(=pris) les armes et se sont unie sur la place avec tout les bons citoyent pour y défendre contre les courtisans du cidevant Capet et royalliste A repondue quil navait point assee (=assez) de force de corps pour le pouvoir A lui demandee sy lord (=lors) de ceste epoque ses frere et son pere sy etait rendue avec les citoyent de leur section sur les places defensifs contre les tirand (=tyrans) de la Republique sommé de nous dire la vérité A repondue que son pere etoit vieux et etoit employée a sa section et que son frere étoit vice-consulte en Espagne les auttres ne demeurant point a la maison il y ignoroit ou ils étoits A lui demandée ou etoit le domestique quil les servoit ou etoit il le dix aoust A repondu quil lignoroit (=qu'il l'ignorait) A lui representé qua lepoque de cette journée que touts les bons citoyent ny gnoroit point leurs existence et quayant enttendu batte (=battre) la générale cettoit (=c'était) un motive de plus pour reconnoitre tous les bons citoyent et le motive au quelle il setoit (=s'était) employée pour sauvée la Republique. A repondue quil avoit dit l'exate (=exacte) veritée A repondue que cetoit toutes ce qui etoit cy dessue. Chénier was taken to Paris and after being refused admittance on the grounds of insufficient evidence against him at the Luxembourg, was incarcerated at St. Lazare. As he had not been arrested by a special order of the Committee of Public Safety, but merely as a precautionary measure, his one chance was to remain quiet and hope to be forgotten. This he did, and had it not been for the unlucky efforts of his father, it is possible that he would have come safely through the Terror. As it was, however, old M. de Chénier, half demented by anxiety and grief, determined, in spite of advice to the contrary, to address a petition on behalf of his son. A special committee had been appointed to enquire into the reasons for detention of the many suspects in the prisons, and it was to this committee that the old man presented his petition. After setting forth certain irregularities in the "procèsverbal" and instancing as a proof of these the refusal of the concierge at the Luxembourg to admit him, M. de Chénier gave a brief account of his son's career, insisting upon the fact that he was regarded by the section "Brutus" as "bon citoyen." The very name, however, of André Chénier was sufficient to recall Châteauvieux and his articles in the Journal de Paris. Moreover, he was now to be involved in the pretended "conspiracy of the Prisons," which had for their supposed object the destruction of both Committees of Public Safety and the escape of the prisoners. His writings, his acts, his views were remembered and from that moment he was a doomed man. Certain accounts have come down regarding Chénier's stay at St. Lazare. Most of these are of doubtful authenticity, though it is fascinating to dwell, in "Stello," on the vivid picture of that sorrowful little band of friends-the poet Roucher, the painter Suvée, the brothers Trudaine, Mademoiselle de Saint-Aignan and André Chénier, trying to cheer one another up and face with courage the visits of Manini and Robinet with their fatal lists of victims for the morrow. The list in which André's name appeared was drawn up on the 2nd Thermidor. On the 6th, the twenty-seven accused* were taken from St. Lazare to the Conciergerie and appeared on the following day before the Revolutionary Tribunal. The charge against Chénier ran thus: "...de s'être declaré ennemi du peuple, en participant à tous les crimes commis par le tyran, sa femme et sa famille dans les journées du 28 fevrier, 1791, des 20 juin et 10 août, 1792, en insultant les patriotes, en approuvant le massacre du Champ de Mars et les tyrannies exercées sur les patroites qui avaient échappé au massacre; en écrivant contre la fête de Châteauvieux, contre la liberté et en favour de la tyrannie; en entretenant des correspondances avec les ennemis intérieurs et extérieurs de la République, en discréditant les assignats; enfin en conspirant dans la maison d'arrêt de Saint-Lazare à l'effet de s'évader et de dissoudre, par le meutre et l'assassinat des représentants du peuple, notamment des membres du Comité de Salut Public et de Sûreté générale, le gouvernment republicain et rétablir la royauté en France." 1 *Of these two were spared. 