He who never risks a loss, will never gain a victory.

La Fayette was the general of temporisation; and to waste the time of the Revolution, was to destroy its force.

The strength of undisciplined forces is their impetuosity, and every thing that slackens that ruins them.
Dumouriez, impetuous as the volcano, instinctively felt this, and strove, in the conferences that preceded the nomination of the generals, to infuse some portion of his own fire into La Fayette.

He placed him at the head of the principal _corps d'armee_, destined to penetrate into Belgium, as the general most fitted to foment popular insurrection, and convert the war on the Belgian provinces into revolution; for to rouse Belgium in favour of French liberty, and to render its independence dependent on ours, was to wrest it from the power of Austria, and turn it against our foes.

The Belgians, according to Dumouriez's plan, were to conquer Belgium for us; for the germs of revolt had been but imperfectly stifled in these provinces, and were destined to bud again at the step of the first French soldier.
X.
Belgium, which had been long dominated over by Spain, had contracted its jealous and superstitious Catholicism.