The speaker waited until the angry waves of the people’s wrath had subsided again, and then said in the clear, ringing tones of his powerful voice: “It is the fault of our prime minister, Baron von Thugut. He don’t want us to make peace with the French. He would rather ruin us all than to make peace with the French Republic.”
“But we don’t want to be ruined!” shouted the crowd—“we don’t want to be led to the shambles like sheep. No, no; we want peace—peace with France. Prime Minister Thugut shall give us peace with France!”
“You had better go and inform the proud minister himself of what you want,” said the speaker with a sneer. “First compel him to do what the emperor and even our brave Archduke Charles wanted to be done—compel the omnipotent minister to make peace.”
“We will go and ask him to give us peace,” said several voices in the crowd.
“Yes, yes, we will do that!” shouted others. “Come, come; let us all go to the minister’s house and ask him to give us back the emperor and the state treasure, and to make peace with Bonaparte.”
The speaker now descended hurriedly from the lamp-post. His tall, herculean figure, however, towered above the crowd even after his feet had touched the pavement.
“Come,” said he to the bystanders in a loud and decided tone, “I will take you to the minister’s house, for I know where he lives, and we will shout and raise such a storm there until the proud gentleman condescends to comply with our wishes.”
He led the way rapidly, and the crowd, always easily guided and pliable, followed its improvised leader with loud acclamations. Only one idea, only one wish, animated all these men: they wanted peace with France, lest Bonaparte might come to Vienna and lay their beautiful capital in ashes in the same manner in which he had treated so many Italian cities.
Their leader walked proudly at the head of the irregular procession; and as the crowd continued to shout and yell, “Peace with France!” he muttered, “I think I have accomplished a good deal to-day. The archduke will be satisfied with what I have done, and we may compel the minister after all to make peace with France.”