The king remains impassible under every threat. He takes the hand of a grenadier who wishes to encourage him， and， placing it on his breast， bids him， "See if that is the beating of a heart agitated by fear."[51] To Legendre and the zealots who call upon him to sanction， he replies without the least excitement：
"I have never departed from the Constitution. . . . I will do what the Constitution requires me to do. . . . It is you who break the law."-- And， for nearly three hours， remaining standing， blockaded on his bench，[52] he persists in this without showing a sign of weakness or of anger. This cool deportment at last produces an effect， the impression it makes on the spectators not being at all that which they anticipated. It is very clear that the personage before them is not the monster which has been depicted to them， a somber， imperious tyrant， the savage， cunning Charles IX. they had hissed on the stage.
They see a man somewhat stout， with placid， benevolent features， whom they would take， without his blue sash， for an ordinary， peaceable bourgeois.[53] His ministers， near by， three or four men in black coats， gentlemen and respectable employees， are just what they seem to be. In another window recess stands his sister， Madame Elizabeth， with her sweet and innocent face. This pretended tyrant is a man like other men； he speaks gently， he says that the law is on his side， and nobody says the contrary； perhaps he is less wrong than he is thought to be. If he would only become a patriot！ -- A woman in the room brandishes a sword with a cockade on its point； the King makes a sign and the sword is handed to him， which he raises and， hurrahing with the crowd， cries out： Vive la Nation！ That is already one good sign. Ared cap is shaken in the air at the end of a pole. Some one offers it to him and he puts it on his head； applause bursts forth， and shouts of Vive la Nation！ Vive la Liberte！ and even vive le Roi！
From this time forth the greatest danger is over. But it is not that the besiegers abandon the siege. "He did damned well，" they exclaim， "to put the cap on， and if he hadn't we would have seen what would come of it. And damn it， if he does not sanction the decree against the priests， and do it right off； we will come back every day. In this way we shall tire him out and make him afraid of us. -- But the day wears on. The heat is over-powering， the fatigue extreme， the King less deserted and better protected. Five or six of the deputies， three of the municipal officers， a few officers of the National Guard， have succeeded in ****** their way to him. Pétion himself， mounted on a sofa， harangues the people with his accustomed flattery.[54] At the same time Santerre， aware of the opportunity being lost， assumes the attitude of a liberator， and shouts in his rough voice： "I answer for the royal family. Let me see to it." A line of National Guards forms in front of the King， when， slowly and with difficulty， urged by the mayor， the crowd melts away， and， by eight o'clock in the evening， it is gone.
_______________________________________________________________________Notes：
[1] Moniteur， X. 39 and following pages (sessions of Oct. 5 and 6， 1791). Speeches by Chabot， Couthon， Lequinio， and Vergniaud. - Mercure de France， Oct. 15. Speech by Robespierre， May 17， 1790. "The king is not the nation's representative， but its clerk. - Cf. Ernest Hamel， "Vie de Robespierre."[2] Moniteur， XIII. 97 (session of July 6， 1792)[3] Buchez et Roux， XIII. 61， Jan.28， 1792. The King in his usually mild way calls the attention of the Assembly to the usurpation it is committing. "The form adopted by you is open to important observations. I shall not extend these to-day； the gravity of the situation demands that I concern myself much more with maintaining harmonious sentiments than with continually discussing my rights."[4] Sauzay， II. 99. Letter of the deputy Vernerey to the Directory of Doubs： "The Directory of the department may always act with the greatest severity against the seditious， and， apart from the article relating to their pension， follow the track marked out in the decree.
If the executive desires to impede the operations of the Directory. .
. the latter has its recourse in the National Assembly， which in all probability will afford it a shelter against ministerial attacks." --Moniteur， XII. 202 (session of April 23). Report of Roland， Minister of the Interior. Already at this date forty-two departments had expelled or interned the unsworn ecclesiastics.
[5] Mercure-de-France， Feb.25.
[6] Moniteur， X. 440 (session of Nov.22， 1791). A letter to M.
Southon， Director of the Mint at Paris， is read， "complaining of an arbitrary order， that of the Minister of the Interior， to report himself at Pau on the 25th of this month， under penalty of dismissal."Isnard supports the charge： "M. Southon，" he says， "is here at work on a very circumstantial denunciation of the Minister of the Interior [Applause from the galleries.] If citizens who are zealous enough to make war on abuses are sent back to their departments we shall never have denunciations" [The applause is renewed.] - Ibid.， X， 504(session of Nov. 29). Speech by Isnard： "Our ministers must know that we are not fully satisfied with the conduct of each of them [repeated applause]； that henceforth they must simply choose between public gratitude and the vengeance of the law， and that our understanding of the word responsibility is death." [The applause is renewed.] -- The Assembly orders this speech to be printed and sent into the departments. - Cf. XII， 73， 138， etc.
