They do not abandon the principles laid down so
ostentatiously and laboriously of the equality of men. They cannot
shut their eyes to the degradation of the whole noblesse of France and
the suppression of the very idea of a gentleman. The total abolition
of titles and distinctions is not lost upon them. But M. de la Tour du
Pin is astonished at their disloyalty, when the doctors of the
Assembly have taught them at the same time the respect due to laws. It
is easy to judge which of the two sorts of lessons men with arms in
their hands are likely to learn. As to the authority of the king, we
may collect from the minister himself (if any argument on that head
were not quite superfluous) that it is not of more consideration
with these troops than it is with everybody else. "The king", says he,
"has over and over again repeated his orders to put a stop to these
excesses; but in so terrible a crisis your (the Assembly's)
concurrence is become indispensably necessary to prevent the evils
which menace the state. You unite to the force of the legislative
power that of opinion still more important". To be sure the army can
have no opinion of the power or authority of the king. Perhaps the
soldier has by this time learned that the Assembly itself does not
enjoy a much greater degree of liberty than that royal figure.
It is now to be seen what has been proposed in this exigency,
one of the greatest that can happen in a state.
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