Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/488

 450 Readings in European History 414. The count of Provence announces the death of Louis XVI to the Emigres. of the tithe, of feudalism, of seigniorial rights and monopo- lies of every kind, of serfdom, whether real or personal, of hunting and fishing privileges, of the corvee, the salt tax, the tolls and local imposts, and, in general, of all the various kinds of taxes with which you have been loaded by your usurpers ; it also proclaims the abolition among you of all noble and ecclesiastical corporations and of all prerogatives and privileges opposed to equality. You are, from this moment, brothers and friends ; all are citizens, equal in rights, and all are alike called to govern, to serve, and to defend your country. 1 Upon the execution of Louis XVI, his brother, the count of Provence, formally announced to his fellow- Emigres the tragedy which their conduct had done so much to consummate. Gentlemen : Hamm, Westphalia, January 28, 1793. It is with sentiments of the deepest grief that I impart to you the new loss which we have just experienced in the king, my brother, whom the tyrants who for so long a time have been desolating France have sacrificed to their sacri- legious rage. This horrible event brings with it new duties for me which I propose to fulfill. I have taken the title of regent of the kingdom, which the right of birth gives me during the minority of King Louis XVII, my nephew, and I have delegated to the count of Artois that of lieutenant general of the kingdom. Your sentiments are too well proved by your constancy and the numerous sacrifices that you have made, in your 1 In the decree of the Convention to which the above proclamation was appended, we find (Article 11): The French nation declares that it will treat as enemies every people who, refusing liberty and equality or renouncing them, may wish to maintain, recall, or treat with the prince and the privileged classes ; on the other hand, it engages not to subscribe to any. treaty and not to lay down its arms until the sovereignty and independence of the people whose territory the troops of the republic shall have entered shall be established, and until the people shall have adopted the principles of equality and founded a free and democratic government.