374 The Character and Anecdotes of Nicolas Chamfort. [[Oct. 



powerfully renders them — and very little sympathy of spirit, of soul, or of cha- 

 racter — a fact proved by the comparative neglect with which they treat a man 

 who has reached his fortieth year, even when their own age may happen to cor- 

 respond. The preference which they sometimes accord to him is to be traced 

 to some dishonest speculation, after a calculation of interest or vanity. Mar- 

 riage, as practised among the great, is a conventional indecency." 



Again : — 



" The woman who values her mental quality more than her beauty, is supe- 

 rior to her sex. She who esteems herself more on account of her beauty than 

 of her talents, is of her sex. But she who prides herself more on her birth than 

 her beauty, is out of her sex, and above her sex." 



To me it seems almost impossible to concentrate more truth in the 

 same number of words. It was observed by some French writer, whose 

 name I forget, that a woman seeks to possess the aiFections of a man 

 as a favourite exerts himself to obtain the ear of his sovereign : by that 

 means they both obtain distinction and worship. JNI. de Levis, in his 

 Souve7iirs et Portraits, attributes, in a great degree, the downfall of the 

 French monarchy to the influence of women. The history of the 

 reign of Louis XIV. might be called the history of female domina- 

 tion. He revoked the edict of Nantz at the instigation of a mistress. 

 Marmontel has said with great spirit, that the SuUy of such a king must 

 have been a woman. There may be a few women who honour their 

 birth rather than their beauty ; but I believe it would be difficult to find 

 one who would not prefer a compliment on her charms, whether real or 

 imaginary, to the most enthusiastic encomium upon her intellects. Ma- 

 dame de Stael offers a singular example. She happened to be in company 

 with the celebrated Talleyrand, and, although very plain in her features, 

 had been anxiously endeavouring to extort a comparison (favourable to 

 her own charms, of course) between herself and a very beautiful lady 

 who was of the party. The courtier, however, had seen too much of 

 the political trickery of a Congress to be entrapped even by De Stael, 

 and he adroitly evaded every question. The author of " Corinne" at 

 length determined to obtain her object by putting a direct interrogatory, 

 which she did in this manner : — " Suppose that lady and myself were 

 to fall into the water ; which would you save first from drowning ?" — 

 " Oh ! madam, you would swim too ivell .'" was the reply of the unfoiled 

 Talleyrand. This anecdote is one of the most interesting and conclusive 

 that could be offered ; but many others, of a similar nature, might be 

 instanced which go to confirm the philosophy of the axiom of Chamfort. 

 In hke manner, we find women, distinguished for their learning and 

 masculine acquirements, assuming the air of a fashionable ignorant of 

 St. James's. ]Miss Jon^js, the sister of the celebrated orientalist, whose 

 delight consisted in walking through London with a Greek folio under 

 her arm, happening to hear some one mention the " JMerchant of 

 Venice," asked if there was not a pretty song in it about Jessica. The 

 ingenious Count d'Oxenstirn, among many other eccentric fancies, sup- 

 posed that Solomon's object, in keeping such a numerous harem, was 

 not the gratification of low and sensual passion, but to discover, if pos- 

 sible, one perfectly amiable and virtuous woman among them all. His- 

 tory, unfortunately, has preserved no record of the success or failure of 

 his experiment. 



I will conclude this paper with a few anecdotes : — 



