New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-08-03

which il dragged u into power. As Vergnauo
said eloquenry. 4" l. Saturn. it devoured IT'S own
cbildren." The head of Louis was destined, from
the moment the crowd shouted te behold It cFcled
with the bonnet rouge; the nobility were Prenes-
tined the momen, they merged themselves with the
commons the middle class were invaded, piiiaged,
decimated, 40 soon az their dynasty fell with The
Girondins And now that the Empire Of the Popu-
lace was founded, the populace began to find the
6end hey had raised fixing its fangs and taons on
themselves Stated with the blood ofnobles priests,
and scholars, the Guilloeine had begun TO seek
with .he gore Of carpenters, s!loemakers, nasons,
cobbIers and the eyes of the Populace opened
when they saw ht.mrelves the 7rey c: their own
ferocity. The shops shnt up as the turnbrlls
passed to the scafold-Paris was sickened OF the
Reign of Blood
Amidst acclanlatio1s that came from human
hope, Robespierre had proclaimed the existence
of Deity; for men. believing er not in God, be-
lieved that, the worship of God once established
something of mercy and goodwill 10 Nan would
mngle with the creed. In the presence of the
FATHER, the sens hand would surely drop the
| blade lifted against the brother. But no; the
| Deity proclaimed by Robesperre had brought no
! mitigation of crime and slaughter amongst man
kind Like the gods Of Epicurus, the Being a
Robespierre could invoke seemed to disdain regard
of the affairs of earth. And they who had wept
hot tears to hear the eloquent periods in which
this would-be Prophet, this Master of the Ceremo-
MES to Heaven, introduced the new worship, BE-
| gan now 10 ask themselves whether indeed MAXI
snilien Robespierre was the man to bestew HE'LL
gon upon the world. Egotist in every thing, 1t
might be said that Robespierre sought to turn even
| the Almighty to mis- own advantage. DE had In
voked the Heaven to crush the atheists political
| enomies not to curb atheism as a moral evil.
At this time Robespierre was spectacle OF alb
sorbing and awful interest. His constitution, al
| ways sickly, was sinking fast under his vigilance
and his terror. He seldom slept, he never re-
posed. Devoured by the acrid humors of his sys-
tenn, b., face became livid, his eyes streaked with
blood Hour after hour anonymous letters threa-
| tened him with the hand of the assassin--conspi-
| racies gathered rapidly round him. Men. insig-
nifcant while Danton lived, took the strength OF
dragons from the blood of that awful head. He
rcigned but by his hold over the club of the Jaco-
bins, and the hearts of the women &! A strange
subject for female enthusiasm but that usually
follows power and WILL And there was some
thing toe of mystery in this cold austere being
Younger in years, with the hoary cunning and hard
heart of age resisting all temptation, except that
of governing mankind; and shaking Europe from
chamber over cabinet-makers shop.
The singular and ruthless determination OF pur.
pose which Robespierre had hitherto shown began
to desert him. His energies, no longer concen-
trated upon the downfall of single rivals, wan
dered wild and indecisive over that vast held OF
eumity and peril which spread before his gaze In
proportion as he lost in vigor of action, he inn
proved in eloquence of word. The common hor-
ror in which his character is held, makes unjnst
to his talents And il requires all the charity of
abstract criticism to praise the orator while sick
chin. at the man. But it would be difficult 20 find
any where in the modern literature of the Rostrum
finer passages than some of his principal speeches
contain. The address, delivered to the Conven-
ton in vndcation of the Deity, is fall of beauties
of language, and justice of thought. But 1t is
natural that those who read should be revoted
at the want of harmony between the orator and the
subiect-that the character of the butcher, AFRO
eating that of the theolegaH,-the Nero assuming
the Numa,-that even the finest passages shock
the moral taste tao much to win justice from the
intellectual. Robespiere indicating IN the midst
of massacre, the existence of God OF mercy, Is
like our own Richard III. issuing his Proclama-
rsn against Vice after the II aroer of his nephews
The sentiments professed b, either may be adnl-
rabe in themselves, but they only serve TO deepen
he general adherence of the character they con-
trast No man ever had so complete command
over an assembly from the mere force of mind and
thought as Robesperre long enjoyed over the Con-
sen,ion, and to the last over the Jacobin Club.
For, unlike most successful orators, he owed
thing to physical advantages: wretched person,
mean features even the fire of the eyes concealedby
glasses, dscordent voice, hoarse and indstnct in
the low tones, shril and grating in the higher, the
words and the thoughts had nothing them off.
Il was this minis eLoguentia, this faculty pro-
digiously improved, which helped to ruin him. tor
| he was eminently vain man. and like vain men
| he attached undue importance to means that OBJ
TUNED momentary applause. Yes ne would
| speak, he would denoance, he would prove, he
would trust his cause to his cloquence he
thought of words at the moment when nothing
| could have saved him but deeds. And of all his
efforts, never one equal in eloquence to mis- last
speech at the Convention Had it been delivered
| by a man whose history commanded admiration
| instead of oathing, it would have been cited as
masterpiece Of lucid argument, subtle thought,
and fiery and earnest passion; for in words Robes
pierre had passion, and his cold dogmas ring GU,
as living principles. But the spirit of the audi
ence was gone, the speech was out of place and
| season AS a sermon Fl ON Dr. Chalmers the
hastings, Millions Defence of Unlicensed Print
ing in council of war with the enemy at the
gates-was long TRADE of arguments or COM
plants in an assembly of men who knew that in
six days France mus, be the execu,ioner of Robes
pierre, his slave. And the time lost in pre-
pairing the harangue would have-But nc, whether
in words or deeds his hour was past: the sense of
humanity was at length awakened, and the last
Representative of the Populace fell amidst its
boots and curses to make way for the Eternal
Successor of Civil Convulsion-MILITARY RULE.
When Napoleon first pointed his cannon against
the populace, the final moral was given to that
tale of world shame and wonder; and the null
ti,;lde prepared the crown for the man who deliv-
cred them from themselves
| [Cnncluded tomorrow
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