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MUSES’ RETREAT.
”
MY NATIVE VALE.
A pajlural Seng, from the Italian.
Dear it iny little native vale,
The ring-dove builds and warbles there,
Close by my cot the tells her tale,
To every palling villager :
The fquirrrl leaps from tree to tree,
And shells his nuts at liberty.
In orange groves and myrtle bowers,
That breathe a gale of fragrance round,
To charm the fairy-footed hours,
With my lov’d lute’s romantic found,
Or crowns of living laurel weave,
For thole who win the race at eve.
The shepherd’s horn at break of day,
The mimic dance in twilight glade,
The ruflic glee, and roundelay,
Sung in the silent woodland shade;
These fimplc joys, that never fail,
Shall bind me to niy native vale !
■ -
Paris, o&ober 13.
The afl of accusation presented again fl
Marie Antoinette of ' Aujlria, ci-dxvant
queen of France, by the uccufateur pub
l que.
Antoine Quentin Fouquier, public
accnfcr of the criminal revolutionary
tribunal, eflablilhed at Paris, by a de
cree of the national convention of the
10. h of March, 1793, Hates,
That by a decree of the convention
of the lft of Anguft-laft, Marie An
toinette, widow of Louis Capet, has
been brought before the revolutionary
tribuna l , as accused of conspiring
against France; t at by another de
cree of the convention, of O&ober 3,
it has been decreed, that the revolu
tionary tribunal (hall occupy itfelf
without delay, and without interrup
tion, on the trial.
That an examination being made of
all the pieces transmitted by the pub
lic accuser, it appear that, like MefTa
line, Brunchant, Predigoqde and Me
dicis, who were formerly qualified with
the titles of queens of France, whose
names have ever been odious, and will
never be effaced from the page of
history
Marie Antoinette, widow of Louis
Capet, has, since her abode in France,
been the scourge and the blood-fucker
of the French ; that even before the
happy revolution which gave the
French people their sovereignty, she
had political cortefpondence with a
man called the king of Bohemia and
Hungary ; that this correspondence
was contrary to the interests of Franfce;
and not content with ailing in concert
with the brothers of Louis Capet, and
the infamous and execrable Calonnc,
at that time tnimfter of the finances ;
ot having squandered the finances of
France (the fruit of the sweat of the
people) in a dreadful manner, to fatisly
inordinate pleasures, and to pay the
agents of her criminal intrigues ; it is
notorious that lhe has at different times
transmitted millions to the emperor,
which served him, and Hill supports
him to sustain a war against the repub
lic ; and that it is by such exreilive
plunder that she has at length exhaust
ed the national treasury.
That since the revolution the widow
Capet has not for a moment withheld
criminal intelligence and correspon
dence with foreign powers, and in the
interior of the republic, by agents de
voted to her, whom file fubfulized and
caused to be paid out of the treasury
of the ci-devant civil lift ; that at
various epochs she has employed every
manoeuvre that she thought confident
with her perfidious views to bring
about a counter-revolution : of having
excited the people insensibly to wear
the white cockade, and to tread the
national cockade under foot; and of
having authorized, by her presence, all
the counter-revolutionary excefl'es, par
ticularly in encou.aging the women
who accompanied her, to distribute
*hefe white cockades among the guests;
• and having, on the 4th of the fame
month, teftWicd the mod immoderate
joy at what passed during these orgies.
Secondly. Having, in concert with
Louis Capet, directed to be distributed
very plentifully throughout the king
dom, publications of a counter revolu
tionary nature : of having even car
ried her perfidy and dissimulation to
such a height, as to have circulated
writings in which she herfelf is de
feribedin very unfavourable colours, in
order to cloak the imposture ; thereby
to make it to be believed to foreign
powers, that she was extremely ill
treated by Frenchmen, to instigate
them to go to war with France.
That in order tocarry on her counter
revolutionary designs with more effica
cy, she, by means of agents, caused in
Paris, towarJs the beginning of Octo
ber, 1789, a famine, which occasioned
anew infurredtion ; in consequence of
which, an innumerable crowd.of citi
zens, of both sexes, set out for Ver
sailles on the sth of the said month.
That being fcarcelv arrived in Paris,
the widow Capet, fertile in intrigues
of every king, formed committees, con
filling of all the counter-revolutionists
and intriguers of the constituent and
legislative aflemblies, which held their
meetings in the dead of night ; iha?
plots were there formed how to de
(troy therights of man, and the de
crees already passed, which were to
form the balls of the new conftifurion.
