f his language.
"The labours of your committee of the constitution are assailed," he
said. "There exist against our work but two kinds of opposition. Those
who, up to the present time, have constantly shown themselves inimical
to the Revolution--the enemies of equality, who hate our constitution
because it is the condemnation of their aristocracy. Yet there is
another class hostile also, and I will divide it into two distinct
species. One of these is the men who, in the opinion of their own
conscience, give the preference to another government which they
disguise more or less in their language, and seek to deprive our
monarchical government of all the strength which can retard the advent
of a republic. I declare that these persons I shall not attack.
Whosoever has a pure political opinion has a right to communicate it;
but we have another class of foes. They are the foes of all government.
If this class betrays its opposition, it is not because it prefers the
republic to the monarchy, democracy to aristocracy, it is because all
that concentrates the political machine, all that is order, all that
places in his right position the honest man and the rogue, the candid
man and the calumniator, is contrary and hateful to its system." (Long
and loud applause from the majority on the left.) "Yes, gentlemen,"
continued Barnave, "such is the party which has the most strongly
opposed our labours. They have sought fresh sources of revolution
because the revolution as defined by us escaped them. These are the men
who, changing the name of things, by uttering sentiments apparently
patriotic, in the stead of sentiments of honour, probity, purity--by
sitting even in the most august places with a mask of virtue, have
believed that they would impose upon public opinion, and have coalesced
with certain writers. (The plaudits here redoubled, and all eyes were
turned towards Robespierre and Brissot.) If we desire to see our
constitution carried out, if you desire that the nation, after having
owed to you its hopes of liberty,--for as yet it is but hope (Murmurs of
dissent),--shall owe to you reality, prosperity, happiness, peace, let
us endeavour to simplify it, by giving to the government--by which I
mean all the powers established by this constitution--the amount of
simultaneous strength requisite to move the social machine, and to
preserve to the nation the liberty you have conferred upon it. If the
welfare of your country is dear to you,