My Memoirs, Vol. III, 1826 to 1830

"The seal Love's dimpling finger hath impress'd Denotes how soft that chin which bears his touch: Her lips, whose kisses pout to leave their nest, Bid man be valiant ere he meri...

Alexander leaves St. Petersburg--His presentiments of his death--The two stars seen at Taganrog--The emperor's illness--His last moments--How they learnt of his death in St. Pet...

M. Villenave's house--The master's despotic rule--The savant's coquetry--Description of the sanctuary of the man of science--I am admitted, thanks to an autograph of _Buonaparte...

Segovia--M. de Tilly--The Alcazar--The doubloons--The castle of M. de la Calprenède and that of a Spanish grandee--The _bourdaloue_--Otero--The Dutchmen again--The Guadarrama--A...

Departure for Spain--Journey from Paris to Bayonne--The treasure--Order of march of the convoy--M. du Saillant--M. de Cotadilla--Irun--Ernani--Salinas--The battalion of _écloppé...

It is most instructive to every philosophic mind to review a past period of time, and to recall that once it was looked forward to as a future. It can then be seen how gradually...

Oudard transmits to me the desires of the Duc d'Orléans--I am appointed assistant librarian--How this saved His Highness four hundred francs--Rivalry with Casimir Delavigne--Pet...

Mesmerism--Experiment during a trance--I submit to being mesmerised--My observation upon it--I myself start to mesmerise--Experiment made in a diligence--Another experiment in t...

Conclusion of _Christine_--A patron, after a fashion--Nodier recommends me to Taylor--The Royal Commissary and the author of _Hécube_--Semi-official reading before Taylor--Offic...

During the period of the first representations of the English actors (which coincided with my evening attendance at the offices of the Secretariat) I made the acquaintance of a...

The lantern_--La Chasse et l'Amour_--Rousseau's part in it--The couplet about the hare--The _couplet de facture_--How there may be hares _and_ hares--Reception at l'Ambigu--My f...

The Emperor Alexander--Letter from Czar Nicolas to Karamsine--History after the style of Suetonius and Saint-Simon--Catherine and Potemkin--Madame Braniska--The cost of the impe...

The Arsenal--Nodier's house--The master's profile--The congress of bibliophiles--The three candles--Debureau--Mademoiselle Mars and Merlin--Nodier's family--His friends--In whic...

Léopoldine--The opinions of the son of the Vendéenne--The Delon conspiracy--Hugo offers Delon shelter--Louis XVIII. bestows a pension of twelve hundred francs on the author of t...

Victor Hugo--His birth--His mother--Les Chassebœuf and les Comet--Captain Hugo--The signification of his name--Victor's godfather--The Hugo family in Corsica--M. Hugo is called...

At the beginning of the preceding chapter we spoke of poets who were prophets; now let us say a little about poets who fought for their craft. And among these, the most undaunte...

The college and the garden of the Feuillantines--Grenadier or general--Victor Hugo's first appearance in public--He obtains honourable mention at the Academy examination--He car...

Alfred de Vigny--The man and his works--Harel, the manager at the Odéon--Downfall of Soulié's _Christine_--Parenthesis about Lassailly--Letter of Harel, with preface by myself a...

Talma's illness--How he would have acted _Tasso_--His nephews--He receives a visit from M. de Quélen--Why his children renounced his faith--His death--_La Noce et l'Enterrement_...

Death of General Foy--His funeral--The _Royal Highness_--Assassination of Paul-Louis Courier--Death of the Emperor Alexander--Comparison of England and Russia--The reason why th...

The Duc d'Orléans has my salary stopped--A scribbler (_folliculaire_)--_Henri III._ and the Censorship--My mother is seized with paralysis--Cazal--Edmond Halphen--A call on the...

Fresh trials of newspaper editors--The _Mouton enragé_--Fontan--Harel's witticism concerning him--The _Fils de l'Homme_ before the Police Court--The author pleads his cause in v...

The painter Lethière--Brutus unveiled by M. Ponsard--Madame Hannemann--Gohier--Andrieux--Renaud--Desgenettes--Larrey, Augereau and the Egyptian mummy--Soldiers of the new school...

The invasion of barbarians--Rehearsals of _Hernani_--Mademoiselle Mars and the lines about the _lion_--The scene over the _portraits_--Hugo takes away from Mademoiselle Mars the...

While Lord Byron's body was being carried from Missolonghi to England, the literary movement in France was steadily progressing. M. Liadière and M. Lemercier each did their best...

The Duc d'Orléans is given the title of _Royal Highness_--The coronation of Charles X.--Account of the ceremony by Madame la Duchesse d'Orléans--Death of Ferdinand of Naples--De...

