Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/482

 444 Readings in European History Aims of the allies. The allied courts medi- tate no conquests. They purpose to free the French king. Forgiveness for those who cooperate with the allies. Threats against those who oppose the invaders. To these important interests should be added another aim equally important and very close to the hearts of the two sovereigns, — namely, to put an end to the anarchy in the interior of France, to check the attacks upon the throne and the altar, to reestablish the legal power, to restore to the king the security and the liberty of which he is now deprived and to place him in a position to exercise once more the legitimate authority which belongs to him. Convinced that the sane portion of the French nation abhors the excesses of the faction which dominates it, and that the majority of the people look forward with impatience to the time when they may declare themselves openly against the odious enterprises of their oppressors, his Majesty the emperor and his Majesty the king of Prussia call upon them and invite them to return without delay to the path of rea- son, justice, order, and peace. In accordance with these views, I, the undersigned, the commander in chief of the two armies, declare : i. That, drawn into this war by irresistible circumstances, the two allied courts entertain no other aims than the wel- fare of France, and have no intention of enriching them- selves by conquests. 2. That they do not propose to meddle in the internal government of France, and that they merely wish to deliver the king, the queen, and the royal family from their captiv- ity, and procure for his Most Christian Majesty the neces- sary security to enable him, without danger or hindrance, to make such engagements as he shall see fit, and to work for the welfare of his subjects, according to his pledges. 3. That the allied armies will protect the towns and vil- lages, and the persons and goods of those who shall submit to the king and who shall cooperate in the immediate rees- tablishment of order and the police power throughout France. 4. . . . That, on the contrary, the members of the Na- tional Guard who shall fight against the troops of the two allied courts, and who shall be taken with arms in their hands, shall be treated as enemies and punished as rebels to their king and as disturbers of the public peace. . ..