A t one time, owing to a
high nervous ex citement produced by the progress of her
disease, the thought of dissolution was terrible to her.
high nervous ex citement produced by the progress of her
disease, the thought of dissolution was terrible to her.
Madame de Stael - Corinna, or Italy
x liii
been for the generous presence of mind of a Polish gentle-
man, M. de llocca would have been recognised and arrested.
The fugitive ex perienced the greatest friendship and
hospitality from the Prince and Princess L ubomirsk a; but
notwithstanding their urgent entreaties, she would not con-
sent to encumber their house with such attendants as chose
to follow her. A fter one night' s rest, she departed for
R ussia, which she entered on the 14th of J uly. A s she
passed the boundary line, she made a solemn oath never
again to set foot in a country subj ected in any degree to
the E mperor N apoleon; though she says she felt some sad
misgivings that the oath would never allow her to revisit
her own beautiful and beloved F rance.
Madame de S tael staid but a brief space in Moscow;
the flames and the F rench army followed close upon her
footsteps.
A t Petersburg she had several interviews with the E m-
peror A lex ander, whose affairs were then at a most alarm-
ing crisis. * S he remark s of R ussia, " The country ap-
peared to me lik e an image of infinite space, and as if it
would req uire an eternity to traverse it. The S clavonian
language is singularly echoing; there is something metallic
about it; you would imagine you heard a bell strik ing,
when the R ussians pronounce certain letters of their
alphabet. "
The nobility of Petersburg vied with each other in the
attentions bestowed on Madame de S tael. A t a dinner
given in honour of her arrival, the following toast was
proposed: " S uccess to the arms of R ussia against F
The ex ile dearly loved her country, and her heart could
not respond to the sentiment: " N ot against F rance !
rance. "
" she
ex claimed; " but against him who oppresses F rance. "
The toast, thus changed, was repeated with great applause.
A lthough Madame de S tael found much in R ussia to
interest her, and was every where received with distin-
guished regard, she did not feel in perfect security; she
could not look on the magnificent edifices of that splendid
capital, without dismal forebodings that he, whose power
* I n a conversation concerning the structure of governments, Madame de
S tael said to the E mperor, " S ire, you are yourself a constitution for your
country. " " Then, madam, I am but a luck y accident" was his wise reply to
tier delicate and comprehensive flattery.
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? X llV ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
had overshadowed all the fair dwellings of E urope, would
come to dark en them also.
I n S eptember, she passed through F inland into S weden.
I n S tock holm she published a work against suicide, written
before her flight from Coppet. The obj ect of this treatise
is to show that the natural and proper effect of affliction is
to elevate and purify the soul, instead of driving it to de-
spair. S he is said to have been induced to mak e this pub-
lication by the fear that she had, in some of her former
writings, evinced too much admiration for this guilty form
of courage.
I n S weden, as in R ussia, Madame de S tael was received
with very mark ed respect. I t was generally supposed that
she ex erted a powerful influence over B ernadotte, to induce
him to resist the encroachments of N apoleon' s ambition.
I f this be the case, she may be said to have fairly check -
mated the E mperor with a k ing of his own mak ing.
Though B ernadotte had great respect for her opinions, she
is said not to have been a favourite with him: he was him-
self fond of mak ing eloq uent speeches, and her conversation
threw him into the shade.
Madame de S tael passed the winter of 1812 on the
shores of the B altic; and in the spring she sailed for E ng-
land, where she arrived in J une, 1813. A lthough her
dramatic style of manners, and the energy of her convers-
ation, formed a strik ing contrast to the national reserve of
the E nglish, she was received with enthusiastic admiration.
H er genius, her fame, her escape from B onaparte, and her
intimate k nowledge of the F rench R evolution, all combined
to produce a prodigious sensation. " I n the immense
crowds that collected to see her at the Marq uis of L ans-
downe' s, and in the houses of the other principal nobility of
L ondon, the eagerness of curiosity brok e through all restraint;
the first ladies in the k ingdom stood on chairs and tables,
to catch a glimpse of her dark and brilliant physiognomy. "
Madame de S tael has left some admirable descriptions of
E nglish society, and of the impressions made upon her
mind when she first entered that powerful country. B ut
the principal obj ect of her visit was not to observe the in-
tellectual wealth or moral grandeur of E ngland. Through
all her perils and wanderings she had saved a copy of
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA B L . x lv
her condemned book on Germany, and had brought it
triumphantly to L ondon; where it was published, in O c-
tober, 1813.
" I n this, which is perhaps her greatest work , Madame
de S tael has endeavoured to give a bold, general, and philo-
sophical view of the whole intellectual condition of the
German people, among whom she had ma' de what was in
some sort a voyage of discovery; for the highly original
literature of that country was then little k nown to the rest
of E urope. " I t was received with great applause in
E ngland, and afterward in F rance, where a change of go-
vernment admitted of its being published the ensuing
year. S ir J ames Mack intosh immediately wrote a review
of it, in which he says, " The voice of E urope had
already applauded the genius of a national painter in the
author of ' Corinne. ' I n her ' Germany,' she throws off the
aid of fiction; she delineates a less poetical character, and
a country more interesting by anticipation than by recollec-
tion. B ut it is not the less certain that it is the most
vigorous effort of her genius, and probably the most
elaborate and masculine production of the faculties of
woman. "
W hen Madame de S tael made her visit to E ngland, L ord
B yron was in the first lustre of his fame. A t first, the
rival lions seem to have been disposed to growl at each
other; but in time they grew to be on the best possible
terms. The following is the noble poet' s eloq uent tribute
to her genius: --
" Corinne is no more; and with her should ex pire the
fear, the flattery, and the envy, which threw too dazzling
or too dark a cloud round the march of genius, and forbade
the steady gaze of disinterested criticism. W e have her
picture embellished or distorted, as friendship or detraction
has held the pencil: the impartial portrait was hardly to be
ex pected from a contemporary. The immediate voice of
her survivors will, it is probable, be far from affording a
j ust estimate of her singular capacity. The gallantry, the
love of wonder, and the hope of associated fame, which
blunted the edge of censure, must cease to ex ist. The dead
have no sex ; they can surprise by no new miracles; they
can confer no privilege: Corinna has ceased to be a woman
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? X lviME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
' -- she is only an author; and it may be foreseen that many
will repay themselves for former complaisance, by a severity
to which the ex travagance of previous praises may perhaps
give the colour of truth. The latest posterity -- for to the
latest posterity they will assuredly descend -- will have to
pronounce upon her various productions; and the longer
the vista through which they are seen, the more accurately
minute will be the obj ect, the more certain the j ustice, of
the decision. S he will enter into that ex istence in which
the great writers of all ages and nations are, as it were,
associated in a world of their own, and, from that superior
sphere, shed their eternal influence for the control and con-
solation of mank ind. B ut the individual will gradually dis-
appear as the author is more distinctly seen: some one,
therefore, of all those whom the charms of involuntary wit,
and of easy hospitality, attracted within the friendly circles
of Coppet, should rescue from oblivion those virtues which,
although they are said to love the shade, are, in fact, more
freq uently chilled than ex cited by the domestic cares of
private life. S ome one should be found to portray the
unaffected graces with which she adorned those dearer
relationships, the performance of whose duties is rather dis-
covered amongst the interior secrets, than seen in the out-
ward management, of family intercourse; and which,
indeed, it req uires the delicacy of genuine affection to
q ualify for the eye of an indifferent spectator. S ome one
should be found, not to celebrate, but to describe, the
amiable mistress of an open mansion, the centre of a society,
ever varied, and always pleased, the creator of which, di-
vested of the ambition and the arts of public rivalry, shone
forth only to give fresh animation to those around her.
The mother tenderly affectionate and tenderly beloved, --
the friend unboundedly generous, but still esteemed,-- the
charitable patroness of all distress, cannot be forgotten by
those whom she cherished, and protected, and fed. H er
loss will be mourned the most where she was k nown the
best; and, to the sorrows of very many friends, and more
dependents, may be offered the disinterested regret of a
stranger, who, amidst the sublimer scenes of the L eman
L ak e, received his chief satisfaction from contemplating the
engaging q ualities of the incomparable Corinna. "
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . x lvil
The respect and admiration with which Madame de
S tael was received by the best society in E ngland was
rather increased than diminished during her residence
there. S he had now been in most of the capitals of
E urope, and in all of them had received a degree of homage
never before paid to any woman who was not a q ueen.
