For six months banquets were renewed in most of the departments—­at Colmar, Strasburg, St. Quentin, Lille, Avesnes, Cosne, Chalons, Macon, Lyons, Montpellier, Rouen, etc.  In many parts there was a great display of feelings and intentions most hostile to royalty and the dynasty.  On several occasions—­at Lille, for example—­the keenest members of the parliamentary opposition, Odilon Barrot and his friends, withdrew, soon after taking their places at table, because the others absolutely refused to dissemble their hostility to the Crown and the King.  At other banquets, notably at Dijon, the ideas and passions of 1793 unblushingly reappeared.  They defended Robespierre and the Reign of Terror.  The “Red Republic” openly flaunted its colors and hopes.  The attack upon monarchy and the dynasty ranged itself, it is true, behind the parliamentary opposition, but like Galatea running away: 

  “Et se cupit ante videri.”

It had succeeded well enough in making itself seen.  The Government could no longer shut their eyes.  They had tolerated the banquets so long as they could believe, or seem to believe, that the parliamentary opposition directed, or at least ruled, the movement.  When it became evident that the anarchical impulse was more and more gaining upon the parliamentary opposition, and that the latter was becoming the instrument instead of remaining the master, then only they forbade the banquets.  It was their duty.

It was also their right, in the opinion of the most competent legal authorities, as well as according to the recent practice of other free governments, in presence of a situation full of certain danger.  This right, however, was disputed by the opposition.  The Government, pushing the principle of legality to its furthest limit, arranged with several leading men of the opposition for the purpose of enabling the question of right to be brought speedily and methodically before competent tribunals.  Just before the opening of the new session, in order to close the campaign, a new and formal banquet was being prepared in Paris, to which all the Deputies and Peers who had taken part in any of the preceding banquets were to be invited.  This manifestation was to take place in the Twelfth Arrondissement of Paris.  It was therefore agreed between the opposition delegates and those of the ministerial majority that the Deputies invited should go to the place appointed for the meeting and take their places, so as to avoid any disturbance in the streets or the hall, and that on the police commissary declaring that there was an order against it the guests should protest and withdraw, to lay the question before the tribunals.  The agreement thus concluded was communicated by Duchatel to the council, which approved of it.