MADAME DE STAEL AND NAPOLEON BONAPAETE. 277 under despotism ; it concerns us to examine at what prico it is purchased." The longest passage suppressed was one in which sho maintained that a public man should never retain his place for an instant, when he could no longer hold it with honor. " Let him but begin to negotiate with circumstance^ and all is lost ; for there is no one who has not circum- stances. Some men have a wife, children, nephews, foi whom a fortune is necessary. Others need activity occupation, and possess I know not how many virtues, which all conduce to the necessity of having a place, with money and power attached to it." This passage, Madame De Stael records, provoked the censors to extreme ill-humor. They said that, if these remarks were true, no man could obtain, nor even ask, a place. Out with it all ! The paragraph, however, that kindled their highest indignation, was a little burst of eloquence which closed the book : " 0, France ! land of glory and love ! if ever enthusiasm should be extinguished upon thy soil — if ever cold calcula tion should dispose of everything, and reasoning alone inspire contempt of peril — what would avail thy beautiful sky, thy genius so brilliant, thy nature so affluent ? An active intelligence and a wise impetuosity would indeed render thee master of the world ; but thou would st leave upon it only the trace of sand-torrents, terrible as the waves, arid as the desert ! " This, too, was suppressed. The publisher having sub- mitted to every exaction of the censors, supposed it was safe to proceed. The work was put in type, and ten thousand copies were printed. Suddenly the printing office was surrounded by soldiers, and an officer entered, who announced that he was ordered to destroy every copy. He obeyed the order, and, it is said, died of fatigue
