repeating from time to time: "A king a fugitive! a king a fugitive!"* The queen, however, having insisted on departing, the order was given for the carriages. It was too late. CHAPTER IX. THE KING BROUGHT BACK TO PARIS. The 5th of October continued.-First Blood shed.-The Women gain over the Regiment of Flanders.-Fight between the Body Guard and the National Guard of Versailles.-The King no longer able to escape.Affright of the Court.-The Women pass the Night in the Hall of the Assembly.-Lafayette forced to march against Versailles.-6th of October. -The Château assailed.-Danger of the Queen.-The Body Guards saved by the French Ex-Guards.-Hesitation of the Assembly.-Conduct of the Duke of Orleans.-The King led to Paris. ONE of the Paris militia, whom a crowd of women had taken, in spite of himself, for their leader, and who excited by the journey, had shown himself at Versailles more enthusiastic than all the others, ventured to pass behind the body guard there seeing the iron gate shut, he began insulting the sentinel stationed within, and menacing him with his bayonet. A lieutenant of the guard and two others drew their swords, and galloped after him. The man ran for his life, tried to reach a shed, but tumbled over a tub, still shouting for assistance. The horseman had come up with him, just as the National Guard of Versailles could contain themselves no longer : one of them, a retail wine-merchant, stepped from the ranks, aimed, fired, and stopped him short; he had broken the arm that held the uplifted sabre. D'Estaing, the commander of this National Guard, was at the castle, still believing that he was to depart with the king. Lecointre, the lieutenant-colonel, remained on the spot demanding orders of the municipal council, who gave none. He was justly fearful lest that famished multitude should overrun the town and feed themselves. He went to them, inquired what quantity of provisions was necessary, and entreated the council See Necker, and his daughter, Madame de Staël's Considérations. 268 THE WOMEN GAIN OVER THE REGIMENT OF FLANDERS. to give them; but could only obtain a little rice, which was nothing for such a multitude. Then he caused a search to be made in every direction, and, by his laudable diligence, gave some relief to the people. * At the same time, he addressed himself to the regiment of Flanders, and asked the officers and soldiers whether they would fire. The latter were already under a far more powerful influence. Women had cast themselves among them, entreating them not to hurt the people. A woman then appeared among them, whom we shall often see again, who seemed not to have walked in the mire with the others, but had, doubtless, arrived later, and who now threw herself at once among the soldiers. This was a handsome young lady, Mademoiselle Théroigne de Méricourt, a native of Liege, lively and passionate, like so many of the women of Liege who effected the Revolution of the fifteenth century, and fought valiantly against Charles the Bold. Interesting, original, and strange, with her ridinghabit and hat, and a sabre by her side, speaking and confounding equally French and the patois of Liege, and yet eloquent. She was laughable, yet irresistible. Théroigne, impetuous, charming, and terrible, was insensible to every obstacle. She had had amours; but then she felt but one passion,-one violent and mortal, which cost her more than life,† her love for the Revolution; she followed it with enthusiasm, never missed a meeting of the Assembly, frequented the clubs and the public places, held a club at her own house, and received many deputies. She would have no more lovers, and declared that she would have none but the great metaphysician, the abstract, cold Abbé Sieyès, ever the enemy of women. Théroigne, having addressed that regiment of Flanders, bewildered, gained them over, and disarmed them so completely that they gave away their cartridges like brothers to the National Guard of Versailles. D'Estaing then sent word to the latter to withdraw. A few departed; others replied that they would not go till the body guards had first moved. The latter were then ordered to file off. It was eight o'clock, and the evening was dark. The * See my Histoire de France, t. vi. A tragical story, terribly disfigured by Beaulieu and all the royalists. I entreat the people of Liege to defend the honour of their heroine. THE KING NO LONGER ABLE TO ESCAPE. 269 people followed, pressed upon the body guards, and hooted after them. The guards force their way sword in hand. Some who were behind, being more molested than the rest, fired their pistols three of the National Guard were hit, one in the face; the two others received the bullets in their clothes. Their comrades fire also by way of answer; and the body guard reply with their musquetoons. Other National Guards entered the court-yard, surrounded d'Estaing, and demanded ammunition. He was himself astonished at their enthusiasm and the boldness they displayed amid the troops: "True martyrs of enthusiasm," said he subsequently to the queen.