No sooner had he begun to figure upon the revolutionary stage, over which was inscribed _Liberty_, _Equality_, _Abolition of Titles and Privileged Caste_, than he assumed the feudal name of François de Neufchâteau, a name to which under the old _régime_ he would have no more pretensions than the political adventurer who now rules France would have to that of Bonaparte of Ajaccio. Another instance of his philosophic mind was shown at the same time. He discarded his virtuous wife, the humble companion of his adverse fortunes, as unworthy to share in the splendour of his new situation, and a handsome and elegant woman was introduced in her stead as mistress of his mansion, and she still continues to fill in the midst of plenty and opulence the place of a legitimate wife now driven to want and wretchedness. But these are trifles in Paris at the present day, and Monsieur François de Neufchâteau passes for a mild, amiable and _virtuous_ man. Of the administration of this man I shall have much to say in a future letter, he certainly contributed towards the establishment of many salutary institutions in the Republic, _i.e._, he revived such of the old government as were contented to promote the happiness and prosperity of France upon the return of a general peace. I am the more astounded at this as from the conversation I had with him and from the relations made to me by those most intimately acquainted with him he appeared to be a man of weak, contemptible and superficial character. Nevertheless we find him in a short time seated upon the curule chair, and forming one of that junto of rapacious tyrants who under the name of the Executive Directory, by their imbecility, wickedness and crimes, prepared the way for the reign of the usurper who stole like a coward from Egypt to complete the misery of France. François, it appears, took no active part in the directorship, he was merely an empurpled pageant, whose sole occupation was to sign his name whenever ordered to do so by his more wily colleagues. At length finding his situation irksome he profited by an offer from his more ambitious partners and left the Government before the Government left him. In consideration of a douceur of a million livres, £40,000 sterling, he connived at a sham ballot by which he voluntarily blackballed himself from the further enjoyment of the executive magistracy. [Sidenote: VISIT TO THE TEMPLE]