1"....to have declared himself an enemy of the people, by taking part in all the crimes committed by the tyrant, his wife and family during the days of 28 February, 1791, 20 June and 10 August, 1792, by insulting the patriots, by giving his approval to the massacre of the Champ de Mars, and to the tyrannical treatment meted out to the patriots who A stupid mistake-typical of the farce of judicial procedure at this moment-had been made regarding Chénier on the collective accusation. Represented as "ex-adjutant général chef de brigade sous Dumouriez," André pointed out that this clause referred to Sauveur his brother and not to himself. Fouquier-Tinville merely put his pen through it. Sauveur was afterwards liberated. At 9 a.m. on the 7th Thermidor the trial began and at six o'clock in the evening the whole 25 were executed on the Place de la Barrière de Vincennes. Roucher was the first to mount the scaffold. André followed him, and his last words, though legendary, are pathetically wistful. "J'avais pourtant quelque chose là," he said, raising his hand to his forehead. Two days later Robespierre fell, the Terror collapsed, and France breathed a sigh of relief. This is no place to recount the outcry which arose against Marie-Joseph. Châteaubriand indeed referred to him as "naturellement généreux," but Roederer's words, "Il n'a point été l'assassin de son frère mais l'ami des assassins," though quite false, helped to alienate all sympathy from him. He was rather the dupe of those assassins, and during André's imprisonment nearly became their victim by reason of his persistent prayers on his brother's behalf to prominent members of the Convention. In 1796 Madame Chénier nobly attempted to refute the angry charge against her youngest son in a touching letter to "La Sentinelle," and after referring to Dumont's accusation that Marie-Joseph, in addition to fratricide, had actually abandoned his mother, she concludes: "Ah! bien loin de l'avoir abandonée, il lui donne chaque jour de nouvelles marques de sa tendresse filiale; c'est lui qui me tient lieu de tout, et je lui donne publiquement ce témoignage had escaped the massacre; by writing against the festival of Châteauvieux, against liberty and in favour of tyranny; by holding correspondence with the enemies of the Republic, both internal and external; by throwing discredit upon the "assignats"; lastly by conspiring in the prison of St. Lazare with a view to escape, and, by the murder and assassination of the representatives of the people, especially of the members of the Committees of Public Safety and of General Security, to the wrecking of the Republican government and to the re-establishment of royalty in France." 1 authentique, afin de soulager mon cœur maternel et de confondre ses calomniteurs." It must be the task of the learned student of the Revolution to estimate the actual effect of André Chénier's influence on the public affairs of his time. Probably it was insignificant. But his gallant struggle against overwhelming odds will always shed lustre on his name, while his sacrifice of himself for principle, and his tragic death, must always lend a peculiar interest to his literary achievements. LEE HARRISON. MECHANICAL MEASUREMENT OF TIME (MODERN). Astronomy is undoubtedly the oldest of the sciences, but it has been slower in its development than any of the others. In common with biology it has had to contend with numerous obstacles in its progress, in the way of religious beliefs and prejudices growing out of ancient tradition, or out of the natural revelations of the untrained and uneducated senses. Thus the earth was believed to be a great extended plain surrounded by the ocean, because to the superficial observer it appeared to be so and it was the largest and most important body in the universe because to the ignorant it seemed to be so. And these and many things of like kind were held to be true because no means were at hand of showing that they were false, and they thus became firmly woven into the most, if not all, of the ancient religions. Theological Orthodoxy, both ancient and modern, assumed that it had the right to take in the subject of cosmogony, and to deal authoritatively, once and for all, with the origin of things. And any subject which disputed this domain of theology might expect to meet with difficulties in its onward march. The cosmogony of some ancient people, especially the Hebrews, which was taken unmodified into Christian theology, has proved to be a great stumbling block to the progress of both astronomy and biology. And judging from the conclusions reached in regard to this matter in some of the recent church courts, it is likely to prove a stumbling block for many years to come. The old Babylonians and Egyptians both did considerable in astronomy such as it was in their day. But whatever its progress might have been, it remained a part, and a very important part, of their religious systems. In like manner, to the old-time theologian, the cosmogony of the Hebrews to be |