think that I did well, for we forget very quickly both
proclamations and persons. Where are they now, the official bills of
last year?

"REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE. "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite. "_To the
People_.

"Citizens,--The people of Paris have shaken off the yoke endeavoured
to be imposed upon them."

What yoke, gentlemen--I beg pardon, citizens of the Committee? I assure
you, as part of the people, that I have never felt that any one has
tried to impose one upon me. I recollect, if my memory serves me, that a
few guns were spoken of, but nothing about yokes. Then the expression
"People of Paris," is a gross exaggeration. The inhabitants of
Montmartre and their neighbours of that industrious suburb are certainly
a part of the people, and not the less respectable or worthy of our
consideration because they live out of the centre (indeed, I have always
preferred a coal man of the Chaussee Clignancourt to a coxcomb of the
Rue Taitbout); but for all that, they are not the whole population.
Thus, your sentence does not imply anything, and moreover, with all its
superannuated metaphor, the rhetoric is out of date. I think it would
have been better to say simply--

"Citizens,--The inhabitants of Montmartre and of Belleville have
taken their guns and intend to keep them."

But then it would not have the air of a proclamation. Extraordinary
fact! you may overturn an entire country, but you must not touch the
official style; it is immutable. One may triumph over empires, but must
respect red tape. Let us read on:

"Tranquil, calm in our force, we have awaited without fear as
without provocation, the shameless madmen who menaced the Republic."

The Republic? Again an improper expression, it was the cannons they
wanted to take.

"This time, our brothers of the army...."

Ah! your brothers of the army! They are your brothers because they
fraternised and threw up the butt-ends of their muskets. In your family
you acknowledge no brotherhood except those who hold the same opinion.

"This time, our brothers of the army would not raise their hands
against the holy ark of our liberty."

Oh! So the guns are a holy ark now. A very holy metaphor, for people not
greatly enamoured of churchmen.

"Thanks for all; and let Paris and France unite to build a Republic,
and accept with acclamations the only government that will close for
ever the flood gates of invasion and civi