the government were, in their jargon, the fhameful fynonimes of villain and affaffin. To love the conftitution, was to incur the reproach of brigand. Our patriotic airs, thofe immortal hymns which fo often have led our defenders to victory; thofe republican fongs, which electrified the heart in the first enthusi afm of our revolution; thofe airs of liberty were, in the ears of the partifans of kings, only cries of pillage, and the founds of murder! Thofe whom we once heard fcoff at Heaven, and ridicule priests, were now become apoftles! What do I say? Those who fported with morality, with virtue, with religion, affecting their language, reproached the French with the want of virtue, of religion, of morality; because the French no longer looked with refpect on the virtue of flaves, on the morality of courts, and the religion of murderers and executioners. : Citizens, let us ftrenuously urge the French to resume more than ever their republican difpofition. Let us prove to the wretches who have ridiculed our laws, dictated by philofophy, that we have not studied in vain the leffons of experience; that we have traverfed the ages that have been contained in the interval between the year 1789 and 1797, to expofe ourselves anew to those reactions which perpetuate the torment of revolutions, and the exceffes of anarchy which diffolve the focial body. Such has ever been the aim of our perfidious enemies. At every period they have affumed every form, and provoked every excefs, in order to decry and dishonour liberty. They laboured to difgrace the revo❤ lution with horrors, in order to accufe it of the calamities of which they themselves were the authors and the accomplices. Preferve the French people from falling again into that horrible fnare. Let them repofe upon the vigour of the government. In dependently of the means it poffeffes, its principle will confist in the tranquillity of the people, in their obedience to the laws, in their inviolable refpect for their fundamental charter. Liberty confifts in the execution of those laws which a people have inftituted for themselves. Such is the standard of freedom, the inexhauftible fource of pure republican fpirit. That fpirit of light and life which the love of the republic diffufes in the hearts into which it penetrates, has been unfortu nately misconceived and dishonoured: it is effential that it should be beloved; and to cause it to be beloved, it is necessary that it fhould be better known. It is by inftruction, by fentiment, by whatever can frike the imagination, the fenfes, and the heart, that the fuccefs of the facred cause which has just triumphed must be completed. You will therefore fay to the journalists" Political writers, if your hearts be inflamed with the fire of patriotifm, you will caufe it to rekindle in your productions; and: in your ufeful cenfures, in your leffons and counfels, you will add decency to the noble frankness which ought to inspire you: D 2 with : with zeal for the public good: leave to the libellifts spleen and impofture caufe the laws to be beloved; and you will thus enhance the value of your efforts and courage, instead of plunging yourselves in the mire of guilt and calumny.". You will fay to men of letters and dramatic writers" Children of gen us and the arts, confider that, under defpotifa, Corneille, Moliere, and Voltaire, dared to attack the defpots, the Mahomets and the Tartuffes. What would they not have done, had they written for liberty? Venture, then, to tread in their teps; reproduce on your ftages republican traits and the heroical virtues, which it is no longer neceffary to feek in the annals of hiftory. Defcribe the folly, and unmask the knavery, of our new apofiles, of our modern converts, of the perfidious landerers of our liberty, and of our falfe friends. The public morals may, in your hands, become a magiftracy: employ them for the general good of the ftate; and let your talents concur in propagating the republican spirit in France " Recall, more efpecially, recall to our national feftivals, thofe who are urged to keep away from them. Those who dreaded their influence, turned them into derifion; but it is a fact, that the people were never present at them without a pleasing emotion. It is not the expenfe of them which conftitutes their merit; brilliant by the eclat which the love of the country fupplies at a fmall expenfe, these feftivals ought to affemble all its fincere friends; and it is impoffible that so affecting a fpectacle thould not infpire every heart with that republican fpirit which the confpirators may for a moment have repreffed, but which they have not deftroyed, Repeat to all the French, that the events of the 18th Fructidor have restored to them the republic; that they ought, in their turn,: to restore to it the republicans; that they thould pique themfelves at being fo, both in their private and public life, as well in the midst of their families as in the relations of fociety. It is by moderation, by wisdom, and by found ideas of liberty, equality, and philofophy, that the triumph of true principles may be ellablifhed. The first authorities have furnithed them a high example of what is infpired by courage, by the love of the country, and by a zeal for the public good. Let each citizen imitate this example! The French name will be the pride and glory of the nation; and its power, cemented by the union of the wills of all, will at length fnatch the laft hope from thofe obftinate enemies, who, having found it to be invincible without, reckoned entirely, in their aim at fubjugating it, on the disturbances within. You will perceive, citizens, that the confpirators promifed them that the country, torn in pieces by its own hands, could no longar refift them, nor preferve from their touch its fcattered fragments. This was the greateft of their crimes: in fpeaking to you of peace, they invited war; but the monsters are removed, We will now think of nothing but returning thanks to the genius of the republic; and we will lighten up the facred fire, the holy love of the country, the national spirit, which they have endeavoured to extinguith. This is the laft with which the minifter addreffes to you, it is the fame fentiment which is about to regu late in him the conduct of the director. Health and fraternity! (Signed) FRANÇOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU, Letter addreffed, in the Name of the Helvetic Body, to the Minifter for Foreign Affairs of the Cifalpine Republic. Citizen, THE 'HE difpatch, dated the 18th of July laft, which you addreffed to