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Article CHARACTER OF LOUIS THE SIXTEENTH. ← Page 3 of 3 Article A THIEF RESCUED BY AN ELEPHANT. AN AUTHENTIC ANECDOTE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Character Of Louis The Sixteenth.
progress , by affecting a power against which he had furnished arms , and against which he had himself given instructions for resistance . No other means were left him , than to sacrifice with a good grace a part of his authority , in order , by means of the other , to seize the whole , on a proper occasion , which he was not however likely to do ; since he gave himself up to the most desperate sort of intrigues , the only sort familiar to those whom he chose for his advisersunder
, the protection and patronage of his wife . He had certainly preserved under the constitution sufficient means both of power and of happiness , if he-had had the wisdom to keep himself within bounds . Want of ability had disabled him from preventing the establishment of the new government ; but honesty alone would have been sufficient to have saved him , if he had been sincere in executing , when
he had accepted the constitution . Unhappily for himself , on one hand to support what he was overthrowing- with the other , was his crooked policy ; and this perfidious conduct first excited mistrust , and then finished by kindling general indignation . When he had made choice of patriotic ministers , he was particularly anxious to inspire them with confidence ; and he succeeded so well , that for three weeks I saw Roland and Clavieres , enchanted
with the king s dispositions , thinking only of the happy order of things , and flattering themselves that the revolution was finished . — " Good God ! " I said to them , " every time I see you come from the council with this great confidence , I always think that you are about to commit some act of great folly . "— " I assure you , " answered Clavieres , " that the king is perfectly convinced that his interest is intimately connected with the observance of the laws which have been
just established : he reasons about them too feelingly not to have a perfect conviction of this truth . " " If , " added Roland , " he be not an honest man , he is the most arrant cheat in the kingdom : dissimulation can hardly go so far . "— " And for my part , " I replied , " I have no great confidence in any man ' s regard for the constitution , who has been educated in the prejudices of despotism and habits of
dissipation , and whose conduct latterly has exhibited a total want both of genius and virtue . Louis XVI . must be a man very much above the common standard , to have any sincere regard for a constitution which narrows the limits of his power ; and if he had been such s , man , he would not have suffered those events to have taken place which have brought about this constitution . "—M j ' great argument for his insincerity was founded on his flight to Vareniies .
A Thief Rescued By An Elephant. An Authentic Anecdote.
A THIEF RESCUED BY AN ELEPHANT . AN AUTHENTIC ANECDOTE .
" jp-N URING the siege of Pondicherry , in the East-Indies , by the jt _ J / British army , when Mr . Lally was governor , there were in the French garrison several war elephants , all of which , from tbe scarcity of provisions , " except one , died , and the survivor would have shared ihe fate of his companions but for his uncommon sagacity , which had
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Character Of Louis The Sixteenth.
progress , by affecting a power against which he had furnished arms , and against which he had himself given instructions for resistance . No other means were left him , than to sacrifice with a good grace a part of his authority , in order , by means of the other , to seize the whole , on a proper occasion , which he was not however likely to do ; since he gave himself up to the most desperate sort of intrigues , the only sort familiar to those whom he chose for his advisersunder
, the protection and patronage of his wife . He had certainly preserved under the constitution sufficient means both of power and of happiness , if he-had had the wisdom to keep himself within bounds . Want of ability had disabled him from preventing the establishment of the new government ; but honesty alone would have been sufficient to have saved him , if he had been sincere in executing , when
he had accepted the constitution . Unhappily for himself , on one hand to support what he was overthrowing- with the other , was his crooked policy ; and this perfidious conduct first excited mistrust , and then finished by kindling general indignation . When he had made choice of patriotic ministers , he was particularly anxious to inspire them with confidence ; and he succeeded so well , that for three weeks I saw Roland and Clavieres , enchanted
with the king s dispositions , thinking only of the happy order of things , and flattering themselves that the revolution was finished . — " Good God ! " I said to them , " every time I see you come from the council with this great confidence , I always think that you are about to commit some act of great folly . "— " I assure you , " answered Clavieres , " that the king is perfectly convinced that his interest is intimately connected with the observance of the laws which have been
just established : he reasons about them too feelingly not to have a perfect conviction of this truth . " " If , " added Roland , " he be not an honest man , he is the most arrant cheat in the kingdom : dissimulation can hardly go so far . "— " And for my part , " I replied , " I have no great confidence in any man ' s regard for the constitution , who has been educated in the prejudices of despotism and habits of
dissipation , and whose conduct latterly has exhibited a total want both of genius and virtue . Louis XVI . must be a man very much above the common standard , to have any sincere regard for a constitution which narrows the limits of his power ; and if he had been such s , man , he would not have suffered those events to have taken place which have brought about this constitution . "—M j ' great argument for his insincerity was founded on his flight to Vareniies .
A Thief Rescued By An Elephant. An Authentic Anecdote.
A THIEF RESCUED BY AN ELEPHANT . AN AUTHENTIC ANECDOTE .
" jp-N URING the siege of Pondicherry , in the East-Indies , by the jt _ J / British army , when Mr . Lally was governor , there were in the French garrison several war elephants , all of which , from tbe scarcity of provisions , " except one , died , and the survivor would have shared ihe fate of his companions but for his uncommon sagacity , which had