B ut all these flattering distinctions could not wean her
affections from her beloved Paris. I n the midst of the
most dazzling triumphs of her genius, her heart turned
fondly toward F rance, and she was watching with in-,
tense anx iety the progress of those great political move-
ments, which afterward restored her to her country. I m-
mediately after the entrance of the allied army into Paris,
and the conseq uent abdication of B onaparte, Madame de
S tael returned to her native land. N otwithstanding the
pain it gave to see her country filled with foreign troops,
she felt the j oy of an ex ile restored to her home. S he im-
mediately resumed her high place in society; and the ac-
cumulation of fame she brought with her threw additional
brilliancy around a name which had so long been illustrious.
L ouis X V I I I . took great delight in her conversation. H e
caused to be paid from the royal treasury the two millions
offrancsthatM. N eck erhadloanedtoL ouisX V I .
A circumstance which occurred at this period of her life
is remark ably interesting. A proj ect was on foot to assas-
sinate N apoleon; and men were sent to E lba for that pur-
pose. Madame de S tael, from her well k nown dislik e to
the E mperor, and her acq uaintance with political men of
all parties, was the first one to whom the secret was con-
fided. A ccompanied by Talma, she immediately sought an
interview with J oseph B onaparte, informed him of his
brother' s danger, and even proposed to go to E lba in person.
A patriotic friend, whose name is not yet revealed to the
public, undertook the hazardous mission-- he arrived in
time, so that the two first who landed were arrested, and
B onaparte was saved.
Madame de S tael passed the winters of 1814 and 1815
in Paris; receiving the universal homage of the great men
then collected there from all parts of the world. B ut the
shadow of her old and inveterate enemy was suddenly
thrown across this bright spot in her ex istence. O n the
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? X lviiiME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
6 th of March, 1815, B onaparte suddenly landed in F rance.
W hen Madame de S tael heard the tidings, she says, it
seemed as if the earth had yawned under her feet. S he
had sufficient k nowledge of the F rench people to conj ecture
what reception N apoleon would meet; and having made a
farewell visit to the k ing, with a heavy heart she returned
to Coppet.
B onaparte, anx ious to rebuild the power his own mad-
ness had overthrown, was particularly desirous to gain the
confidence of the friends of rational liberty; and among
these his former persecution had shown of what conseq uence
he considered Madame de S tael. H e sent his brother J
seph with a req uest that she would come to Paris, and
give him her advice about framing a constitutional govern-
ment. W ith a consistency very rare in those days of
rapid political changes, she replied, " Tell the E mperor
that for twelve years he has done without me or a consti-
tution; and I believe that he has as little regard for the
one as he has for the other. '
o-
B onaparte gave O ' Meara a very different account. H e
says, " I
court. *
brother J
A
was obliged to banish Madame de S tael from
t Geneva she became very intimate with my
oseph, whom she gained by her conversation and
hen I returned from E lba, she sent her son
writings. W
to ask payment of two millions, which her father had lent
out of his private property to L ouis X V I . , and to offer her
services, provided I complied with her req uest. I refused
to see him; think ing I could not grant what he wished
without ill-treating others in a similar predicament. H ow-
ever, J oseph would not be refused, and brought him in;
the attendants not lik ing to deny my brother. I received
him politely, and told him I was very sorry I could not
comply with his req uest, as it was contrary to the laws.
Madame de S tael then wrote a long letter to F ouch? ,
stating her claims, in which she said she wanted the
money to portion her daughter in marriage to the Due de
B roglie, promising that if I complied with her req uest, I
might command her and hers; that she would be black and
white for me. F ouche urged me to comply, saying, that
* A gentle and comprehensive description of his system of petty persecutions J
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . x lix
at so critical a time she might be of considerable service.
I
I
I
answered that I would mak e no bargains. "
t is impossible that the above statement should be true.
n the first place, we have more reason to place confidence
in the veracity of the open-hearted Madame de S tael than
we have in the word of N apoleon, who seldom used lan-
guage for any other purpose than to conceal his thoughts;
secondly, in the beginning of his reign he did offer to pay
those very two millions, if she would favour his govern.
ment, and at the very time of which O ' Meara speak s, he
again offered to do it; thirdly, it is notorious, that after his
return from E lba, he was ex tremely anx ious to conciliate
his enemies; and lastly, the history of his whole intriguing
life mak es us laugh at the pretence that he was incapable
of mak ing bargains.
A t the close of the memorable H undred Days, B ona-
parte was a second time compelled to abdicate; and Ma-
dame de S tael would have immediately returned to Paris,
had she not felt such a painful sense of degradation in see-
ing the throne of F rance supported by a standing army of
foreign troops; her national pride could not brook the dis-
grace of witnessing her country in the leading-strings of
the A llied Powers; F rance, thus situated, was in her eyes
no longer " the great nation. "
S he remained at Coppet during the summer of 1815;
but having fresh cause of alarm for the health of her hus-
band, who had never recovered from the effects of his
wound, she revisited I taly, where they passed the winter.
I n the spring of 1816 , they returned to Coppet.
L ord B yron, who had then left E ngland, in high in-
dignation at the odium he had brought upon himself, passed
through S witzerland, during this year, in his way to I taly.
N otwithstanding his former want of cordiality towards
Madame de S tael, and his personal unpopularity at this
period, he was received by her with a k indness and hospi-
tality he had not hoped to meet, and which affected him
deeply. W ith her usual frank ness, she blamed him for his
conduct to L ady B yron; and by her persuasive eloq uence
prevailed upon him to write to a friend in E ngland, ex -
pressing a wish to be reconciled to his wife. I n the letters
he wrote, during the few summer months he staid in
c
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? ] ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
S witzerland, he often speak s of Coppet and its inhabitants.
H e says, " Madame de S tael wishes to see the A ntiq uary,
and I am going to tak e it to her to-morrow. S he has made
Coppet as agreeable to me as society and talent can mak
any place on earth. B onstetten is there a good deal. H
is a fine, lively old man, and much esteemed by his com-
patriots. A ll there are well, ex cepting R occa, who, I
e
e
am
sorry to say, look s in a very bad state of health. S chlegel is
in high force, and Madame de S tael is as brilliant as ever. "
O f the Duchess de B roglie, B yron spok e in very high
terms; and in noticing her attachment to her husband,
he remark ed, that " N othing was more pleasing than to see
the development of the domestic affections in a very young
woman. " W hat a pity that virtue was not to him some-
thing more than a mere abstract idea of poetic beauty!
W hen it became evident that the A llied Powers did not
mean to dictate the measures of the F rench government,
Madame de S tael was again strongly tempted by the al-
lurements of Paris. S he returned once more to become
the leading-star in the most brilliant society in the world.
" E very evening her saloon was crowded with all that was
distinguished and powerful, not in F rance only, but in all
E urope, which was then represented in Paris, by a re-
mark able number of its most ex traordinary men. Madame
de S tael had, to a degree perhaps never possessed by any
other person, the rare talent of uniting around her the
most distinguished individuals of all the opposite parties,
literary and political, and mak ing them establish relations
among themselves, which they could not afterward entirely
shak e off. There might be found W ellington and L a-
fayette, Chateaubriand, Talleyrand, and Prince L aval;
H umboldt and B lucher, from B erlin; Constant and S is-
mondi, from S witzerland; the two S chlegels, from H
anover;
Canova, from I taly; the beautiful Madame R ecamier, and
the admirable Duchess de Duras; and from E ngland, such
a multitude, that it seemed lik e a general emigration of
B ritish talent and rank . "
The winter months at the close of 1816 , and the begin-
ning of 1817, were passed by Madame de S tael in Paris.
