onaparte. If the soldiers fired upon their legislators,
they should disperse throughout Paris, cry "To Arms," and resort to
barricades. Resistance should be begun constitutionally, and if that
failed, should be continued revolutionarily. There was no time to be
lost.

"High treason," said I, "should be seized red-handed, is a great mistake
to suffer such an outrage to be accepted by the hours as they elapse.
Each minute which passes is an accomplice, and endorses the crime.
Beware of that calamity called an 'Accomplished fact.' To arms!"

Many warmly supported this advice, among others Edgar Quinet, Pelletier,
and Doutre.

Michel de Bourges seriously
objected. My instinct was to begin at once, his advice was to wait and
see. According to him there was danger in hastening the catastrophe. The
_coup d'etat_ was organized, and the People were not. They had been
taken unawares. We must not indulge in illusion. The masses could not
stir yet. Perfect calm reigned in the faubourgs; Surprise existed, yes;
Anger, no. The people of Paris, although so intelligent, did not
understand.

Michel added, "We are not in 1830. Charles X., in turning out the 221,
exposed himself to this blow, the re-election of the 221. We are not in
the same situation. The 221 were popular. The present Assembly is not: a
Chamber which has been insultingly dissolved is always sure to conquer,
if the People support it. Thus the People rose in 1830. To-day they
wait. They are dupes until they shall be victims." Michel de Bourges
concluded, "The People must be given time to understand, to grow angry,
to rise. As for us, Representative, we should be rash to precipitate the
situation. If we were to march immediately straight upon the troops, we
should only be shot to no purpose, and the glorious insurrection for
Right would thus be beforehand deprived of its natural leaders--the
Representatives of the People. We should decapitate the popular army.
Temporary delay, on the contrary, would be beneficial. Too much zeal
must be guarded against, self-restraint is necessary, to give way would
be to lose the battle before having begun it. Thus, for example, we must
not attend the meeting announced by the Right for noon, all those who
went there would be arrested. We must remain free, we must remain in
readiness, we must remain calm, and must act waiting the advent of the
People. Four days of this agitation without fighting would weary the
army." Michel, however, a