y accident, a democrat in principle and a dictator
in ambition, the shield of the monarch and the sword of the people, he
was placed exactly between the contending powers of the age. He was the
arbiter between royalty and revolt: on the one side he acquired the
obedience of the sovereign through his fears, and on the other he
obtained the allegiance of the multitude through their aspirations. His
supremacy occupied at the same moment the palace, the legislative
chamber, and the marketplace; for all recognised _in_ him the omen of
their good fortune, and _through_ him, the realisation of their wishes.
Flattered by the minions of the monarchy, applauded by the members of
the National Assembly, and idolised by the mob, his influence rested, as
it were, upon a triple foundation. And yet, by a contradiction as
remarkable as the anomalies of his own character, all parties were
disposed to rejoice at the probability of his departure. The King was
gratified at the thought of his removal, forasmuch as Mirabeau was the
impersonation of a formidable sedition; the political adventurers
exulted in the prospect of his decease, because he monopolised
popularity, and rendered them insignificant by the contrast of his
colossal genius; the people, in like manner, were, not altogether
displeased at the notion of his extinction, because he appeared to them
the only obstacle between themselves, and the supreme authority. All
valued him as their present preserver, and all hated him as their future
impediment. Such were the conflicting sentiments entertained towards
Mirabeau, during the last incidents of his eccentric and volatile
career. And in the midst of so many antagonistic interests, he alone
remained unshaken and unappalled, his oratory rendering him still the
mouth-piece of the Revolution, his duplicity its diplomatist, and his
intellectual contrivance its statesman. Nor was he satisfied with these
successes; he sought others, and was equally fortunate. Profligacy and
legislation equally divided his enthusiasm between them, and proved him
to be not only the most daring politician, but the most debauched
citizen in France. His power and popularity had now, however, reached
their apogee, and Honore-Gabriel Riquetti Comte de Mirabeau was
stretched upon his deathbed.

Cagliostro approached the couch and listened, for the great demagogue
was speaking. His voice was harsh even in a murmur, though it still
retained, according to Lemercier, "