Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1836-1840
that when one knew nothing one was able to say anything one liked,
and that he had no hesitation in asserting that Thiers' was the only
possible combination, and alone likely to be agreeable to the Chamber.
_Paris, February 19, 1836._--Yesterday morning I had a call from M.
Thiers, who had definitely accepted the task of forming a Cabinet and
acting as President. He proposed to spend the rest of the day in
making up his list. He has too much common sense to underrate the
difficulty of his new position, and too much courage or blindness to
be dismayed by it. M. Molé failed to secure election to the Academy;
it has been a disastrous week for him.
_Paris, February 20, 1836._--The following are the actual words
written by the King beneath the signature which he was obliged to
append to the death-warrants of Fieschi, Pépin, Morey, &c.: "It is
only a profound sense of duty which induces me to give an approval
which is one of the most painful acts of my life; however, considering
the frankness which Fieschi showed in his confession and his conduct
during the trial, I intend that the subordinate parts of his
punishment shall be remitted, and I deeply regret that my conscience
will not allow me to do more."
_Paris, February 21, 1836._--M. Thiers is finding difficulties in the
way of his attempt to combine a Ministry; every one is willing to work
with him or under him, but not in company with others. At the same
time it is important that the Cabinet should be both strong and
reputable. There are difficulties everywhere, even for superior
mortals.
_Paris, February 22, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand is in a very bad temper:
the newspapers and public opinion all regard him as responsible for
the new Ministry: the names have at length appeared in this morning's
_Moniteur_.[12] He, however, has had nothing to do with it, and as the
sudden rise of M. Thiers has not met with universal approval, the
English being particularly incensed, M. de Talleyrand is aroused to
great irritation by all that he hears upon the subject, and vents his
anger upon Paris, his age, and his position, and keenly regrets that
he ever left London.
[12] The Cabinet was as follows: M. Thiers, President of the
Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs; M. Sauzet, Keeper of the
Seals; M. de Montalivet, Minister of the Interior; M. d'Argout,
Financial Minister; M. Passy, Minister of Commerce and Public
Works; M. Pelet de la Lozère, Minister of Education; Marshal
Maison, Minister of War; Admiral Duperré, Minister of Naval
Affairs.
_Paris, February 23, 1836._--Yesterday, on returning home at the end
of the morning, I found M. Berryer at my door; he had just left the
Chamber of Deputies, where Thiers had been speaking. Berryer has a
high opinion of the talent, the intellectual power, and the capacity
of Thiers. Berryer is himself the most unprejudiced, impartial, and
simple of characters; there is nothing artificial, affected, or
extreme about him; it is difficult to think of him as a party man. In
my opinion, no one was ever less a party man, and perhaps he would be
glad if he could avoid the necessity of taking sides entirely. The
ease, the lightness, the gentleness, and the simplicity of his
conversation are the more creditable to him by contrast with his
profession and his position. The justice of his judgment and the
kindness which is most constantly characteristic of it compel
confidence in his opinions and his statements.
Thiers' speech was received with marked coldness by the Chamber. The
fact is fortunate for him, in my opinion. There is some danger that
the intoxication of success might lead to his fall, and anything which
will keep him from disaster can only be useful and for his good.
_Paris, February 24, 1836._--M. Molé dined here yesterday. His bearing
shows some traces of coldness and disappointment. He was unwilling to
act in concert with M. Dupin in the matter of the Ministry;
consequently the latter, who commanded several votes in the French
Academy, withdrew them, and so brought about the rejection of M. Molé;
he then observed: "M. Molé would not be my colleague, and I do not
care for him as my fellow Academician."
Paris is likely to become increasingly difficult as a place of
residence. Apart from the two great dynastic divisions which separate
society, we shall now have to deal with all the factions caused by
disappointed ambition, the Molé, Broglie, Guizot, and Dupin factions,
and finally the Thiers faction. These will all be as bitterly hostile
to one another as the Legitimists are to the Moderate Party. All these
factions will never find any such common point of amalgamation as the
Château might and should become; on the contrary, some object to the
King, others to our house. Detestation and malignancy are mutual, but
no one is willing to examine himself or to recognise that there are
faults on all sides, and that the real causes of blame are to be found
in himself. How strange is the blindness and how great the ill-faith
of men, especially of those who are involved in public affairs and
interests!
_Paris, March 4, 1836._--Yesterday, at the house of M. de Talleyrand,
M. Mignet related that Marchand, a former _valet de chambre_ under the
Emperor, proposed to publish a commentary upon the "Commentaries" of
Cæsar, which Napoleon had dictated to him in the last weeks of his
life in St. Helena. Marchand often spoke to M. Mignet of Napoleon's
last moments, of the loneliness and emptiness of his life; in
illustration, he said that one evening when the Emperor, who was then
very ill, was in bed, he pointed to the foot of the bed and said to
him: "Marchand, sit down there and tell me something." Marchand said
to him: "Dear me, sire, what can I tell you who have done and seen so
much?" "Tell me about your youth; that will be simple and true, and
will interest me," replied the Emperor. There is something very
pathetic about this little dialogue. What teaching might not Bossuet
have drawn from these few words--Bossuet, who did not disdain to
introduce the somewhat trivial anecdote of the fowl into the funeral
oration upon the Palatine! Surely the greatest homage to Bossuet is
the fact that every great misfortune, every triumph or failure, makes
us turn towards the Eagle of Meaux, who alone could extol, lament, and
immortalise them worthily.
