580 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



greater than you are. You will 

 easily understand that I do not 

 mean to speak of superiority of 

 birth. You would regard that 

 man as mad, who should aspire to 

 any merit, because the rains of 

 heaven had fertilized his field, and 

 had not watered his neighbour's. 

 But, you yourself, would not be 

 much wiser if you sought to de- 

 rive any importance from your 

 birth, which can add nothing to 

 your personal merit. You cannot 

 doubt that I am far above you in 

 knowledge and in mind. You 

 know nothing but what I have 

 taught you; and what I have 

 taught you, is nothing compared 

 to what I could have taught you. 

 As to authority, you have none 

 over me, but, on the contrary, I 

 have an unbounded authority over 

 you. This you have often been 

 told by the king, and the prince, 

 your father. You think, perhaps, 

 that I account myself happy in 

 being appointed to educate you ; 

 but undeceive yourself, sir : I un- 

 dertook tlie office only in obedi- 

 ence to the king's commands, and 

 to please your father ; not for the 

 laborious advantage of being your 

 preceptor ; and, in order to con- 

 vince you of this, I am now come 

 to conduct you to his majesty, and 

 to beg of him to appoint you an- 

 other tutor, whose endeavours I 

 hope will be more successful than 

 mine have been." 



The duke of Burgundy, whom 

 a whole night, passed in painful 

 reflectionsandse!f-reproach,added 

 to the cold and formal deportment 

 of Fenelon, had overwhelmed with 

 grief, was astonished at this de- 

 claration. He lovi^-d Fenelon with 

 all the tenderness of a son ; and 



besides his own self-love, and a 

 delicate deference towards public 

 opinion, made him immediately 

 anticipate what would be thought 

 of him, if a preceptor, of Fene- 

 lon'smerit, should be forced to re- 

 nounce his education. He burst 

 into tears, while his sighs, his 

 shame, scarcely permitted him to 

 utter these words : — " Oh, sir ! 

 I am sincerely sorry for what 

 passed yesterday ; if you speak to 

 the king, I shall lose his friend- 

 ship ; if you desert me, what 



will be thought of me ? I pro- 

 mise, 1 promise you, that you 



shall be content with me ; . but 



promise me " 



Fenelon would promise nothing; 

 he left him the whole day in a 

 state of anxiety and uncertainty. 

 It was not until he was well con- 

 vinced of the sincerity of his re- 

 pentance, that he appeared to 

 yield to fresh supplications, and 

 to the entreaties of Madame de 

 Maintenon, whom he had per- 

 suaded tointerferein the business, 

 in order to confer upon it more 

 effect and solemnity. It was thus, 

 by continual observation, patience, 

 and care, that Fenelon was gradu- 

 ally enabled to subdue the violent 

 disposition of his pupil, andtocalm 

 his intemperate passions. To this 

 important object, both he and M. 

 de Beauviliiers directed all their 

 efforts, and they were amply re- 

 warded by their success. 



The literary education of the 

 duke of Burgundy caused but 

 little trouble. The precocity of 

 his intellect, and the brilliancy of 

 his imagination, gave him an apti- 

 tude for acquiring whatever it was 

 wished he should acquire. In 

 looking* over the papers which 

 have passed into tny hands, I could 



