to correct the king's excessive timidity, which almost deprived him of the power of speech when he was in company with people whom he was not in the habit of feeing every day. His restraint, upon those occafions, made him forget, for the time, things which he was perfectly well acquainted with, although he possessed a very happy memory. M. de Maurepas certainly might in a great degree have corrected this weakness, at all times a great inconveniency, but at this particular time dangerous to the throne; but so far from remedying the evil, M. de Maurepas increased it by his satirical raillery at the rough abruptness of the king's manner, and upon what fome of the courtiers had the insolence to call "fes coups de boutoir*. Ah! if he had indeed been capable of giving such severe blows, how much is it to be wished that he had directed them against those false, ambitious, and ungrateful men; those traitors, whose base and perfidious plans have brought on a * A vulgar expression, the literal sense of which is, " the blows of a boar's tusk." revolution, the details of which are so shocking, that if we had found them in a history of the most barbarous nation, we should have supposed them greatly exaggerated; a revolution, which has been juftly compared to the irruptions of a frightful volcano, announced by a hollow awful murmur, and by the shaking of the neighbouring mountains, finally bursting forth in torrents of fire, spreading death and desolation all around. In following up this comparison, it may be faid, that if the indifference and selfishness of M. de Maurepas excited the fermentation of the impure elements of the revolution, the incapacity and extravagant violence of the archbishop of Sens conducted the king and the monarchy to the mouth of the volcano, and the ambition and foolish vanity of Mr. Necker precipitated them into it. As the connection which I had with the two laft-mentioned ministers, in the year 1788, when I was intendant of Brit tany, and the events which took place in that province, where the revolution actually began, began, may throw fome lights upon its origin and first progress ; I will fuccinctly enumerate the particulars in these Memoirs, because a knowledge of the symptoms which were the forerunners of this too memorable catastrophe are not less interesting or less ufeful than that of its confequences. CHAP. II. Character of the archbishop of Sens. The King's opinion of him. First Affembly of Notables. Intrigues to overturn M. de Calonne's plans. Their fuccefs. The archbishop of Sens appointed first minifter.Project of reformation in the magistracy.Motives of my repugnance to concur in this Scheme communicated to the chancellor.-His diffimulation. My departure for Brittany with M. de Thiard.-His character.Arrival of orders from the king. I fend my refignation. The minister's answer.A capital fault of the archbishop of Sens. -Reflections. ONSIEUR de Brienne archbishop of M Sens, who had long ardently afpired to the ministry, had always been kept out, in spite of the high reputation of his talents, upon account of the bad opinion which the king entertained of his morals and principles. When it was proposed to his majesty to receive this unworthy prelate (at that time archbishop of Thoulouse) into into the council, the pious prince answered with indignation, "The man does not believe in God." The prelate being apprized of the motives of his majesty's repugnance, which were but too well-founded, flattered himself that he should be able to obviate them. He endeavoured to give an impreffion of his converfion, by appearing entirely devoted to the cares of his diocese, and by practising, from time to time, some of those public acts of charity which are always cried up, with exaggeration, in the public papers. This edifying course of good works was interrupted by the death of the archbishop of Paris, M. de Brienne never once doubting but that his reputation was so perfectly well established, that he should now be esteemed a worthy fuccessor to one of the most virtuous prelates in France. He accordingly offered himself as a candidate, and supported his pretenfions by the well known credit and intrigues of the Abbé de Vermont. But the king was of opinion, that a belief in the Supreme Being could still less be difpenfed with in an archbishop of Paris, than in a |