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LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

France , Louvet, Guadet, and others, met there, and.added to the elegance of the coteries of past times, theserious and deeper spirit of the present hour. Too soonthey were swept away by the torrent of the revolution.

On the 24th of October Roland again came forwardwith a report on the state of the capital, which waswritten with dignity, but with a strict adherence totruth : he described with energy, and strongly repro-bated, the crimes committed on the 2d September. Hecast the accusation of sanguinary outrage on a few ; buthe blamed the many for their culpable weakness in per-mitting such crimes. Robespierre rose to answer him ;but his known complicity with the Septembrisers ex-cited abhorrence and confusion in the chamber. It wason this occasion when Robespierre , relying on the ter-ror felt by his enemies, defied them to accuse him, thatLouvet crossed the chamber to the tribune and ex-claimed with energy — “Yes; I accuse you!” Therest of the girondists supported him. The speech thatfollowed this denunciation was full of energy, daringtruths, and resolute measures. Had they been followedup on the instant, France had been spared the reign ofterror. Robespierre , confused, overwhelmed, ghastly withterror, could only ask a delay to prepare his defence. Adisinterested but mistaken love of order and justice causedhis adversaries to assent to his request.

Marat had also been attacked by Louvet; Dantonwas enveloped more remotely in the accusation ; andthese men, together with Robespierre , saw safety only inthe extirpation of the girondists. They spared no painsto calumniate the party, and madame Roland shared inthe odium they cast upon her husband. They were ac-cused of forming a society for the purpose of corruptingthe public mind, and of conspiring to separate France ,founded on the idea already mentioned, of establishinga republic in the south, if the king should subjugate thenorth. Vague charges were magnified into crimes, andpunished by death, when the people were above law,and anarchy prevailed.