Madame de Staers Ten Fears' Exile, 



m 



<Xs ffom the combinations of society, 

 from those of nature ! This man in- 

 formed me, tijat he was the comman- 

 dant of the gendarmerie of Versailles, 

 but that his orders were to go out of 

 iiniform, that he might not alarm me ; 

 he shewed me a letter signed by Bona- 

 parte, which contained the order to 

 banish me to forty leagues distance from 

 Paris, with an injunction to make me 

 depart within four and twenty hours ; 

 at the same time, to treat me with all 

 the respect due to a lady of distinction. 

 He pretended to consider rue as a fo- 

 reigner, and as such, subject to the 

 police: this respect for individual li- 

 berty did not last long, as very soon 

 aftei'wards, other Frenchmen and 

 Frenchwomen were banished without 

 any form of trial. I told the gendarme 

 officer, that to depart within twenty- 

 four hours, might be convenient to con- 

 scripts, but not to a woman and chil- 

 dren, and in consequence, I proposed 

 to him to accompany me to Paris, 

 where I had occasion to pass three days 

 to make the necessary arrangements 

 for my journey. I got into my carriage 

 with my children and this officer, who 

 Lad been selected for this occasion, as 

 the most literary of the gendarmes. 

 In truth, he began complimenting me 

 upon my writings. " You see," said 

 I to him, " the consequences of being 

 a woman of intellect, and I would re- 

 commend you, if there is occasion, to 

 dissuade any females of your family 

 from attempting it." I endeavoured 

 to keep up my spirits by boldness, but 

 I felt the barb in my heart. 



JOSEPH BONAPARTE. 



On the eve of the last day which was 

 granted me, Joseph Bonaparte made 

 one more efifort in my favour ; and his 

 wife, who is a lady of the most perfect 

 sweetness and simplicity, had the kind- 

 ness to come and propose to me to pass 

 a few days at her country seat at Mor- 

 foutainc. I accepted her invitation 

 most gratefully, for I could not but 

 feel sensibly affected at the goodness of 

 Joseph, who received me in his own 

 iiouse, at the very time I was the object 

 of his brother's persecution. I passed 

 three days there, and notwithstanding 

 the perfect politeness of the master and 

 mistress of the house, felt my situation 

 very painfully. I saw only men con- 

 nected with the government and brealli- 

 e«l only the air of that authority wViich 

 had declared itself my enemy ; and yet 

 the simplesf rules of poliieness and 

 gratitude forbid lue front shewing what 



I felt. I had only ray eldest son with 

 me, who wa« then too young for me to 

 converse with him on such subjects. I 

 passed whole hours in examining the 

 gardens of Morfontaine, among the 

 finest that could be seen in France, and 

 the possessor of which, then tranquil, 

 appeared to me really an object of envy. 

 He has been since exiled upon thrones, 

 where I am sure he has often regretted 

 his beautiful retreat. 



Joseph sent me some excellent letters 

 of recommendation for Berlin, and bid 

 me adieu in a most noble and touching 

 manner. I was obliged, therefore, to 

 depart. Benjamin Constant was good 

 enough to accompany me; but as he 

 was also very fond of Paris, I felt ex- 

 tremely for the sacrifice he made me. 

 Every step the horses advanced made 

 me ill, and when the postillions boasted 

 of having driven me quickly, 1 could 

 not help sighing at the disagreeable ser- 

 vice they were rendering me. In this 

 way I travelled forty leagues without 

 being able to regain my self-possession.. 

 At last we stopped at Chalons, and 

 Benjamin Constant, rallying his spirits, 

 relieved by his wonderful powers of 

 conversation, at least for some moments, 

 the weight which oppressed me. Next 

 day we continued our route as far as 

 Metz, where I wished to stop to wait 

 for news from my father. There I pas- 

 sed fifteen days, and met one of the 

 most amiable and intelligent men 

 whom France and Germanj' combined 

 could produce, M. Charles Villers. I 

 was delighted with his society, but it 

 renewed my regret for that first oi" plea- 

 sures, a conversation, in which there 

 reigns the most perfect harmony in all 

 that is felt with all that is expressed. 



WEIMAR. 



I arrived at Weimai, where Iresumed 

 my courage, on seeing, through the diffi- 

 cuUies of the language, the immense 

 intellectual riches which existed out of 

 France. I learned to read German ; I 

 listened attentively to Goethe and Wie- 

 land, who, fortunately for me, spoke 

 French extremely well. 1 compre- 

 hended the mind and genius of Schiller, 

 in spite of the diflSculfy he felt in ex- 

 pressing himself in a foreign language. 

 The society of the Duke and Duchess 

 of Weimar pleased me exceedingly, 

 and I passed three months there, during 

 which the study of German literature 

 gave all (he occupation to my mind 

 which it requires to pre^■ent me from 

 being devoured by my ow u feelings.^ 



