errours in a good government, and in a bad, are equally almost incident; for what magiftrate may not be misinformed, and much the fooner, if liberty of printing be reduced into the power of a few? But to redress willingly, and fpeedily, what hath been erred, and in highest authority, to efteem a plain advertisement, more than others have done a fumptuous bride, is a virtue (honoured Lords and Commons !) anfwerable to your highest actions, and whereof none can participate but greatest and wifeft men.

OP

OF THE INNOCENCE OF THE LATE KING OF FRANCE, LEWIS XVI. OF ALL THE CHARGES LATELY BROUGHT AGAINST HIM.

To the PRINTER of the PU Blic AdvertiSER.

SIR,

May 7, 1793.

I HAVE lately feen a work written by M. De Sainte Croix, who was Secretary of State for foreign affairs to the late innocent and unfortunate King of France, Lewis the Sixteenth, on the 10th of August laft, when his Palace of the Thuilleries at Paris was affaulted, and his faithful Swiss guards were murdered by a furious mob of banditti, who were determined to convert the monarchical government of France, limited and weak as it was, into a pure republick. The book is entitled, "A Hiftory of the Confpi"racy of the Republicans of Paris against the then fub

fifting Government, which broke-out on the 10th of "Auguft, 1792;" and contains many proofs of a defign, carried-on for feveral months together, to embarrass and degrade, and ultimately to overthrow, the regal part of the Conflitutional Government, which had been established, by the first National Affembly. In prosecution of this defign, it was the conftant employment of the writers of Republican news-papers to blacken the King's character and conduct in the eyes of the people, by afcribing to him views which he never entertained, nor, (from the fcrupulous integrity, which now appears to have governed.ali his actions,) was capable of entertaining, and measures in which he had no concern. In particular it was given-cut

that he fent money to fome of the gentlemen who had formerly been of his life-guard, to encourage them to serve in the army of the emigrants under his brothers, the Counts of Provence and Artois, and join with the Auftrians and Pruffians under the Duke of Brunfwick in the invafion of France in laft July, 1792; and it was also faid that he was privy to, and encouraged, the treaty of Pilnitz in the preceeding fummer, 1791, between the Emperour of Germany, Leopold II. and the King of Pruffia, which was fuppofed to have been made with a view to an invation of France, and a re-establishment of the former abfolute regal government. Now the virtuous Lewis was innocent of both thefe charges. He had, indeed, continued to many of his old life-guard-men their former pay: but it was out of mere bounty and gratitude to them for their former services, and upon an exprefs condition that they fhould continue to refide in France, and fhould produce certificates of their doing fo to the perfon from whom they were to receive the money, which made it impoffible for them to ferve in the emigrants army. This was proved at the trial of the unfortunate monarch, by a written. document produced by M. De Seze, one of his counsel, and of which the authenticity has never been disputed; and now it is confirmed by a teftimony of M. De Sainte Croix, one of the King's minifters of state; who likewise informs us that the King had no concern in the treaty of Pilnitz, and was extremely uneafy at the thoughts of an invafion of his kingdom by German, or any foreign, armies, for the purpose of effecting a counter-revolution, and restoring him to his former power.

The paffages of Monfieur De Sainte Croix's book which relate to these subjects are as follows:

On the 7th of laft Auguft, 1792, that is, three days before the attack made on the palace of the Thuilleries,

the

the King, in a conference I had with him, in which he ⚫ mentioned this fubject of his own accord, fhowed me a pa

per, which proved that ever fince the laft months of the

preceeding year, 1791, no payments had been made to thefe life-guard-men, even of the arrears that had become due before that time, without authentick certificates of their having a known refidence in France. I have had the original order of the King made for this purpose, and which was all written in his own handwriting, in my hands, and, from having read it, can atteft that this was the purport of it.'

The next paffage relates to the King's endeavours to prevent any hoftile attempts against France from the neighbouring powers on the Continent, and is as follows:

All the political cabinets of Europe will bear witness to the fpirit of peace and conciliation which conftantly 'governed the King of France in all his tranfactions with foreign powers. If his enemies fhould blame the ufe he made of his influence at the Court of Vienna, I can anfwer, that he was fo far from making the use they would fuggeft of this influence, that, fo long ago as the fpring of the year 1791, he prevented the execution of a fecret plan that had been fettled at Mantua for invading France about two months after, when the French armies. 6 were as yet incompleat, and the frontiers of the kingdom • undefended. And in the fummer of the fame year 1791, he prevented the effects of the treaty of Pilnitz; and in the autumn of the fame year he concerted measures with the Emperour for keeping all the troops and military " preparations that had lately been making near the Rhine, from paffing that river towards the eastern frontier of France. That these things are fo, I, (who have been the King's minifter for foreign affairs, and muft therefore be fuppofed to have been acquainted with them,) do

pofitively affert. Let the King's enemies, if they pre< tend to doubt of them, publifh the papers of the King's ⚫ foreign correspondence, which their mobs carried-off by ⚫ force from the palace of the Thuilleries on the fatal 10th of Auguft. I challenge them to do fo: for the Publick will then fee the most indifputable proofs of the repeated and most earneft endeavours of the King to avoid this war with the powers of Germany, which was first provoked, and, afterwards abfolutely brought-on and engaged-in by thofe very perfons who now have the audacity to lay the blame of it upon him. They seem to think it poffible for us to have forgot that the National Affembly paffed a decree of accufation against one of the King's Minifters, Monfieur de Leffart, merely because he had avoided entering into the war; and that the republican party, by threatning the King with the dangers of another infurrection at Paris, forced him to admit to the office, which that Minifter was obliged to quit, another perfon who was devoted to their views, Monfieur du Mouricz, and who foon managed matters in fuch a way, * as to make the entering into that war a measure of abfolute neceffity. As to the King himself, he never confidered war in any other light than as a fresh source of publick confufions and misfortunes; and, instead of C wifhing for a counter-revolution, he dreaded it as an 'occafion of committing new crimes that would further difhonour the nation; and he used his utmost endeavours to prevent any interference of foreign powers in the domeftick concerns of France. Alas! how little is his character understood! the only objects of his wishes are, to fee a stop to the prefent confufions and political diffenfions of France, a return of the bleffings of domestick peace and good order, and, above all, a revival of the people's good opinion of him, and confidence in the

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