Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur OrtonAnonymous
History
Celebrated Claimants from Perkin Warbeck to Arthur Orton
Anonymous
Impostors and imposture -- Biography
"The purport of the document which I read repeatedly word by word,
comparing the French with the English, was this: It was a solemn
abdication of the crown of France in favour of Louis Philippe by
Charles Louis, the son of Louis XVI., who was styled Louis XVII.,
King of France and Navarre, with all accompanying names and titles of
honour, according to the custom of the old French monarchy, together
with a minute specification in legal phraseology of the conditions and
considerations and provisos upon which the abdication was made. These
conditions were, in brief, that a princely establishment should be
secured to me either in America or in France, at my option, and that
Louis Philippe would pledge himself on his part to secure the
restoration, or an equivalent for it, of all the private property of
the royal family rightfully belonging to me, which had been
confiscated in France during the revolution, or in any way got into
other hands."
After excusing himself for not taking a copy of this precious document
when he had the chance, and mentioning, among other reasons, "the
sense of personal dignity which had been excited by these
disclosures," the Rev. Eleazar proceeds with his narrative:--
"At length I made my decision, and rose and told the prince that I had
considered the matter fully in all its aspects, and was prepared to
give him my definite answer upon the subject; and then went on to say,
that whatever might be the personal consequences to myself, I felt I
could not be the instrument of bartering away with my own hand the
rights pertaining to me by my birth, and sacrificing the interests of
my family, and that I could only give to him the answer which De
Provence gave to the ambassador of Napoleon at Warsaw--'Though I am in
poverty and exile, I will not sacrifice my honour.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account