Retrospect of French Literature Miscellaneous. 
thy of the situation, and will actually be- 
come one, you are to cut your veins by 
means of twenty-two gashes made by 
your own razor, and yet notwithstanding 
this, your death will not occur until some 
months after.’ 
“On this, they stare at the narrator of 
future occurences, and laugh again. 
“ As for you, M. Vic d’Azyr (conti- 
mues he), you yourself will not open your 
veins, but you will cause them to be 
opened six times in the course of one 
day, during a fit of the gout, in order to 
be more certain of the event, and you 
will die during the night.’ 
nn A ES ST 
successful, secause he had copied Buchanan 
and the moderns. 
Soon ater this, Chamfort ran a vay from 
college, ans commenced Abbé, but he deter- 
mined never tobe a priest, for he observed to 
M. dAircaut, a professor, under whom he 
studied: §* that he Joved repose, philosophy, 
the ladies, and honor and true glary tov muca5 
and quarrels, hypocrisy, preferments anu mo- 
ney, too little. for that station.” 
He next became author, and his first work 
was ‘6 Le 7scabucire Fangais.” Waving at 
length turned his mind to poetry, and ob- 
tained the prize from the Frencn Academy, for 
his ‘* Epitre d’un Pere 4 son Fils sur la Nais- 
sance dun Petit-Fils’’ He now began to be 
eourted by the great. whom he in return al- 
ways detested ; yet he frequented their com- 
pany, but it seemed as if it were solely for 
the purpose of ridwuling them. When the 
Revolution occurred, he lost the greater part : 
of his pensions, &c. and yet he laughed ar, 
and ridiculed Marmontel, for crying over is 
children o+ reading the cecree that had sup- 
press-d all these apposatments. 
At this period C iamisort, openly embraced 
the cause of the popular party; but he detest- 
ed all the excesses committed in the name of 
liberty, and he ridiculed the norrid motto of 
ss Fraternité ou la mort!” the translation of 
which, he observed, was: ‘* Be my brother, 
or I will kill you! The ‘raternity of such peo- 
ple,’ adved he, ‘* is the fraternity of Cain 
and Aiel.” 
During the administration of the Giron- 
dists, he was nominated to the office or joint 
National Librarian, with an income of 4000 
livres per ann But on the triumph of Robes- 
pierre, anc the jacobins, he was denounced 
and imprisoned. 
As confinement was more odious to him 
than death, he attempted to bereave himself 
af his existence, by means ora pistol ; but he 
only shattered the vones of bis nose, and 
grove in his right eye. He afterwards seized 
a razor, cut his throat and mangled his body 
in a terrible manner; on this, he ridiculed 
his own want of dexterity, and did not die, 
patil some months after. 
69r 
“ And you, M.de Nicolai will perish 
on a scaffold; you M. Bailly will also fi- 
nish your days in the same manne:.—A 
similar fate is reserved for you M. de Ma~ 
lesherbes*. , 
“ Ah! God be prai: ced, (exclaims Rou- 
cher) it appears that Monsieur is ill-in- 
tentioned respecting the Academy alone; 
he has indeed committed terrible havoc; 
as for me, thank Heaven . . 
“ As for you; you also must fall upon 
a scaffold.’ 
“© Oh! all this must be done for a wa~ 
ger (is repeated from every part of the 
eee) he has sworn to exterminate us 
ail 
“ No, it is not I who have so sical 
“ But in this case, are we not to be 
subjugated by the Turks and the Tartars? 
And ; 
“ No, not at all; I have already told 
you what is to occur You will then 
be governed by Philosophy alone; by 
Reason alone. All those who you are to 
treat in this manner, will be philosophers, 
and will constantly have in their mouths, 
the sclf same phrases that you have quo- 
ted during the last hour; they will also 
repeat all. your maxims, and like you will 
quote verses from Diderot and thePucelle!? 
“ On this, a whisper passes from mouth 
to mouth, and from ear to ear through 
one part of the room: ‘ You perceive 
¥ Christian. William de Lamoignon Malese 
herbes, one of the most celebrated and up- 
right characters that France ever produced, 
was born Dec. 6, 1721. This respectable 
ol: man, after having becomes president of 
the Cour des Aides, and twice oninister of state, 
1@ired from the service of his country, as if 
in order to dedicate himself to the domestic 
Virtues While invested with an office, that 
induced other men to make an a:bitrary use 
of their authority, he asa secretary of state 
eWtended the liberty of the press, and not only 
abolished the uses but meditated the entire 
Suppression of Lettres de Cachet. 
While occupies in the country, chiefly in 
rural affairs, the Revolution occurred, Louis 
XVI. was orought to trial, and he, who had 
not been treated with much attention by the 
King (or he had resigued in disgust !), for= 
getting all personal consideration, offered hime 
self as one of his defenders. 
After aischarging this painful duty, in the 
most honourable manner, he returned to the 
bosom of his family, but was soon after ar- 
rested. experienced a mock trial before a re- 
volutionary tribunal at Paris, and was con- 
demned to death, April 22, 1794. 
He died as he had lived, exhibiting marks 
of the most unshaken courage and virtue, te 
the last hour of his existence. 
that 
