The central gazette. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1820-1827, 1827-03-24
scorrs L,rE OF NApoLEou

In the ist number Of The ,4msrican Quar-.
terJ Rerteto TO which we have alluded,
There is u review Of "Scott's Life Of Napu.
teOm," and some extracts from his .,preiimi-
nary view df the French Revolution Que
OF these describing the fiecc triumvirs Dan-
ton, Rodespierre. and .Mdrrdt, we publish
Three men Of terror whose names will
long remain, we trust, unmatched in history
by those Of any similar miscreants, had nov
the unrivailed leading Of the Jacubins, anl
were ca}lesfthe triumvirate.
Danion deserves to be named FIRST, US Tn.
Evalled by hisysoliragucs in talents and aa-
daciiy. He Was man Of gigantic size, ana
possessed OF a voice Of thunder. His cUun.
tenauce waa that of an Ogre Oh the. shout
dcrs uf IL Hercules. lie was as fond of the
pleasures vt vice rs Of the practice Of cru
city; aud IL WAS said there were times when
ne brcame. Guaranteed amidst the .lebauc hery
laughed at the terror which his furious de-
ciama,ions excited, and migat capproaehet d
with safety, like the Maelsrom at the turs
OF tide. His rroiusion was indulged 10 an
extent hazardous tu his popularity, fer the
popaiacc are Jealous Of a lavish expenditure.
rs raising their favorites too mach above
tlirir own degree : aud the charge Of spes.
Nation Gnds always ready cresli, with them,
when brought against Puoiic men
kobespierre possessed this advantage over
Dauton, .t'Iaf he dad not seen. "a seek rur
wealth, either tor boarding. or expeninn.
bu, lived ias,rict aud ECONOMICAL reiiremrn! !.
IL Jas,.iJ ttae name 0f he ineorrnp tiblp.
with which he was honored by his partizans.
lie appears to have possessed little talent.
saving deep fund Of hypocrisy, considera-
bic powers OF sophistry, and cold exasge-
rated strain OF oratory, as foreign TO eood
lasle, as the meatures he recommended were
10 ordinary humanity. Ii seemed wonderful.
that the eyen seething and boiling Of the
revolutionary cnuldron should have sent up
from the bottom, and long supported on the
surface, thug So miserably void Of cluims
TO public distinction but Robespierre had
10 impose on the minds Of the vulgar, and
he knew how to beguile Chem, by accommo.
dating his ha,,ery to their passions and scale
Of understanding, and by acts Of cunning
a0u Hypocrisy, which weigh more with The
multitude than the words Of eloauenee, or
the argumthts of wisdom. The pcople lis
tened ms to Cicero, when he twaneed out
his aposirophes of Pcurre People, Feupie
rerfaec aud has,encd TO execute whatever
came recommended IVY such honied phrases
though devised by the worst Of men for the
worst and most inhanan of purposes.
Vanity was RohesPierre's ruling passion.
and though his count enance was The imne,.
OF his maud, he was vain even of his pels,,s
al Appearance, and never adopted lie eAter-
nal "tthit- 6!N,sans eNlotte. Amongst his
fe'i"HF Jhc"tif95, 40 Nss distinguished by the
n'eety witlLS ,tiisb his hair Mas arranged and
powdered and the caiDess 6fs MS ,ir.s,,,s.,
carefully aueGded TO, SO as to coautcrhaiance
It possible, TIE rulgarity Of his person. Ills
aparsnents, theBsa smnlt, aere elegant. ;,at.
Vnu;,y had fiitstl them viii representations
of the occupant. nobfsp,eree,s picture a,
length hung IN one place. his miniature in
another, his bnst occupied a bieIIe, end on
the table were disposeda few medar1ions es-
limiting his head ia profile. The vanity
which oil this indicated; was Of The coldes,
and most selfish character, being such as
considers eglyct insult, andreceiyes hon.
age merely as tribute $50 thai, Wilde pSafse
IS received without gratitude, IL is Withheld
at the risk of moriaf hate. SeIf-iore this
dangerous character is closely allied with
envy, and Rotespierre was one Of lhe most
pntions aud yindictive men ,liat eyer lived
he never was kDown TO pa' don any Opposi-
tioa, aitroni, or even rivalry; and TO be mark
ed 10 his tablets on such an account, was a
sure, though perhaps not an immediate sen
tence of death D&pioa was a hero, com0a-
red with this cold, eaIt dating, cree p;ne NJ
creant; for Ills passions, Oh ugh tx lscefa-
sed, had at least some touch of humanity.
and his brutal ferocity was supported by bru-
tai courage Robespicrre was coward.
who signed death warrants with fItSnd tfIUr
shook. though his heart was reieutIess. y.
Possrss"; 90 passions on whiel. 10 charge
ms c'.aEa& it'gr were Perprtrated in cold
blood, and upon mature deliberation,
Marat, the third Of this Internal triumvir-
ate, had attracted the attention Of the lower
orders, by the violence Of his sentiments in
ahc journal, which he conducted from the
commencement of the Revolution upon such
principles that il took the lead in forward
ing its successive changes. His political ex-
hortatio ms began and ended like the howl of
a bloodhound for murder; or, if wolf
conid have written a journal, the gaant and
famisbsd wretch could not have raYened
more eagerly for slaughter. 1t was blood
which was Marat's constaud demand, not i'm
drops from the breasl Of an individual, not
;u punny streams from the slaughter offam-
lies, but blood in the profusion Of IN ocean.
His usual calculation of The liends " hieh he
demanded amounted TO two hundred aud
sixty Thousand and though he sometimes
raised il rs high as three hundred thousand.
ii never fell beneath the smaller number. Ii
may be hoped, and, for the honor of human
nature we are inclined 10 believe, there was
a touch Of insanity in this unnatural strain Of