He expected it to end badly, and it did: a bullet from a pistol which shattered his jaw, a night of unspeaking agony, death without trial. During that night - ninth Thermidor, or 27 July 1794 - he made signs that he wanted a pen and paper. What would he have written? We cannot hope that it would have helped us understand him. He'd had his chance, you'd think: five years in politics. The historian George Rudé estimates that Robespierre made some nine hundred speeches. He had spoken, of course; but had he been heard?

LRB 20 April 2006 | PDF Download