New-York tribune., 1897-01-10
A LIVELY PRELATE'.
THE NARRATIVE OF HIS WOES AS REP
RESENTATIVE OF THE POPE
IN PARIS.

OF Paris octave. PIP. XIV 3S7. Boston; Little,
Brown & Co
The manuscript from which this work was
translated and published in Paris about five
years ago exists in Italian and purports to be
"a copy of the original" 1t bears certifcation
! apoarently from the hand of Monsignor de Sala-
mon himself. He was n representative "f the
| Papacy in Paris at the time of the Revolution,
and is known to careful students of history as a
| minor actor in the events Of that crisis HIS
| memoirs would seem to have been addressed 10
a Frenchwoman OF the period Nine. de NIiie-
neuve but inquiries among her descendant: nave
| not developed any clew as to the Whereabouts
| OF the original manuscript. The Abbe Bridler'
accepting it's disappearance with good grace IS
| told by the Roman lawyer from whom ne pought
! his COPY that the name Of the italian family to
whom that copy belonged could not possibly he
| divulgcd. He swallows this disappointment. too,
with perfect urbanty. and offers his readers
pretty hypothesis as to the origin Of his treasure
| The story need not he repeated here. The main
| point is that after all his assumptions and ex-
| plantations our editor leaves n cloud OF suspi-
| cion upon his book He can the more readily
| afford to ignore it, since the memoirs. II not
| authentic are at least well invented. The
| author was unquestionaby an eyewitness OF
| the scenes he described. scenes among the most
|
| tiOn
| There is another point confirming the genuine
ness OF this work upon which the Able Bridier
does not fail to lay stress a thoroughly tangi-
| bic personality emerges from the text. fOrger
might have strung together episodes which are
here set forth. Only an honest man or genius
could at the same time have painted so vivid a
portrait as that which we will without further
argument accept as the portrait of MonslSnor
de Salamon He Is "A precious persorage IL
Plus VI had the high regard for him which he
says the Pope had. 1t must have been TO great
extent because the young priest whom he made
1nternuncio the flight Of Monsignor Dugnari
from Paris In 100 consummate courtier
and lost no opportunity to ingratiate himself
with the Papal Court. Dugnani fled Paris
because. In the naive words OF the Abbe Bridier,
there was no longer IN that city eithe. honor or
safety for the representative Of the Holy See"
The Abbe de Salamon was nothing loath to I'll
the place however He had ali interview with
the King and proceeded TO look after the in
terests Of the Church well as he could He
tells us that Dugnan had been Enlightened out
of his wits by having the bleeding lead OF life
guard flung into his carriage" but ne was him
self OF plucllier stuff. There no change
in my mode of vnc. For. mild and gentle as
you may think me now. my natural disposition
is never to yield to fear and never do anything
on compulsion." Certainly If he tells the truth.
he carried himself NOR. or less like of
courage through the episodes which he narrates.
He was OF the first eccesiastcs singled out
for the September Massacres. and the first pages
OF his memoirs bring them in dramatic outline
to the front He lying in bed when the
emssaries Of the Commune came for him. and
was 80 feverlsh that was obliged to rest my
elbow the pillow while drinking glass Of
lemonade" We cite the last fragment with
partcularty inasmuch as IL points to a constant
element in the authors story. lie was some
thing of u "curled darling to the end of his life,
and in the midst OF his sufferings In Partisan
prisons he thinks Of his linen. of his untidy hair
Of the dainty cup Of chocolate without which the
morning is intolcrable to any civilized man. But
small chance given to him to rumnate on
the elegance OF his costume the refinement of
his diet on the morning Of the communistic visi-
ia tiOn. His protests stiicd. and. amid
shouts from the guards of Down with the
white choker. Take look at the Pope's Min
isterr he was hustled Off to the Hotel de Vile
and then to the Marie. Let the jaunty aristo-
cratic prclate speak for himself at this point:
| brought before IL little committed com
posed Of FIVE members. Among them | recog-
nizcd that Marat. who was 10 become cee-
less Dung girl. Charlotte Corday. worthy Of a
better fate. delivered France This monster
who had received the appointment of veterinary
surgeon 10 the stables OF the cOmte d'Artois.
had on a certain occasion. been consulted by me
a a physician. The wretch already bore in his
soul. soul rs hdeous as his face. the germ of
his future atrocities. for he wrote out a pre-
scription for medicine that would have surely
killed me if the famous druggist Of the Rue
Jacob had made ii up for me- why" h. said.
lit Is pretty evident this medicine cannot he for
you. II is horse medicine. | recognize the sig
nature of your doctor He is madman." Ap-
parently. Marat had looked on me as a subject
from the stables he physicked. and good To try
an experiment on. The scoundrel burst out
laughing soon az he saw me. but did not in
suit me- as the other ruians did.
In the light of recent Investigations into the
life Of Marat this anecdote has a flavor Of in
accuracy about it. but 1t is an instance Of the
authors clcverncss in striking salient points
The Marat before whom he was arraigned is un-
inistakably the Marat with VII nm most of the
historians have made us acquainted Con-
veyed from the presence Of his squalid Judges
the perfumed Able was hurried into a garret.
where he found eighty prisoners chiefly priests
huddled in filth and sem-darkness Here his
faithful domestic appears. a woman named
Blanchet. who might have been drawn by
romancer. go perfect type In she Of loving
fidelity. Monslgnor de Salamon observes that
when NJ. de Malesherbes used to call to see him
and found only Blanchet at home he would
spend full hour talking with her. She was
indeed "a woman OF wonderful natural intelli-
gence and sensibility." and she walled outside
her Abbes prison door. He could not see her
but could hear her sobs. His remarks are char
acteristic. and. somehow. little comical II
would have you keep quiet he called through
the door, like a man Of taste. Il am here |
among persons Of my own rank and am per- /,
fcctly satisfied Get my chocolate ready and |
bring 1t with few peaches and decanter of
lemonade" The situation might have been ex- |
pected to arouse some more serious thoughts |
in the prisoners mind. but he was ncorrigible- !.