their evil passions. The
Girondists, moreover, became as dangerous a set of men as were the
hot-headed and cold-blooded Jacobins. Chagrined at the loss of place
and power, they allied themselves with the mob, and inflamed them by
petitions and harangues. Nay more: by direction of the Girondists, a
general insurrection was prepared in the fauxbourgs, and a body of ten
thousand men organised in the quarter of St. Antoine. A pretext
for arming was found in the non-success already mentioned, of the
revolutionary forces on the frontier. Under the pretence of fear of the
Austrians and Prussians, pikes were forged, and distributed among men
who thirsted to commit outrage and wrong on their monarch and their
fellow-citizens. Revolt broke out on the 20th of June: pikemen from the
suburbs of St. Antoine and St. Marceau marched from the place of
the Bastille towards the Tuilleries. At their head was the ferocious
Santerre, a brewer, who proved himself to be the worthy hero of this
horrible day. Their approach was made known by shouts of "Down with
the Veto," and by the revolutionary chorus of _Caira_. The "Tree of
Liberty," and the "Rights of Man" were borne before them as banners, and
in this manner they forced an entrance into the palace. On discovering
the monarch, some of them exclaimed that they had a petition, and Louis
led the way to the largest saloon of the suite. The petition was not
forthcoming, but placing the "Rights of Man" before the king they
demanded his assent to the decrees for the federal camp and the
transportation of the priests. Never did the unhappy Louis exhibit so
much fortitude as on this trying occasion. He bore all their insults
with calmness, and to their reiterated demands, merely replied; "This is
neither the time nor the way to obtain them from me." This storm passed
by: the Girondists, on hearing that the insurrection was likely to prove
serious, persuaded the rabble to retire. All good citizens manifested
abhorrence at the outrage committed, and indignation was exhibited in
the provinces and among the armies. His admirable coolness extorted
admiration even from his enemies. The Duke de la Rochefaucault, who
commanded at Rouen, offered him an asylum there; Lafayette implored him
to throw himself into the arms of the constitutional forces; and the
national guard offered to protect his person. Louis, however, declined
all these proposals, for he still hoped that the allied powers would
deliver him fr