M. Briffaut, Censor and Academician--History of _Ninus II._--M. de Lourdoueix--The idea of _Antony_--The piece received by the Français is stopped by the Censorship--The Duc de Chartres--Negotiations for his presence with that of his two brothers at the first representation of _Christine_--Louët--An autograph of the Prince Royal It was into the midst of such society as this, differing greatly in its humour from that of the Comédie-Française, that the rehearsals of _Christine_ carried me. Just as in the case of _Henri III._, all our artist friends offered their services to me: Boulanger had designed one half the costumes and Saint-Ève the other, when suddenly we received the official intimation--"The piece is stopped." First _Marion Delorme_ was stopped, then _Christine_! Truly the Censorship was getting its hand in. I went to the Ministry and found that my play was in the hands of M. Briffaut, author of _Ninus II._ The history of _Ninus II._ might surely make M. Briffaut indulgent to others. But forgive me, perhaps you do not know the history of _Ninus II._ I will tell it you. M. Briffaut had, in 1809 or 1810, written a play under some title or other, the scene of which was laid in Spain. But it was stopped by the Censorship. A friend of M. Briffaut appealed to Napoleon against the decision of the Censors. Napoleon read the play and found it contained some lines in praise of Spaniards. "The Censorship was right to forbid it," he said. "It does not at all suit me to have a people praised with whom I am at war!" "But, sire, what is to become of the author?" the friend asked humbly and sympathetically. "He has composed but this one play and may never write another all his life long; he was counting upon this as an opening to many ambitions--sire, you will ruin his career!" "Very well, then; if he puts his action, say, in Assyria, instead of in Spain, I will raise no objection; and, instead of calling his hero Pélage, he calls him Ninus I. or Ninus II, I will authorise it." Now M. Briffaut was not going to be stopped by such conditions as these, so he called his play _Ninus II._; then, wherever the word _Spaniards_ came in, he altered it into _Assyrians_, and _Burgos_ into _Babylon_: it made it awkward in altering the rhymes, but that was all;--and the play was authorised and played; it was, no doubt, on account of this herculean feat, that they made M. Briffaut a member of the Academy. He was, on the whole, a very good fellow, and not unduly proud of having done nothing--a superiority which renders many of my colleagues insolent. We discussed at length, not the literary, but the political, defects of the unhappy _Christine._ It seemed she bristled with them; and the poor Censor, whose touch was very delicate, did not really know where to lay his hands on them. There was in particular this line which Christine recites in allusion to her crown-- "C'est un hochet royal trouvé dans mon berceau!"