I shall not discuss here the system of oppression which ruled,
then, in our unhappy country; this is a matter of history; but I may
say that however strong the colours used to paint the horrors of
which these terrorists were capable, the picture will be less lurid
than the reality. Perhaps the most surprising thing is the stupidity
of the masses, who allowed themselves to be dominated by men, the
greater part of whom lacked any ability: for whatever may have been
said, almost all the members of the convention were of more than
ordinary mediocrity and their boasted unanimity arose from the fear
they had of one another, since in their anxiety to avoid being
guillotined themselves, they agreed with anything which the
ringleaders proposed.

I saw, during my exile in 1815, many members of the convention who
like me were forced to leave France. They were completely lacking in
back-bone, and assured me that they voted for the death of Louis XVI
and a host of odious decrees solely to save their own skins. The
memory of these times has convinced me that the worst form of
government is that by the masses.

Chap. 5.

I reached the age of sixteen in August 1798. Six months later,
towards the end of February, I left the college of Sorèze.

My father had a friend named M. Dorignac, who offered to take me
with him to the capital. It took us eight days to reach Paris, where
we arrived in March 1799, on the day when the Odéon theatre was
burned down for the first time. The flames were visible far off on
the Orleans road, and I thought, in my simplicity, that the light