people—­which gives to the throne its true dignity, and regenerates the government of the empire.’  The king received the constitutional act, and thus replied:  ’I receive the constitution presented to me by the National Assembly.  I will convey to it my resolution after the shortest possible delay which the examination of so important an act must require.  I have resolved on remaining in Paris.  I will give orders to the commandant of the national Parisian guard for the duties of my guard.’  The king, during the whole time, presented an aspect of satisfaction; and from all we saw and heard we anticipate that the completion of the Constitution will be also the termination of the Revolution.”  The Assembly and the tribunes applauded several times.  It was one of those days of public hope, when faction retreats into the shade, to allow the serenity of good citizens to shine forth.

La Fayette removed the degrading consignes, which made the Tuileries a jail to the royal family.  The king ceased to be the hostage of the nation, in order to become its ostensible head.  He gave some days to the apparent examination which he was supposed to bestow upon the Constitution.  On the 13th he addressed to the Assembly, by the minister of justice, a message concerted with Barnave, thus conceived:—­“I have examined the constitutional act.  I accept it, and will have it carried into execution.  I ought to make known the motives of my resolution.  From the commencement of my reign I have desired the reform of abuses, and in all my acts I have taken for rule public opinion.  I have conceived the project of assuring the happiness of the people on permanent bases, and of subjecting my own authority to settled rules.  From these intentions I have never varied.  I have favoured the establishment of trials of your work before it was even finished.  I have done so in all sincerity; and, if the disorders which have attended almost every epoch of the Revolution have frequently affected my heart, I hoped that the law would resume its force, and that on reaching the term of your labours, every day would restore to it that respect, without which the people can have no liberty, and a king no happiness.  I have long entertained that hope; and my resolution has only changed at the moment when I could hope no longer.  Remember the moment when I quitted Paris:  disorder was at its height—­the licence of the press and the insolence of parties knew no bounds.  Then, I avow, if you had offered to me the constitution, I should not have thought it my duty to accept it.

“All has changed.  You have manifested the desire to re-establish order; you have revised many of the articles; the will of the people is no longer doubtful to me, and therefore I accept the constitution under better auspices.  I freely renounce the co-operation I had claimed in this work, and I declare that when I have renounced it no other but myself has any right to claim it.  Unquestionably I still