Jt is confirmed, by the teftimonyof
Louis Charles Capet, and by his filter,
that de.la Fayette favoured all the de
signs of the widow Capet, in the fame
manner as Bailly did while he was
mayor of Paris; that both were pre
sent when the fugitives escaped, and
favoured their flight as much as lay in !
their power. That the widow Capet,!
after her return from Varennes, recom- j
menced her intriguing coteries, at
which ffie herfelf presided.
That it was at these meeting that
the horrible maftacre, which took place
on the 27 th of July, 1791, was planned,
when lo many zealous patriots were
killed in the Champ de Mars ; that
the m.itTicre which had previoi.il y
taken place at Nancy, as well'as those
which have since happened in the dif
ferent parts of the republic, were or-!
dered and determined on in these secret
councils ; that th°fe infurreftions, in
which the blood of such an imraenfe
number of patriots has been fpilt, were ,
plotted in order the more expeditiously j
and securely to obtain a revision of the
dccreevS palled and founded on the rights’
of man.
That she employed agents in differ
ent parts of the republic, to effedt this
objedt of annihilating liberty, and to
make the French once more fall be
neath the tyrannic yoke under which!
they had languifiled for so many years ;
that for this purpose the widow Capet
ordered it to be difculfed in the mid
night meetings, which were truly called
the Austrian Cabinet, how far it might
not be possible to counteract the laws
passed in the legislative assembly ; that
it was in consequence of these councils,
and her advice, that Louis Capet was
persuaded to oppose his veto to the
famous and faintary decrees passed in
the legislative alTembly against the ci
devant princes, brothers of Louis
Capet ; against the emigrants, and
against that horde of refractory and
fanatical priests who were spread all
through France; a veto which has
proved one of the principal causes of
the evils which France has since ex
perienced.
1 hat the widow Capet combined
and plotted, with her perfidious agents,
the horrible conspiracy which broke
out on the day of the 10th of August,
■ which failed only through the courage
; ous and incredible efforts of the patri
ots ; that to this end ffie seduced into
her dwelling of the Thuilleries, and
even into the fubterraneous pafiages
under it, Swiss soldiers, who, at the
expiration of a decree then passed,
were no longer to belong to the body
guard of Louis Capet ; that she kept
them in a Hate of drnnkennefs, from
the 9th to the 10th in the morning, the
day appointed for the execution of this
: horrible conspiracy ; that for the fame
purpose she had reunited, on the 9'E a
body of those beings known by the
name of Knights ot the Dagger, who
had figured away with the fame infa
mous designs, and in the fame place on
the 28th of February, 1791, and again
on the 21 fl of June, 1792.
That the next day, the ioihof Au
gust, ffie preifed and solicited Louis
Capet to go to the 1 huilleries at five
in the morning, toreview the real Swiss
guards and those who had aflumed their
uniform; and at his return flic pre
sented him with a piftol,faying— ‘ This
is the moment to Jhew yourjelf:’ and on
his refufinglhe called him a coward.
That to the perfidious intrigues and
manoeuvres of the widow Capet, in
confederacy with that infamous faction
of which we have just spoken, and with
all the enemies of the republic, France
is indebted for the internal war which
has diftrefled her so long ; but the end
of which is fortunately not much more
distant than that of its authors.
That at all times the widow Capet,
by the influence the had acquired over
Lmiis Capet, infatuated into him that
perfidious and dangerous art of dissimu
lation, to promise by public adts the
very contrary he meantto perform : and
that they both in their midnight coun
cil plotted the ruin of that liberty so
dear to Frenchmen, sand which they
will take care to preserve) and to re
cover the plenitude of the royal prero
gatives.
That finally, the widow Capet, in
every refpedt immoral, and a new
Agrippina, is so dissolute and so familiar
with all crimes, that forgetting her
quality of mother-, and the limits pre
ferred by the law of nature, has-not
hefilated to prostitute herfelf with Louis
Charles Capet, her son ; and ac
cording to the confeffion of the lat
ter , she has committed indecencies
with him, the very idea and name of
which strikes the foul with horror.
According to this report, the public
accuser brings the above accusations
against Marie Antoinette, qualifying
herfelf in her interrogatory by the title
of Lorraine and Auitria, widow of
Louis Capet, and states—
! 1 ft. That in conjunction with the
brothers of Louis Capet, and the in
famous ex nunifterCalonne, fhefquan
dered away, in the molt horrid manner,
( the French finances ; lent innumerable
Ifu ns to the emperor, and drained the
national treasury.
2d. That as well by herfelf as the
j aid ot hercounter-revolutionary agents,
file kept up a correspondence with the
enemies of the republic, and informed
these enemies, or caused them to be
informed, of all the plans of campaigns
• and attacks resolved on and determined
on in the council.
