France -- History -- Louis XVI, 1774-1793; France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799
Dubarrydom and its D’Aiguillons are gone forever. There is a
young, still docile, well-intentioned King; a young, beautiful
and bountiful, well-intentioned Queen; and with them all France,
as it were, become young. Maupeou and his Parlement have to
vanish into thick night; respectable Magistrates, not indifferent
to the Nation, were it only for having been opponents of the
Court, can descend unchained from their “steep rocks at Croe in
Combrailles” and elsewhere, and return singing praises: the old
Parlement of Paris resumes its functions. Instead of a profligate
bankrupt Abbé Terray, we have now, for Controller-General, a
virtuous philosophic Turgot, with a whole Reformed France in his
head. By whom whatsoever is wrong, in Finance or otherwise, will
be righted,—as far as possible. Is it not as if Wisdom herself
were henceforth to have seat and voice in the Council of Kings?
Turgot has taken office with the noblest plainness of speech to
that effect; been listened to with the noblest royal
trustfulness.[23] It is true, as King Louis objects, ‘They say he
never goes to mass;’ but liberal France likes him little worse
for that; liberal France answers, ‘The Abbé Terray always went.’
Philosophism sees, for the first time, a Philosophe (or even a
Philosopher) in office: she in all things will applausively
second him; neither will light old Maurepas obstruct, if he can
easily help it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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