Camille Desmoulins, a biography (1914) by Violet M. Methley

Camille Desmoulins, a biography

Lucie-Simplice-Camille-Benoît Desmoulins 2 March 1760 – 5 April 1794) was a journalist and politician who played an important role in the French Revolution. Desmoulins was tried and executed alongside Danton when the Committee of Public Safety reacted against Dantonist opposition. He was a schoolmate of Maximilien Robespierre and a close friend and political ally of Georges Danton, who were influential figures in the French Revolution.

Excerpt:

It was then in this atmosphere o£ theoretical republicanism that Camille Desmoulins grew from a boy to a man. The weathercock now for the first time vibrated to the touch of that keen northern wind, blowing from across the Atlantic, and telling of the young nation that had so lately broken the chains of royalty. 

The wind was only a light breeze as yet, but it whispered of freedom and the downfall of tyranny, it recalled to Camille the memory of the spacious days of antiquity, it was the precursor of the storm, heralding that great hurricane which was so soon to sweep over France, overturning all things, both old and new, which opposed its course.

It was at the beginning of the year 1784 that Camille finally left the College Louis-le-Grand and returned to Guise for a time, to study there for the Paris Bar. He was now twenty-four years old, at about the age, in fact, when modern Englishmen leave the University

 Like his comrade Robespierre, Camille probably received a handsome gratuity when he left the College. This the administrators were in the habit of bestowing upon impecunious students who had particularly distinguished themselves. His teachers prophesied a brilliant career for the young man, and doubtless, he thoroughly agreed with them. Self-depreciation was never one of Camille's faults, and unquestionably at this time, he had an extremely good opinion of his own talents and capabilities.

Download 6.4 MB PDF book