I showed them that if they would arm not only
the partisans of the throne, but those of the altar, and advance the
interests of religion while advancing the interests of royalty, it would
be easy to save both.

"My plan had for sole object to bind a party together, and give it as far
as I was able breadth and stability.

"As the revolutionists placed their chief dependence on force, I felt
that they could only be met by force; for then as now I was convinced of
this great truth, that one strong passion can only be overcome by another
stronger, and that therefore republican fanaticism could only be driven
out by religious zeal.

"The princes being convinced of the correctness of my reasoning and the
efficacy of my remedies, promised me the arms and supplies necessary to
stem the tide of faction, and the Comte d'Artois gave me letters of
recommendation to the chief nobles in Upper Languedoc, that I might
concert measures with them; for the nobles in that part of the country
had assembled at Toulouse to deliberate on the best way of inducing the
other Orders to unite in restoring to the Catholic religion its useful
influence, to the laws their power, and to the king his liberty and
authority.

"On my return to Languedoc, I went from town to town in order to meet
those gentlemen to whom the Comte d'Artois had written, among whom were
many of the most influential Royalists and some members of the States of
Parliament. Having decided on a general plan, and agreed on a method of
carrying on secret correspondence with each other, I went to Nimes to
wait for the assistance which I had been promised from Turin, but which I
never received. While waiting, I devoted myself to awakening and
sustaining the zeal of the inhabitants, who at my suggestion, on the 20th
April, passed a resolution, which was signed by 5,000 inhabitants."

This resolution, which was at once a religious and political manifesto,
was drafted by Viala, M. Froment's secretary, and it lay for signature in
his office. Many of the Catholics signed it without even reading it, for
there was a short paragraph prefixed to the document which contained all
the information they seemed to desire.

"GENTLEMEN,--The aspirations of a great number of our Catholic and
patriotic fellow-citizens are expressed in the resolution which we have
the honour of laying before you. They felt that under present
circumstances such a resolution was necessary, and they feel convinced