DIGITISED MANUSCRIPTS

the declaration of war by the Convention against the coalition of Foreign Powers, the history of the Revolution became the history of Europe. Had it been possible for the Revolution to have come to an end at that point, had the nation been satisfied with the immense results that had been achieved, bent all its energies to the work of defeating the enemy abroad, and at home consolidated the new political and social liberties it had acquired, it would have earned the gratitude of posterity. It had abolished for ever the abuses of the past; it had proclaimed religious equality; it had curtailed the royal pre- rogative ; it had destroyed the pernicious privileges of a limited class; and it had established its own rights on a secure foundation. The crimes that could be laid to its door were, as yet, comparatively few, and they might have been forgotten for the sake of the immeasurable advantages that had been gained. The example given by France must necessarily have been followed by other nations, and the gradual development of her democratic institutions, carried out in a spirit of tolerance and with a regard for law, might have initiated for her an era of healthy stability. But moderation and common sense are qualities not characteristic of the French. The Assembly, though animated by a genuine enthusiasm and patriotism, and sincerely desirous of building up a