This was the most splendid scene in the gorgeous drama
of her life-- and it was the last. " The great ex ertions
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E I . . li
she made, evening after evening, in the important political
discussions that were carried on in her saloon, -- the labours
of the morning in writing almost continually something
suited to the wants of the moment, for the Mercury, and
other periodicals,-- while at the same time, the serious
labour of her great work on the F rench R evolution was
still pressing on her,-- all these together were too much
for her strength. " Contrary to the advice of the physicians,
she persisted in using opium, to which she had for some
time resorted to stimulate her ex hausted frame; but nature
was worn out, and no artificial means could restore its
vigour. A violent fever, obviously the effect of the ex cite.
ment under which she had so long lived, seized her in
F ebruary. B y the use of ex cessively violent means, it was
thrown off; but, though the disease was gone, her con-
stitution was brok en up. L ife passed at first insensibly
from the ex tremities, and then no less slowly retired from
the more vital organs. I n general, she suffered little, and
her faculties remained in unclouded brightness to the last.
The interest ex cited by her situation proved the affection
she had inspired, and of what conseq uence her life was'
accounted to her country. E very day some of the royal
family were anx iously enq uiring at the door, and every day
the Duk e of W ellington came in person to ask if there was
no hope. H er most intimate friends (who have been often
mentioned in the course of this memoir) were admitted
into her sick chamber. S he conversed upon all the subj
that were introduced, and took an interest in them all. I
her conversation at this period had less than her usual
animation, it is said to have had more of richness and
depth. The deadly paleness of her features formed a
touching contrast with the dazzling intelligence, which
never deserted her ex pressive countenance. H er friends
placed a double value on every remark she uttered, and
treasured it in their inmost hearts as one of the last efforts
of her wonderful mind. S ome of them indulged the hope
ects
f
that she might recover; but she k new from the first that
the work of death was begun.
A t one time, owing to a
high nervous ex citement produced by the progress of her
disease, the thought of dissolution was terrible to her. -- S he
mourned over the talents that had made her life so brilliant;
C2
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? llV ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
short, it was an intellectual banq uet, at which all that the
human mind could conceive or create was abundantly
served up. I n these literary and philosophical disputes,
Madame de S tael had a decided superiority over her father
in q uick ness of perception, readiness of ex pression, and
eloq uence. B ut whenever she was about to seize the palm
of victory, she always appeared restrained by a feeling of
filial respect. A s if fearful of the success she had ob-
tained, she would with admirable dex terity and grace com-
mit herself in an error, for the purpose of resigning to her
antagonist the glory of the victory. B ut that antagonist
was her father; and he was the only person to whom she
ever conceded such an advantage.
" ' A fter break fast, the party separated until dinner,
which was constantly accompanied by disputes between M.
N eck er and several deaf and ill-tempered maitres-d' hotel,
the remnants of a system which M. N eck er himself had
overthrown, and who in their embroidered coats had fol-
lowed his fortunes to Coppet. The afternoon was devoted
to study until seven o' clock , when whist was commenced.
This was always a stormy game: M. N eck er and his
daughter invariably q uarrelled, lost their tempers, and left
the table with the determination of never again playing
together. B ut in spite of this the game was daily resumed.
The rest of the evening was passed in agreeable conversation.
" ' W ith the ex ception of a few ex cursions, Madame de
S tael in this manner spent eight years of her life; alter
nately devoting herself to the society of her father and the
education of her children. A t this period, too, she wrote
what may be termed her work s of the second-rate class;
viz. O n the I nfluence of the Passions; O n L iterature; and
lastly, Delphine.
" ' A fterthedeathofM. N eck er,in1804,Madamede
S tael, finding herself relieved from all restraint, and the
mistress of a splendid fortune, aspired to figure upon the
stage of politics. To this she was urged by a vivid recol-
lection of the commencement of the revolution, the date of
her first acq uaintance with the world, and her early suc-
-cess. S he was enticed to enter this arena, by the desire of
ex ercising the power which she regarded as an attribute of
her superior genius.
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . lv
" ' B ut this love of authority took possession of her at a
fatal moment; viz. at a time when all the efforts of an
herculean government were ex erted to free society from the
action of individual influence, and to concentrate all power
in itself. Thus a contest ensued, between the individual
influence which Madame de S tael wished to ex ercise, and
the resistance which was opposed by the government of
the empire. This contest lasted eight years, at the ex -
piration of which time, Madame de S tael withdrew from
this conflict hetween a stupendous moral power and a phy-
sical power stronger than had ever before ex isted.
" ' During this period Madame de S tael published Co-
rinne, and her great work on Germany; the materials for
the latter she collected in j ourneys undertak en to escape
from the imperial authority, and to sympathise with the vic-
tims of that authority who had been wounded, but permitted
to survive. The idea of this work was suggested by the
labours she undertook , and ex ecuted conj ointly with M.
S chlegel, to ex plore the literary world of Germany; a world
which was then new, and entirely unacq uainted with the
ideas, traditions, and even the rules which were the pride
of F rench literature.
" ' Madame de S tael felt the necessity of emancipating
herself from these ideas, traditions, and rules; she was en-
dowed with a genuine poetic feeling, a horror of bad taste,
and a power of charming by the harmony of language,
which gave rise to freq uent controversies between her and
M. S chlegel, who, as it may be observed from his lectures,
did not allow himself to be fascinated by R acine' s har-
monious versification. I t was only necessary for Madame
de S tael to recite some passages of R acine, to stir up one
of those disputes whence emanated a thousand ideas, as
novel as profound, on the mysteries of our moral nature.
" ' O ne of Madame de S taeTs favourite amusements, at
this time, consisted in dramatic representation. H er fine
voice and energetic gestures gave her a great advantage in
the performance of tragedy. I n these representations she
was assisted by Count E lzear de S abran, M. Charles de
L abedoyere and Don Pedro de S ouza, now Marq uis de
Palmella. H er style of acting belonged to the school
which had preceded Talma; for, in spite of her admiration
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? lviME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
of that great tragedian, she was not his disciple. Madame
de S tael attached no great value to her talent for dramatic
performance. I t is curious that she ex celled in the repre-
sentation of soubrettes.
" ' The Count de S ahran wrote pieces for these private
theatricals, and Madame de S tael herself wrote " A
S unamite" and two other pieces, which were subseq
printed and much admired. A t these performances at
Coppet, the audience consisted of Madame de S tael'
gar, la
uently
s ac-
q uaintance in the neighbourhood, and very freq uently,
friends who came from a considerable distance to see her.
A mong these friends, I must mention Prince W illiam of
Prussia, B aron de V oght, B onstettin, the poet V erner,
M. de Montmorency (who every year made a pilgrimage
to the V al-S ainte and Coppet), and Madame de R ecamier,
who j oined to ex q uisite beauty a fund of talent and amia-
bility which were duly appreciated by Madame de S tael.
" ' A s long as Madame de S tael could assemble around
her this circle of friends, ex istence was endurable to her,
even in ex ile. B ut when, beneath her hospitable roof, and
on one and the same day, sentence of ex ile was pronounced
upon Madame de R ecamier and M. de Montmorency, the
distress of her feelings overcame her fortitude. H er ex -
treme horror of solitude, and the mortification of believing
herself the immediate cause of the condemnation of her
friends, determined her to leave F rance until happier days,
and to seek elsewhere the liberty which F rance denied her. '
" A s I have already mentioned, Madame de S tael returned
to Paris after the death of her father, M. N eck er. H er
numerous friends wished to mak e this return a sort of
triumph. This was ill-j udged. The E mperor, who en-
tertained towards her a very unj ust and groundless dislik e,
took offence at the interest which was ex cited by the
arrival of a woman. H e forgot that that woman was
endowed with ex traordinary genius; that she scanned with
an eagle glance all that came under her observation; that
in short, though a woman, she was one of the greatest
political economists of the day. Perhaps, however, he did
not forget all this, and it might possibly be fear which in-
duced him to banish her. "
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? CO R I N N E ;
OR
' I TA L Y .
BOOKI.
O S W A L D.
CH A PTE R I .
