Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-11-02
NO. 26l.
mIsCELLaNEoUs READING.

THE BON-MOTS OF TALLEYRAND.
\ wonderful wit was Talleyrsnd His
bon-mots, which for thirty years were the
delight Of Freucbmen and the rest of man
kind, are marked not merely by the brevity
which is always the soul OF wit, but by SUB.
tlety o! thought and delicacy Of expression
which constitute their highest charm. Be.
sides this, his keenest sarcasms had usually
certain air of good breeding that distiu-
guishei them, greatly to lis credit, from the
malignant yjcsts Of Rogers and the rough
rctor,s of Douglas Jerrold. Nothing in
the way of witty and civil rebuke could be
finer than bis reproof of young gentleman
who was boasting Of the extreme beauty of
his mother, apparently implying that it
might account for the same advantage IN tho
person of the son: C'etdH done, said The great
dipIomst, blanily, Monsieur, rOtre pere gu
n'etaH pas 81 Jiea, at was your Jdtter then,
who was not haudsomew Lord Holland, in
his Foreign "reminiscences, gives another
bon-not Cf Taleyrsnd which is not TO be
found in the old list of bis clever sayings
At the time when the celebrity Of Chateau
brand, the vainest of all Frenchmeh, was
rapidly on the wane, it happened to be men
toned in conversation that he was growing
quite deaf and that he complained bitterly
of that infrmty. Je comprends, said Talley.
rand, depuis qu'on a cesse de parler de In, IL
Sc croft sourd! 81 understand, since every
body has ceased talking about him be be-
lieyes himself deaiw The only ungallant
remark that is recorded among his innumera-
tie ie-ts is his saucy comment on the tender
regard that be had once entertained for Ma
dame do Stael: III ,tam aroir aiD'e Nine dc
!Stqei pour cOn,mitre tout Il GOnher daimer
t3te Getei" But his finest wltticlsm, and ss
happy u sarcssm as ever came from any man,
is told in Lord Brougham', Times OF George
III. This has al the politeness as we'll as
the subtle wit that usually characterized the
bop-mots of Talleyrand. Not long after lis
breach U! friendship with Madame de Staei,
tina. very Intellectual and extremely mascu-
line woman wrote her novel OF Dclphinc, IN
which she satiriz;d her former friend in the
character of an old woman, while she IL
tended all the delicate charms OF tue beroino
70 be taken as her own. CHANGING to meet
Madame de s. soon after the publication OF
tie book in a fashionable assembly, be said
to her, towiug politely, "I understand, ma
dame, thtt in your last novel you and l figure
disguised as females" The retort was ceI-
.allly sumner, and for keen wit was such
as nc other man could have made. Bot
mover was a wi.d-bag so handsomely pune
turcd as when be took the sublime" out OF
ca eg5tistic and vaingIorous speech of
MiraUcau Az come important political
crisis the great orator WAS descauting III So
ciety on the qualities which minister re-
uuired to exGncate the nation from Its diA'
ca.tes, namely, great knowledge, genius,
familiarity with the upper classes. popularity
with the lower classes, the gift OF writing
and speaking elcquently. all OF which quail
ties il was obvious enough ho reckOhed as
bis own. Every body stared with sdmira-
ton but Ta!leyrnud, who simply listened at
tentigely to the end and then observed, 'it
seems t. me you ba7e omitted one OF tue
qualities of this remarkable man: should ho
not be very much pitted with the smallpox
(pique dsta petH reroIe) This could he none
Ctusr than Mirubeau and the effect upon tho
auditors can only be imaglned.-BoStIn
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