magiftrates of Sedan to arreft the commiffioners, who were coming to his army; but after fome days of indecifion, finding the attachment of his foldiers begin to flacken, and fearful of falling into the hands of his enemies, he fled, with his principal staff officers, in the night; and not long after he had paffed the frontiers, was met, on the territory of Liege, by an advanced party of the combined forces, which were now approaching France. They were willing to receive him and his officers as friends; but he refused to join the standard of the French princes, and claimed the neutrality of that territory, which he himself had been the firft to violate. It was not allowed; and he, with three of his companions, who, like him, had been members of the firft affembly, was detained a prifoner of war; the reft were finally releafed. M. Dumourier was immediately promoted to the command, which La Fayette had vacated. It hardly

feemed a temptation to the boldest ambition. He accepted it, however, and prepared with a divided and enfeebled army, to oppose the first generals of the age, at the head of veteran troops.

But the ways of Providence are myfterious. We shall hereafter have occafion to relate the fuccefs of the French general, in baffling an invafion, which, in the common opinion of Europe, was irrefittible; overrunning the Auftrian Netherlands; carrying his arms into the heart of the United Provinces; and, on the first reverse of fortune, compelled to follow the example of his predeceffor; while they, who by their decifive victory over the monarchy on the 10th of Auguft, feemed to have become the triumphant mafters of the French empire, foon found, to their affliction and confufion, that they had furnished the means, the precedent, and the pretences for their own deftruction, in the very act of overturning the throne of their king.