Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-10-06

included IN the number Of your faith.
fdl subjects"
"You:"
Eyes. Sire if your Majesty per-
sists IN your refusal, permit a son Ia
inquire wha, can have raised your dis
pleasure against his mother. Some
say il was my grandfather's last work.
but l can assure your Majesty that "a
mother had nothing TO do with that"
Yes, CERTAINLY" added Napoleon,
with more Ill humor than he hal nth.
crto manifested, THAT work was very
objectionable Your and-fathe. was
an ijeologist, faol, an old maniac. -
NJ sixty years of age 10 think Of form.
ing plans to overthrow nv constitu.
ition.-Sta,es would be We'll governed,
truly, under such theorists, who Judge
Of men by books, and the world from
the map"
80 Sire, since my grand fathers plans
are in your Majesty's eyes nothing bu,
vain theories, | cannot conceive Why
they should so highly excite your dis
pleasure. There is no political econo-
mrst who has not traced out plans of
constitutions
"Oh. rs 70 political economists.
they are mere Missionaries who are
dreaming of plans of finance, while
they are unfit TO fulfil the duties of
schoolmaster. Your grand fathers
work was that of an obstinate old man,
who died abusing all governments.
Sire, may | presume to suppose
from the way in which YOU speak Of it,
that your Majesty judges from the re-
port OF malignant persons. and that you
have not yourself read it,"
THAT is a mistake; l have read il
myself from beginning to end"
"Then YOU must have seen how my
grand father rendered justice to your
genius"
"Fine justice truly; he calls me the
indispensable man, but judging from
arguments, the beat thing that could
be done, would be TO cut my throat! -
Yes, was indeed indispensable to repair
the follies of your grand father, and
the mischief he did France. 1t was he
that overturned the monarchy, and sen,
Louis XVI. to the scaffold."
! At that moment, young de Stael re-
newed his solicitation for the recall ol
his mother from exile. Bonaparte then
stepped up to him and pinched his ear
with that air Of familiarity which was
customary to him when he was in q
good humor. or wished to appear so.-
"You are young" said he :. if you
had age aud experience, you would
judge things more correctly. am far
from being displeased with your frank
ness. | like TO see a son plead his
mothers cause. Your mother has
gwen you difficult commission, and
you have executed it clearly. AN
glad | have this opportunity Of con-
versing with you. love to talk with
young people when they are uuassum
ing and not too fond Of arguing. But
| will not hold ont false hopes to you.
If your mother was in prison, I would
not hesitate to iiberate her but nothing
shall induce me to recall her from ex
lie. 800 AFTER all. cannot un-
derstand why she should be so anxious
to come back to Paris. Why should
she wish to place herself Immediately
within the reach of my tyranny? Can
she not 20 TO Rome, to Berlin, to Mi
Ian. or TO London? Yes, that is the
p. to, her; there she may libel 1e
ASH much "a -he phases. In short, she
has nv full liberty to 20 any where but
g. pars. You ace, NJ. de Stael, that
i. ne place Of my residence. and there
will have only those who are attach
ed 10 me. I know from experience
that If were to allow your mother {,
come TO Paris. she wOuld spoil every
body about me. She would finish the
spelling of Carat. II was she who ru
ined the TribuDati. know she WOULD
promise nightly, but she cannot re.
frain from mcddling With politics"
~ can assure your Majesty that ny
mother does not concern herself abou
politics. She deyotes herself exclu
sively TO the society OF her friends aaC
10 literature.
"Ah. there IL Is. literature! d.
you think I am 10 be imposed upon b.
that wordF-WhiIe discoursIng UpOI
literature, morals, the 6ne arts aRC
such things, IL IL easy TO dabble u
politics. Let women mind their knit
ting"
a