* * A lieutenant of Versailles declared to the guard of the artillery, that if he did not give him some gunpowder, he would blow his brains out. He gave him a barrel which was opened on the spot; and they loaded some cannon which they pointed opposite the balustrade, so as to take in flank the troops which still covered the castle, and the body guards who were returning to the square. The people of Versailles had shown the same firmness on the other side of the Château. Five carriages drew up to the iron gates in order to depart; they said it was the queen, who was going to Trianon. The Swiss opened, but the guards shut. "It would be dangerous for her Majesty," said the commandant, "to leave the Château." The carriages were escorted back. There was no longer any chance of escape. The king was a prisoner. The same commandant saved one of the body guard whom the crowd wanted to tear to pieces, for having fired on the people. He managed so well that they left the man; they were satisfied with tearing the horse to pieces; and they began roasting him on the Place D'Armes; but the crowd were too hungry to wait, and devoured it almost raw. It was a rainy night. The crowd took shelter where they could; some burst open the gates of the great stables (grandes écuries), where the regiment of Flanders was stationed, and mixed pell-mell with the soldiers. Others, about four thousand in number, had remained in the Assembly. The men were *See one of his letters at the end vol. iii. of Deux Amis de la Liberté. 270 AFFRIGHT OF THE COURT. quiet enough, but the women were impatient at that state of inaction: they talked, shouted, and made an uproar. Maillard alone could keep them quiet, and he managed to do so only by haranguing the Assembly. What contributed to incense the crowd, was that the body guards came to the dragoons, who were at the doors of the Assembly, to ask whether they would assist them in seizing the cannon that menaced the Château. The people were about to rush upon them, when the dragoons contrived to let them escape. At eight o'clock, there was another attempt. They brought a letter from the king, in which, without speaking of the Declaration of Rights, he promised in vague terms to allow corn to circulate freely. It is probable that, at that moment, the idea of flight was predominant at the Château. giving any answer to Mounier, who still remained at the door of the council, they sent this letter to engage the attention of the impatient crowd. Without A singular apparition had added to the affright of the Court. A young man enters, ill-dressed, like one of the mob, and quite aghast.* Everybody was astonished; it was the young Duke of Richelieu who, in that disguise, had mingled with the crowd, a fresh swarm of people who had marched from Paris; he had left them half way on the road in order to give warning to the royal family; he had heard horrible language, atrocious threats, which made his hair stand on end. In saying this, he was so livid, that everybody turned pale. The king's heart was beginning to fail him; he perceived that the queen was in peril. However agonizing it was to his conscience to consecrate the legislative work of philosophy, at ten o'clock in the evening he signed the Declaration of Rights. Mounier was at last able to depart. He hastened to resume his place as president before the arrival of that vast army from Paris, whose projects were not yet known. He re-entered the hall; but there was no longer any Assembly; it had broken up the crowd, ever growing more clamorous and exacting, had demanded that the prices of bread and meat should be lowered. * Staël, Considérations, 2nd part, ch. xi. THE WOMEN IN THE HALL. 271 Mounier found in his place, in the president's chair, a tall fine well-behaved woman, holding the bell in her hand, and who left the chair with reluctance. He gave orders that they were to try to collect the deputies again; meanwhile, he announced to the people that the king had just accepted the constitutional articles. The women crowding about him, then entreated him to give them copies of them; others said: “ But, M. President, will this be very advantageous? Will this give bread to the poor people of Paris ?" Others exclaimed: "We are very hungry. We have eaten nothing to-day." Mounier ordered bread to be fetched from the bakers'. Provisions then came in on all sides. They all began eating in the hall with much clamour. The women, whilst eating, chatted with Mounier: "But, dear President, why did you defend that villanous veto? Mind the lanterne !" Mounier replied firmly, that they were not able to judge, that they were mistaken; that, for his part, he would rather expose his life than betray his conscience. This reply pleased them very much, and from that moment they showed him great respect and friendship.* "Children, we are for you.' Dumont, the Genevese, went back to the Assembly. As Mirabeau alone would have been able to obtain a hearing, and silence the uproar. He did not care to do so. He was certainly uneasy. According to several witnesses, he had walked about in the evening among the people, with a large sabre, saying to those he met, Afterwards, he had gone to bed. in quest of him, and brought him soon as he arrived, he called out, in his voice of thunder, "I should like to know how people have the assurance to come and trouble our meeting. M. President, make them respect the Assembly!" The women shouted "Bravo! They became more quiet. In order to kill time, they resumed the discussion on the criminal laws. 'Twas in a gallery (says Dumont) where a fish-woman was acting as commander-in-chief, and directing about a hundred women, especially girls, who, at a signal from her, shouted or remained silent. She was calling the deputies familiarly by their names, or else would inquire, "Who is that speaking * Mounier, at the end of the Exposé justificatif. |