The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1891-12-28
FAMOUS COMPLIMENTS.
Pretty Speeches Made in Different
Circumstances.
The Sultan of Zanzfbar's Compliment
to Queen Victoria = Sovereigns.
Statesmen, Courtiers and Scholars
Do Not Disdain to Use Them.

There is a delicious. STORY loIus solu q
writer in the London Standard, OF an ola
minister of the Church of Scotland, VINO
was often obliged to employ assistants
during the latter part of his life. one OF
these was rather vain of his qualifications
as preacher, but affected to be quite en-
barrassed by any compliments he re-
ceiyed on that score On his first appear
ance. after the sermon, the old DIVINE
went up to the probationer, and was GO
ing to shake hands with him. Antlclpat-
ing nothing short of high-fown praise,
the young man exclaimed: My gooo slr,
no compliments; no compliments, peg!
"Na, ma" replied the parson, Nova
days I'm glad o. anybody" HOW lar
this decidedly left-handed compliment
fell short of the recipients anticipation,
he alone could tell; but his feelings must
have been somewhat similar to those OF
that tedious orator, who, having been In
vain told by Henry ~. of France that ne
would be obliged to him If he would
make his fiattery as brief as possible, was
at length crushed by the king rising ana
saying: "You must be kind enough 10
say the rest to NJ. GullIaume" (the court
fool.
In the worlds history, compliments
have oftimes played an important part
sovereigns, statesmen, courtlers, scholars,
and all others of the great human 1amlly
disdaining not the use OF hatterlng speech
to gain their ends. NO one Knew pe t5
the power possessed by really polished
compliment than Sheridan, and on IN
Vulnerable occasions during that rather
stormy theatrical management OF MS dld
he extricate himself from difficulty by
means OF one. A good instance is the
following: An English nobleman, VINO,
after the manner of other of his peers,
had married a beautiful actress, once APP
piled with much dignity in the green,
room to Mr.. Sheridan for the arrears OF
her salary, and vowed that he would not
stir till they were paid. My dear
Lord" said the impecunlous manager,
''this is too bad; you have taken from
us the brightest jewel in the world, ana
YOU now quarrel with us for the little
dust she has left behind her" The noble
man Immediately burst out laughing,
and over a bottle of wine the debt was
cancelled.
OF famous compliments paid to the fair
sex, the supply is SO large and dazzling
that it is a matter of no small difficulty to
pick out the brightest gems; put II Inc
following one was unlocked for, 1t GER
tainly deserves place among the best.
Fontenelle, when 80 years old, passed be-
fore Nine Helvetius without percelvIng
her. "Ahp' cried the lady, THAT is your
gallantry then! To pass before me With
out even looking at meo III l had
looked at you, madam" replied the old
beau, Il could never have passed you at
all'' AS neat a one was uttered by
General Romano. Meeting Lady de
Brientz, whom he had known and adj
mired in the loveliness of her youth, he
commenced compllmentlng her. on
forget that am an old woman she said at
!, 10, NJ
soldier, "when our eyes are daZzled by a
diamond, it never occurs to US to ask
mineralogist for its history Very
different from this was the reply of
a gentleman once, who was one day COM
plimenting Nine. Denis on the manner
in which she played the character of
Ygaire. But" objected the lady, IAN
actress. to play the part well, should be
young and beautiful "Oh, mop ex-
claimed the candid eulogist, 'you are
proof to the contrary"
It is an old reproach against Orientals
that they are unable to say pretty things
TO ladies; but daughter of Louis XIV,
the Princess de Conte, inspired Moor
ish .with.as gracefully turned
a compliment as can be imagined. She
had rallied against the Mohammedan GUS
tom of polygamy, when the Moor thus
defended the practice: Madam" he
said, "a plurality of wives is allowed
among us because, in our country, we
must seek in several women the charm
ing qualities which are here to be found
in one" The poet Moore, who never let
an opportunity slip of complimenting the
fair sex, was in the present instance
hardly kind to the husband. Being one
day in the company OF beautiful
woman who bore on her bosom the mini
allure likeness OF her spouse, who was the
reverse of handsome, he was asked by
her whom he thought the portrait re-
sembled?" 81 think" said the poet sit
is like the Saracen's Head on Snowfall"
A bold stroke to obtain liberty by
means of a compliment was that made by
NJ. de Maupertius, who, when prisoner
in Austria, was presented to the En-
press, who said TO him You know the
Queen of Sweden, sister to the King of
Prussia ~ Yes, madame" Il am told
that she is the most beautiful Princess in
the world" Madame" replied the cum
ming prisoner, 81 always thought so I'M
til now" This was as diplomatic as the
words and action of the Marquis Medina,
a Spanish nubleman. Queen Elizabeth,
who had been admiring his elegance and
complimenting him on it, at the same
time begged to know who possessed the
heart of so accomplished cavalier.
MADAME" said he, "a lover risks too
much on such an occasion; but your
maleSty'S viii IS law. Excuse me, how
ever, if 1 fear to name her, but request
your majesty's acceptance of her por-
trait" He sent her a looking-glass
While upon the subject of royal compli-
ments, the one paid TO the present Queen
by the Sovereign of Zanzibar is worth
repeating 1t is fine piece of Oriental
poetry. He said that he mentally Gkened
her ITO that mountain of lodestone men
toned in the Thousand and One Nights
which drew the nails out of the sides of
the ships which passed that way. Even
so did the hearts of the Englishmen /
have hitherto met seem drawn on by a
magnet to her majesty A very pretty
compliment indeed. The following how
ever, is stil better, if somewhat grotesque
in it's termination. 1t is credited to a
Siamese ambassador, who wrote of the
Queen thus: "One cannot but be struck
with the aspect of the august Queen OF
england, or fail to observe that she must
be of pure descent from a race of goodly
and warlike kings and rulers of the earth,
in that her eyes, complexion, and, above
all her bearing, are those of beautiful
and majestic white elephant"
Some famous compliments have been
paid TO the members OF the sterner sex.
and one of the most gracefully turned
was that uttered by Boileau, who, when
the virtuous De Mesmes, President of the
Parliament of Paris, was elected an acad-
emician, congratulated him in these
terms: II have come to you, sir, in order
that you may congratulate me on having
you for one of my fellow-academicia
TO be eulogiZed when dead is more often
the lot of man than TO be praised in life,
but surely a quainter compliment was
never paid dead man than was received
10y Tallyrand, for when his demise was
announced to one of his acquaintance,
the latter exclaimed, HE must have had
some good reason for dying / think L
will be at least i'll MYSELF and forthwith
nod NNf
dead man was uttered by the March
ioness of -. who. when told that the