ought to have no prejudices, affections,
nor wants, but such as are authorised by the legislator. He even goes so
far as to say that the inflexible austerity of a man is the basis of a
republic.

We have seen that, in cases where the evil is so great that the ordinary
magistrates are unable to remedy it, Mably recommends a dictatorship, to
promote virtue. "_Have recourse_," says he, "to an extraordinary
magistracy, whose time shall be short, and his power considerable. The
imagination of the people requires to be impressed." This doctrine has
not been neglected. Listen to Robespierre:--

"The principle of the Republican Government is virtue, and the
means to be adopted, during its establishment, is terror. We want
to substitute, in our country, morality for egotism, probity for
honour, principles for customs, duties for decorum, the empire of
reason for the tyranny of fashion, contempt of vice for contempt of
misfortune, pride for insolence, greatness of soul for vanity,
love of glory for love of money, good people for good company,
merit for intrigue, genius for wit, truth for glitter, the charm of
happiness for the weariness of pleasure, the greatness of man for
the littleness of the great, a magnanimous, powerful, happy people,
for one that is easy, frivolous, degraded; that is to say, we would
substitute all the virtues and miracles of a republic for all the
vices and absurdities of monarchy."

At what a vast height above the rest of mankind does Robespierre place
himself here! And observe the arrogance with which he speaks. He is not
content with expressing a desire for a great renovation of the human
heart, he does not even expect such a result from a regular Government.
No; he intends to effect it himself, and by means of terror. The object
of the discourse from which this puerile and laborious mass of
antithesis is extracted, was to exhibit the _principles of morality
which ought to direct a revolutionary Government_. Moreover, when
Robespierre asks for a dictatorship, it is not merely for the purpose of
repelling a foreign enemy, or of putting down factions; it is that he
may establish, by means of terror, and as a preliminary to the game of
the Constitution, his own principles of morality. He pretends to nothing
short of extirpating from the country, by means of terror, _egotism,
honour, customs, decorum, fashion, vanity, the love of money, go