I n the year 1794, O
swald, L
ord N
evil, a S
taly. * H
cotch nobleman,
e possessed
left E dinburgh to pass the winter in I
a noble and handsome person, a fine mind, a great name,
an independent fortune; but his health was impaired; and
the physicians, fearing that his lungs were affected, pre-
scribed the air of the south. H e followed their advice,
though with little interest in his own recovery, hoping, at
least, to find some amusement in the varied obj ects he
was about to behold. That heaviest of all afflictions, the
loss of a father, was the cause of his malady. The re-
morse inspired by scrupulous delicacy still more embittered
his regret, and haunted his imagination. S uch sufferings
we readily convince ourselves that we deserve, for violent
griefs ex tend their influence even over the realms of con-
science. A t five-and-twenty he was tired of life; he
j udged the future by the past, and no longer relished the
illusions of the heart. N o one could be more devoted to
the service of his friends; yet not even the good he effected
gave him one sensation of pleasure. H e constantly sacri-
* N either of these names are S cotch. W e are not informed whether the
hero' s Christian name is O swald, or N evil his family one, as well as his title.
H e signs the former to his letters, and constantly calls himself an E nglishman.
-- Translator.
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? 2C0R I N N E ; O B I TA L Y .
ficed his tastes to those of others; but this generosity alone,
far from proving a total forgetfulness of self, may often be
attributed to a degree of melancholy, which renders a man
careless of his own doom. The indifferent considered
this mood ex tremely graceful; but those who loved him
felt that he employed himself for the happiness of others,
lik e a man who hoped for none; and they almost repined
at receiving felicity from one on whom they could never
bestow it. H is natural disposition was versatile, sensitive,
and impassioned; uniting all the q ualities which could
ex cite himself or others; but misfortune and repentance
had rendered him timid, and he thought to disarm, by ex -
acting nothing from fate. H e trusted to find, in a firm
adherence to his duties, and a renouncement of all enj oy-
ments, a security against the sorrows which had distracted
him. N othing in the world seemed worth the risk of
these pangs; but while we are still capable of feeling them,
to what k ind of life can we fly for shelter?
L ord N evil flattered himself that he should q uit S cot-
land without regret, as he had remained there without
pleasure; but the dangerous dreams of imaginative minds are
not thus fulfilled; he was sensible of the ties which bound
him to the scene of his miseries, the home of his father.
There were rooms he could not approach without a shud-
der, and yet, when he had resolved to fly them, he felt
more alone than ever. A barren dearth seized on his
heart; he could no longer weep; no more recall those little
local associations which had so deeply melted him; his
recollections had less of life; they belonged not to the
things that surrounded him. H e did not think the less of
those he mourned, but it became more difficult to conj ure
back their presence. S ometimes, too, he reproached him-
self for abandoning the place where his father had dwelt.
" W ho k nows," would he sigh, " if the shades of the
dead follow the obj ects of their affection? They may not
be permitted to wander beyond the spots where their ashes
repose! Perhaps, at this moment, is my father deploring
mine absence, powerless to recall me. A las! may not a
host of wild events have persuaded him that I have be-
-
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? CO R I N N E ; O R I TA L Y . 3
trayed his tenderness, turned rebel to my country, to his
will, and all that is sacred on earth? "
These remembrances occasioned him such insupportable
despair, that, far from daring to confide them in any one,
he dreaded to sound their depths himself; so easy is it,
out of our own reflections, to create irreparable evils!
I t costs added pain to leave one' s country, when
one must cross the sea. There is such solemnity in a
pilgrimage, the first steps of which are on the ocean. I t
seems as if a gulf were opening behind you, and your return
becoming impossible; besides, the sight of the main always
profoundly impresses us, as the image of that infinitude
which perpetually attracts the soul, and in which thought
ever feels herself lost. O swald, leaning near the helm, his
eyes fix ed on the waves, appeared perfectly calm. Pride
and diffidence generally prevented his betraying his emo-
tions even before his friends; but sad feelings struggled
within. H e thought on the time when that spectacle
animated his youth with a desire to buffet the tides, and
measure his strength with theirs.
" W hy," he bitterly mused, " why thus constantly
yield to meditation? There is such rapture in active life!
in those violent ex ercises that mak e us feel the energy of
ex istence! then death itself may appear glorious; at least
it is sudden, and not preceded by decay; but that death
which finds us without being bravely sought, -- that gloomy
death which steals from you, in a night, all you held dear,
which mock s your regrets, repulses your embrace, and
pitilessly opposes to your desire the eternal laws of time
and nature, -- that death inspires a k ind of contempt for
human destiny, for the powerlessness of grief, and all the
vain efforts that wreck themselves against necessity. "
S uch were the torturing sentiments which characterised
the wretchedness of his state. The vivacity of youth was
united with the thoughts of another age,- such as might
well have occupied the mind of his father in his last hours;
but O swald tinted the melancholy contemplations of age
with the ardour of five-and-twenty. H e was weary of
every thing; yet, nevertheless, lamented his lost content,
as if its visions still lingered.
b2
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? 4CO R I N N E J O B I TA L Y .
This inconsistency, entirely at variance with the will of
nature (which has placed the conclusion and the gradation
of things in their rightful course), disordered the depths
of his soul; but his manners were ever sweet and harmo-
nious; nay, his grief, far from inj uring his temper, taught
him a still greater degree of consideration and gentleness
for others.
Twice or thrice in the voyage from H arwich to E mden
the sea threatened stormily. N
re-assured the passengers;
for a moment took the pilot'
evil directed the sailors,
and while, toiling himself, he
s place, there was a vigour and
address in what he did, which could not be regarded as
the simple effect of personal strength and activity, for
mind pervaded it all.
W hen they were about to part, all on board crowded
round him to tak e leave, thank ing him for a thousand
good offices, which he had forgotten: sometimes it was a
child that he had nursed so long; more freq uently, some old
man whose steps he had supported while the wind rock ed
the vessel. S uch an absence of personal feeling was scarce
ever k nown. H is voyage had passed without his having
devoted a moment to himself; he gave up his time to
others, in melancholy benevolence. A nd now the whole
crew cried, almost with one voice, " God bless you, my
L ord! we wish you better! "
Y et O swald had not once complained; and the persons
of a higher class, who had crossed with him, said not a
word on this subj ect: but the common people, in whom
their superiors rarely confide, are wont to detect the truth
without the aid of words: they pity you when you suffer,
though ignorant of the cause; and their spontaneous sym-
pathy is unmix ed with either censure or advice.
CH A PTE R I I .
Travelling, say what we will, is one of the saddest plea,
sures in life. I f you ever feel at ease in a strange place,
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? CO R I N N E ; O R I TA L Y . 5
it is because you have begun to mak e it your home; but
to traverse unk nown lands, to hear a language which you
hardly comprehend, to look on faces unconnected with
either your past or future, this is solitude without repose
or dignity; for the hurry to arrive where no one awaits
you, that agitation whose sole cause is curiosity, lessens you
in your own esteem, while, ere new obj ects can become
old, they have bound you by some sweet link s of senti-
ment and habit.
O swald felt his despondency redoubled in crossing Ger-
many to reach I taly, obliged by war to avoid F rance and
its frontiers, as well as the troops, who rendered the roads
impassable. This necessity for attending to detail, and
tak ing, almost every instant, a new resolution, was utterly
insufferable. H is health, instead of improving, often
obliged him to stop, while he longed to arrive at some
other place, or at least to fly from where he was. H e took
the least possible care of his constitution; accusing him-
self as culpable, with but too great severity. I f he wished
still to live, it was but for the defence of his country.
" My native land," would he sigh -- " has it not a
parental right over me? but I want power to serve it use-
fully. I must not offer it the feeble ex istence which I
drag towards the sun, to beg of him some principle of life,
that may struggle against my woes. N one but a father
could receive me thus, and love me the more, the more I
was deserted by nature and by fate. "
H e had flattered himself that a continual change of
ex ternal obj ects would somewhat divert his fancy from its
usual routine; but he could not, at first, realise this effect.
I t were better, after any great loss, to familiarise ourselves
afresh with all that had surrounded us, accustom our-
selves to the old familiar faces, to the house in which we
had lived, and the daily duties which we ought to resume:
each of these efforts j ars fearfully on the heart; but no-
thing multiplies them lik e an absence.
