833 
T A L 
judges shook his nerves. But he screwed up his courage, 
and “ went through a whole part, with as much accuracy, 
force, and expression,” said a person who was present, “ as 
he afterwards threw into his most practised performances.” 
An order was presently obtained for his debut at the Theatre 
Francois. He appeared there in the character of Seide, in 
Voltaire’s Fanatisme, on the 15th of November, 1787;— 
the same play which Garrick produced in a translation, 
with many touchings-up of his own, under the name of Ma¬ 
homet. 
Talma found he was not earnestly received, and grew lan¬ 
guid and embarrassed. He went through his regular six 
nights of experiment, and was then admitted to the course 
of probation, which lasts two years. 
One of those accidents which, though meant to do injury, 
are often a man’s making, placed Talma suddenly in that 
high station which he ever after maintained. Chenier 
had presented to Saint Fal, the tragic despot of the hour, 
his tragedy of Charles the Ninth. When the author went 
for the actor’s decision, “ Here, my friend, take your ma¬ 
nuscript ; many thanks for your hero, but I am quite un¬ 
worthy of such a part; you had better,” added he, with a 
satirical smile, “ give it to Talma.” The author, who had 
watched Talma, and guessed of what he was capable, caught 
at the suggestion. Talma appeared in the part, and to this 
hour the old theatrical connoisseurs are eloquent in their 
praise of the thorough illusion of the dress, gesture, and 
even face of Charles. It was his portrait stepping from its 
frame—himself risen from the tomb. 
The plays of Ducis were then in their greatest popularity. 
His Othello gave a new view of his powers. The sensation 
it produced was appalling. The French, who are terrified 
at all murders which are unreal, were excited, by the last 
scene, almost to phrenzy. When Othello stabbed his wife, 
the ladies shrieked and fainted, and the gentlemen rose tu¬ 
multuously. It was thought dangerous to preserve so start¬ 
ling a scene, and the author made a second denouement, 
wherein the heroine was saved by the interposition of her 
father, just as Othello raised his dagger. Of course, her 
innocence was proved, and all ended comfortably for the 
audience; but not for the tragedian. He could not reconcile 
himself to the sacrifice of such powerful effect, and he re¬ 
turned to the legitimate play. 
A great deal has been said of Talma’s intercourse with 
Napoleon. Their first meeting was at Madame Beauharnais’, 
when Napoleon was General of Division, and paid his ad¬ 
dresses to Madame. Talma, the confidant of the courtship, 
was one of the guests at the wedding, and from that time 
the acquaintance grew into friendship. There was no very 
signal disproportion in the rank of the friends. Talma was 
at the head of his profession, and Napoleon a general, but 
without an army. He soon had one. During his absence 
in Italy, Talma was still a favoured friend at his hotel, and 
so intimate and so much respected, that Madame invited him 
to be one of the sponsors to a child of which she was to be 
godmother. On the morning of the baptism, the news 
arrived of the first battle gained by Napoleon in Italy, and, 
in the joy of the moment, the child was christened Victoire. 
On the return of the General, distinguished as he now was, 
the intimacy was not less animated than it had been. The 
Egyptian expedition was planned. Talma, in his enthu¬ 
siasm, volunteered to accompany the commander in chief. 
Napoleon, the only one who could have prevented this en¬ 
terprise, set himself entirely against it. “You must not 
commit yourself so rashly, Talma,” said he; “you have a 
brilliant course before you; leave fighting to those who 
know nothing better.” On Napoleon’s return and increased 
rank in the state. Talma, with the modesty of his nature, 
and the good sense of a man acquainted with the world, 
made his visits less frequent to the Tuileries; his reception 
was, however, as cordial as formerly. Napoleon became 
emperor, and Talma naturally concluded that the intimacy 
of the sovereign and the subject could no longer be sustained. 
In a few days he received a note from the first chamberlain 
jn these words:—“ His Imperial Majesty was much surprised 
Vol. XXIII. No. 1611. 
