as he sits sluggish, overtoiled, by his evening hearth, one idea has
come: that of Chateaus burnt; of Chateaus combustible. How altered all
Coffeehouses, in Province or Capital! The Antre de Procope has now
other questions than the Three Stagyrite Unities to settle; not
theatre-controversies, but a world-controversy: there, in the ancient
pigtail mode, or with modern Brutus' heads, do well-frizzed logicians
hold hubbub, and Chaos umpire sits. The ever-enduring Melody of Paris
Saloons has got a new ground-tone: ever-enduring; which has been heard,
and by the listening Heaven too, since Julian the Apostate's time and
earlier; mad now as formerly.

Ex-Censor Suard, Ex-Censor, for we have freedom of the Press; he may be
seen there; impartial, even neutral. Tyrant Grimm rolls large eyes,
over a questionable coming Time. Atheist Naigeon, beloved disciple
of Diderot, crows, in his small difficult way, heralding glad dawn.
(Naigeon: Addresse a l'Assemblee Nationale (Paris, 1790) sur la liberte
des opinions.) But, on the other hand, how many Morellets, Marmontels,
who had sat all their life hatching Philosophe eggs, cackle now, in a
state bordering on distraction, at the brood they have brought out!
(See Marmontel, Memoires, passim; Morellet, Memoires, &c.) It was so
delightful to have one's Philosophe Theorem demonstrated, crowned in the
saloons: and now an infatuated people will not continue speculative, but
have Practice?

There also observe Preceptress Genlis, or Sillery, or
Sillery-Genlis,--for our husband is both Count and Marquis, and we
have more than one title. Pretentious, frothy; a puritan yet creedless;
darkening counsel by words without wisdom! For, it is in that
thin element of the Sentimentalist and Distinguished-Female that
Sillery-Genlis works; she would gladly be sincere, yet can grow no
sincerer than sincere-cant: sincere-cant of many forms, ending in the
devotional form. For the present, on a neck still of moderate whiteness,
she wears as jewel a miniature Bastille, cut on mere sandstone, but
then actual Bastille sandstone. M. le Marquis is one of d'Orleans's
errandmen; in National Assembly, and elsewhere. Madame, for her part,
trains up a youthful d'Orleans generation in what superfinest morality
one can; gives meanwhile rather enigmatic account of fair Mademoiselle
Pamela, the Daughter whom she has adopted. Thus she, in Palais Royal
saloon;--whither, we remark, d'Orleans himself, spite of Lafayette, has