ever, fashion governs
in more serious things than furniture and dress. It looks as if
sovereigns abroad were emulous in bidding against their estimation. It
seems as if the preeminence of regicide was acknowledged,--and that
kings tacitly ranked themselves below their sacrilegious murderers, as
natural magistrates and judges over them. It appears as if dignity were
the prerogative of crime, and a temporizing humiliation the proper part
for venerable authority. If the vilest of mankind are resolved to be the
most wicked, they lose all the baseness of their origin, and take their
place above kings. This example in foreign princes I trust will not
spread. It is the concern of mankind, that the destruction of order
should not, be a claim to rank, that crimes should not be the only title
to preeminence and honor.

At this second stage of humiliation, (I mean the insulting declaration
in consequence of the message to both Houses of Parliament,) it might
not have been amiss to pause, and not to squander away the fund of our
submissions, until we knew what final purposes of public interest they
might answer. The policy of subjecting ourselves to further insults is
not to me quite apparent. It was resolved, however, to hazard a third
trial. Citizen Barthelemy had been established, on the part of the new
republic, at Basle,--where, with his proconsulate of Switzerland and the
adjacent parts of Germany, he was appointed as a sort of factor to deal
in the degradation of the crowned heads of Europe. At Basle it was
thought proper, in order to keep others, I suppose, in countenance, that
Great Britain should appear at this market, and bid with the rest for
the mercy of the People-King.

On the 6th of March, 1796, Mr. Wickham, in consequence of authority, was
desired to sound France on her disposition towards a general
pacification,--to know whether she would consent to send ministers to a
congress at such a place as might be hereafter agreed upon,--whether
there would be a disposition to communicate the general grounds of a
pacification, such as France (the diplomatic name of the Regicide power)
would be willing to propose, as a foundation for a negotiation for peace
with his Majesty _and his allies_, or to suggest any other way of
arriving at the same end of a general pacification: but he had no
authority to enter into any negotiation or discussion with Citizen
Barthelemy upon these subjects.

On the part of Great Britain this me