses, and to regret the fernier ori!cr things must pc: ish, that all opposition might cease. Every tie of loyalty had been rent asunder; every religious principle mtest be denied, every form of worship abolished. The inviolability of kilts had been exploded, the throne had been crushed; the Majesty of ileaven itself must be derided, its altars polluted and overthrown. In their blind fanaticism, the pretended champions of liberty, finding they bad triumphed over their earthly prince, thought it not beyond their power to stregele with their God. Thi; impious resolution was sud denly carried into execution, before the ministers of religion, and its pro fessors, who had been deceived by a former act of the National Assem bly, could be fully aware of their peril. This act allowed the public exercise of all religions. Paganism might he revived, and the sanguinary rites of savage worship perform in a city, which a short time before, represented herself as the capital of the civilized world. Christianity, fierefore, though no longer encouraged, had still been tolerated as entitled to a common share of the protection which the Legislature had provided. Christians, however, were exposed to many insults, and frequently dis terhed reiieious exercises by the insolence of mobs, who burst :AL. - ) the clinrehes and drowned the sacred by nine in revolutionary songs. th e thie ut these occasions, the courage and loyalty of Mr. Mugnie were put to a severe trial. With a show of devotion, intended to further their plan of mockery and insult, the troops of the section of St. Honore brought their colours to St. Roch, demanding that they should be blessed. But they had no sooner gained admittance, than they filled the temple with confusion, and insisted on having all the republican airs performed, instead of the usual serrice. Their call remained unanswered. Irri tated at being disobeyed, a party rushed to the organ, and surrounding Mr. Nlugnie with threatening bayonets, commanded him to play the Marseirtais Hymn. Unawed by their menaces, this gentleman refused to renounce his loyalty by performing the leading air of the revolution ary hosts. Ile was imniedietely s charged with being an aristocrat, and hi compliance was demanded still more imperatively, but was as reso lutely denied. Violence at last drove him, still unyielding, out of the organ, and he narrowly escaped with his life, whilst a more obsequious person was procured to supply his place. By degrees the Christians were deprived of all their temples, which were turned, some into magazines, others into theatres. They were, however, not yet proscribed. Christianity had become a sect which it was unfashionable to profess, but hitherto no crime. Individuals were found who hired churches at their own txpence, and restored them to their. former use, under the protection of the act. But the patience of the. patriots was at length exhausted ; and their last grand tftort to up rlot Christianity was made at a time and in a manner Which involved Mr. Mugnie in euereasc•d dangers. he ♦icar of Sr. Solpice, one of the most ma7nificent parochial chur :rhea in Paris, having been :!tprived of his collected the wrecks JAN. cP6. of his fortune, and with their produce hit ed the church formerly be. longing to the Theo/ ns, a suepreased a: der, for six weehs, not being able to pay the rent for any ?anger period. 'l'here, divine service was performed, and the Spanish Ambassador was aceustemed to repair, with Mr. Mugnie, whose celebrity contributed to encrease the numbers at' the congregation. I.a Fayette, who endeavoured to please all partie s , frequently accompanied them, and had one day requested sir. Mugni e to perform a Te Deuoi of his composition, the fame of which alnoas equaled that of his Lee Judetineet, whm at the opening ef the service. crowds of armed sans culottes rushed into the church. The priests were attacked, and only escaped by flight ; the altars were stripped and overthrown, the male part of the congregation were assaulted end in er powered, the females seized and publicly flogged, and the Ambassador and his party compelled to make a precipitate retreat to avoid b e in g murdered on the spot. IVIr. Mugnie bad become particularly ohnoehins to the multitude by his renown as a man of genius and his unshaken loyalty. Against him their fury was now directed. He had eluded their grasp at the moment they ware preparing tg assassinate him—he unfortunately fell into their hands a few days after. On passieg along the Quai de la Feraille he was known and instantly seized. No forms of law were necessary with men who equally despised human and di vine justice. He was dragged to the next lantern-post ; the fetal role wasaied round his neck, and lie was on the eve of being hoisted tee, and of perishing, a victim to his well-known loyalty, when La Fayette, who spent the greatest part of his rime in the midst of mobs, ran to the as sistance of a feilow-creature in danger, and cut the rope before he kneav that he had saved a friend. 'ibrough his influence over the ra pulace, Mr. Mugnie was allowed to retire without further injury, to the 4 hotel of his patron, count Fernando Nunes, the Spanish Ambassador (uncle to the Duke del 'ululated°, now in this Gauntry) who, terrifisd at his own, perils, obtaii:cd passports for himself and his protege, and im snediately set off on his return to Spain. They met with no molesta don on their journey until they reached Bayonne. There, the republi can phrenzy glowed as intensely as in the metropolis, and the people rose against the noble traveller and his suite, as :aeon as they were in formed of his rank. The Ambassador narrowly escaped being thrown into the sea, and Mr. Mugnie was detained and cast into prison, as erg emigrant. He was even charged with the high crime of being a priest in disguise. In vain did he show the passport whicle he had received et Paris, and hi which his profession and qualifications were described; he was kept six weeks closely confined and in constant apprehension for his life. At the end cf this period the clamoers of the multitude he came so loud, that the humane endeavours of the Mayor, Air. Baste resche, who ha.l hitherto checked their thirst for blood, nearly proved abortive. In order to ascertain whether Mr. Mugnie was the real per son mentioned in his passport, he ordered hint to he privately taken to the Cathedral, which had long since been c loses; to the public, and com manded hiai to give a specimen of his abilities. Their greatness sur passed his expectations ; and admiration increased the interest he felt for his prisoner. He saw- that lie had been guilty of no deceit, and con scious that it would be impossible to alter, or ultimately to resit, the sanguinary determinatiou.of the mob, he resorted to other measures to save hint. No time remained to be lost. In the evening, hosts of pa triots armed with swords and spears surrounded the prison. By the glare of torches, they erected the terrible guillo me and called aloud fur the victim they longed to immolate. The remonstrances of the 'Mayer, however, once more restrained their impatient cruelty. He persuaded them not to coma:it an unituthorhed murder on an individual who might be third, sentenced, and executed the next day, if brought before i the Revolutionary tribunal. They di.persed with reluctance, and still seemed to regret their anticipated feast of blood. Meoiiwitilr the lleyur gave Mr. Mugnie in charge to some humane een.l'armes, who peeleahly only obeyed his secret orders, when they lint only recommended, Let al lowed their prisoner to escape at four o'clock in the morning, after ie . formieg him that if he waited till six, he must perish, as the patriots htd fixed upon that hour to dratehini out of the prison to the scaffold. Stich have beet' the dangers which Mr. Meenie has encountered in his na tive land. He had'at first to contend with envy, the constant enemy of real genius and superior abilities; and he afterwards struggled with events and awn, and maintained his loyalty uaimpeached at the expense of an estehlished fortune--of most brilliant pi aspects, had be bowed to - the *plait of the times, and at the trequent imminent danger of his life. In my ntxt, 1 shall follaw this gentleman ft om Seain to England, end aftee closing his bioraphy, • hall outer upon nay propoeed examination of his varied and excelient compositions. SCRUTXI OR. ;.:~. .