CHARACTERS. 



585 



never knew him, except in mo- 

 ments of irritation, entertain a 

 single thought which was not 

 strictly conformable to reason 

 and to the' purest maxims of the 

 gospel." 



It must not be supposed, how> 

 ever, that in thus attending to re- 

 ligious duties, he was sufi'ered to 

 neglect his literary studies. It was 

 Fenelon's object to make his pupil 

 a pious and an enlightened prince; 

 he wished him to ascend the 

 throne with all the virtues of 

 Christianity, and with all the 

 knowledge necessary to govern 

 an extensive empire. It was with 

 this view that he endeavoured to 

 instil into the mind of the prince 

 an ample acquaintance with an- 

 cient and modern history. He 

 had himself made this branch of 

 knowledge a particular study. — 

 It appears from a letter to the 

 duke de Beauviiliers, that before 

 being intrusted with the education 

 of the duke of Burgundy, Fene- 

 lon had written an abridgement of 

 the life of Charlemagne, and from 

 what he has disclosed of the prin- 

 ciples and plan upon which he 

 proceeded in drawing up this 

 historical work, it cannot but be 

 regretted that it is irrecoverably 

 lost. It is evident, from this letter 

 to the duke de Beauviiliers, that 

 Fenelon wrote this work from some 

 motives that have hitherto remain^ 

 ed a secret, though they were 

 known to the duke. *' I am per- 

 suaded," says he, " that the life 

 of Charlemagne will be of much 

 use to us, in giving to the duke of 

 Burgundy those sentiments and 

 those maxims with which he ought 

 to be familiar. You know how- 

 ever, that when I made this 

 abridgement of the life of Charle- 



magne, I had not the most dis- 

 tant idea of being concerned with 

 his education; and no one can 

 better declare than yourself how 

 I came to write that work. My 

 intentions were candid and up- 

 right. No one can read it without 

 seeing that I go plainly forwards, 

 and perhaps too much so.'' 



It was the opinion of Fenelon, 

 that there never existed, perhaps, 

 a prince •' whose history is more 

 worthy of being studied, nor who 

 possesses a greater weight, with 

 regard to those maxims which 

 they, who are destined to govern, 

 may derive from it, than that of 

 Charlemagne. The beauties of 

 this history," he continues, " con- 

 sist in the greatness of its events, 

 and in the wonderful character of 

 the prince. It would be impos- 

 sible to find one more amiable, or 

 more proper to serve as a model 

 in all ages. There is a pleasure 

 even in beholding some imperfec- 

 tions mixed with so many virtues 

 and talents. It teaches us that he 

 is not a hero of the imagination, 

 like those of romances, who, by 

 being perfect, become fabulous,'' 

 Fenelon adds afterwards a very 

 judicious reflection and one which 

 is too little attended to, when we 

 read the history of those rude 

 ages, the great men of which are 

 less to be censured for those errors 

 which we are apt to consider as 

 their own, than to be pitied, as 

 living at a period when the man- 

 ners of the times rendered it al- 

 most impossible that they should 

 be exempt from them. •' Per- 

 haps," says he, "many things 

 may be discovered in Charlemagne 

 which will not please ; but it may 

 be, that he is not to blame ; and 

 our disgustarises from the extreme 



