M1RABEAU.

249

yet his letters bear the impress of generous forbearance,inspired by enlarged views of the duties of a citizen.

“ I do not say,” he writes, “ that the assembly is notsomewhat severe towards me; with all that, nothing canprevent, when the occasion presents, this struggling,tumultuous, and, above all, ostracising assembly, fromreturning under my influence : that results from thefirmness of my principles, and the support given by mytalent. It was from the bottom of my heart that Ionce wrote, ‘ Malheur aux peuples reconnaissans! Oneis never quit towards one’s country. One gains glory,at least, by serving it in whatever state. No elementof public servitude ought to exist — and gratitude is avery active one.”

There is generosity, but not absolute wisdom in thisdictum. In republics, more evil arises from want ofaccord and stability of purpose than from leaning onone man, especially among the French , who, vain bynature, are more apt each to believe in his own capacitythan rely on that of another. Unfortunately, this dis-trust of public servants took firm root during the revo-lution. First, no deputy was allowed to be minister,so that no man of business could be deputy. After-wards, the members of one assembly were not allowedto be elected in the succeeding one, so that inexperience,crude views, and want of mutual reliance, became thecharacteristic of the French legislators.

Mirabeau’s negotiations with the court meanwhile 1790went on • he even received for a short time a pension A.tat.from Monsieur, the king’s eldest brother; the queen 41 ’treated him with winning condescension —and she waswon also by the charm of his superiority and frankness.

Thus he did not sell his principles, which remainedunchanged, yet he made a mart of them ; and, in theeye of history, falls from the high position of a manabove the reach of gold. His want of docility, mean-while, often displeased the court — he refused to com-promise his popularity at its beck, and despised the menwho wished at once to make use of him and yet torender him useless.