O swald' s only pleasure was ex ploring the Tyrol, on a
horse which he had brought from S cotland and who
climbed the hills at a gallop. The astonished peasants
began by shriek ing with fright, as they saw him borne
b3
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?
been for the generous presence of mind of a Polish gentle-
man, M. de llocca would have been recognised and arrested.
The fugitive ex perienced the greatest friendship and
hospitality from the Prince and Princess L ubomirsk a; but
notwithstanding their urgent entreaties, she would not con-
sent to encumber their house with such attendants as chose
to follow her. A fter one night' s rest, she departed for
R ussia, which she entered on the 14th of J uly. A s she
passed the boundary line, she made a solemn oath never
again to set foot in a country subj ected in any degree to
the E mperor N apoleon; though she says she felt some sad
misgivings that the oath would never allow her to revisit
her own beautiful and beloved F rance.
Madame de S tael staid but a brief space in Moscow;
the flames and the F rench army followed close upon her
footsteps.
A t Petersburg she had several interviews with the E m-
peror A lex ander, whose affairs were then at a most alarm-
ing crisis. * S he remark s of R ussia, " The country ap-
peared to me lik e an image of infinite space, and as if it
would req uire an eternity to traverse it. The S clavonian
language is singularly echoing; there is something metallic
about it; you would imagine you heard a bell strik ing,
when the R ussians pronounce certain letters of their
alphabet. "
The nobility of Petersburg vied with each other in the
attentions bestowed on Madame de S tael. A t a dinner
given in honour of her arrival, the following toast was
proposed: " S uccess to the arms of R ussia against F
The ex ile dearly loved her country, and her heart could
not respond to the sentiment: " N ot against F rance !
rance. "
" she
ex claimed; " but against him who oppresses F rance. "
The toast, thus changed, was repeated with great applause.
A lthough Madame de S tael found much in R ussia to
interest her, and was every where received with distin-
guished regard, she did not feel in perfect security; she
could not look on the magnificent edifices of that splendid
capital, without dismal forebodings that he, whose power
* I n a conversation concerning the structure of governments, Madame de
S tael said to the E mperor, " S ire, you are yourself a constitution for your
country. " " Then, madam, I am but a luck y accident" was his wise reply to
tier delicate and comprehensive flattery.
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? X llV ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
had overshadowed all the fair dwellings of E urope, would
come to dark en them also.
I n S eptember, she passed through F inland into S weden.
I n S tock holm she published a work against suicide, written
before her flight from Coppet. The obj ect of this treatise
is to show that the natural and proper effect of affliction is
to elevate and purify the soul, instead of driving it to de-
spair. S he is said to have been induced to mak e this pub-
lication by the fear that she had, in some of her former
writings, evinced too much admiration for this guilty form
of courage.
I n S weden, as in R ussia, Madame de S tael was received
with very mark ed respect. I t was generally supposed that
she ex erted a powerful influence over B ernadotte, to induce
him to resist the encroachments of N apoleon' s ambition.
I f this be the case, she may be said to have fairly check -
mated the E mperor with a k ing of his own mak ing.
Though B ernadotte had great respect for her opinions, she
is said not to have been a favourite with him: he was him-
self fond of mak ing eloq uent speeches, and her conversation
threw him into the shade.
Madame de S tael passed the winter of 1812 on the
shores of the B altic; and in the spring she sailed for E ng-
land, where she arrived in J une, 1813. A lthough her
dramatic style of manners, and the energy of her convers-
ation, formed a strik ing contrast to the national reserve of
the E nglish, she was received with enthusiastic admiration.
H er genius, her fame, her escape from B onaparte, and her
intimate k nowledge of the F rench R evolution, all combined
to produce a prodigious sensation. " I n the immense
crowds that collected to see her at the Marq uis of L ans-
downe' s, and in the houses of the other principal nobility of
L ondon, the eagerness of curiosity brok e through all restraint;
the first ladies in the k ingdom stood on chairs and tables,
to catch a glimpse of her dark and brilliant physiognomy. "
Madame de S tael has left some admirable descriptions of
E nglish society, and of the impressions made upon her
mind when she first entered that powerful country. B ut
the principal obj ect of her visit was not to observe the in-
tellectual wealth or moral grandeur of E ngland. Through
all her perils and wanderings she had saved a copy of
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA B L . x lv
her condemned book on Germany, and had brought it
triumphantly to L ondon; where it was published, in O c-
tober, 1813.
" I n this, which is perhaps her greatest work , Madame
de S tael has endeavoured to give a bold, general, and philo-
sophical view of the whole intellectual condition of the
German people, among whom she had ma' de what was in
some sort a voyage of discovery; for the highly original
literature of that country was then little k nown to the rest
of E urope. " I t was received with great applause in
E ngland, and afterward in F rance, where a change of go-
vernment admitted of its being published the ensuing
year. S ir J ames Mack intosh immediately wrote a review
of it, in which he says, " The voice of E urope had
already applauded the genius of a national painter in the
author of ' Corinne. ' I n her ' Germany,' she throws off the
aid of fiction; she delineates a less poetical character, and
a country more interesting by anticipation than by recollec-
tion. B ut it is not the less certain that it is the most
vigorous effort of her genius, and probably the most
elaborate and masculine production of the faculties of
woman. "
W hen Madame de S tael made her visit to E ngland, L ord
B yron was in the first lustre of his fame. A t first, the
rival lions seem to have been disposed to growl at each
other; but in time they grew to be on the best possible
terms. The following is the noble poet' s eloq uent tribute
to her genius: --
" Corinne is no more; and with her should ex pire the
fear, the flattery, and the envy, which threw too dazzling
or too dark a cloud round the march of genius, and forbade
the steady gaze of disinterested criticism. W e have her
picture embellished or distorted, as friendship or detraction
has held the pencil: the impartial portrait was hardly to be
ex pected from a contemporary. The immediate voice of
her survivors will, it is probable, be far from affording a
j ust estimate of her singular capacity. The gallantry, the
love of wonder, and the hope of associated fame, which
blunted the edge of censure, must cease to ex ist. The dead
have no sex ; they can surprise by no new miracles; they
can confer no privilege: Corinna has ceased to be a woman
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? X lviME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
' -- she is only an author; and it may be foreseen that many
will repay themselves for former complaisance, by a severity
to which the ex travagance of previous praises may perhaps
give the colour of truth. The latest posterity -- for to the
latest posterity they will assuredly descend -- will have to
pronounce upon her various productions; and the longer
the vista through which they are seen, the more accurately
minute will be the obj ect, the more certain the j ustice, of
the decision. S he will enter into that ex istence in which
the great writers of all ages and nations are, as it were,
associated in a world of their own, and, from that superior
sphere, shed their eternal influence for the control and con-
solation of mank ind. B ut the individual will gradually dis-
appear as the author is more distinctly seen: some one,
therefore, of all those whom the charms of involuntary wit,
and of easy hospitality, attracted within the friendly circles
of Coppet, should rescue from oblivion those virtues which,
although they are said to love the shade, are, in fact, more
freq uently chilled than ex cited by the domestic cares of
private life. S ome one should be found to portray the
unaffected graces with which she adorned those dearer
relationships, the performance of whose duties is rather dis-
covered amongst the interior secrets, than seen in the out-
ward management, of family intercourse; and which,
indeed, it req uires the delicacy of genuine affection to
q ualify for the eye of an indifferent spectator. S ome one
should be found, not to celebrate, but to describe, the
amiable mistress of an open mansion, the centre of a society,
ever varied, and always pleased, the creator of which, di-
vested of the ambition and the arts of public rivalry, shone
forth only to give fresh animation to those around her.
The mother tenderly affectionate and tenderly beloved, --
the friend unboundedly generous, but still esteemed,-- the
charitable patroness of all distress, cannot be forgotten by
those whom she cherished, and protected, and fed. H er
loss will be mourned the most where she was k nown the
best; and, to the sorrows of very many friends, and more
dependents, may be offered the disinterested regret of a
stranger, who, amidst the sublimer scenes of the L eman
L ak e, received his chief satisfaction from contemplating the
engaging q ualities of the incomparable Corinna. "
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . x lvil
The respect and admiration with which Madame de
S tael was received by the best society in E ngland was
rather increased than diminished during her residence
there. S he had now been in most of the capitals of
E urope, and in all of them had received a degree of homage
never before paid to any woman who was not a q ueen.