Byron's childhood--His grief at being lame--Mary Duff--The Malvern fortune-teller--How Byron and Robert Peel became acquainted--Miss Parker--Miss Chaworth--Verses on her portrai...

The success of my first play--My three stories--M. Marie and his orthography--Madame Setier--A bad speculation--The _Pâtre_, by Montvoisin--The _Oreiller_--Madame Desbordes-Valm...

The things that are the greatest enemies to the success of a play --The honesty of Mademoiselle Mars' as an actress--Her dressing-room --The habitués at her supper-parties--Vato...

Soulié at the mechanical saw-mill--His platonic love of gold--I desire to write a drama with him--I translate _Fiesque_--Death of Auguste Lafarge--My pay is increased and my pos...

My mother comes to live with me--A Duc de Chartres born to me--Chateaubriand and M. de Villèle--Epistolary brevity--Re-establishment of the Censorship--A King of France should n...

The reading of _Henri III._ at M. Villenave's and M. Roqueplan's--Another reading at Firmin's--Béranger is present--A few words about his influence and popularity--Effect produc...

While these great events were happening in high political spheres, our humble fortunes were on the wane. The hundred louis that my mother had brought with her had come to an end...

First representation of Soulié's _Roméo et Juliette_--Anaïs and Lockroy--Why French actresses cannot act Juliet--The studies of the Conservatoire--A second _Christine_ at the Th...

Tallancourt and Betz--The café _Hollandais_--My Quiroga cloak--First challenge--A lesson in shooting--The eve of my duel--Analysis of my sensations--My opponent fails to keep hi...

Reading of _Marion Delorme_ at the house of Devéria--Steeplechase of directors--_Marion Delorme_ is stopped by the Censorship--Hugo obtains an audience with Charles X.--His dram...

The day following my victory--_Henri III._ is interdicted--I obtain an audience with M. de Martignac--He removes the interdiction--_Les hommes-obstacles_--The Duc d'Orléans send...

English actors in Paris--Literary importations--_Trente Ans_, or _la Vie d'un Joueur_--The _Hamlet_ of Kemble and Miss Smithson--A bas-relief of Mademoiselle de Fauveau--Visit t...

Citizen-general Barras--Doctor Cabarrus introduces me to him--Barras's only two regrets--His dinners--The Princess de Chimay's footman--Fauche-Borel--The Duc de Bordeaux makes a...

I pass from the Secretarial Department to the Record Office--M. Bichet--Wherein I resemble Piron--My spare time--M. Pieyre and M. Parseval de Grandmaison--A scene missing in _Di...

On 1 January 1824 I was promoted from being one of the supernumerary clerks at twelve hundred francs per annum to the position of being a regular employé at fifteen hundred. I c...

"And none did love him: though to hall and bower He gather'd revellers from far and near, He knew them flatt'rers of the festal hour; The heartless parasites of present cheer. Y...

Byron at Lisbon--How he quarrelled with his own countrymen--His poem _Childe Harold_--His fits of mad folly and subsequent depression--His marriage--His conjugal squabbles--He a...

Victor Hugo--His birth--His mother--Les Chassebœuf and les Cornet--Captain Hugo--The signification of his name--Victor's godfather--The Hugo family in Corsica--M. Hugo is called...

The reading of _Henri III._ at M. Villenave's and M. Roqueplan's--Another reading at Firmin's--Béranger is present--A few words about his influence and popularity--Effect produc...

Léopoldine--The opinions of the son of the Vendéenne--The Delon conspiracy--Hugo offers Delon shelter--Louis XVIII. bestows a pension of twelve hundred francs on the author of t...

The Duc d'Orléans is given the title of _Royal Highness_--The coronation of Charles X.--Account of the ceremony by Madame la Duchesse d'Orléans--Death of Ferdinand of Naples--De...

Talma's illness--How he would have acted _Tasso_--His nephews--He receives a visit from M. de Quélen--Why his children renounced his faith--His death--_La Noce et l'Enterrement_...

My mother comes to live with me--A Duc de Chartres born to me--Chateaubriand and M. de Villèle--Epistolary brevity--Re-establishment of the Censorship--A King of France should n...

The things that are the greatest enemies to the success of a play--The honesty of Mademoiselle Mars as an actress--Her dressing-room--The habitués at her supper-parties--Vatout-...

Soulié at the mechanical saw-mill--His platonic love of gold--I desire to write a drama with him--I translate _Fiesque_--Death of Auguste Lafarge--My pay is increased and my pos...

M. Villenave's house--The master's despotic rule--The savant's coquetry--Description of the sanctuary of the man of science--I am admitted, thanks to an autograph of _Buonaparte...

