£79^' memoirs of Abhe Blanthet, 49 



acted but well, who never wifhed but to do good, 

 could have such fears. 



It is time now to flrow the Abbe Blanchet in a 

 more nteresting point of view, and to resolve, if pof- 

 sible, the moral problem which his life presents us. 

 We have seen how he lived with himself/let us now 

 see how he lived with others : It appears that from 

 his earliest youth he had two principles of acting 

 within him, which never ceased urging him in con- 

 trary directions ; hence his love of indolence, when ' 

 at the same he was eager to adorn his mind, to finilh 

 and bring to perfection his diflPerent works ; his bodi- 

 ly "organs were not adequate to those of his mind ; ha- 

 ving more Imagination than pafsion, he was restlefs, 

 unieasy, and wearied himself for trifles. What he • 

 most dreaded was, the carriers of notes and expref- ' 

 ses, which were sometimes sent to him ; he would 

 turn pale as they came to him. " You cannot 

 conceive," as he writes to his friend, "what a hard 

 exercise for me is handling a pen I there are days 

 when I would rather walk two leagues than write 

 two lines." When he depended solely on himself he 

 could not have any sudden wants, unlefs they were ab- 

 solutely indispensible. I recollect a very odd trait, to 

 say no worse, which he always reproached himself for^ ' 

 The friendftiip that a great man honoured him with, '^ 

 <who was equally to be praised for his pure manners, 

 Iris talents, and his understanding, was one of the 

 principal reasons for his journey to England. He 

 liad been in London but a few days, when the duke 



t) f ' — , at that time ambafsador there, was " 



much hurried to add to an important dispatch a tran- 



V»], V4,ii. tt . t 



