1pecies of oppreffion was connived at, under the fhelter of lettres de cachet, he was fenfible that it was only beneath their aufpices that the exercife of tyranny was permitted; and in this particular inftance, not having been cruel felon les regles, he apprehended, that if ever Monf. du Fregained his liberty, he might be made refponfible for his conduct. He, therefore, exerted all his influence, and with too much fuccefs, to fruftrate the benevolent intention of the Prefident of the Parliament, refpecting Monf. du F. His letters were indeed read in that affembly, and ordered to be registered, where they ftill remain a record of the pufillanimity of thofe men, who fuffered the authority of Monf. de Bel B to overcome the voice of humanity; who acknowledged the atrocity of the Baron du F's conduct, and yet were deaf to the fupplications of his fon, while, from the depth of his dungeon, he called upon them for protection and redress. May the fate of the captive, in the land of France, no more hang fufpended on the frail thread of the pity or the caprice of individuals! May justice erect, on eternal foundations, her protecting fanctuary for the oppreffed; and may humanity and mercy be the graceful decorations of her temple! The Baron du F perceived that, notwithstanding his machinations had prevented the Parliament of Rouen from taking any effectual measures towards liberating his fon, it would be impoffible to filence, the murmurs of the public, while he remained confined at St. Yon. determined, therefore, to remove him to fome diftant prifon, where his name and family were unknown; and where, beyond the jurifdiction of the Parliament of Rouen, his groans might rife unpitied and unavenged. But the Baron, not daring, amids the general clamour, to remove his fon by force, endeavoured to draw him artfully into the fnare he had prepared. Monf. de B was fent to his brother's prifon, where he reprefented to him, that, though he must not indulge the leaft hope of ever regaining his liberty, yet, if he would write a letter to Monf. M-, keeper of the feals, defiring to be removed to fome other place, his confinement fhould be made far lefs rigorous.Monf. du F was now in a state of defperation, that rendered him almoft careless of his fate. He perceived that the Parliament had renounced his caufe. He faw no poffibility to efcape from St. Yon; and flattered himself, that in a place where he was lefs clofely confined, it might perhaps be practicable; and therefore he confented to write the letter required, which Monfieur de B conveyed in triumph to his father. There were, however, fome expreffions in the letter which the Baron difapproved, on which account he returned it, defiring that thofe ex preffions might be changed. But, during the interval of his brother's abfence, Monfieur du F had reflected on the rafh imprudence of confiding in the promifes of those by whom he had been fo cruelly deceiv ed. No fooner, therefore, did Monf. de B put the letter again into his hands, than he tore it into pieces, and peremptorily refused to write another. Soon after this, Mons. de Bthe ambaffador of the tyrant, again He returned to his brother with fresh credentials, and declared to him, that if he would write to the keeper of the feals, defiring to be removed from St. Yon, he fhould, in one fortnight after his removal, be restored to liberty. Upon Monf. du F's af According to rules. ferting ferting that he could no longer confide in the promises made him by his family, his brother, in a formal writ ten engagement, to which he figned his name, gave him the mot folemn affurance, that this promife fhould be fulfilled with fidelity. Monf. du F-defired a few days for deliberation, and, during that interval, found means of confulting a magiftrate of Rouen who was his friend, and who advised him to comply with the terms that were offered, after having caused several copies of the written engagement to be taken, and cert fed by fuch of the prifoners at St. Yon as were likely to regain their freedom; a precaution neceffary, left his own copy fhould be torn from his hands. Thus, having neither trufted to the affection, the mercy, or the remorfe of thofe within whofe bofoms fuch fentiments were extinguished; having bargained by a written agreement, with a father and a brother, for his release from the horrors of perpetual captivity, Monfieur du Fwrote the letter required. Soon after, an order was fent from Versailles for his releafe from the prifon of St. Yon, and with it a lettre de cachet, whereby he was exiled to Beauvais, with a command not to leave that town. Monf. de B, acting as a Cavalier de la Marechauffée, conducted his brother to this place of exile, and there left him.A fhort time after, Monf. du Freceived an intimation, from that magiftrate of Rouen who had interested himself in his misfortunes, that his father was on the point of obtaining another lettre de cachet, to remove him from Beauvais, to fome prifon in the fouth of France, where he might never more be heard of. This gentleman added, that Monf. du F had not one moment to lofe, and advited him immediately to attempt his escape. Early on the morning after he received this intelligence, Monf. du F, who had the liberty to walk about the town, fled from Beauvais. The perfon who brought him the letter from the magiftrate, waited for him at a little distance from the town, and accompanied him on his journey. When they reached Lifle in Flanders, not having a paflport, they were obliged to wait from eleven o'clock at night till ten the next morning, be fore they could obtain permiffion from the Governor to proceed on their journey. Monf. du F concluded that he was purfued, and fuffered the moft dreadful apprchenfions of being overtaken. His companion, with fome addrefs, at length