TRANCE.] LOUIS XVI.
/
advocates are well known, but all their eloquence and
their efforts were of no avail. His death had been re-
solved upon before a word had been uttered in his justi-
fication. M. de Malesherbes, who had been formerly the
minister of Louis XVI. and who considered it a duty to
quit his retreat, and defend his master, disclosed to the
unfortunate monarch the destiny that awaited him. The
prince, whom in that moment he discovered in an atti-
tude of meditation, turned to him, and said, “ I have for
these two hours been endeavouring to recollect whether,
in the whole course of my reign, I have merited the
slightest reproach from my subjects: I swear to you, in
all the sincerity of my heart, as a man who must shortly
appear before my God,that I have constantly desired the
welfare of my people, and that I never formed a wish
which had a contrary tendency.” This testimony which
Louis rendered to himself was just: but he had but an
imperfect knowledge of mankind, and the weakness of
his character gave rise to evils of a more serious descrip-
tion than would have resulted from the most violent
passions in another prince.
On the 20th of January, 1793, Louis heard his sen-
tence read to him with great composure, and communi-
cated it himself to his family, to arm them with resigna-
tion. At midnight he heard mass : immediately after-
wards he threw himself upon a bed, and slept soundly.
In the morning he was still asleep when the faithful
Clcry came to awake and dress him for the last time. At
eight o’clock he quitted his apartments to be conducted
to the scaffold. Placed in a coach, with his confessor the
Abbe Edgeworth, and two gend’armes, he was two hours
before he reached the square of Louis XV. Having
ascended the scaffold, he refused to have his hands tied,
/
advocates are well known, but all their eloquence and
their efforts were of no avail. His death had been re-
solved upon before a word had been uttered in his justi-
fication. M. de Malesherbes, who had been formerly the
minister of Louis XVI. and who considered it a duty to
quit his retreat, and defend his master, disclosed to the
unfortunate monarch the destiny that awaited him. The
prince, whom in that moment he discovered in an atti-
tude of meditation, turned to him, and said, “ I have for
these two hours been endeavouring to recollect whether,
in the whole course of my reign, I have merited the
slightest reproach from my subjects: I swear to you, in
all the sincerity of my heart, as a man who must shortly
appear before my God,that I have constantly desired the
welfare of my people, and that I never formed a wish
which had a contrary tendency.” This testimony which
Louis rendered to himself was just: but he had but an
imperfect knowledge of mankind, and the weakness of
his character gave rise to evils of a more serious descrip-
tion than would have resulted from the most violent
passions in another prince.
On the 20th of January, 1793, Louis heard his sen-
tence read to him with great composure, and communi-
cated it himself to his family, to arm them with resigna-
tion. At midnight he heard mass : immediately after-
wards he threw himself upon a bed, and slept soundly.
In the morning he was still asleep when the faithful
Clcry came to awake and dress him for the last time. At
eight o’clock he quitted his apartments to be conducted
to the scaffold. Placed in a coach, with his confessor the
Abbe Edgeworth, and two gend’armes, he was two hours
before he reached the square of Louis XV. Having
ascended the scaffold, he refused to have his hands tied,