Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-02-28
Cmxar-By Lamnrtine.

The Paris correspor dent Of the New York
Courier des Etdte Unis in a letter to that press,
says:
"The Presse has just completed the publica-
ton Of the life of Caesar by NJ de Lamartine,
Alexander Dumas is Publishing work on the
same subject in the Mousguetaire NJ de La
MARITIME, has treated the life of his hero like a
political epic. Dumas treats it as an amusing
comedy. He gathers up all the anecdotes and
loses himself in the M idst of dgressions. One
writes like Suetonius, the other like Tacitus.
"Ihe work Of NJ. de Lamartne has produced
considerable sensation, and very naturally.
For 1t is something more than an entertaining
book 1t is political pamphlet which displays
great boldness in th,, present circumstances,
and this act Of lii erary temerity contrasts
strikiugy with the reserve preserved till now
by the former President of the Provisional
Government. 1t YVES thought he had given up
politics altogether, out here we find him again
IN the political aren "a, armed from head to foot
under the mask OF history His work abounds
In illusions TO the present time, and Caesar APP
pears there much more as frame than as a
picture. Other figures present themselves
there often as his own, and the dead is only
nail on which TO faI,ten the living. The his
tory of France, in fin e, pslpitates at every in
slant, under the histo ry Of Rome
M. de Lamartine does not hesitate to say
that Caesar merited, TOO well merited, by his
crimes, the twentytbr,se blows Of the dagger
which Frustrated him at the foot Of the statue,
of Pompey, at the moment he was about to be
proclaimed king. The author draws up such
terrible accusation again INST the victim and
paints such a beautiful picture of Brutus the
chief of his murderers, bat the reader natu-
oil. nglya 49, =
panegyric Of political ass lssnation and If the
procureur imperial will not have bone to
pick with the author. fOpinion was fixed
says the author the designs seemed so honest
that it was not complot IN the minds of the
conspirators. IL was the coup a. etat Of re-
public, the just retaliation of liberty
"But it is not Difficult TO discern the real
thoughts of the author. Having represented
the deception of the c,,nspirators who saw
themselves abandoned and cursed by the people
whom they had wished 10 deliver, NJ de La
MARITIME shows as Brutus in exile, nd medi-
tating bitterly upon the folly of assas ,inations
IL IS always vain to immediate tyi ants he
cries out; and the first punishment of crime
IS to be always deceived Approaching then
the question Of the right Of political assassi-
nation, M. de Lamartine pronounces the fol-
lowing remarkable Judgment:
Antiquity believed in the existence of this
right, IN its imperfect notions Of morality,
which led i to judge Of acts by tho rule Of
patriotism, instead of judging them by the rule
Of conscience. We believe in it none tn 3 more,
for with Us the interest Of ones countr is not
the type Of justice. The modern type Of JUS
hce is higher and broader than the CT ,untry
il is duty. The rules Of duty are not written
for us by the hands Of patriots. but BY the
hands Of God. These rules deliver OF -er the
life Of no one, not even the usurper, or the
tyrant, or the murderer to the errone rus or
fanatical arbitrament Of him who thu, ks to
avenge liberty, his country, or the ,uman
race. Rome had the right of re-
violation; Brutus, isolated, did not ha We the
right OF assassination y
He had received the mandate onI, from
his own fanaticism for the liberty Of his coun-
try, but this is only the mandate Of opini, m Of
hatred, and sometimes Of folly If Brntus had
any doubt az to the lawfulness OF the nc l. he
had only to interrogate bis conscience 10 re-
gard to the morality Of the means which he
was obliged TO employ in order to accom- ,lish
itr