3d. That through her intrigue and
mancenvres, and those of her agents,
: she formed confpiraciesand plots against
| the interior and exterior fafety of
jFrancc; and to that effedt kindled a
jcivil war in divers provinces of the re
public, armed one citizen against
and by these means spilled the
j blood of an incalculable number of
‘citizens, contrary to the 6th article of
jthefirft fed!ion of the penal code, and
I to the 2d article of’the 2d fedtion of
the fame code.
In consequence of all which charges,
the public accuser requests, that an aft
of the present accusation be given him
by the tribunal ; that it be ordained,
that on his requisition, and through the
channel of a ferjeant at arms, Marie
Antoinette, qualifying herfelf by the
, title of Lorraine and Austria, widow
of Louis Capet, actually confined in
the prison called the Conciergerie of
the palace, be entered on the registers
of the said prison, there to remain the
1 fame as in a house of justice, and that
the sentence to be given ilia! 1 be notifi
ed to the municipality of Paris and to
the accused.
, Antoine Quentin Fouquier.
The tribunal, in compliance with
the requeftof the public accuser, grants
1 him an a£t of the accusation by him
: made against Marie Antoinette.
1 October 20.
The execution of Marie Antoinette
took place on Wednesday the 16th.
She was conducted from her prison of
the Conciergerie, to the Place do l a
Revolution, beyond the garden of ih e
Thuilleries.
All the national guards of thefeveral
fedtiens of Paris were under arms, and
Henriot, the commandant, attentive!
the queen, in a private coach, wiih a
guard of cavalry, to the place of execu
tion.
Nothing like forrovv or pity for the
queen’s fate was Ihewn by the people,
who lined the streets through which
she had to pass. On her arrival at tits
Place de la Revolution, ffie was help .!
out of the carriage, and afeended the
fcaffold with l’eeming composure She
was accompanied by a priert, who (in’-
charged the office of confeifor. She
was in a half mourning dress, evidently
not adjusted with much attentiu .
Her hands being tied behind her, !fie
looked around without terror ; her
body being then bent by the machine,
the axe was let down, and at once fc
parated the head from the body. Af
ter the hea 1 was displayed by the exe
cutioner, three young women wereob
ferved dipping their handkerchiefs in
the streaming blood of the deceased
queen. They were taken into custody,
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
October 16.
Voulland, in the name of the com
mittee of general fafety, informed the
convention of the trial, condemnation,
and execution of Mar e Antoinette.
Immediately after the sentence had
been palled, the committee, as a mea
sure of general faletv, ordered the two
official pleaders, who had been allowed
to defend Marie Antoinette, to be taken
into custody. It was supposed, that
they misfit have been entrusted with
fome secrets of importance. The com
mittee directed them to be sent to the
Luxembourg, where they were treated
with ail that attention which was due
to them. Their confinement was tp
expire in 24 hours.
Ihe committee deputed fome of
its members to wait o < C,v. ~ u
Trouflbn de Coudray, the pleaders, to
take their declaration.
Chaveau’s declaration was as fol
lows •—My conference with Marie
Antoinete iafted no more than three
quarters of an hour; and the conver
iation was carried on loud enough to be
heard by the four persons who were in
the room Antoinette made no de
claration to me of importance; the
spoke only of her trial. In all her
questions, ffie difeovered the deeped
dissimulation. The only unguarded
phrase she made use of, was the follow
ing : ‘ I fear none but Manuel.’
‘ The subsequent trait is a fufficient
proof of her artifice : as Ihe was oa
the way from the revolutionary tribu
nal to the Conciergerie, after her firtl
examination, she asked me, if I did not
think Ihe infufed too much dignity into
her rephes ? ‘ I put the question to
you,’ said she, * in consequence ot
hearing a woman fay to her companion,
Observe how proud flic is.’
TroufTon’s declaration.— ‘ Marie
Antoinette confided nothing of im
portance to me ; she only gave me two
pieces of gold, and a lock'of her hair,
which ffie requested me to fend to a
woman of the name of Piorris, who
lives at Livry, with the female citi
zen La Porte. Piorris, Ihe said, was
her particular friend.”
Voulland concluded his report from
the committee of general fafety, by
proposing that Chaveau and Trctufton
de Coudray should beset at liberty,
and that it should be declared that
they had done nothing, in the course
of their defence of Marie Antoinette,
to merit censure.
November 3.
r l he minister of marine announced,
that on the 28th ultimo, lix Englifit
frigates appeared off Montreuil fur
Mer, which were briskly cannonaded.
One of them ran upon the rocks and
was wrecked : ten of the crew weie
drowned, and therelt made prisoners.