The American herald of liberty — Exeter, N.H., 1794-08-26 00:00:00, page 1

Speech of Robertspierre, on the
attempt to Ajjaffinate Him.
TT will be a sublime fubjedt of
I contemplation for posterity.
It is even now a fpe&acie worthy
of heaven and earth to behold the
Representatives of the French peo
ple, Rationed on the almoit inex
haustible volcano of conspiracies,
placing with one hand at the feet
of the Great Eternal, the homage
of a mighty people, and with the
other, launching the thunder-bolt
against the tyrants combined a
gainst them—laying the founda
tion of the firft Republic in the
world, and recalling from exile,
liberty, justice and virtue.
• Is it neceflary for me to recall
to your attention the torrent of
crimes which has flowed from the
powers in league against us ? Is it
neceflary to go over again the ca
lamitous catalogue of plots which
they have foftered and fomented ?
Is it neceflary again to disgust rhe
ears of this assembly with the dark
detail of their filthy intrigues and
foul manoeuvres ? No, such a nar
ative can neither be grateful nor
neceflary. The National Con
ven: ion of France, the people of
France; yea, thirty millions of
men, whom God has created after
his own image ; thirty millions of
men declare the Combined Pow
ers, to be guilt, of all the miseries
which France has endured for five
years. They declare solemnly,
that those Powers have directed
the tempests which have wafted
this land ; that they have created
all those convulsions which have
agitated the bolom of the Repub
lic ; that they have twisted and
torn afundcr all the sinews of so
ciety and reiationlhip; that they
have spirited up the parent against
bis child, the brother against bro
ther, and the wife against her hus
band.
“But let us rejoice, let us re
turn thanks to God, that we have
served our country so well as to be
deemed worthy of the poigtiard of
tyranny. The glory of incurring
dangers belongs alfo.to us. Our
abode in the capital, fubjefls us to
the fame perils a$ a station on the
field of battle. We have now no
cause to envy our brave brethren
in arms. We pay in more than
one way the debt we owe to the
country. ,
“What men on crath ever de
fended without difficulty and dan
ger the rights of humanity ? Some
months are noif elapsed since I
made use of the following words,
to my colleagues of the Commit
tee of Public Safety. f
“If the arms of the Republic
be victorious—-if we tear the veil
from Jthe faces of traitors—if we
overwhelm faftion, the Combined
Powers will procure our affaffina
f was not therefore fur-
Ajfed to fee my prophecy realized.
f, *
. • • . v & •
... 5- . ■' . < • ’ - . -■ ■ '
American Herald of Liberty.
national convention, may 25.
Volume IX.]
Published on Tuesdays, /^Stearns and W inslow ,in Main-Street, Exeter, (New-Hampjhire) at per annum.
FRANCE.
“ Surrounded by their aflafiins,
I have already imagined myfelf to
be in that new order hf things co
which they would fend me.—l am
attached to life only because life
enables me to do good to my coun
try, and to fupporc the cause of
Justice : an increaled and increas
ing energy swells my veins at this
moment; and I feel a redoubled
de lire to attack the traitors who
conspire aOTnft my coutry —a-
gainst human nature, and against
God himfclf. The greater their
endeavours to terminate my earth
ly career, the greater (hall be my
aftivicy in the performance of ac
tions ufeful to my equals: f will
at least leave them a the pe
rusal of which (hall make tyrants
and their satellites tremble: 1 fhali,
perhaps, reveal several momentous
secrets, which a kind of pusillani
mous prudence has hitherto induc
ed me to conceal : I fhali disclose
the objft to which the fafety of my
country and the triumph of liber
ty tend. If the perfidious hands
chat direct the rage of the aflafTins,
be not visible to all men, I fhali
leave to time the talk of withdraw
ing the veil; and l fhali confine
myielf to those truths which can
alone save the Republic.
“The fate of the Republic is
not entirely fixed, and the vigi
lance of the National Representa
tives is more than ever neceflary.
“ What constitutes a Republic?
Not vidlory, not riches, not pow
er, not temporary enthusiasm. It
is the wifdorn of the laws, and a
bove all, it is public virtue : It is
the purity and the stability of the
maxims of government. Laws
are to ad, maxims of government
to dired, morals to regenerate.
If one of these hkeflary parts fail,
there can only be error, pride, pas
sions, fadions, ambition, avarice.
“The Republic, in that crfe,
so far from repressing vice, wduld
give it a wider range and higher
flight, and thus the reign of tyran
ny would again commence; for
vice and tyranny are inleparable
companions. Whoever is not
master of himfelf, is made to be
the Have of others. Do you wish
to know who are ambitious men ?
Look at those who are the patrons
of vilaibs ; the protcdorsof coun
ter-revolutionists, the projedors of
intrigues and conspiracies, the
scorners of virtue, the corrupters
o^th| ^publi| morals.
“ Attempts were made to in
volve the Republic in confufion
and%haos. It was therefore ne
ceflary to render chefc attempts
ineffedual, and to create in the^
world a moral and political har
mony. Th 6 people, of France,
have two guarantees of the pofli
bilicy of executing this heroic en
terprise. The principles of real
representation and their own vir
tues. It is easy to consolidate lib
erty—it is easy to destroy
France Were for a few months
ly co be governed by a cohJpt /
Legflature, l^ty would be an-
TUESDAY, August 26, 1794.
nihila ted. Your unanimity and
your energy have aftoniflied and
convinced all Europe ; and if you
were as confident on this fubjed
as your enemies are, your triumph
would be easy and complete.