T A L 
not to have received M. Talma’s personal felicitations; that 
it appeared as if he intended to withdraw himself from his 
Majesty; which was not his Majesty’s wish ; and that M. 
Talma was invited to present himself at the Tuileries as 
soon as he thought proper.” It may be supposed that such 
an invitation was not declined. He waited on the emperor, 
was received with his early kindness, was constantly at the • 
palace, and was always treated with the same distinction. 
An idle story has gone abroad of Talma’s giving Napoleon 
lessons of deportment and delivery. The two friends often 
laughed at this together; and Buonaparte said, on his return 
from Elba, laughingly, to Talma, “Well, Talma, I hear 
Chateaubriand says, ’tis you who taught me to be an em¬ 
peror. He must have thought I played my part well, or he 
never would have given me you for an instructor;” and their 
intercourse suffered no subsequent diminution. Talma was 
at one time taken ill. Napoleon sent Corvisart, his private 
physician, to attend him; and his first enquiry every morn¬ 
ing was after his friend’s situation. Immediately on Talma’s 
convalescence, Corvisart pressed him to wait on the emperor, 
though it was at that embarrassing moment, when he was 
preparing to divorce Josephine. Talma gave way to the 
imperial command : his visit happened to fall on the very 
day of the divorce; and critical as the moment was, he was 
received in the most cordial manner. 
For many years Talma had been desirous of visiting 
England; he took great pains to renew his English, and 
studied very intently for some months before he made his 
final arrangements. He reached London on Wednesday, 
May 28, 1817; and was received with flattering enthusiasm 
by the English actors and the patrons of the histrionic art. 
Talma died in October, 1826. 
TALMAY, a small town in the east of France, depart¬ 
ment of the Cote d’Or, on the Vigene. Population 1100 ; 
3 miles north-east of Pontarlier, and 25 east-by-north of 
Dijon. 
TALMONT, a small town in the west of France, depart¬ 
ment of the Lower Charente, situated on a peninsula on 
the right bank of the Gironde, with a small port. Popu¬ 
lation 2500; 20 miles south-west of Saintes. 
TA'LMUD, or Tha'lmud, s. [Hebrew.] The book 
containing the Jewish traditions, the rabbinical constitu¬ 
tions, and explications of the law.—They have this tradition 
in their talmud. Lightfoot. 
TALMU'DICAL, or Ta'lmudic, adj. Belonging to 
the talmud. 
TA'LMUDIST, s. One well versed in the talmud. 
TALMUDI'STIC, adj. Talmudical. 
TALNERE, a celebrated town and fortress of Hindostan. 
It was the capital of the sultans of the Adil Shahy dynasty, 
in the 15th century, and was conquered by Aurungzebe, but 
on the decline of the Mogul empire, fell into possession of the 
Mahrattas, and was afterwards part of the possessions of 
Holcar. At the conclusion of the war with that chief, this 
fortress was ceded to the British. 
TA'LNESS, s. Height of stature; procerity. 
An hideous giant, horrible and high, 
That with his talness seem’d to threat the sky. Spenser. 
TA'LON, s. [talon, Fr.] The claw of a bird of prey.— 
It may be tried, whether birds may not be made to have 
greater or longer talons. Bacon. 
TALPA, the Mole, in Zoology, a genus of the Mamma¬ 
lia Ferae, the characters of which are, that the front teeth in 
the upper jaw are six, and unequal; those in the lower jaw 
are eight; the canine teeth are one on each side, the upper 
ones being the largest; and that the grinders are seven in 
the upper jaw, and six in the lower. Gmelin enumerates 
four species, besides several varieties. 
1. Talpa Europaea, or common mole.—Has a short tail, 
and pentadactylous or five-toed feet. The body is thick and 
cylindric; the snout slender, but very strong and tendinous; 
the head not distinguished from the body by any appearance 
of neck; the legs so extremely short, as scarcely to project 
perceptibly from the body; the fore-feet situated obliquely 
10 C outwards, 