Conclusion of _Christine_--A patron, after a fashion--Nodier recommends me to Taylor--The Royal Commissary and the author of _Hécube_--Semi-official reading before Taylor--Offic...

Oudard transmits to me the desires of the Duc d'Orléans--I am appointed assistant librarian--How this saved His Highness four hundred francs--Rivalry with Casimir Delavigne--Pet...

First representation of Soulié's _Roméo et Juliette_--Anaïs and Lockroy--Why French actresses cannot act Juliet--The studies of the Conservatoire--A second _Christine_ at the Th...

Segovia--M. de Tilly--The Alcazar--The doubloons--The castle of M. de la Calprenède and that of a Spanish grandee--The _bourdaloue_--Otero--The Dutchmen again--The Guadarrama--A...

The day following my victory--_Henri III._ is interdicted--I obtain an audience with M. de Martignac--He removes the interdiction-_Les hommes-obstacles_--The Duc d'Orléans sends...

Alfred de Vigny--The man and his works--Harel, the manager at the Odéon--Downfall of Soulié's _Christine_--Parenthesis about Lassailly--Letter of Harel, with preface by myself a...

Reading of _Marion Delorme_ at the house of Devéria--Steeplechase of directors--_Marion Delorme_ is stopped by the Censorship--Hugo obtains an audience with Charles X.--His dram...

Byron at Lisbon--How he quarrelled with his own countrymen--His poem _Childe Harold_--His fits of mad folly and subsequent depression--His marriage--His conjugal squabbles--He a...

The college and the garden of the Feuillantines--Grenadier or general--Victor Hugo's first appearance in public--He obtains honourable mention at the Academy examination--He car...

Citizen-general Barras--Doctor Cabarrus introduces me to him--Barras's only two regrets--His dinners--The Princess de Chimay's footman--Fauche-Borel--The Duc de Bordeaux makes a...

The painter Lethière--Brutus unveiled by M. Ponsard--Madame Hannemann--Gohier--Andrieux--Renaud--Desgenettes--Larrey, Augereau and the Egyptian mummy--Soldiers of the new school...

Alexander leaves St. Petersburg--His presentiments of his death--The two stars seen at Taganrog--The emperor's illness--His last moments--How they learnt of his death in St. Pet...

English actors in Paris--Literary importations--_Trente Ans_, or _la Vie d'un Joueur_--The _Hamlet_ of Kemble and Miss Smithson--A bas-relief of Mademoiselle de Fauveau--Visit t...

Mesmerism--Experiment during a trance--I submit to being mesmerised--My observation upon it--I myself start to mesmerise--Experiment made in a diligence--Another experiment in t...

Byron's childhood--His grief at being lame--Mary Duff--The Malvern fortune-teller--How Byron and Robert Peel became acquainted--Miss Parker--Miss Chaworth--Verses on her portrai...

Fresh trials of newspaper editors--The _Mouton-enragé_--Fontan--Harel's witticism concerning him--The _Fils de l'Homme_ before the Police Court--The author pleads his cause in v...

The Emperor Alexander--Letter from Czar Nicolas to Karamsine--History after the style of Suetonius and Saint-Simon--Catherine and Potemkin--Madame Braniska--The cost of the impe...

The lantern--_Le Chasse et l'Amour_--Rousseau's part in it--The couplet about the hare--The _couplet de facture_--How there may be hares _and_ hares--Reception at l'Ambigu--My f...

The invasion of barbarians--Rehearsals of _Hernani_--Mademoiselle Mars and the lines about the _lion_--The scene over the _portraits_--Hugo takes away from Mademoiselle Mars the...

The Duc d'Orléans has my salary stopped--A scribbler (_folliculaire_)--_Henri III._ and the Censorship--My mother is seized with paralysis--Cazal--Edmond Halphen--A call on the...

The Arsenal--Nodier's house--The master's profile--The congress of bibliophiles--The three candles--Debureau--Mademoiselle Mars and Merlin--Nodier's family--His friends--In whic...

Tallancourt and Betz--The café _Hollandais_--My Quiroga cloak--First challenge--A lesson in shooting--The eve of my duel--Analysis of my sensations--My opponent fails to keep hi...

Death of General Foy--His funeral--The _Royal Highness_--Assassination of Paul-Louis Courier--Death of the Emperor Alexander--Comparison of England and Russia--The reason why th...

Departure for Spain--Journey from Paris to Bayonne--The treasure--Order of march of the convoy--M. du Saillant--M. de Cotadilla--Irun--Ernani--Salinas--The battalion of _écloppé...

I pass from the Secretarial Department to the Record Office--M. Bichet--Wherein I resemble Piron--My spare time--M. Pieyre and M. Parseval de Grandmaison--A scene missing in _Di...