Bailly

Bailly, Jean Sylvain, born at Paris in 1738, evinced as a youth great aptitude for astronomical pursuits, to which he devoted his best years, completing in 1779 his History of Astronomy. At the outbreak of the Revolution he appeared as a staunch advocate of liberty and was chosen first president of the National Assembly. However, his views were those of the Girondins, and his tone of moderation towards the royal family made him unpopular. As Mayor of Paris in 1791 he gave the orders that resulted in the massacre of the Champs de Mars. Henceforward he was execrated and had to fly for his life. He was apprehended and sent to the guillotine in 1793. As he mounted the scaffold one of the bystanders cried, "You tremble, Bailly." "My friend," he replied, "it is with the cold."