sonne
and the chateau, through Boze, the king's painter. A letter, intended
for the monarch's perusal, was written by them. The iron chest guarded
it for the day of accusation.

"You ask of us," runs this epistle, "what is our opinion as to the state
of France, and the choice of measures fit to save the public weal.
Questioned by you concerning such important interests, we do not
hesitate to reply. The conduct of the executive power is the cause of
all the evil. The king is deceived by persuading him that it is the
clubs and factions which foment public agitation. This is placing the
cause of the evil in its symptoms. If the people was reassured of the
loyalty of the king, it would grow tranquil, and factions die a natural
death. But so long as conspiracies, internal and external, appear
favoured by the king, troubles will perpetually spring up, and
continually increase the mistrust of the citizens. The present tendency
of things is evidently towards a crisis, all the chances of which are
opposed to royalty. They are making of the chief of a free nation, the
chief of a party. The opposite party ought to consider him, not as a
king, but as an enemy. What is to be hoped from the success of
manoeuvres carried on with foreigners, in order to restore the
authority of the throne? They will give to the king the appearance of a
violent usurpation of the rights of the nation. The same force which
would have served this violent restoration would be necessary to
maintain it. It would produce a permanent civil war. Attached as we are
to the interests of the nation, from which we shall never separate those
of the king, we think that the sole means by which he can alleviate the
evils that threaten the empire and the throne, is to identify himself
with the nation. Renewed protestations are useless; we must have deeds.
Let the king abandon every idea of increased power offered to him by the
succour of foreigners. Let him obtain from cabinets hostile to the
Revolution the withdrawal of the troops who press upon our frontiers. If
that be impossible, let him arm the nation himself, and direct it
against the enemies of the constitution. Let him choose his ministers
amongst the leading men of the Revolution. Let him offer the muskets and
horses of his own guard. Let him publish the documents connected with
the civil list, and thus prove that the secret treasury is not the
source of counter-revolutionary plots. Let him apply himself for a la