And scarcely
had the consent of the Convention been announced, that Louis Capet
should have three advocates for his defence, when from Paris and all
the minor cities letters came in from men who declared themselves
ready to undertake the defence of the king.
Even from foreign lands there came letters and appeals in behalf of
the deposed monarch. One of them, written in spirited and glowing
language, conjured France not to soil its noble young freedom by the
dreadful murder of an innocent man, who had committed no other
offence than that he was the son of his fathers, the heir of their
crown and their remissness. It was written by a German poet,
Frederick Schiller. [Footnote: Schiller's defence of the king is
preserved in the national archives--See Beauchesue vol. i., p. 366.]
From the many requests to serve as his advocates, Louis chose only
two to defend him. The first of these was his former minister, the
philosopher Lamoignon des Malesherbes, then the advocate Trouchet,
and finally, at the pressing request of Malesherbes, the
distinguished young advocate Deseges. To those three men was
committed the trust of defending the king against the dreadful
charge of treason to his country, to be substantiated by hundreds
and hundreds of letters and documents.
After the preliminary investigations were closed, the public charge
was made in the Convention, which still held its sessions in the
Manage.
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