The Tarpeian Rock near the Capitol

Meaning

Phrase.

The proverb places public glory close to catastrophic downfall, through the proximity of Rome’s Capitol and the rock associated with execution. The men hostile to Robespierre turn it into a threat. It is not a description of the geography of the Paris garden, nor an authorial prediction spoken directly to the reader. The following approach of the dog makes the speakers fall silent and hurry away.