Louis Seize

king surpriseOn December 11, 1792, Louis XVI was brought before the French Convention Nationale, the assembly that governed France after the overthrow of the monarchy. Not long afterward the Convention Nationale released a statement that went something like this:

If you had been a nicer king

we wouldn’t do a thing,

but you were bad, you must admit.

We’re gonna take you and the queen

down to the guillotine

and shorten you a little bit.

The Mudd has some contemporary reports of this event, including a transcript of the trial, which may or may not contain the above text.