“ I have spoken of the virtues
of the people, but these virtues,
resplendent thro’ the whole courle
of the Revolution, will not befuf
ficienc of themfelvfs to defend us
from fadions. Why? Because
there are two people in France:
The one is the mighty mass of
pure and virtuous citizens, sup
porters of justice and friends to
liberty ; the other, the horde of
. fadious and intriguing men; a
prating babbling race, juggling
and imposing, who are seen every
where, who abuse every thing, who
occupy the tribunes, and often are
public fundionaries; a people of
cheats, foreigners, hypocritical
counter revolutionists ; who take
their station ; between the French
people and their Representatives,
for the purpose of deluding the
former,, and of calumniating the
latter, and for the purpole of
checking all operations.
“ As long as this impure race
exists, the situation of the Kepublic
will be difafterous and precarious.
It is therefore, for you, Members
of the National Convention, co
deliver it by an important energy
and by an unalterable unanimity.
Those who seek to divide us, who
check the career of Government,
who endeavour to form a danger
ous coalition, those are your ene
mies, and the enemies of the coun
try. They are the agents of the
foreign Powers, the fucceflbrs of
the Briffots, the Herberts, and the
Dantons. •
# “ Perhaps in disclosing these
truths, I Iharpen the poignard of
the aflaflin : It is for that purpose
that Ido disclose them. Persevere
1 in your principles, and go on in
your triumphant career. You will
then overwhelm vice* and serve
your country : 1 have lived long
enough^
“ 1 have lived long enough, for
I have seen the people of France
rife from the depth of degradation,
and from the bosom of slavery to
the pinacle of glory and Repub
lican virtue. I have lived long
enough, for I have seen a more af
r tonilhing prodigy than this, a pro
digy which Monarchical erup
tion and inexperience ofgtße^in
fancy of our Revolution, scarcely
permitted us to cobfider as possi
ble. I have seen an Aflembly in
vested with the power of the French
Nation marching with rapid and
firmfteps tothe'goalof publjphap
pinefs, devoted to the cause of the
people, and to. the triumph of e
quality; worthy jo give
whole world the signal of
and to afford an example of
■ grtues. ■■ ■ * ? '
femplete, citizens, complete
your fuWfime purpofeyou have
placed us as the advanced guard to
i fuftajOWiaft at^k of the er^-
;
Extrati of a letter fiiom a gentleman, belong
ing to Boston, novj rejiding at
“ Rotterdam, dated May 30, 1794*
” A MAJORITY of this nation appear
t 0 h avc i u ^ ’dcas of the value of lib
erty, and reprobate the war now carried on
against the French ; but in arbitrary gov
ernments public opinion is but of little a
vail, provided it militates wi.h the despot
who rules; and is not until the people are
driven to extremities that they roule in sup
port of their rights. Huw far the people
io this country, and in England, are fiOm _
this point, I cannot fay । but it appean
highly probable that a change rnufl take
pl ice in the governments of buth countries
in a short time. To prevent this change
in England, and effcftualiy to put it out of
the power of the people to establish their
rights, the British miniltry think best toa
dop: the moll rigorous measures. In pur
fuar.ee of this piin’they h.ve lately caufcd
the d.itiih Parliament to suspend the Ha
beas Corpus aft ; therefore imprilocmtru
at least mull be the lot of him, whp Will
dare to fay in England, that they have not
the best of governments, or that there is a
ny need of reform. O, Britannia ! are
thy sons whom Thomson, (tiled
“ The dread of tyrants and the fclc relource #
“Os those that under grim oppreflion groan.! 9
About 10 days ago I was informed of
the Embargo, laid by Congrefe on all ves
sels destined for a foreign port, and of the
general diffatisfaflion that prevailed in A
merica, in consequence of so many of our
Vettels being captured by the English.—At
the time I last wrote you, I apprehended
something of this kind, and supposing that
remonstrances from Congress would soon
arrive in England, I was fearful they would
comeat a time when the combined powers
had met with force success; and was there
fore of opinion thev would be very little
auended co: Be assured every thing will
depend on such circumstances, for it is not
reason, but power, which now rules En
gland, and if tuey thought Franck could
be conquered, the King of Great Britain,
and his ministers would be glad of a war
with America, at whose encreafing ftrengtli
they look wi h a jealous eye :--But happi
ly for us the French nation are iufficiently
formidable to contend against all their ene
mies. bince I last wrote you, the affairs
of the Combined Powers wear a gloomy
afpea—many bloody engagements have
taken place, and in most of which viflory
has decided, as she ought, in favour of lib
erty an d courage, againff defpotiim tfnd
discipline. The defeats of Gen. Clairfayt
on the nth, and the Duke of York on the
18th inst. were pariicttlarly disastrous to
them ; both )heir armies were totally rout
ed and put to flight, with immense Joss in
men, artillery, and baggage. In the ac
count of the engagement which tobk place
on the 26th of April, the English took no*
sice only of the centre of the attack, where
according to the plan of the famous Ger.
Mack, the allies had concentrated. t|eir
whole force,and by which t means the French
were worsted in that part, and Landrecy
was taken ; but for this advantage the com
bined powers paid very dear; on both flanks
the French were completely victorious, their
left wing taking Courtray and Mcnin, and
• the right penetrating to Charleroi, and seiz
ing an immense quantity of cattle forage
and provillons, at the fame titne the army
of the Ardennes formed a junction with^
that of the North, which. ,previous to th^
was more than 200,000 strong; and now
. fowna a force that one Would suppose mu^
be irrefifta blc. Indeed from every appeal -
; t": • , x ‘ y -. XT*. - ■■
mies of human nature —We will
renderourfelves wurthyof this hon
our—We will maik without blood
the road that fhali lead you to im
mortality : May you always em
ploy that unalterable energy which
is io neceflary, to strangle the mon
sters of the Universe conspired a
gainst you ; and may you at last
enjoy in peace the blefllngs of
your, countrymen, and the well
earned rewards of your virtues 1”
[Number 8.