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The history of ten years, 1830-1840 (1848)
The history of ten years 18301840 - 1848 Author:Louis Blanc Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE HISTORY OF TEN YEARS. CHAPTER I. Since M. de Polignac's accession to power, the bourgeoisie lived in the continual expectation of a revolution, and its... more » feelings fluctuated between anger and dismay. The court laboured under all the blindness of fanaticism, but it displayed all its daring. Missionaries had overrun all France, exciting men's minds by gloomy harangues, parading before the eyes of women the pomps of an awful religion, and setting up in places of public resort the image of the crucified Redeemer. Measures adapted to kindle the minds of the soldiery were in contemplation, and royalty was preparing to brave every chance, backed as it was by soldiers and by priests. When a king passes, whether his road lead to the throne or to the icaffold, some confused clamours almost always issue from the crowd. Such clamours Charles X. had heard on his journey to Alsace; he had interpreted them in the sense suggested by his pride; he believed himself beloved. That journey, however, had been marked by some scenes of sinister omen. At Varennes the royal family had been obliged to stop for a change of horses at the very place whence Louis XVI. had formerly been brought back when flying from his capital and deserting royalty. Suddenly, the dauphine was seized with a convulsive shuddering at sight of the fatal posthouse; and ordering her people to drive on, she lefi the assembled inhabitants of the place, by way of adieu, some of Ihose words that prove the perdition of princes. Further on, at Nancy, the royal family appeared on a balcony to salute the people. Some hisses were heard. To whom was the insult addressed? The dauphine was indignant; and retreating into the apartment in a fit of tears, she caused the windows to be closed abruptly. The journey to Alsace nevert...« less