The Dickinson press., 1883-07-07
Stories About ,ralleyrand.

Mr.. Greville's most interesting stories
are about Talleyrand. whom he knew
very we'll. Stories about Talleyrand are
almost always good; it is difficult to re-
member whether or not they are new.
Some verses of his, written when he
vas q priest and in love, are mentioned,
but not printed. "He was very proud of
ade6nition he had made of "L' Amour"
Glove is q reality in the realm of the
Imagination" 1t does not sound much
to be proud of-in English. The anec-
dote about NJ. de Narbonne is not new,
but it is good; This gentleman was very
tedious, and n day, when driving
was particularly dreary. Talleyrand
said to his companion: "Don't speak so
loud, we are overheard" He SAID of
Lady Holland. "She pretends to know
every thing, to make herself of %ini!or-
lance, and when she does not know she
invents'-the consequences of her in
v%ention being ill-natured stories. Ma
poleon, accordingly Talleyrand, had mo-
ments in which he played the moralist
among the ladies of his court, The En-
peror thought the conduct of the Mare
chale Ney ''trop fort" which gives one
HI unholy desire to know what the
Marechale could possibly have been do
ing. Madame de Genlis enraged Mad
anne de Stael (and no wonder) by saying,
Isl Madame de Stael await etc elevee,
ellie aurait etc tres s%uperieur." Talley-
raid said that Louis NVIII used to cut
irreverent jokes OH Sunday afternoon,
which vas very u%ngra.eful conduct in
that monarch. Otherwise Louis NVIIl
was very agreeable and we'll read, par
ticularly we'll acquainted with Horace,
kissed the kings boots as if he were the
pope; but etiquette demandeg that they
should be said to have done SO, because
a town countil does not stand on the same
level of dignity as the Cortes, whose
members are supposed to kiss hands
when they take leave. The three let
tiers B. S. P. (beso sus pies), which mean
81 kiss your feet" are still used by gen
tlemen in Spain when signing lettersad-
dressed to ladies', and by subjects to
their king. The letters b. S. NJ. (baso
sus manos). which are used by men
writing to men, and by ladies to ladies,
would seem too cavalier from a gentle
man to u lady, and downright imperti-
nence from a subject to his sovereign.
One of the chief reasons of the Duke
d'Aosta's unpopularity during the brief
reign which he closed with q voluntary
abdication, was that he would take no
pains to study the complicated etiquette
of the grace with which he took off and
put On his hat. In this respect his Maj
esty considered himself the most accom-
plished man in his own. dominions. Ma
poleon, oddly enough, was very fond,o
theology. 1t was not so much that he
was truly pious or a devout believer,
but that he had a natural taste for the
illogical study. His library was peculiar
ly rich in books ofdivinity. So far there
was q certain resemblance between the
Emperor and Lord Byron. He kept
three bishops with whom he used to ar
que on these serious and difficult topics.
This was almost culpable luxury, and it
shows how sel%f-indulgent the Emperor
was and could afford to be, that not one
or two bishops could satisfy his curiosity
about divine things. Talleyrand admit.
ted that he himself was snot wholly des-
titute of religious belief" so open was the
mind of this really clever In ear
lier days he had some very odd exper-
fence Of revolutionary society. He was
at a meeting of the Directoire when Bar
ras gave Carnot the lie; the lie was re-
torted, not c%ourteously, and Barras re-
piled in the style of al unpublished coal
HEAVIER. 81 had never seen anything
like it," said Talleyrand.-London News,