314 
brated and modeft Sicarp, been the cbjeg& 
of a profcription in which he was unde- 
fervedly included. 
Concealed in the houfe of a trufty 
friend, who for two years rifked his own 
life to fave a head of fuch value, Sicard 
undertook the tafk to beftrew with flowers 
the firft ftudies of children, to facilitate 
their progrefs, and to render the perform- 
ance of their duty eafier to the fathers of 
families. Ina narrow cell, by the light 
of a lamp, whole faint glimmer feemed 
loth to difcover the venerable traits of the 
eltimable reclufe, and to betray his place 
of refuge, he wrote his Univerfal Gram- 
mar ; thus revenging himfelf of the injuf- 
tice of men, only by heaping new benefits 
upon them. 
Tn the mean time, the deaf and dumb of 
every age and fex lamented the abfence of 
their teacher : fometimes they looked up 
to the windews of his apartments, and 
their eyes were bedewed with tears: or 
they would regard with fixed attention the 
arm chairs where Sicard had been wont 
almoft daily to expand their fouls, and ren- 
der them fufceptible of the impreffions of 
nature ; and of the fignificant and various 
geftures that at other times animated their 
ccustenances, the expreffions of dejeétion 
and ferrew alone remained. 
One of themin particular, Jean Maffeu, 
the fifth of the fame family who had en- 
joyed the inftructions of the venerable Si- 
card, was fo affected by the lofs of his 
teacher, that, to pacify him, they were 
obliged to make him acquainted with his 
place of refuge. This young man, whole 
underftanding and talents all Paris ad- 
mires, and who, notwithftanding his weak 
ftate of health, had been promoted to the 
place of repeteur in the School, witha 
faiary of 1200 francs, repeatedly offered 
to fhare his fmall income with. Sicard : 
‘© My father ({aid he by means of rapid 
figns) has nothing: I muft provide him 
with food and cloathing, and fave him 
from the cruel fate that oppreffisshim.” 
Heaccordingly took the veceflary tteps with 
prudence, engaged fome of his friends to 
aflift him in putting his gencrous project 
into execution, and kept himfelf in readi- 
nefs to lay hold of the firft favourable 
Opportunity. At length the ardently 
withed-for moment arrived. A dramatic 
peet, whom the enthufiafm of his heart 
rendered courageous (Bouilly), formed the 
relclution to mere the public in favour 
of the fucceffor cf the Abbé de I’ Epee by 
producing on the ftage a memorable fcene 
trom the life of that celebrated founder of 
tae Infitution ferinfructing the Deaf and 
Account of the Re-appearance of Sicard, 
[Nov. 1, 
Dumb. The undertaking was dangerous, 
but the motive irrififtable. The audiecce 
fhed tears to the memory of the Abbé de 
Il Epée; and whilft his fainted name was 
repeated the unfortunate Sicard’s likewife 
refounded. O that from his afylum he 
could have heard thefe affe&ting exclama- 
tions of a numerous and re{pectable affem- 
bly, this confoling burft of enthufiafm 
from a people, which paid homage to 
virtue, and pleaded the caufe ef iono- 
cence.——‘* Sicard !”* they exclaimed froma 
every fide; ** Reftore to us Sicard!” 
From the emotion that animated every 
countenance, from the applaufe that was 
clapped from every hand, and efpecially 
from the indefcribable tranfports of the 
author (Bouilly), it was eafy for Maffieu, 
notwithitanding his deafnefs and dumb- 
ne(s, to form an idea of the intereft which 
the audience exprefled in favour of his 
preceptor : and he fo well contrived mat- 
ters, that a few days after, he and Bouiily 
met together at the houle of a Jegiflator, 
who is a friend of men cf merit, and of 
the unfortunate, and where a brother of 
the Chief Conful of the French Republic 
happened to be on a vifit. Having here, 
by the affeling anfwers which he gave to 
the queftions put to him, foftened the 
hearts of a great number of perfons to a 
participation of his feelings; he gave to 
the brother of the Conful a letter which 
he had written in his prefence, and which 
concluded with the following remarkable 
words: ** Promife! O promife me! that 
you will {peak for us to the Chief Confulr 
they fay be Joves thofe men who labour for 
the happinefs of others; furely then he 
muft Jove Sicard, whofe fole happinefs it 
is to render the poor deaf and dumb hap- 
1>? 
This touching language of nature ex- 
cited the admiration of all prefent, and 
produced the moft lively emotion. Maji- 
jicu obferved this: immediately he flung 
one arm round the neck of Jofeph Bona- 
parte, and the other round Bouiily ; and 
allthree melied into tears. Jofeph Bo- 
napaite, who was moft affeéted, prefied 
the amiable pupil of Sicard to his heart, 
and requefted his worthy friend to figmify 
to him, that he would on the fame even- 
ing prefent his letter to the Conful, and 
that he would venture to promife him that 
it would have the wifhed-tor effeét 
Maffieu’s hopes were not difappointed : 
the Conful ordered Sicard’s name to be 
erafed from the lit of the proicribed ; 
and fooa after he was reftored to the right 
of again giving inftructions to his pu- 
pils. 
The 
