Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, August 1847Various
History
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 382, August 1847
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
Sieyes was well known to be what the French call an _idealogue_. He was
a theorist on governments, which he invented in any convenient number.
For the Consulate he had his theory ready. The First Consul was to be
like an epicurean divinity, enjoying himself and taking care for no one.
But this tranquillity of position, and nonentity of power, by no means
suited the taste of Napoleon. "'Your Grand Elector," said he (the title
which seems to have been intended for his head of his new constitution,)
"would be nothing but an idle king. The time for do-nothing kings is
gone by--six millions of francs and the Tuilleries, to play the
stage-king in, put his signature to other peoples work, and do nothing
of himself, is a dream. Your Grand Elector would be nothing but a pig to
fatten, or a master, the more absolute because he would have no
responsibility.' It was on quitting me after this conversation," said
Napoleon, "that Sieyes said to Roger Ducos, 'My dear Colleague, we have
not a President, we have a master. You and I have no more to do, but to
make our fortunes before making our _paquets_.'" This was at least plain
speaking, and it discloses the secret of ninety-nine out of every
hundred of the Republicans.
An amusing anecdote of the memorable Abbe is then told. He was Almoner
to one of the Princesses of France. One day, while he was reading mass,
the Princess, from some accidental circumstance, retired, and her ladies
followed her. Sieyes, who was busy reading his missal, did not at first
perceive her departure; but when he saw himself abandoned by all the
great people, and had no auditory left but the domestics, he closed the
book, and left the altar, crying, "I do not say mass for the rabble!"
This certainly was not very democratic, and yet Sieyes was soon
afterwards the most rampant of all possible democrats.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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