Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-05-21
MARIE ANTOINE 'gE.

the unfortunate Louis XVII who had
hardly passed his twentieth year, married
Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria
and daughter Of the great Maria Theresa,
then but sixteen, all France burst forth
in one loud exclamation Of fuy. The
beauty, the purity Of the bride, and her
angelic goodness, were celebrated far and
wide throughout the empire She was
said to have the smile of Hebe with the
glance of q Juno-a very goddess
She had shapely head, which was
crowned with abundant blonde tresses, her
eyes were Blue, her lips yermillion, and
her teeth Of exquisite regularity and white
ness, face full Of expression, glance at
once dignifed and gentle, and voice re-
plete with melody, united to an ardent
soul and devoted heart; while the pride
of her race was tempered with the wish to
please and certain happiness in appear
ing beautiful Even the dissolute old
King Louis XIV, was inspired by her re-
spect, and reverenced her the more that
she preferred the retirement of Trianon to
the corruption of his court It was only
after she became q mother--frst of
daughter, who wos called Madame Royale,
and subseque ntly Of boy, the unfortun-
ate Louis XVI-that she actually assert
ed herself as queen and took part in State
affairs. But the extravaganza of previous
reigns, and the utter want Of Judgment
and frmness on the part Of her husband
brought on the Revolution which cost her
[ her head. 1t was then that her very faci-
nations, her desire to please, her artless-
ness and ignorance of the world, were used
by the malcontents a weapons against her;
it was then that the people thaught of her
as the Austrian" and not as the wife of
their present and mother Of their future
sovereisns.
When the Revolution first declared it.
self, Marie Antoinette refused all offers of
protection for herself alike from her broth
ers, who were DESTROYS Of providing for her
safety; bat her invariable reply was: Il
will die at the feet of the king and sur
rounded by my children" Alas! even
! this poor consolation was denied her. At
ter the abdication and bitter humiliation
Of the king. and when they were prisoners
/ IN the Temple, she was contented and ev-
en- happy, SO that she was with her hus-
band, in spite of the ingults and brutality
of her jaiors. The transfer Of the king
! to the Grand Tower was new source of
grief, but after a few weeks Of agony of
mind, the queen received permission to
! join Louis, with her children and his sister.
To suffer together was to rob pain of half
its anguish.
The massacre by the guillotine in Sep
tcmber, the murder of her devoted friend
and adhcrent the princess Lambelle, ought
to have proved to the queen to what
lengths fanaticism and cruelty could carry
the people, yet she had such faith in the
majesty of royalty that she did not fear
the lives Of her family. Even when she
learned that the Convention were about to
subject Louis to a trial, she never dreamed
Of conviction and death. How fearful must
have been her sufferings when the terrible
truth burst suddenly upon her
The parting with her husband on the
Goth of January was probably the severest
trial suffered by any woman-that parting
from which he went forth to the scatfold
separated from the tenderest and noblest
Of wives and the most loving children !
During this last interview the courage Of
Marie Antoinette gave way, and for the
first time she realized all the horrors Of
their position. But her sorrows were by
no means at an end, for on the night of
July 1893, six men entered her prison
and awakening the sleeping Louis XVII,
seized him aud bore him away from his
wretched mother by decree Of the Con-
vention.
This inhuman act is but the prelude to
other iniquities. On the night Of the I'd
Of August following, the queen was arous-
ed by orders for her removal to the prison
Of the Conciergerie. Without word she
listened to the reading Of the order, and
did not mrrmer at being forced to dress
herself before her tyrants. They insisted
on searching her pockets, which she at
once submitted to their scrutiny; then ma
king up parcel Of the scanty clothing re-
naming to her, she embraced her daugh-
ter and sster-it was last farewell
She was confined in narrow, damp
dungeon in the Conciergerie, and she, the
queen Of the most powerful monarchy in
the world, slept on a wretched bed, with
only table and two chaiu-bottom chairs
for furniture, and with scarcely change
Of clothing.
On the 18th of October Marie Antoi-
nette was arraigned for trial. She was
poorly and shabbily dressed, but she was
still every inch queen Her enemies
had relied on the effect Of misery ard pri-
vations upon her. but although these had
changed her appearance sadly, they had
not subdued her nature, and she stood
before them unaltered i'll her dignity and
frmness.
The queen condescended to defend her.
self against many Of the accusations, but
some charges were too Infamous to admit
of notice. She asked once during the tfi-
al for glass Of water. at first no one dar-
ed to hand it to her, but finally, on her
making the request a second time, it was
given to her by an officer, who lost his po-