[27] To be quite accurate, I must add that it is by no means certain Talleyrand met Mme. Grand before he became Minister. Mme. Rémusat makes her come to his ministerial bureau for a passport at their first meeting. [28] Let me add, too, that the letter is full of gratitude to her. “I love you with my whole soul” is his sincere (if rather Gallic) expression. [29] The Cambridge “French Revolution” states that they asked £50,000 for Talleyrand, and the 32 million francs for the Directors! A minor slip in the Cambridge “America” makes the agents claim 50,000 dollars “for each Director.” Some of the Directors were honourable men. [30] Professor Sloane informs America that Talleyrand was forced to resign “in consequence of his scandalous attempt to extort a bribe from the American envoys.” It is of a piece with Sloane’s whole reckless reference to Talleyrand. He would have us believe that Talleyrand was from the beginning in the pay of Napoleon; and so he contrives to be ignorant of the fact that when Napoleon left Toulon for Egypt in May, 1798, _Talleyrand gave him_ 100,000 francs. [31] Thus, the list includes 1,500,000 made on change during the English negotiations, and 2,000,000 as a share in the prizes taken at sea. It also includes 1,000,000 from Austria for the insertion of the secret articles in the Treaty of Campo Formio (on which Talleyrand had no influence whatever), and 1,000,000 from Prussia for preventing the fulfilment of these articles, and so on. [32] Napoleon speaks in his memoirs of Talleyrand dreading to meet him on account of his failure to follow him to the East, and making every effort to win his favour. It is absurd. Talleyrand knew precisely what he was worth to Napoleon. All Napoleon’s later remarks on Talleyrand must be read with discrimination; many of them are obvious untruths. [33] Lady Blennerhassett misses the subtlety of the distinction when she suggests that Talleyrand attempted to play a double game with Napoleon on this occasion. Compare Mr. Holland Rose’s version: “Talleyrand took the most unscrupulous care that the affair of the Presidency should be judiciously settled.” Standing between the two I should say he took most “scrupulous care” to have Napoleon’s wish realised. The full passage in the memoirs runs: “Je m’ouvris à Melzi, non pas sur ce que le Premier Consul désirait, mais sur ce qu’il fallait que la République Cisalpine demandat. En peu de jours je parvins à mon but. Au moment que Bonaparte arriva á Lyons, tout était préparé, &c.” [34] Yet M. Olivier, in his attack on Talleyrand (_Revue des Deux Mondes_, September, 1894), complains of him deserting the English Alliance under Napoleon. [35] Contrast with Mr. Rose’s opinion that of E. Ollivier, a violent modern critic: “He threw himself with equal zeal into the negotiation of the Concordat.” [36] See M. Crétineau-Joly’s _Bonaparte et le Concordat_. [37] As described in the civil registry of marriage at the time.