B ut all these flattering distinctions could not wean her
affections from her beloved Paris. I n the midst of the
most dazzling triumphs of her genius, her heart turned
fondly toward F rance, and she was watching with in-,
tense anx iety the progress of those great political move-
ments, which afterward restored her to her country. I m-
mediately after the entrance of the allied army into Paris,
and the conseq uent abdication of B onaparte, Madame de
S tael returned to her native land. N otwithstanding the
pain it gave to see her country filled with foreign troops,
she felt the j oy of an ex ile restored to her home. S he im-
mediately resumed her high place in society; and the ac-
cumulation of fame she brought with her threw additional
brilliancy around a name which had so long been illustrious.
L ouis X V I I I . took great delight in her conversation. H e
caused to be paid from the royal treasury the two millions
offrancsthatM. N eck erhadloanedtoL ouisX V I .
A circumstance which occurred at this period of her life
is remark ably interesting. A proj ect was on foot to assas-
sinate N apoleon; and men were sent to E lba for that pur-
pose. Madame de S tael, from her well k nown dislik e to
the E mperor, and her acq uaintance with political men of
all parties, was the first one to whom the secret was con-
fided. A ccompanied by Talma, she immediately sought an
interview with J oseph B onaparte, informed him of his
brother' s danger, and even proposed to go to E lba in person.
A patriotic friend, whose name is not yet revealed to the
public, undertook the hazardous mission-- he arrived in
time, so that the two first who landed were arrested, and
B onaparte was saved.
Madame de S tael passed the winters of 1814 and 1815
in Paris; receiving the universal homage of the great men
then collected there from all parts of the world. B ut the
shadow of her old and inveterate enemy was suddenly
thrown across this bright spot in her ex istence. O n the
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? X lviiiME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
6 th of March, 1815, B onaparte suddenly landed in F rance.
W hen Madame de S tael heard the tidings, she says, it
seemed as if the earth had yawned under her feet. S he
had sufficient k nowledge of the F rench people to conj ecture
what reception N apoleon would meet; and having made a
farewell visit to the k ing, with a heavy heart she returned
to Coppet.
B onaparte, anx ious to rebuild the power his own mad-
ness had overthrown, was particularly desirous to gain the
confidence of the friends of rational liberty; and among
these his former persecution had shown of what conseq uence
he considered Madame de S tael. H e sent his brother J
seph with a req uest that she would come to Paris, and
give him her advice about framing a constitutional govern-
ment. W ith a consistency very rare in those days of
rapid political changes, she replied, " Tell the E mperor
that for twelve years he has done without me or a consti-
tution; and I believe that he has as little regard for the
one as he has for the other. '
o-
B onaparte gave O ' Meara a very different account. H e
says, " I
court. *
brother J
A
was obliged to banish Madame de S tael from
t Geneva she became very intimate with my
oseph, whom she gained by her conversation and
hen I returned from E lba, she sent her son
writings. W
to ask payment of two millions, which her father had lent
out of his private property to L ouis X V I . , and to offer her
services, provided I complied with her req uest. I refused
to see him; think ing I could not grant what he wished
without ill-treating others in a similar predicament. H ow-
ever, J oseph would not be refused, and brought him in;
the attendants not lik ing to deny my brother. I received
him politely, and told him I was very sorry I could not
comply with his req uest, as it was contrary to the laws.
Madame de S tael then wrote a long letter to F ouch? ,
stating her claims, in which she said she wanted the
money to portion her daughter in marriage to the Due de
B roglie, promising that if I complied with her req uest, I
might command her and hers; that she would be black and
white for me. F ouche urged me to comply, saying, that
* A gentle and comprehensive description of his system of petty persecutions J
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . x lix
at so critical a time she might be of considerable service.
I
I
I
answered that I would mak e no bargains. "
t is impossible that the above statement should be true.
n the first place, we have more reason to place confidence
in the veracity of the open-hearted Madame de S tael than
we have in the word of N apoleon, who seldom used lan-
guage for any other purpose than to conceal his thoughts;
secondly, in the beginning of his reign he did offer to pay
those very two millions, if she would favour his govern.
ment, and at the very time of which O ' Meara speak s, he
again offered to do it; thirdly, it is notorious, that after his
return from E lba, he was ex tremely anx ious to conciliate
his enemies; and lastly, the history of his whole intriguing
life mak es us laugh at the pretence that he was incapable
of mak ing bargains.
A t the close of the memorable H undred Days, B ona-
parte was a second time compelled to abdicate; and Ma-
dame de S tael would have immediately returned to Paris,
had she not felt such a painful sense of degradation in see-
ing the throne of F rance supported by a standing army of
foreign troops; her national pride could not brook the dis-
grace of witnessing her country in the leading-strings of
the A llied Powers; F rance, thus situated, was in her eyes
no longer " the great nation. "
S he remained at Coppet during the summer of 1815;
but having fresh cause of alarm for the health of her hus-
band, who had never recovered from the effects of his
wound, she revisited I taly, where they passed the winter.
I n the spring of 1816 , they returned to Coppet.
L ord B yron, who had then left E ngland, in high in-
dignation at the odium he had brought upon himself, passed
through S witzerland, during this year, in his way to I taly.
N otwithstanding his former want of cordiality towards
Madame de S tael, and his personal unpopularity at this
period, he was received by her with a k indness and hospi-
tality he had not hoped to meet, and which affected him
deeply. W ith her usual frank ness, she blamed him for his
conduct to L ady B yron; and by her persuasive eloq uence
prevailed upon him to write to a friend in E ngland, ex -
pressing a wish to be reconciled to his wife. I n the letters
he wrote, during the few summer months he staid in
c
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? ] ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
S witzerland, he often speak s of Coppet and its inhabitants.
H e says, " Madame de S tael wishes to see the A ntiq uary,
and I am going to tak e it to her to-morrow. S he has made
Coppet as agreeable to me as society and talent can mak
any place on earth. B onstetten is there a good deal. H
is a fine, lively old man, and much esteemed by his com-
patriots. A ll there are well, ex cepting R occa, who, I
e
e
am
sorry to say, look s in a very bad state of health. S chlegel is
in high force, and Madame de S tael is as brilliant as ever. "
O f the Duchess de B roglie, B yron spok e in very high
terms; and in noticing her attachment to her husband,
he remark ed, that " N othing was more pleasing than to see
the development of the domestic affections in a very young
woman. " W hat a pity that virtue was not to him some-
thing more than a mere abstract idea of poetic beauty!
W hen it became evident that the A llied Powers did not
mean to dictate the measures of the F rench government,
Madame de S tael was again strongly tempted by the al-
lurements of Paris. S he returned once more to become
the leading-star in the most brilliant society in the world.
" E very evening her saloon was crowded with all that was
distinguished and powerful, not in F rance only, but in all
E urope, which was then represented in Paris, by a re-
mark able number of its most ex traordinary men. Madame
de S tael had, to a degree perhaps never possessed by any
other person, the rare talent of uniting around her the
most distinguished individuals of all the opposite parties,
literary and political, and mak ing them establish relations
among themselves, which they could not afterward entirely
shak e off. There might be found W ellington and L a-
fayette, Chateaubriand, Talleyrand, and Prince L aval;
H umboldt and B lucher, from B erlin; Constant and S is-
mondi, from S witzerland; the two S chlegels, from H
anover;
Canova, from I taly; the beautiful Madame R ecamier, and
the admirable Duchess de Duras; and from E ngland, such
a multitude, that it seemed lik e a general emigration of
B ritish talent and rank . "
The winter months at the close of 1816 , and the begin-
ning of 1817, were passed by Madame de S tael in Paris.
