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pretre ; he was then the ardent champion of Catholicism , but his splendid talents were moved by an earnestness which promised trouble , and produced ¦ what it promised . The Breton thinker was " terr ibly in earnest , " as ELemble said of Kean ; and while he denounced the vice of the age , " indifference in matters of religion / ' he tried to make even the Pope change indifference into earnestness , Failing here—finding that the Ghurch regarded him as " impracticable "—he wheeled suddenly round , and attacked " the Church . He became an ardent re | 5 ublican , and he died with , emphatic -disavowal of that Church which had once been his ark of refuge .
In many ways Lamennais is deeply interesting to us . His pure and noble life , his ardent faith , his incomparable style , make everything that fell from Jiis pen worth preservation . The volume before us will be welcomed by all ¦ vfh o knoiv Lamennais ; but for the public to wliom his other works are unlaiown , it will have less interest . It contains Pensees after the manner of Pascal , sometimes brief essays , sometimes epigrams and yucojAai ; a charming little essay on " Old Age" ( not at aLl like Cicero ) ; and a long account of the once famous Proces d'Avril . From , the Perisies we will borrow a few samples suited to our pages ; -we must be permitted to quote the original sometimes in order to obviate the necessary injustice of translation : — '¦ . ' ''' ¦ ' : ' . ''¦ . - . ¦ : ''' ¦ '¦' ¦ . ¦¦¦ ¦' . •' ¦ ' . MIRACLES . . - ' ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ' '' . /¦ ¦ ¦'¦ - . /} . ¦ : ¦ ¦" /¦ ¦ There are miracles whenever miracles are believed ; they vanish as soon as doubt ¦ Appears . ¦ ' . . . - ^ . v ' ' ¦ : . / :-: ' \ . ' ¦ ' . : "¦¦'¦ . ¦' ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' . ' . '¦ ¦'' ' ¦' . ¦ ¦ ' . ¦ : v . " .. '¦ .:. ' ¦ ¦ : . ' ¦ ¦ •¦ ¦¦¦• - : ' . ' . ' '¦ ¦ ¦ ' / . ¦ ¦ : " . ' ¦ , .. ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ . -: ¦ : : > -- '• - ¦ •; ¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ . ¦ ¦ . ¦ . ' hestory . - ' ' : ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ - ¦ ¦ ¦• .. ¦ ¦;¦ . ' " " ' - ¦ ¦ ¦ ''' - . . '¦ . What is History ? Humanity at the Old Bailey- Government hangs the patierit , the chaplain preaches to him of salvation , . Uhistqire , qdest-cet Le long proces-verbal du supplies da Thumanite . Lejiouvqir iient la Jiacke et le pretre exhorte le patient . ¦ ' ;•'• ¦ '• ¦¦ ¦¦ . '¦ . . ' . - ¦'¦ ¦ . ¦' . ' . ¦ ; ,. ¦ -.: ¦ ' .-. ¦' ¦ restless MEDiocEmr . .. ' . ¦ :- " ; ¦ '" . . ¦¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦; There are people always tormented , al-ways about to produce something important . They mistake the cholic for the pains of labour ! . ; - ' ¦ - ¦ , . ' . ; ¦ . ' v-: V ¦¦ ¦ '• ¦ ; stNCEErxr in style . /¦• ¦ ' -.. . > ¦ : j ... : ¦¦ ' ¦ •• ' . ^ v ... No man succeeds in expressing a sentiment he does not feel . His style reflects the grimaces of his mind . ' : -.- ¦ ' ¦' ; " ¦ ¦ . - ' . .. - . ' . . ' .. - . ¦ . ¦¦'¦''¦ ¦ ¦" . ; ; : - ... . " " : . - ¦'¦ ¦ ¦' , ¦ ;• . ¦ : .. " ¦¦¦ ' ' . "•; . ¦ ' " \ ~ -- ' :: On netrouvejamais Vexpression dhinsentiment queVonriax > as . ISespritgrimace et le style aussi . ' : [¦ ' . }¦'¦ : ¦' ' ' . ¦ : ¦ : : - ' - ' / -. . - " : ' - . '¦ .. ¦ ' ¦ " '• '¦'¦ r \[ - - ¦" ' " . '¦¦ ¦ . "' .. . ' . ¦ : ¦
¦ :. - . .. ¦ ¦ :. . ¦ ¦ :- . . ' -:. '¦¦' .. ¦ : ' . :. ¦ ' .- ' .. ' " . ;¦ perfect stuphhty . , . . -, . . - . . -. - . ¦ . , . ¦¦¦ :: .. .. . ... . There are minds ' ¦ " 'so sterile that they cannot even produce absurdities . We find absurdities in them , it is true , but they are transplantations . It will be expected that among these epigrams many will be merely epigrams of questionable truth or even unquestionable error ; but they are always ; happily expressed . There is one rather long passage ,: in which I / amennais correctly enough inveighs against the danger to liberty of a . standing army , but he glides into error when he says , The Camp replaces the Nation . It is absolutely necessary for the freedom of a people that the soldier should be a citizen and the citizen a soldier . " A glance at England would have assured him that such was by no means the necessary condition of freedom . Our soldiers are not citizens , our citizens are not soldiers .
