Such lava welters redhot in the bowels of this Mountain; unknown to the world and to itself!  A mere commonplace Mountain hitherto; distinguished from the Plain chiefly by its superior barrenness, its baldness of look:  at the utmost it may, to the most observant, perceptibly smoke.  For as yet all lies so solid, peaceable; and doubts not, as was said, that it will endure while Time runs.  Do not all love Liberty and the Constitution?  All heartily;—­and yet with degrees.  Some, as Chevalier Jaucourt and his Right Side, may love Liberty less than Royalty, were the trial made; others, as Brissot and his Left Side, may love it more than Royalty.  Nay again of these latter some may love Liberty more than Law itself; others not more.  Parties will unfold themselves; no mortal as yet knows how.  Forces work within these men and without:  dissidence grows opposition; ever widening; waxing into incompatibility and internecine feud:  till the strong is abolished by a stronger; himself in his turn by a strongest!  Who can help it?  Jaucourt and his Monarchists, Feuillans, or Moderates; Brissot and his Brissotins, Jacobins, or Girondins; these, with the Cordelier Trio, and all men, must work what is appointed them, and in the way appointed them.

And to think what fate these poor Seven Hundred and Forty-five are assembled, most unwittingly, to meet!  Let no heart be so hard as not to pity them.  Their soul’s wish was to live and work as the First of the French Parliaments:  and make the Constitution march.  Did they not, at their very instalment, go through the most affecting Constitutional ceremony, almost with tears?  The Twelve Eldest are sent solemnly to fetch the Constitution itself, the printed book of the Law.  Archivist Camus, an Old-Constituent appointed Archivist, he and the Ancient Twelve, amid blare of military pomp and clangour, enter, bearing the divine Book:  and President and all Legislative Senators, laying their hand on the same, successively take the Oath, with cheers and heart-effusion, universal three-times-three. (Moniteur, Seance du 4 Octobre 1791.) In this manner they begin their Session.  Unhappy mortals!  For, that same day, his Majesty having received their Deputation of welcome, as seemed, rather drily, the Deputation cannot but feel slighted, cannot but lament such slight:  and thereupon our cheering swearing First Parliament sees itself, on the morrow, obliged to explode into fierce retaliatory sputter, of anti-royal Enactment as to how they, for their part, will receive Majesty; and how Majesty shall not be called Sire any more, except they please:  and then, on the following day, to recal this Enactment of theirs, as too hasty, and a mere sputter though not unprovoked.