the diet affembled at Frankenfeld, reached it about the end of that month. This is the only reafon why your obliging letter has not been fooner answered, and that thanks have not been returned for the official notifications of the establishment of the Cifalpine republic, and the organization of its government. It was highly agreeable to us to receive, through you, affurances of the amiable difpofition which the Cifalpine republic is pleafed to manifeft towards our confederation. We have always endeavoured to preferve the greateft harmony with the ftates which furround us. It will therefore afford us the greatest sa-. tisfaction to enter into a friendly correfpondence with that republic, and to promote the advantage of both ftates, by pursuing the fame line of conduct which we have hitherto invariably held. We entreat you to affure the Executive Directory of the fincerity of thefe fentiments, of our zeal to prove that fincerity upon all occafions, and of our ardent wishes for the profperity of the Cifalpine republic. We hope alfo, on your own part, that you will remain convinced of the particular confideration we entertain for you, and with which we are, &c. &c. (Signed) LUGO, Landman of the Thirteen Cantons. Done in the name, and fealed with the ftate feal of the confoderation, at Zurich, September 13, 1797. Paftoral Paftoral Letter from the Archbishop of Mechlin, to the Commissioner of the Executive Directory with the Adminiftration of the Canton. Citizen Commissioner, THE HE Catholic, Apoftolic, and Roman religion, which I profefs from my heart, and of which I am one of the principal paftors, pofitively prohibits me from taking an oath of hatred, whether it relates to the perfon of a king, or to royalty itself. In the first inftance, we ought to love our neighbour, even though we fuffer injuries;-in the fecond, royalty being good in itself, and of divine inftitution, it cannot be an object of hatred; which hatred is not permitted to one or the other, without renouncing the principles of Chriftianity; much lefs to call God to be the witnefs to an action, the perpetration of which is forbidden under pain of eternal punishment. The impoffibility in which we now And ourfelves of fulfilling what is required of us, fhould by no means render our fidelity fufpected; for I flatter myself that you have fufficient grounds for informing the government, that neither myself nor any of my clergy would make any fcruple against promifing to the republic, and if neceflary, under an oath, never to co-operate, either directly or indirectly, in the re-establishiment of monarchy in France; and that the faid government may be perfectly affured that they fhall never have caufe to punish any inFractions in the priests, for acting in oppofition to their views, except when the laws of the conftitution fhall be irreconcilable with the laws of God and the precepts of the gofpel. For what remains, we have given, and fhall continue to give, evident proofs of our fubmiffion to the powers to which Divine Providence has fubjected us; and the Belgian clergy have hitherto certainly conducted themselves in fuch a manner, in the patient fufferance of the lofs of all their effects, that it is fcarcely poffible to find any fubject of complaint against them. Health and fraternity. (L. S.) JEAN HENRI FRANKENBURG, Froclamation of the Executive Directory to the French People, That the French Armies be complete and ready to march on the 15th Vendemiaire next, C&t. 6. Citizens, THE Fourth complementary Day, 5th Year. HE 18th Fructidor has reduced to filence the orators of London, who held their fittings in Paris. Since that memorable day, the English ambaffador, urged to explain explain himself in a pofitive manner as to the first object of his million, has returned to England. On her fide, Auftria fuffers herself to be governed by the 'cabinet of St. James's, which is inceffantly bartering for the divifion of Europe, and the commotions of the continent. The Emperor himself acts in contradiction to the withes of his ftates, and thofe of his heart: he refifts the need his people have of peace, and gives himfelf up exclufively to preparations for war. His armaments warn us of what we have to do for ourselves. It it be intended to take advantage of that generous confidence which led us to fubfcribe to the preliminary articles of Leobenif, with peace ever in their mouths, our enemies breathe nothing but war-the French nation, which speaks of war only because it wishes for peace, muft prepare itself to preferve its dignity; and the valour of its armies mult refume its advantages. It, above all things, behoves us fully to convince the enemy, that there now no longer remains in France but one fingle party, one fentiment, one intereft-that of the fovereign people, who are fenfible of their grandeur, and will preferve their liberties, "The Executive Directory confults only thefe motives. The conftitutional law authorizes it to provide for the fafety of the state. It feels a fatisfaction in making you judges of the reafons which determine it to make use of that facred right. Your enemy, who could not refift your courage, thought to vanquish you by craft. He deceived you by the parade of his ne gotiations. Had he fincerely wifhed for what he appeared to feek, peace would have been concluded. The Executive Directory had been eager to ftop the career of the French armies. It yielded fincerely to the hope of conciliation which was made to glitter before its eyes; and it exulted in idea at the means which it was going to have in its power of rendering liberty dear, and of procuring France as much happiness in peace, as the had acquired glory in war. But, after having obtained that interruption to the course of our victories, what was the intention? To gain time; to foment among you inteftine divifions; to take advantage of their effects, to make Frenchinen maffacre one another, until the proper moment should arrive when they might fall upon the wrecks, and divide among themfelves the bleeding parts of a thus divided country, and blot out France from the lift of nations! Republican franknefs could not fufpect this fnare of the politics of courts; but you have seen, citizens, whether this plan has been faithfully followed. Your public officers compofed for the greater part the auxiliary army which fought in the midst of you for your moft cruel enemies. They had called for hordes of thofe barbarous emigrants, eager to tear the bofom of their country, and those fanatic priests, killed in blowing about every where the murderous zeal |