"The suffrages of the nation, and the oath I have just taken, command my future conduct. My duty is clearly marked. I will fulfill it as a man of honor. I shall regard as the enemies of the country all who seek to change, by illegal means, that which all France has established "

When he was done speaking, the Constituent Assembly rose, and with a single voice the exclamation shouted: "Long live the Republic "

The small man descended from the tribune and went up to General Cavaignac, offering him his hand. The general, for a few instants, hesitated to accept the grasp. All who had just heard the words of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, pronounced in a tone so imbued with good faith, blamed the general for his hesitation