4797-J 
MaALESHERBES. 
Chriftian William de Lamoignon Ma- 
lefherbes was born the 6th of December, 
1721. At the age of twenty-four, he 
became a counfellor of Parliament, and fix 
years.afterwards, chief prefident of the 
cour des Qides. We remained in that im- 
portant fituation during a period of 
twenty-five years, and difplaved, on 
many occafions, proofs of firmnefs, elo- 
quence, and wifdom. 
When the prince of Condé was fent 
by the king, in 1768, to filence the 
magiftrates who oppofed the taxes, 
Maléfherbes replied to him, ‘“ Truth, 
fir, muft indeed be formidable, fince fo 
many efforts are made to prevent its 
approach to the throne.” About the 
fame time that he’ became prefident of 
the cour des aides, he was appointed by 
his father, then chancellor of France, 
fuperintendant of the prefs, a depart- 
gaent of office created for the purpofe of 
enflaving ideas, and paraly/ing genius and 
philofophy; but which, under the di- 
re€tion of Malefherbes, ferved only to 
extend and accelerate their progre{s.— 
To him, France is indebted for the 
publication of the Encyclopedia, Rouf- 
feau’s works, and many others, which, 
at that period, contributed fo rapidly to 
advance the ftock of public knowledge. 
When learned men were brought before 
kim in his official capacity to undergo 
examination, he appeared to them as ad- 
vifing, alfifting, and protecting them, 
againft that very power which was vetted 
in himfelf; and they experienced in him 
at once, a patron, a counfellor, and a 
father. 
In 1775, he refigned the office of 
chief prefident of the cour des aides, 
and was appointed minifter and fecrctary 
of ftate, inthe place of La Vrilliere— 
Thus placed in the centre of a frivolous, 
yet brilliant court, Malefherbes did not 
in the leaft deviate from his former fim- 
plicity of life and manners but, in lieu 
of complying with the eftabithed 
etiquette which required magifrates, 
when they became miniiters of fiate, 
to exchange their fable habit and head- 
drefs, for a coloured {uit, bag-wig, and 
fword, he retained his black coat, and 
magifterial peruke ! 
As, when invefted with the power 
defigned to fetter the freedom of the 
prefs, it was his chief aim to encourage 
end extend that freedom; fo, when 
raifed to an office which gave him -the 
unlimited power of iffuing J/etives de 
cachet, it was their total fuppreffion that 
became the earlieft objeét of his gof 
mi 
them. 
Original Anecdstes.—Malefberbes. 293 
ardent zeal. Till that time lettres de cachet, 
being confidered as a part of the general 
police, as well as of the royal prerogative, 
were iffued not only at the willof the mi- 
nifter, but even at the pleafure of a com- 
mon clerk, or perfons ftill more infignifi- 
cant. Malefherbes began by relinquifhing 
himfelf this abfurd and iniquitous privi- 
lege. He delegated the right to a kind of 
tribunal, compofed of the moft upright 
magiftrates, whofe opinion was'to. be una- - 
nimous,and founded upon open and well- 
citablifhed fats. He had but one more 
obje&t to attain, and that was to fubfti- 
tute a legal tribunalin the place of that 
which he had eftablifhed ; and this ob- 
ject he was upon the point of accomplith- 
ing, when the intrigues of the court pro- 
cured the difmiffion of the virtuous Tur- 
got, and Malefherbes, in confequence, 
refigned on the 12th of May, 1776. 
_ After this epoch he undertook feveral 
journeys into different parts of France, 
Holland, and Switzerland, where he col- 
sected, with zeal and tafe, objeéts of 
every kind interefiing to arts and fci- 
ences. As he travelled with the fimpli- 
city and ceconomy of a man of letters, 
who had emerged from obfcurity for the 
purpofe of making obfervations and ac- 
quiring knowledge, he, by that means, 
was enabled to referve his fortune for 
important occafions, in which it might 
procure him information on interefing 
fubje&ts. He travelled flowly, and fre- 
quently on foot, that his obfervations 
might be the more minute ; and employ- 
ed part of his time in fuitably arranging 
Thefe obfervations formed a va- 
lwable colleétion of interefling matter 
re'ative to the arts and fciences, but 
which has been aloft totally deftroyed 
by the fury of Revolutiowifis, who have 
done as much prejudice to the interefls 
of fcience as of humanity. 
Returning from his travels, Malefther- 
bes, for feveral years, enjoyed a philofo- 
phic leifure, which he well knew how 
to dire&t to ufeful and important objects. 
The two mof excellent treatifes which 
he compofed inthe ycars 1785, and 1786, 
on the civil fiate of the proteftants in 
France, are well known. The law which 
he propofed in thefe, was only prepara- 
tory to a more extenfive referm ; and 
thefe treatifes were to have been follow- 
ed up by another work, the plan of 
which he had already laid down, when 
affairs growing too difficult to be managed 
by thofe who held the reins of govern- 
ment, they were compelled to call him 
to their councils. They did not, how- 
ever, affign him the direction of any de- 
Ppa partment, 