France approximates much nearer to such a condition , yet is Trance near freedom ? ' . ¦ . ' .. ¦ ¦¦ - ¦ ¦¦ ^ . : ' : . ' - ¦ ' ¦ ' ¦ . -. : " '¦ ¦'' . " . - : ¦" . ¦ . ' ¦ ¦' - . > : . . ¦' . ¦¦ ¦ ¦ "'¦' : ' ¦ ' .. There are some admirable thoughts on religion and on free discussion , for which we must refer the reader to the volume itself . " l ^ othihg is rarer , " he says in one place , ^ than real love of truth ; and yet -what interest have men in evading truth ? It is clear tbat their convictions in nowise alter her ; admit her or reject her , she remains as truth . No man says , 'I will refuse to accept evident truth '—such an enormity would repel every one ; but starting from the supposition that his belief is true , instead of examining this belief he examines all things according to it , calling those opinions true which conform to it , those false which oppose it . This disposition of mind is the result of early tuition . He has been taught that to question what his teachers proclaim is sin ; and hence it is that all controversy in after life irritates him . "
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BEAUMARCIIAIS . Beaumarchais and his Times . By Lauis de Lomenie . Translated by Henry J . Edwards . Vols . III . and IV . ; Addey and Co . These volumes complete the amusing but somewhat spun-out memoirs of the " admirable Crichton ' of the eighteenth century . Beaumnrchais seems to have been the most remarkable specimen of a " Jack of all trades" and " master of all" which his century produced , and indeed to this Protean Activity he attributes the calumnies which throughout his successful career shadowed every success . Hear him , in his old age , review that career : — With gaiety , and oven bonhomie , I have had enemies without number , and have nevertheless never crossed , or even taken the path of another person . By dint of reasoning with myself I have discovered the cause of so much hostility ; in fact , it is natural enough . From the period of niy thoughtless youth I have played every instrument , but I belonged to no body of musicians ; the professors of the art detested me .
roe . I had constructed at the " same time the first establish ments of three or f ~ paper factories without being a manufacturer ; I had the manufacturers and de l for my adversaries . . ' u-eaiers I . have : traded in the four quarters of the globe ; but I was not-a regular merch f I ha « l forty ships at sea at one time ; but I was Tiot a . shipowner , and ° I was call niated in all our seaports . . * um-A ship-of-Arar ' . of .. fifty-two guns belonging to me had the lionour of fi <> litin <* in r with those of his Majesty at the taking of Grenada . Notwitastandin ~ ° the tride f the navy , they gave the cross to the captain of my vessel , and military rewards to my other officers , and-what I , who was looked upon as an intruder , gained wistk i ^ of iny flotilla , which this vessel was convoying . AM nevertlieless , of all Frenchmen , whoever they may be , I am the one who ha done the most for the liberty of America , the begetter of our own ; for I was the onl person who dared to form the plan and coinnieuce its execution , in spite of iLiiEland Spain , and even France ; but I did not belong to the class of negotiators , and I Was a ' stranger in the bureaux of the ministers . J « c 7 e <>«? . Weary of seeing- our uniform habitations , and our gardens without poetry I built i house which is spoken of ; but I clid not belong to the arts . Jndc irce . *'
What was I , then ? I was nothing but myself , and myself I- have remained free in the midst of fetters , calm in the greatest of dangers , making head against all storms , directing speculations with one hand , arid war with the other ; as lazy as an ass , and always working ; the object of a thousand calunniies , but happy in niv horne , having-never belonged to any coterie , either literary , or political , or mysticalhaving never paid court to any one , and yet repelled by all . ' There is some truth in this , but it is not all the truth . Ours is an envious world , an unjust world , but there is always some fault whore it attributes crime , there is always some unavowed cause creating the distrust and dislike ¦
which are . expressed . " .. It may be that a fault of mahnei- creates the prejudice , and makes the prejudiced public willing to beliuve the vrorst that envy or hatred can invent ; but fault or vice there always is . Beaumarehaig attributes to sheer envy what was probably the result of his own insolerice . Jiis ' . . confident , pushing , restless , intriguing nature , created more enmities than friendships . He carried his laurels with an insolent air ; he bore his defeats with a courage which , admirable in itself , was fatal to sympathy . People are slow to praise those who loudly praise themselves , and are slow to pity those ; who seem unafllicted by misfortune : no one gives alms to the . . wealthy . . ¦ ¦•¦ ' - . , ¦ - . ¦ . " ¦•¦' . ¦'¦ ¦ . ., - . ¦ ' -, . .: ' " - ' ' ' :- ' - ¦; ¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ : : ' ¦ . : :: . L .::: ¦• ..
