It fition, a more pleasing and easy style of conversation, or a more dignified and graceful manner, than he poffefsed. He was generally beloved, and his company fought after in all the agreeable societies of Paris and of the court; but he was the man of all France least calculated for business. tired him to death. He even could not comprehend its language. He was several years commander in chief in Provence, where he was adored, because he had no duty to perform that was either difficult or disagreeable. It seemed as if he resided there for no other purpose than to give balls and entertainments, of which he did the honours perfectly well. One of the greatest blunders the court could have committed, was to fend a man of this description, who hated trouble, to a province, which, even in ordinary times, had been confidered as the most troublesome to govern of any in the kingdom; but in times of insurrection, this command ought to have been given to a man inured to public affairs, and capable of overawing the feditious by the vigour of his character. It was perhaps imagined, that the amiable qualities of M. de Thiard would have compensated for that force of character in which he was deficient; but this kind of compensation never fucceeded in Britanny. The weakness of government, or of its agents, was always extremely dangerous in that province. The only fuccessful method of executing the king's orders was to proceed in one steady course, without being moved by the clamour of turbulent spirits, or even by scissions, if they came to be again in vogue *. During During our journey to Rennes, I com municated to M. de Thiard what had passed between the chancellor and myself; and I did not conceal my intention of informing the first prefident of it. I had also refolved to announce my arrival to the members of parliament, although their scission with me might have excused me from this cere mony, which was usual when an intendant arrived in the province for the first time, or after having been for any confiderable time absent. I waited accordingly on the president, and after giving him an account of my conversation with the chancellor, I expressed my unalterable attachment to the found principles of the magistracy, and affured him, that it would give me real concern to fee them attacked, if, notwithstanding M. de Lamoignon's assurances, there was any truth in the report concerning the archbishop of Sens's project. * Scifsion was a term made use of in the provincial parliaments and assemblies of the states, importing, that the members of the parliaments or assemblies had broken off all communication, of a private or social nature, with the intendant or commandant of the province. A scission was never announced until it had been formally deliberated on in a geheral meeting of the members. The motives were fometimes of a public and important nature, as the registration of a law by the express order of the king; at other times, the causes affigned were rather frivolous, such as an expreffion used in a private society, and construed in a bad fenfe; omitting some mark of attention, which, it was thought, ought to have been paid to certain individuals, as attending them to the door, or inviting them to entertainments. But as the members of those assemblies often stood in need, for themfelves E2. themselves or their relations, of the good offices of the in tendant or commandant, who had nothing to ask or expect in return, and generally kept the best tables and the best wine in the province, it will not be difficult to determine who were the greatest lofers by the scission. This conversation, of which the prefident gave an account to his company, and the vifits I paid the fame day to all the members of parliament, made the scission be taken off immediately, and obtained me innumerable deputations and compliments. We had been about five days at Rennes, when a courier of the cabinet arrived, with an enormous packet for us. This packet contained several others, fome of which, to the number of eight or nine, were only to be opened in the Affemblée des Chambres, which we were ordered to convene on the following day; and the other dispatches were to be read at the end of the deliberation. The king's orders, which were addressed to us, did not contain any explanation of the nature of the measure with which we were charged; they only regarded the magistracy and the administration of justice : but the cover of one of the largest packets, which, from the form, seemed to contain lettres de cachet, was a little torn by the motion of the carriage. I could not refift my E3 curiofity 1 curiosity to know whether or not my conjectures were well founded. I tore it a little wider, in the prefence of M. de Thiard, who was no less curious than myself, and I difcovered that this packet contained only lettres de cachet, and that they were destined for the members of parliament. No more was requifite to convince me that M. de Lamoignon's assurances (upon the faith of which I left Paris) were infincere. But as this was not the cafe with the declaration I made to him, I immediately determined to fend in my refignation, by a letter which I read to the first prefident, and to the bishop of Rennes, who happened to be at M. de Thiard's house when I wrote. My letter was sent the fame day by an extraordinary courier, and the bishop of Rennes set out for Paris, to remonstrate with the archbishop of Sens, imagining that he had fufficient influence to prevail upon him to renounce, or at least defer, the measure relating to Britanny, till the next convocation of the states of this |