This was the most splendid scene in the gorgeous drama
of her life-- and it was the last. " The great ex ertions
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E I . . li
she made, evening after evening, in the important political
discussions that were carried on in her saloon, -- the labours
of the morning in writing almost continually something
suited to the wants of the moment, for the Mercury, and
other periodicals,-- while at the same time, the serious
labour of her great work on the F rench R evolution was
still pressing on her,-- all these together were too much
for her strength. " Contrary to the advice of the physicians,
she persisted in using opium, to which she had for some
time resorted to stimulate her ex hausted frame; but nature
was worn out, and no artificial means could restore its
vigour. A violent fever, obviously the effect of the ex cite.
ment under which she had so long lived, seized her in
F ebruary. B y the use of ex cessively violent means, it was
thrown off; but, though the disease was gone, her con-
stitution was brok en up. L ife passed at first insensibly
from the ex tremities, and then no less slowly retired from
the more vital organs. I n general, she suffered little, and
her faculties remained in unclouded brightness to the last.
The interest ex cited by her situation proved the affection
she had inspired, and of what conseq uence her life was'
accounted to her country. E very day some of the royal
family were anx iously enq uiring at the door, and every day
the Duk e of W ellington came in person to ask if there was
no hope. H er most intimate friends (who have been often
mentioned in the course of this memoir) were admitted
into her sick chamber. S he conversed upon all the subj
that were introduced, and took an interest in them all. I
her conversation at this period had less than her usual
animation, it is said to have had more of richness and
depth. The deadly paleness of her features formed a
touching contrast with the dazzling intelligence, which
never deserted her ex pressive countenance. H er friends
placed a double value on every remark she uttered, and
treasured it in their inmost hearts as one of the last efforts
of her wonderful mind. S ome of them indulged the hope
ects
f
that she might recover; but she k new from the first that
the work of death was begun.
A t one time, owing to a
high nervous ex citement produced by the progress of her
disease, the thought of dissolution was terrible to her. -- S he
mourned over the talents that had made her life so brilliant;
C2
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? llV ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
short, it was an intellectual banq uet, at which all that the
human mind could conceive or create was abundantly
served up. I n these literary and philosophical disputes,
Madame de S tael had a decided superiority over her father
in q uick ness of perception, readiness of ex pression, and
eloq uence. B ut whenever she was about to seize the palm
of victory, she always appeared restrained by a feeling of
filial respect. A s if fearful of the success she had ob-
tained, she would with admirable dex terity and grace com-
mit herself in an error, for the purpose of resigning to her
antagonist the glory of the victory. B ut that antagonist
was her father; and he was the only person to whom she
ever conceded such an advantage.
" ' A fter break fast, the party separated until dinner,
which was constantly accompanied by disputes between M.
N eck er and several deaf and ill-tempered maitres-d' hotel,
the remnants of a system which M. N eck er himself had
overthrown, and who in their embroidered coats had fol-
lowed his fortunes to Coppet. The afternoon was devoted
to study until seven o' clock , when whist was commenced.
This was always a stormy game: M. N eck er and his
daughter invariably q uarrelled, lost their tempers, and left
the table with the determination of never again playing
together. B ut in spite of this the game was daily resumed.
The rest of the evening was passed in agreeable conversation.
" ' W ith the ex ception of a few ex cursions, Madame de
S tael in this manner spent eight years of her life; alter
nately devoting herself to the society of her father and the
education of her children. A t this period, too, she wrote
what may be termed her work s of the second-rate class;
viz. O n the I nfluence of the Passions; O n L iterature; and
lastly, Delphine.
" ' A fterthedeathofM. N eck er,in1804,Madamede
S tael, finding herself relieved from all restraint, and the
mistress of a splendid fortune, aspired to figure upon the
stage of politics. To this she was urged by a vivid recol-
lection of the commencement of the revolution, the date of
her first acq uaintance with the world, and her early suc-
-cess. S he was enticed to enter this arena, by the desire of
ex ercising the power which she regarded as an attribute of
her superior genius.
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? ME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L . lv
" ' B ut this love of authority took possession of her at a
fatal moment; viz. at a time when all the efforts of an
herculean government were ex erted to free society from the
action of individual influence, and to concentrate all power
in itself. Thus a contest ensued, between the individual
influence which Madame de S tael wished to ex ercise, and
the resistance which was opposed by the government of
the empire. This contest lasted eight years, at the ex -
piration of which time, Madame de S tael withdrew from
this conflict hetween a stupendous moral power and a phy-
sical power stronger than had ever before ex isted.
" ' During this period Madame de S tael published Co-
rinne, and her great work on Germany; the materials for
the latter she collected in j ourneys undertak en to escape
from the imperial authority, and to sympathise with the vic-
tims of that authority who had been wounded, but permitted
to survive. The idea of this work was suggested by the
labours she undertook , and ex ecuted conj ointly with M.
S chlegel, to ex plore the literary world of Germany; a world
which was then new, and entirely unacq uainted with the
ideas, traditions, and even the rules which were the pride
of F rench literature.
" ' Madame de S tael felt the necessity of emancipating
herself from these ideas, traditions, and rules; she was en-
dowed with a genuine poetic feeling, a horror of bad taste,
and a power of charming by the harmony of language,
which gave rise to freq uent controversies between her and
M. S chlegel, who, as it may be observed from his lectures,
did not allow himself to be fascinated by R acine' s har-
monious versification. I t was only necessary for Madame
de S tael to recite some passages of R acine, to stir up one
of those disputes whence emanated a thousand ideas, as
novel as profound, on the mysteries of our moral nature.
" ' O ne of Madame de S taeTs favourite amusements, at
this time, consisted in dramatic representation. H er fine
voice and energetic gestures gave her a great advantage in
the performance of tragedy. I n these representations she
was assisted by Count E lzear de S abran, M. Charles de
L abedoyere and Don Pedro de S ouza, now Marq uis de
Palmella. H er style of acting belonged to the school
which had preceded Talma; for, in spite of her admiration
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? lviME MO I R O F MA DA ME DE S TA E L .
of that great tragedian, she was not his disciple. Madame
de S tael attached no great value to her talent for dramatic
performance. I t is curious that she ex celled in the repre-
sentation of soubrettes.
" ' The Count de S ahran wrote pieces for these private
theatricals, and Madame de S tael herself wrote " A
S unamite" and two other pieces, which were subseq
printed and much admired. A t these performances at
Coppet, the audience consisted of Madame de S tael'
gar, la
uently
s ac-
q uaintance in the neighbourhood, and very freq uently,
friends who came from a considerable distance to see her.
A mong these friends, I must mention Prince W illiam of
Prussia, B aron de V oght, B onstettin, the poet V erner,
M. de Montmorency (who every year made a pilgrimage
to the V al-S ainte and Coppet), and Madame de R ecamier,
who j oined to ex q uisite beauty a fund of talent and amia-
bility which were duly appreciated by Madame de S tael.
" ' A s long as Madame de S tael could assemble around
her this circle of friends, ex istence was endurable to her,
even in ex ile. B ut when, beneath her hospitable roof, and
on one and the same day, sentence of ex ile was pronounced
upon Madame de R ecamier and M. de Montmorency, the
distress of her feelings overcame her fortitude. H er ex -
treme horror of solitude, and the mortification of believing
herself the immediate cause of the condemnation of her
friends, determined her to leave F rance until happier days,
and to seek elsewhere the liberty which F rance denied her. '
" A s I have already mentioned, Madame de S tael returned
to Paris after the death of her father, M. N eck er. H er
numerous friends wished to mak e this return a sort of
triumph. This was ill-j udged. The E mperor, who en-
tertained towards her a very unj ust and groundless dislik e,
took offence at the interest which was ex cited by the
arrival of a woman. H e forgot that that woman was
endowed with ex traordinary genius; that she scanned with
an eagle glance all that came under her observation; that
in short, though a woman, she was one of the greatest
political economists of the day. Perhaps, however, he did
not forget all this, and it might possibly be fear which in-
duced him to banish her. "
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? CO R I N N E ;
OR
' I TA L Y .
BOOKI.
O S W A L D.
CH A PTE R I .
