t of duty: in a word, to let it be seen that
rewards and punishments, appointments and dismissals, proceed from
yourself. You will then inspire gratitude by your favours, and fear by
your reproaches; you will then be the object of immediate and personal
attachment, instead of which, everything is now referred to your
Ministers. The confidence in the King, which is habitual to your people,
is shewn by the exclamation, so common among them, 'Ah! if the King knew
it' They love to believe that the King would remedy all their evils, if
he knew of them. But, on the other hand, what sort of ideas must they
form of kings, whose duty it is to be informed of everything, and to
superintend everything, that concerns the public, but who are,
nevertheless, ignorant of everything which the discharge of their
functions requires them to know? 'Rex, roi, regere, regar, conduire'--to
rule, to conduct--these words sufficiently denote their duties. What
would be said of a father who got rid of the charge of his children as of
a burthen?

"A time will come, Sire, when the people shall be enlightened--and that
time is probably approaching. Resume the reins of government, hold them
with a firm hand, and act, so that it cannot be said of you, 'Faeminas et
scorta volvit ammo et haec principatus praemia putat':--Sire, if I see
that my sincere advice should have produced any change, I shall continue
it, and enter into more details; if not, I shall remain silent."

Now that I am upon the subject of anonymous letters to the King, I must
just mention that it is impossible to conceive how frequent they were.
People were extremely assiduous in telling either unpleasant truths, or
alarming lies, with a view to injure others. As an instance, I shall
transcribe one concerning Voltaire, who paid great court to Madame de
Pompadour when he was in France. This letter was written long after the
former.

"Madame--M. de Voltaire has just dedicated his tragedy of Tancred to you;
this ought to be an offering of respect and gratitude; but it is, in
fact, an insult, and you will form the same opinion of it as the public
has done if you read it with attention. You will see that this
distinguished writer appears to betray a consciousness that the subject
of his encomiums is not worthy of them, and to endeavour to excuse
himself for them to the public. These are his words: 'I have seen your
graces and talents unfold themselves from your infancy. At all per