obtained a paffport, and attended him as far as Oltend. The wind proving contrary, he was detained two days in a ftate of the most diftracting inquietude, and concealed himself on board the veffel in which he had taken his paffage for England. At length the wind became favourable; the veffel failed, and arrived late in the night at Margate. Monf. du F, when he reached the English fhore, knelt down, and, in a tranfport of joy,kiffed the earth of that dear country which had twice proved his afylum. He then enquired when the flagecoach fet off for London, and was told that it went at fo early an hour the next morning that he could not go till the day after, as he must wait till his portmanteau was examined by the custom-house officers, who were now in bed. The delay of a few hours in feeing his wife and child, after fuch an abfence, after such fufferings, was not to be endured. In a violent agitation of mind, he snatchcd up his portmanteau, and was going to fling it into the fea, when he was prevented by the people near him, who faid, that if he would pay the fees, his portmanteau should be * An officer of jaftice. fent fent after him. He eagerly complied with their demands, and fet out for London. As he drew near, his anxiety, his impatience, his emotion increafed. His present fituation appeared to him like one of thofe delicious dreams, which fometimes vifited the darkness of his dungeon, and for a while restored him, in imagination, to thofe he loved. Scarcely could he perfuade himself that he was beyond the reach of oppreffion; that he was in a land of freedom; that he was haftening every moment towards his wife and child. When he entered London, his fenfations became almoft too strong to bear. He was in the very fame place which his wife and child inhabited-but were they yet alive? were they in health? had Heaven indeed referved for him the tranfport of holding them once more to his bofom, of mixing his tears with theirs? When he knocked at the door of the houfe where he expected to hear of Madame du F, he had fcarcely power to articulate his enquiries after her and his child. He was told that they were in health, but that Madame du F, being in a fituation fix miles from London, he could not fee her till the next morning. Monf. du F had not been in a bed for several nights, and was almoft overcome with agitation and fatigue. He, however, inftantly fet out on foot for the habitation of his wife, and on his arrival announced himself to the miftrefs of the family, and remained in another apart ment, while fhe, after making Madame du F promise that the 'would liften to her with calmness, told her, that there was a probability of her husband's return to England. He heard the fobs, the exclamations of his wife at this intelligence-he could restrain no longer-he rufhed into the room-he flew into her arms -he continued preffing her in filence to his bofom. She was unable to shed a tear; and it was not till after he had long endeavoured to footh her by his 'tenderness, and had talked to her of her child, that fhe obtained relief from weeping. She then, with the moft violent emotion, again and again repeated the fame enquiries, and was a confiderable time before the recovered any degree of compofure. All the fortune Monf. du F poffeffed when he reached London, was one half guinea; but his wife had, during his abfence, faved ten guineas out of her little falary. You will eafily imagine how valuable this hoard became in her eflimation,when he could apply it to the precious use of relieving the neceffities of her hufband. Monf. du F went to London the next day, and hired a little garret there, with a few books, a rush-light, and fome ftraw in which he wrapped his legs to fupply the want of fire, he recollected not the fplendour to which he had once been accuftomed, but the dungeon from which he had efcaped. He saw his wife and child once a week; and, in thofe folitary moments, when books failed to footh his thoughts, he anticipated the hour in which he should again meet the objects most dear to his heart, and paffed the intervals of time in philofophical refignation.His clothes being too fhabby to admit of his appearing in the day, he iffued from his little fhed when it was dark, and endeavoured to warm himself by the exercife of walking. Unfortunately he caught the smallpox, and his diforder rofe to fuch a height, that his life was defpaired of. In his delirium, he ufed to recapitulate the fad story of his misfortunes; and when he faw any perfon near his bed-fide, would call out, with the utmost vehemence, * Qu'on faffe fortir tous les François !" After having been for fome days in the most imminent "Make all the French go out. imminent danger, Monf. du F recovered from this disease. Six months after Monf.du F's return to England, his family found themfelves compelled to filence the public clamours, by allowing him a fmall annual penfion. Upon this, Madame du Fquitted her place, and came to live with her husband and her child in an obfcure lodging. Their little income received fome addition by means of teaching the French language in a few private families. A young lady, who came to pay me a vifit at London in 1785, defired to take fome leflons in French, and Madame du F—was recommended to us for that purpofe. We foon perceived in her converfation every mark of a cultivated mind, and of an amiable difpofition. She at length told us the hiftory of her misfortunes, with the pathetic eloquence of her own charming language; and, after having heard that recital, it required but common humanity, to treat her with the respect due to the unhappy, and to feel for her forrows that fym. pathy to which they had fuch claim. How much has the fenfibility of Monf, and Madame du F-overrated thofe proofs of esteem and friendship which we were enabled to fhew them in their adverfity !