I n the year 1794, O
swald, L
ord N
evil, a S
taly. * H
cotch nobleman,
e possessed
left E dinburgh to pass the winter in I
a noble and handsome person, a fine mind, a great name,
an independent fortune; but his health was impaired; and
the physicians, fearing that his lungs were affected, pre-
scribed the air of the south. H e followed their advice,
though with little interest in his own recovery, hoping, at
least, to find some amusement in the varied obj ects he
was about to behold. That heaviest of all afflictions, the
loss of a father, was the cause of his malady. The re-
morse inspired by scrupulous delicacy still more embittered
his regret, and haunted his imagination. S uch sufferings
we readily convince ourselves that we deserve, for violent
griefs ex tend their influence even over the realms of con-
science. A t five-and-twenty he was tired of life; he
j udged the future by the past, and no longer relished the
illusions of the heart. N o one could be more devoted to
the service of his friends; yet not even the good he effected
gave him one sensation of pleasure. H e constantly sacri-
* N either of these names are S cotch. W e are not informed whether the
hero' s Christian name is O swald, or N evil his family one, as well as his title.
H e signs the former to his letters, and constantly calls himself an E nglishman.
-- Translator.
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? 2C0R I N N E ; O B I TA L Y .
ficed his tastes to those of others; but this generosity alone,
far from proving a total forgetfulness of self, may often be
attributed to a degree of melancholy, which renders a man
careless of his own doom. The indifferent considered
this mood ex tremely graceful; but those who loved him
felt that he employed himself for the happiness of others,
lik e a man who hoped for none; and they almost repined
at receiving felicity from one on whom they could never
bestow it. H is natural disposition was versatile, sensitive,
and impassioned; uniting all the q ualities which could
ex cite himself or others; but misfortune and repentance
had rendered him timid, and he thought to disarm, by ex -
acting nothing from fate. H e trusted to find, in a firm
adherence to his duties, and a renouncement of all enj oy-
ments, a security against the sorrows which had distracted
him. N othing in the world seemed worth the risk of
these pangs; but while we are still capable of feeling them,
to what k ind of life can we fly for shelter?
L ord N evil flattered himself that he should q uit S cot-
land without regret, as he had remained there without
pleasure; but the dangerous dreams of imaginative minds are
not thus fulfilled; he was sensible of the ties which bound
him to the scene of his miseries, the home of his father.
There were rooms he could not approach without a shud-
der, and yet, when he had resolved to fly them, he felt
more alone than ever. A barren dearth seized on his
heart; he could no longer weep; no more recall those little
local associations which had so deeply melted him; his
recollections had less of life; they belonged not to the
things that surrounded him. H e did not think the less of
those he mourned, but it became more difficult to conj ure
back their presence. S ometimes, too, he reproached him-
self for abandoning the place where his father had dwelt.
" W ho k nows," would he sigh, " if the shades of the
dead follow the obj ects of their affection? They may not
be permitted to wander beyond the spots where their ashes
repose! Perhaps, at this moment, is my father deploring
mine absence, powerless to recall me. A las! may not a
host of wild events have persuaded him that I have be-
-
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? CO R I N N E ; O R I TA L Y . 3
trayed his tenderness, turned rebel to my country, to his
will, and all that is sacred on earth? "
These remembrances occasioned him such insupportable
despair, that, far from daring to confide them in any one,
he dreaded to sound their depths himself; so easy is it,
out of our own reflections, to create irreparable evils!
I t costs added pain to leave one' s country, when
one must cross the sea. There is such solemnity in a
pilgrimage, the first steps of which are on the ocean. I t
seems as if a gulf were opening behind you, and your return
becoming impossible; besides, the sight of the main always
profoundly impresses us, as the image of that infinitude
which perpetually attracts the soul, and in which thought
ever feels herself lost. O swald, leaning near the helm, his
eyes fix ed on the waves, appeared perfectly calm. Pride
and diffidence generally prevented his betraying his emo-
tions even before his friends; but sad feelings struggled
within. H e thought on the time when that spectacle
animated his youth with a desire to buffet the tides, and
measure his strength with theirs.
" W hy," he bitterly mused, " why thus constantly
yield to meditation? There is such rapture in active life!
in those violent ex ercises that mak e us feel the energy of
ex istence! then death itself may appear glorious; at least
it is sudden, and not preceded by decay; but that death
which finds us without being bravely sought, -- that gloomy
death which steals from you, in a night, all you held dear,
which mock s your regrets, repulses your embrace, and
pitilessly opposes to your desire the eternal laws of time
and nature, -- that death inspires a k ind of contempt for
human destiny, for the powerlessness of grief, and all the
vain efforts that wreck themselves against necessity. "
S uch were the torturing sentiments which characterised
the wretchedness of his state. The vivacity of youth was
united with the thoughts of another age,- such as might
well have occupied the mind of his father in his last hours;
but O swald tinted the melancholy contemplations of age
with the ardour of five-and-twenty. H e was weary of
every thing; yet, nevertheless, lamented his lost content,
as if its visions still lingered.
b2
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? 4CO R I N N E J O B I TA L Y .
This inconsistency, entirely at variance with the will of
nature (which has placed the conclusion and the gradation
of things in their rightful course), disordered the depths
of his soul; but his manners were ever sweet and harmo-
nious; nay, his grief, far from inj uring his temper, taught
him a still greater degree of consideration and gentleness
for others.
Twice or thrice in the voyage from H arwich to E mden
the sea threatened stormily. N
re-assured the passengers;
for a moment took the pilot'
evil directed the sailors,
and while, toiling himself, he
s place, there was a vigour and
address in what he did, which could not be regarded as
the simple effect of personal strength and activity, for
mind pervaded it all.
W hen they were about to part, all on board crowded
round him to tak e leave, thank ing him for a thousand
good offices, which he had forgotten: sometimes it was a
child that he had nursed so long; more freq uently, some old
man whose steps he had supported while the wind rock ed
the vessel. S uch an absence of personal feeling was scarce
ever k nown. H is voyage had passed without his having
devoted a moment to himself; he gave up his time to
others, in melancholy benevolence. A nd now the whole
crew cried, almost with one voice, " God bless you, my
L ord! we wish you better! "
Y et O swald had not once complained; and the persons
of a higher class, who had crossed with him, said not a
word on this subj ect: but the common people, in whom
their superiors rarely confide, are wont to detect the truth
without the aid of words: they pity you when you suffer,
though ignorant of the cause; and their spontaneous sym-
pathy is unmix ed with either censure or advice.
CH A PTE R I I .
Travelling, say what we will, is one of the saddest plea,
sures in life. I f you ever feel at ease in a strange place,
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? CO R I N N E ; O R I TA L Y . 5
it is because you have begun to mak e it your home; but
to traverse unk nown lands, to hear a language which you
hardly comprehend, to look on faces unconnected with
either your past or future, this is solitude without repose
or dignity; for the hurry to arrive where no one awaits
you, that agitation whose sole cause is curiosity, lessens you
in your own esteem, while, ere new obj ects can become
old, they have bound you by some sweet link s of senti-
ment and habit.
O swald felt his despondency redoubled in crossing Ger-
many to reach I taly, obliged by war to avoid F rance and
its frontiers, as well as the troops, who rendered the roads
impassable. This necessity for attending to detail, and
tak ing, almost every instant, a new resolution, was utterly
insufferable. H is health, instead of improving, often
obliged him to stop, while he longed to arrive at some
other place, or at least to fly from where he was. H e took
the least possible care of his constitution; accusing him-
self as culpable, with but too great severity. I f he wished
still to live, it was but for the defence of his country.
" My native land," would he sigh -- " has it not a
parental right over me? but I want power to serve it use-
fully. I must not offer it the feeble ex istence which I
drag towards the sun, to beg of him some principle of life,
that may struggle against my woes. N one but a father
could receive me thus, and love me the more, the more I
was deserted by nature and by fate. "
H e had flattered himself that a continual change of
ex ternal obj ects would somewhat divert his fancy from its
usual routine; but he could not, at first, realise this effect.
I t were better, after any great loss, to familiarise ourselves
afresh with all that had surrounded us, accustom our-
selves to the old familiar faces, to the house in which we
had lived, and the daily duties which we ought to resume:
each of these efforts j ars fearfully on the heart; but no-
thing multiplies them lik e an absence.
O swald' s only pleasure was ex ploring the Tyrol, on a
horse which he had brought from S cotland and who
climbed the hills at a gallop. The astonished peasants
began by shriek ing with fright, as they saw him borne
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