The Clergy, their Forests, LibertyThe first law for every creature is that of self-preservation, of life.

　　You sow hemlock, and expect to see the corn ripen!

　　MACHIAVELLIThe grave personage continued; one could see that he knew; he setforth with a gentle and moderate eloquence, which vastly delighted Julien, the following great truths:

　　(1) England has not a guinea at our service; economy and Hume arethe fashion there. Even the Saints will not give us any money, and MrBrougham will laugh at us.

　　(2,) Impossible to obtain more than two campaigns from the Monarchsof Europe, without English gold; and two campaigns will not be enoughagainst the middle classes.

　　(3) Necessity of forming an armed party in France, otherwise the monarchical principle in the rest of Europe will not risk even those twocampaigns.

　　'The fourth point which I venture to suggest to you as self-evident isthis:

　　'The impossibility of forming an armed party in France without the Clergy.Isay it to you boldly, because I am going to prove it to you, Gentlemen.

　　We must give the Clergy everything:

　　'(i) Because, occupying themselves with their own business night andday, and guided by men of high capacity established out of harm's waythree hundred leagues from your frontiers … '

　　'Ah! Rome! Rome!' exclaimed the master of the house …'Yes, Sir, Rome!' the Cardinal answered proudly. 'Whatever be themore or less ingenious pleasantries which were in fashion when you were young, I will proclaim boldly, in 1830, that the Clergy, guided byRome, speak and speak alone to the lower orders.

　　'Fifty thousand priests repeat the same words on the day indicated bytheir leaders, and the people, who, after all, furnish the soldiers, will bemore stirred by the voice of their priests than by all the cheap poems inthe world… .' (This personal allusion gave rise to murmurs.)'The Clergy have an intellect superior to yours,' the Cardinal went on,raising his voice; 'all the steps that you have taken towards this essentialpoint, having an armed party here in France, have been taken by us.' Herefacts were cited. Who had sent eighty thousand muskets to the Vendee?

　　and so forth.

　　'So long as the Clergy are deprived of their forests, they have no tenure. At the first threat of war, the Minister of Finance writes to his agentsthat there is no more money except for the parish priests. At heart,France is not religious, and loves war. Whoever it be that gives her war,he will be doubly popular, for to make war is to starve the Jesuits, in vulgar parlance; to make war is to deliver those monsters of pride, theFrench people, from the menace of foreign intervention.'

　　The Cardinal had a favourable hearing … 'It was essential,' he said,'that M. de Nerval should leave the Ministry, his name caused needlessirritation.'

　　Upon this, they all rose to their feet and began speaking at once. 'Theywill be sending me out of the room again,' thought Julien; but theprudent chairman himself had forgotten Julien's presence and indeed hisexistence.

　　Every eye turned to a man whom Julien recognised. It was M. de Nerval, the First Minister, whom he had seen at the Duc de Retz's ball.

　　The disorder was at its height, as the newspapers say, when reporting thesittings of the Chamber. After fully a quarter of an hour, silence began tobe restored.

　　Then M. de Nerval rose and, adopting the tone of an Apostle:

　　'I shall not for one moment pretend,' he said, in an unnatural voice,'that I am not attached to office.

　　'It has been proved to me, Gentlemen, that my name doubles thestrength of the Jacobins by turning against us a number of moderatemen. I should willingly resign, therefore; but the ways of the Lord arevisible to but a small number; but,' he went on, looking fixedly at theCardinal, 'I have a mission; heaven has said to me: "You shall lay down your head on the scaffold, or you shall reestablish the Monarchy inFrance, and reduce the Chambers to what Parliament was under LouisXV," and that, Gentlemen, I will do.'

　　He ceased, sat down, and a great silence fell.

　　'There is a good actor,' thought Julien. He made the mistake, then asalways, of crediting people with too much cleverness.

　　Animated by the debates of so lively an evening, and above all by thesincerity of the discussion, at that moment M. de Nerval believed in hismission. With his great courage the man did not combine any sense.

　　Midnight struck during the silence that followed the fine peroration'that I will do'. Julien felt that there was something imposing and funerealin the sound of the clock. He was deeply moved.

　　The discussion soon began again with increasing energy and above allwith an incredible simplicity. 'These men will have me poisoned,'

　　thought Julien, at certain points. 'How can they say such things before aplebeian?'

　　Two o'clock struck while they were still talking. The master of thehouse had long been asleep; M. de La Mole was obliged to ring to havefresh candles brought in. M. de Nerval, the Minister, had left at a quarterto two, not without having frequently studied Julien's face in a mirrorwhich hung beside him. His departure had seemed to create an atmosphere of relief.

　　While the candles were being changed: 'Heaven knows what that fellow is going to say to the King!' the man with the waistcoats murmuredto his neighbour. 'He can make us look very foolish and spoil our future.

　　'You must admit that he shows a very rare presumption, indeed effrontery, in appearing here. He used to come here before he took office;but a portfolio alters everything, swallows up all a man's private interests, he ought to have felt that.'

　　As soon as the Minister was gone, Bonaparte's General had shut hiseyes. He now spoke of his health, his wounds, looked at his watch, andleft.

　　'I would bet,' said the man with the waistcoats, 'that the General isrunning after the Minister; he is going to make his excuses for beingfound here, and pretend that he is our leader.'

　　When the servants, who were half asleep, had finished changing thecandles:

　　 'Let us now begin to deliberate, Gentlemen,' said the chairman, 'and nolonger attempt to persuade one another. Let us consider the tenor of thenote that in forty-eight hours will be before the eyes of our friendsabroad. There has been reference to Ministers. We can say, now that M.

　　de Nerval has left us, what do we care for Ministers? We shall controlthem.'

　　The Cardinal showed his approval by a delicate smile.

　　'Nothing easier, it seems to me, than to sum up our position,' said theyoung Bishop of Agde with the concentrated and restrained fire of themost exalted fanaticism. Hitherto he had remained silent; his eye, whichJulien had watched, at first mild and calm, had grown fiery after the firsthour's discussion. Now his heart overflowed like lava from Vesuvius.

　　'From 1806 to 1814, England made only one mistake,' he said, 'whichwas her not dealing directly and personally with Napoleon. As soon asthat man had created Dukes and Chamberlains, as soon as he had restored the Throne, the mission that God had entrusted to him was at anend; he was ripe only for destruction. The Holy Scriptures teach us inmore than one passage the way to make an end of tyrants.' (Here followed several Latin quotations.)'Today, Gentlemen, it is not a man that we must destroy; it is Paris.

　　The whole of France copies Paris. What is the use of arming your fivehundred men in each Department? A hazardous enterprise and one thatwill never end. What is the use of involving France in a matter which ispeculiar to Paris? Paris alone, with her newspapers and her drawing-rooms, has done the harm; let the modern Babylon perish.

　　'Between the Altar and Paris, there must be a fight to the finish. Thiscatastrophe is indeed to the earthly advantage of the Throne. Why didnot Paris dare to breathe under Bonaparte? Ask the artillery of Saint-Roch.'

　　It was not until three o'clock in the morning that Julien left the housewith M. de La Mole.

　　The Marquis was depressed and tired. For the first time, in speaking toJulien, he used a tone of supplication. He asked him to promise never todisclose the excesses of zeal, such was his expression, which he hadchanced to witness. 'Do not mention it to our friend abroad, unless hedeliberately insists on knowing............