-But I must not anticipate. On the feventh of October, 1787, the Baron died, leaving, befides Monf. du F, two other fons, and a daughter. I mult here mention, that at the time when Monf. du F was confined to his bed in the prifon of St. Yon, from the confequences of his fall, his father, in order to avoid the clamours at Rouen, went for fome weeks to Paris. He there made a will, difinheriting his eldeft fon. By the old laws of France, however, a father could not punish his fon more than once for the fame offence. VOL. III. No. 3. Nor was there any thing in fo mild a claufe that could much encourage difobedience; fince this fingle punifhment, of which the mercy of the law was careful to avoid repetition, might be extended to refidence for life in a dungeon. Such was evidently the intention of the Baron du F, and, though his fon, difappointing this intention, had escaped with only three years of captivity, and fome broken limbs, the benignant law above-mentioned interpoled to prevent farther punishment, and left the Baron without any legal right to deprive Monf. du F of his inheritance. His brothers, being fenfible of this, wrote to inform him of his father's death, and recal him to France. He refufed to go while the lettre de cachet remained in force against him. The Baron having left all his papers fealed up, which his younger fons could not open but in the prefence of their brother, they obtained the revocation of the lettre de cachet, and fent it to Monf. du F, who immediately fet off for France. The Baron's eftate amounted to about four thousand pounds a year. Willing to avoid a tedious litigation with his brothers, Monf. du F▬▬▬▬ confented to divide with them this property. But he foon found reafon to repent of his imprudent generofity; thofe very brothers, on whom he had bestowed an equal fhare of his fortune, refufing to concur with him in his application to the parliament of Rouen for the revocation of the arret against his marriage. Monf. du F, furprifed and fhocked at their refufal, began to entertain fome apprehenfions of his perfonal fafety; and dreading that, fupported by the authority of his mother, another lett tre de cachet might be obtained a gainst him, he haftened back to Eng land. Nor was it till after he had received affurances from feveral of the D magiftrates magiftrates of Rouen, that they would be refponfible for the fafety of his perfon, that he again ventured to return to France, accompanied by Madame and Mademoiselle du F— in order to obtain the revocation of the arret. On their arrival at Rouen, finding that the parliament was exiled, and that the bufinefs could not be profecuted at that time, they again came back to pafs the winter in Eng land. At this period his mother died; and in the following fummer Monf. and Madame du F arrived in France, at the great epocha of French liberty, on the 15th of July, 1789, the very day after that on which the Battile was taken. It was then that Monf. du F― felt himself in fecurity on his native fhore. It was then that his domeftic comforts were no longer embittered with the dread of being torn from his family by a feparation more terrible than death itlelf. It was then that he no more feared that his repofe at night would be broken by the entrance of ruffians prepared to drag him to dungeons, the darknefs of which was never vifited by the bleffed beams of day! He immediately took poffeffion of his chateau, and only waits for the appointment of the new judges, to folicit the revocation of the arret against his marriage, and to fecure the inheritance of his eftate to Mademoiselle du F, his only daughter, who is now fifteen years of age, and is that very child who was born in the bofom of adverfity, and whofe infancy was expofed to all the miferies of want. May the never know the afflictions of her parents, but may fhe inherit their virtues ! Under the antient government of France, there might have been fome doubt of Monf. du F's obtaining the revocation of the arret against his marriage. Beneath the iron hand of defpotifm, juftice and virtue might have been overthrown. But happier omens belong to the new constitution of France. The judges will commence their high office with that dignity becoming fo important a truft, by cancelling an act of the moft flagrant oppreffion. They will confirm that folemn, that facred engagement which Monf. and Madame du F have three times vowed at the altar of God!—which has been fanctioned by laws human and divine which has been ratified in earth and in heaven! No fooner had Monf. and Madame du F taken poffeffion of their property, than they feemed eager to convince us, how little this change of fortune was capable of obliterating, for one moment, the remembrance of the friends of their adverfity. With all the earnestness of affection they invited us to France, and appeared to think their profperity incomplete, and their happiness imperfect, till we accepted the invitation. You will believe that we are not infenfible witneffes of the delightful change in their fortune. We have the joy of feeing them, not only poffeffing all the comforts of affluence, but universal respect and esteem. Monf. du F endeavours to banifh mifery from his poffeffions. His tenants confider him as a father, and, "when the eye fees him it bleffes him." I faid to one of the peafants whom I met in my walk yefterday, «Je fuis charmée de voir que Monf. eft fi bien aimé ici.” "Oh pour ça, oui Madame, et à bonne raison, car il ne nous fait que du bien !" Such is the hiftory of Monf. du F. Has it not the air of a romance? and are you not glad that the denouement is happy?-Does not *I am happy to fee that Monfieur is so much beloved.—Oh, yes Madam, and well be may, he does us nothing but good. |