bring
the people back to reasonable notions; that they could only at this moment
be governed by flattering their prejudices; that the king must trust to
time alone; and that his own sole prospect of being of use to the crown
lay in his preservation of his popularity till the favorable moment should
arrive, even if, to preserve that popularity, it were necessary for him at
times still to appear a supporter of revolutionary principles. It is not
impossible that the motives which he thus described did really influence
him; but it was not strange that Marie Antoinette should fail to
appreciate such refined subtlety. She had looked forward to his taking a
bold, straightforward course in defense of Royalist principles; and she
could hardly believe in the honesty of a man who for any object whatever
could seem to disregard or to despise them. Her feelings may be shown by
some extracts from one of her letters to the emperor written just after
one of Mirabeau's most violent outbursts, apparently his speech in support
of a motion that the fleet should be ordered to hoist the tricolor flag.

"October 22d, 1790.

"We are again fallen back into chaos and all our old distrust. Mirabeau
had sent the king some notes, a little violent in language, but well
argued, on the necessity of preventing the usurpations of the Assembly ...
when, on a question concerning the fleet, he delivered a speech suited
only to a violent demagogue, enough to frighten all honest men. Here,
again, all our hopes from that quarter are overthrown. The king is
indignant, and I am in despair. He has written to one of his friends, in
whom I have great confidence, a man of courage and devoted to us, an
explanatory letter, which seems to me neither an explanation nor an
excuse. The man is a volcano which would set an empire on fire; and we are
to trust to him to put out the conflagration which is devouring us. He
will have a great deal to do before we can feel confidence in him again.
La Marck defends Mirabeau, and maintains that if at times he breaks away,
he is still in reality faithful to the monarchy ... The king will not
believe this. He was greatly irritated yesterday. La Marck says that he
has no doubt that Mirabeau thought that he was acting well in speaking as
he did, to throw dust in the eyes of the Assembly, and so to obtain
greater credit when circumstances still more grave should arise. O my God!
if we have committed faults, we have sadly expiated them.[