Head with , this key , the life of Beaumarclinis receives fresh interest . That he was an amazingly clever fellow every chapter of the book sulliciently proyes > , that he had excelleiit points in his character his " ¦ ¦ biographer has placed beyond dispute ; and although ,-. on a rigorous investigation , his life seems to have been entirely that of a clever -adventurer , it was also that of a good-hearted , valiant man . But his faults wei-e of a kind whieli the world never pardons , and . these faults damage a reputation niore than numy vices . How many men are there whose immorality is screened by agreeable manners ? We know them to be dislioriest , 3 : > ut they are so clvarminfj ;; we know them to be sensual , but they are so gay and pleasant ;; ' -we know thorn to be selnsla , but they are so sympathizing in their ' manners that our goodwill is captive . ' . ' : " ¦ ;¦ : - - ' ' ¦ . ' ¦ ¦ - ' . . .. \ . . :,- - '• - ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦' . ; . - . ¦' ¦ ' ¦ .: ¦ ¦ ¦"' ¦ '¦ .. ¦ ¦ ; . ... V ' '•¦ :. ; ' ' : ¦ --. ' : ¦ .. ¦[¦"¦ . : ¦ ' The two volumes now before us " are notso interesting as the two which preceded them , but they are full of . curious details respecting the state of society in the ' . eighteenth century . The chapters which relate Beaumarchais ' extraordinary enterprize of publislihig the complete-editions'of-Voltaire- —' and those which relate the story of tlie opposition to the perform inice of the " Marriage of Figaro " - —a performance which the king had absolutely interdicted , foreseeing the revolutionary tendency of the piece , but which the Parisian public absolutely demanded—are chapters which no historical student should leave uiu-ead . " We- -cannot praise M . de Lonicnie for any higher quality than that of diligence in collecting Iris materials , but the materials are often sufficiently curious to-make * us forget his delects .
I have invented some good machines but I did not belong to the body of engineers , and thoy spoke ill of me . I composed verses , songs 5 but who -would recognize mo as a poet ? I was the son of a watchmaker . Not caring about the game of loto , I wroto some pieces for the stage , but people eaid : " What is he interfering with ? he is not an author , for ho has immense speculations , and entorprizea without number . " Unable to meet with any one who -would undertake my defence , I printed long Memorials , in order to gain actions which had been brought against me , and which may bo called atrocious ; but people said : " You see very well that these are not like thoao our advocates produce ; ho doos not tiro you to douth 5 -will such a man bo allowed to prove without ua that ho is in the right ? " / tide irai . I have treated with ministers on the subject of great pointa of reform of which our finances were in need ; hut people said : " What U he interfering in ? this man is not A financier . " •' Struggling against all th « powers , I hnvo raised tlio art of printing in Franco by my superb editions of Voltaire—tho ontorpriao having been , regarded as beyond the capabilities of one individual ; but I was not a printer , and they said the devil about
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THE LIST DAYS Ol iHli \ VAE . The War . By W . H . -Russell .. From tbe Death of Lord ' Raglan'to the Evaciiatiou of the Crimea . " Itoutledge When certain documents lmve been published , and when certain persons have said or printed that which they dare not print or say now , the lute war with Russia will be ready for the historian . Mr . ltussell has contributed his share . He himself avows , however , that the time has not yet come for tlie disclosure of all the truth . Nor is . this otherwise than natural , considering how 'several-military records even of the Wellington era , arc expected to change colour , when the Duke ' s state-paper vault has given up its secrets . At present , an infinite variety of influences arc at work to keep tlio story obscure lYom the diplomatic beginning to the diplomatic end , from the
original plan of the Eastern expedition to tbe cessation of hostilities—probably at n sudden order from France—a mystery gathers from time to time over the narrative , and we are forced to bo satisfied with Mr . -. Russell ' s excuse , " the time has not yet come . " lie , tit least , has told sill he knew , though occasionally with studied vagueness , for there are many things that a . journalist may know which he cannot prove . It may hu a perfectly familiar fact to him , that one general betrayed stupidity , and another cowardice ; but who could say so ? The law of libel covers a multitude : of sins , and common report is not admitted among : pleas in justilieation . Suppose a journalist to accredit himself a representative of tho army , and to ask why a runaway is suffered to wear triumphal plumes , he might
subpcena whole battalions without wringing from man or oflicLT a declaration that a particular general of division was esteemed a coward in tho eamn . So with other matters , still more completel y lieyondtlio reach of present evidence . What were the debates , the bickerings , tho divided proposals ( luring the successive councils of war ? What orders were received by the French Commander-in-Chief , and not communicated , to theliritirihV Only un oozing rumour escaped now and then , pervading the camps , and giving rise to endless perplexity and discussion ; the oilicial ground was beyond the jurisdiction of our own correspondent , deeply « s he dived , and minutely as he plannedand put together his personal observations and the testimonies 01 other witnesses and actors on the scene . His second volume takes up tho story at the , appointment of General
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978 T Hj ^^ A . a ) E B , [^^^ —
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 11, 1856, page 978, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2162/page/18/
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