Читать книгу A Residence in France During the Years 1792, 1793, 1794 and 1795, Complete - Charlotte Biggs - Страница 11

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The conſternation and horror of which I have been partaker, will more than apologize for my ſilence. It is impoſſible for any one, however unconnected with the country, not to feel an intereſt in its preſent calamities, and to regret them. I have little courage to write even now, and you muſt pardon me if my letter ſhould bear marks of the general depreſſion. All but the faction are grieved and indignant at the King'ſ depoſition; but this grief is without energy, and this indignation ſilent. The partizans of the old government, and the friends of the new, are equally enraged; but they have no union, are ſuſpicious of each other, and are ſinking under the ſtupor of deſpair, when they ſhould be preparing for revenge.—It would not be eaſy to deſcribe our ſituation during the laſt week. The ineffectual efforts of La Fayette, and the violences occaſioned by them, had prepared us for ſomething ſtill more ſerious. On the ninth, we had a letter from one of the repreſentativeſ for this department, ſtrongly expreſſive of his apprehenſions for the morrow, but promiſing to write if he ſurvived it. The day, on which we expected news, came, but no poſt, no papers, no diligence, nor any meanſ of information. The ſucceeding night we ſat up, expecting letters by the poſt: ſtill, however, none arrived; and the courier only paſſed haſtily through, giving no detail, but that Paris was a feu et a ſang.*

* All fire and ſlaughter.

At length, after paſſing two days and nights in this dreadful ſuſpence, we received certain intelligence which even exceeded our fears.—It iſ needleſs to repeat the horrors that have been perpetrated. The accountſ muſt, ere now, have reached you. Our repreſentative, as he ſeemed to expect, was ſo ill treated as to be unable to write: he was one of thoſe who had voted the approval of La Fayette's conduct—all of whom were either maſſacred, wounded, or intimidated; and, by this means, a majority was procured to vote the depoſition of the King. The party allow, by their own accounts, eight thouſand perſons to have periſhed on thiſ occaſion; but the number is ſuppoſed to be much more conſiderable. No papers are publiſhed at preſent except thoſe whoſe editors, being memberſ of the Aſſembly, and either agents or inſtigators of the maſſacres, are, of courſe, intereſted in concealing or palliating them.—Mr. De _____ has juſt now taken up one of theſe atrocious journals, and exclaims, with tears ſtarting from his eyes, "On a abattu la ſtatue d'Henri quatre!*"

*"They have deſtroyed the ſtatue of Henry the Fourth."

The ſacking of Rome by the Goths offers no picture equal to the licentiouſneſs and barbarity committed in a country which calls itſelf the moſt enlightened in Europe.—But, inſtead of recording theſe horrors, I will fill up my paper with the Choeur Bearnais.

Choeur Bearnais. "Un troubadour Bearnais, "Le yeux inoudes de larmes, "A ſes montagnardſ "Chantoit ce refrein ſource d'alarmeſ— "Louis le fils d'Henri "Eſt priſonnier dans Pariſ! "Il a tremble pour les jourſ "De ſa compagne cherie "Qui n'a troube de ſecourſ "Que dans ſa propre energie; "Elle ſuit le fils d'Henri "Dans les priſons de Paris. "Quel crime ont ils donc commiſ "Pour etre enchaines de meme? "Du peuple ils ſont les amis, "Le peuple veut il qu'on l'aime, "Quand il met le fils d'Henri "Dans les priſons de Paris? "Le Dauphin, ce fils cheri, "Qui ſeul fait notre eſperance, "De pleurs ſera donc nourri; "Les Berceaux qu'on donne en France "Aux enfans de notre Henri "Sont les priſons de Paris. "Il a vu couler le ſang "De ce garde fidele, "Qui vient d'offrir en mourant "Aux Francais un beau modele; Mais Louis le fils d'Henri "Eſt priſonnier dans Paris. "Il n'eſt ſi triſte appareil "Qui du reſpect nous degage, "Les feux ardens du Soleil "Savent percer le nuage: "Le priſonnier de Pariſ "Eſt toujours le fils d'Henri. "Francais, trop ingrats Francaiſ "Rendez le Roi a ſa compagne; "C'eſt le bien du Bearnais, "C'eſt l'enfant de la Montagne: "Le bonheur qu' avoit Henri "Nous l'affarons a Louis. "Chez vouz l'homme a de ſes droitſ "Recouvre le noble uſage, "Et vous opprimez vos rois, "Ah! quel injuſte partage! "Le peuple eſt libre, et Louiſ "Eſt priſonnier dans Paris. "Au pied de ce monument "Ou le bon Henri reſpire "Pourquoi l'airain foudroyant? "Ah l'on veut qu' Henri conſpire "Lui meme contre ſon filſ "Dans les priſons de Paris."

It was publiſhed ſome time ago in a periodical work, (written with great ſpirit and talents,) called "The Acts of the Apoſtles," and, I believe, has not yet appeared in England. The ſituation of the King gives a peculiar intereſt to theſe ſtanzas, which, merely as a poetical compoſition, are very beautiful. I have often attempted to tranſlate them, but have always found it impoſſible to preſerve the effect and ſimplicity of the original. They are ſet to a little plaintive air, very happily characteriſtic of the words.

Perhaps I ſhall not write to you again from hence, as we depart for A_____ on Tueſday next. A change of ſcene will diſſipate a little the ſeriouſneſs we have contracted during the late events. If I were determined to indulge grief or melancholy, I would never remove from the ſpot where I had formed the reſolution. Man is a proud animal even when oppreſſed by miſfortune. He ſeeks for his tranquility in reaſon and reflection; whereas, a poſt-chaiſe and four, or even a hard-trotting horſe, is worth all the philoſophy in the world.—But, if, as I obſerved before, a man be determined to reſiſt conſolation, he cannot do better than ſtay at home, and reaſon and phoſophize.

Adieu:—the ſituation of my friends in this country makes me think of England with pleaſure and reſpect; and I ſhall conclude with a very homely couplet, which, after all the faſhionable liberality of modern travellers, contains a great deal of truth:

"Amongſt mankind "We ne'er ſhall find "The worth we left at home."

Yours, &c.