e III., King of Sweden, assassinated by
Ankerstrom, says: "I should like to know what Brissot will say."]

[Footnote 2348: On Brissot's antecedents, cf. Edmond Bire, "La Legende
des Girondins." Personally, Brissot was honest, and remained poor. But
he had passed through a good deal of filth, and bore the marks of it. He
had lent himself to the diffusion of an obscene book, "Le Diable dans un
benitier," and, in 1783, having received 13,355 francs to found a Lyceum
in London, not only did not found it, but was unable to return the
money.]

[Footnote 2349: Moniteur, XI. 147. Speech by Brissot, Jan. 17. Examples
from whom he borrows authority, Charles XII., Louis XIV., Admiral Blake,
Frederic II., etc.]

[Footnote 2350: Moniteur. X. 174. "This Venetian government, which is
nothing but a farce... Those petty German princes, whose insolence
in the last century despotism crushed out... Geneva, that atom of a
republic...That bishop of Liege, whose yoke bows down a people that
ought to be free... I disdain to speak of other princes... That King
of Sweden, who has only twenty-five millions income, and who spends
two-thirds of it in poor pay for an army of generals and a small number
of discontented soldiers... As to that princess (Catherine II.), whose
dislike of the French constitution is well known, and who is about
as good looking as Elizabeth, she cannot expect greater success than
Elizabeth in the Dutch revolution." (Brissot, in this last passage,
tries to appear at once witty and well read.)]

[Footnote 2351: Letter of Roland to the king, June 10, 1792, and letter
of the executive council to the pope, Nov. 25, 1792. Letter of Madame
Roland to Brissot, Jan. 7, 1791. "Briefly, adieu. Cato's wife need not
gratify herself by complimenting Brutus."]

[Footnote 2352: Buchez et Roux, XII. 410 (meeting of the Jacobin club,
Dec. 10, 1791). "A Louis XIV. declares war against Spain, because his
ambassador had been insulted by the Spanish ambassador. And we, who are
free, might hesitate for an instant!"]

[Footnote 2353: Moniteur, X, 503 (session of Nov.29). The Assembly
orders this speech to be printed and distributed in the departments.]

[Footnote 2354: Moniteur, X. 762 (session of Dec. 28).]

[Footnote 2355: Moniteur, XI. 147, 149 (session of Jan.17); X. 759
(session of Dec. 28).--Already, on the 10th of December, he had declared
at the Jacobin club: "A people that has conquered its freedom, after
ten centuries of slavery,