some of the articles.  The Encyclopedists, under pretence of enlightening mankind, are sapping the foundations of religion.  All the different kinds of liberty are connected; the Philosophers and the Protestants tend towards republicanism, as well as the Jansenists.  The Philosophers strike at the root, the others lop the branches; and their efforts, without being concerted, will one day lay the tree low.  Add to these the Economists, whose object is political liberty, as that of the others is liberty of worship, and the Government may find itself, in twenty or thirty years, undermined in every direction, and will then fall with a crash.  If Your Majesty, struck by this picture, but too true, should ask me for a remedy, I should say, that it is necessary to bring back the Government to its principles, and, above all, to lose no time in restoring order to the state of the finances, because the embarrassments incident to a country in a state of debt necessitate fresh taxes, which, after grinding the people, induce them towards revolt.  It is my opinion that Your Majesty would do well to appear more among your people; to shew your approbation of useful services, and your displeasure of errors and prevarications, and neglect 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, regir, 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, Foeminas et scorta volvit animo et hoec principatus proemia 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.