Gibbon, F: Public Characters of Europe, Vol. 2

Excerpt from The Public Characters of Europe, Vol. 2: Containing the Lives of All the Eminent Men Now Living, Who Have Performed Conspicuous Parts in the Political Transactions of the Last Twenty-Five Years, Forming a Complete History of the Late War

Louis Stanislaus Xavier, king,of,france and Navarre, was born on the 17th of November 1755, and was soon after created Count de Provence. His father, who was Dauphin of France, and aim of Louis XV. Died before he inherited the throne; his first son, therefore, the unfortunate Louis XVI. And brother to his resent Ma jesty, inherited his claims. During his brotiier's reign, his present Majesty, according to the established custom Of the F re'n'ch m'onarchy, was styled Monsieur, as being the next brother to the King. At the time he arrived at the age of manhood,' the court of France was distin gulshad by all that corruption of manners which ages of refinement had given birth to; but, in all the voluptuous ness of the times, Louis XVIII. Was remarkable for the strictness of his morals and his temperate habits. In this respect he formed a striking contrast to his younger brother the Count d'artois, who gave himself up freely to all the pleasures of the court.' This remarkable difference between the. Habits of the two brothers, we are told, produced a shyness between them, which was greatly increased by their matrimonial connexions; for having married sisters, Madame was extremely jealous andluneasy in having no family, while the Countess d'artois was the mother ofa most promising, one. The clouds and misfortunes which hung over their house, however, produced a different effect than could be given by days Of prosperity; and, whatever little differences and jealousies might subsist between the branches of this illustrious family, they soon gave way to a sense'of com mon danger, arising from the turbulence of factions, and the storms that were thickly gathering around them.

It is here that we intend to investigate the causes, and to describe the progress, of that extraordinary revolution Which terminated so fatally to the illustrious brother of the' subject of our present biography, and so destructive to the best and dearest interests of the Bourbon family. A long 'train of oppression, for a considerable period before the accession of Louis XVI. Had prepared the French peo ple to shake off the yoke of domestic tyranny. For a long time France had been. Governed by an aristocracy, whose various members were feebly united'by the eu thority of a succession of kings destitute of*power or in¿uence. The nobles enjoyed privileges, nothing shor.

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