_Paris, March 5, 1836._--Yesterday morning MM. Berryer and Thiers met
at my house. I think it would have been impossible to have been
present at a conversation more animated, sparkling, witty, surprising,
kind, sincere, free, and true, or more devoid of all party spirit,
than that which then arose between these two men, so different and so
highly gifted. I also thought that it would never finish; they did not
go until after six o'clock.
_Paris, March 7, 1836._--M. Royer-Collard introduced me yesterday to
M. de Tocqueville, the author of "Democracy in America." He seemed to
me to be a nice little man, simple and modest, with an intellectual
expression. We talked a great deal about England, and our views upon
the destiny of the country were quite in harmony.
_Paris, March 9, 1836._--I had several times glanced at the "Imitation
of Jesus Christ." Whether it was that my knowledge of others and
myself was only superficial or that my mind was ill-prepared and too
wandering, I had seen no great difference between this famous work and
the "Journée du Chrétien" and the "Petit Paroissien." I had often been
surprised at the great reputation which this book enjoyed, but had
never found any pleasure in reading it. Chance led me to open it the
other day with Pauline; the first lines caught my attention, and I
have since been reading it with ever increasing admiration. What
intellectual power beneath the highest simplicity of form! What
profound knowledge of the deepest recesses of the human heart! What
beauty and enlightenment! And yet it is the work of an unknown monk.
Nothing humiliates me more than a failure of self-knowledge or shows
me more clearly in what darkness I was sunk.
_Paris, March 10, 1836._--Yesterday I went with the Duchesse de
Montmorency to a ball, given by Madame Salomon de Rothschild, the
mother. The house is the most magnificent that can be conceived, and
is therefore known as the Temple of Solomon. It is infinitely superior
to her daughter-in-law's house, because the proportions are higher and
greater. The luxury of it is indescribable, but in good taste--pure
Renaissance, without any mixture of other styles; the gallery in
particular is worthy of Chenonceaux, and one might have thought one's
self at an entertainment given by the Valois. In the chief room the
armchairs are made of gilt bronze instead of gilt wood, and cost a
thousand francs apiece. The dining-hall is like the nave of a
cathedral. All was well arranged and admirably lighted; there was no
crushing, and every courtesy.
_Paris, March 11, 1836._--Yesterday I went to Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, to
hear the Abbé de Ravignan, formerly the King's _procureur_; he is a
friend of Berryer, who praises him greatly, and a brother-in-law of
General Exelmans; I had known him in the Pyrenees, where I had been
struck by the beautiful expression of his face. He is a good preacher,
with an excellent delivery, while his style is pure and refined, but
rather logical and argumentative than warm or sympathetic. He
therefore lays more stress upon evangelical dogma than upon morality,
and seemed to me to be a man of talent rather than a great preacher.
_Paris, March 18, 1836._--With regard to my reflections upon
Bossuet,[13] you praise my attitude somewhat unduly. I have, indeed, a
love of truth, and the world, with the dreadful misery which it
contains, fills me with disgust; I have learned to fear the contagion
of the world, under which I have suffered too long; I examine myself
seriously, and am horrified to find myself immersed in the sorrow and
grief which are the lot of worldly people and are the destruction of
peace of mind, charity, and purity. I make some attempt to burst my
bonds and rise to a purer region; but none the less my efforts are
usually impotent, and my struggles vain and futile. As a rule I cannot
tell whether the moral weariness which overwhelms me is due to the sad
sight of the deplorable agitations amid which I live, or to the no
less deplorable agitation of my inward life. When we have spent years
amid the struggles of life and desire to change our path, however
remote may be the road which leads us forward, we find ourselves a
burden to ourselves; we can neither go forward with our load nor throw
it off straightway; we stumble and retrace our steps; we prove
ourselves but feeble travellers, and our goal recedes as our desire to
reach it increases. Such is my case....
[13] Extract from a letter.
Yesterday, towards the end of the morning, M. de Tocqueville came to
pay his call; I like him. The Duc de Noailles also called; he is not
so attractive, though by no means disagreeable. Another caller was
Berryer, who might be most agreeable if his mind and bearing did not
betray traces of low life, which have struck my notice. However, the
conversation never flagged, as the first visitor has sound views, the
second good judgment, and the third that mental alacrity which enables
him to apprehend a point at once. The conversation of these
distinguished men was concerned only with facts, and not with people:
names were not mentioned; there was no gossip, no bitterness or
extravagance. The talk was as it should always be, especially at a
lady's house.
_Paris, March 20, 1836._--How deep a melancholy may be inspired by the
first fine spring day, when it fails to harmonise with one's own frame
of mind! For forty-eight hours the weather has been mild and lovely,