his eyes were constantly turned
towards the interior. Doubtless he needed glory to nourish his
influence, and to regain the _role_ of arbitrator of the Revolution,
which now began to escape his grasp; but before every thing, it was
necessary that he should not compromise himself; one defeat would have
ruined all, and he knew it. He who never risks a loss, will never gain a
victory. La Fayette was the general of temporisation; and to waste the
time of the Revolution, was to destroy its force. The strength of
undisciplined forces is their impetuosity, and every thing that slackens
that ruins them.

Dumouriez, impetuous as the volcano, instinctively felt this, and
strove, in the conferences that preceded the nomination of the generals,
to infuse some portion of his own fire into La Fayette. He placed him at
the head of the principal _corps d'armee_, destined to penetrate into
Belgium, as the general most fitted to foment popular insurrection, and
convert the war on the Belgian provinces into revolution; for to rouse
Belgium in favour of French liberty, and to render its independence
dependent on ours, was to wrest it from the power of Austria, and turn
it against our foes. The Belgians, according to Dumouriez's plan, were
to conquer Belgium for us; for the germs of revolt had been but
imperfectly stifled in these provinces, and were destined to bud again
at the step of the first French soldier.

X.

Belgium, which had been long dominated over by Spain, had contracted its
jealous and superstitious Catholicism. The nation pertains to the
priests, and the privileges of the priests appear to it the privileges
of the people. Joseph II., a premature but an armed philosopher, sought
to emancipate the people from sacerdotal despotism. Belgium had risen in
arms against the liberty offered to her, and had sided with her
oppressors. The fanaticism of the priests, and of the municipal
privileges, united in a feeling of resistance to Joseph II., had set all
Belgium in a flame. The rebels had captured GHENT and BRUSSELS,
and proclaimed the downfall of the house of Austria, and the sovereignty
of the Pays Bas. Scarcely had they triumphed, than the Belgians became
divided amongst themselves. The sacerdotal and aristocratic party
demanded an oligarchical constitution, whilst the popular party demanded
a democracy, modelled on the French revolution.

VAN-DER-NOOT, an eloquent and cruel tribune, was the leader of the first
party; VAN-