ed its historical character. In the first place,
and above all others, may be named, the good and evil passions of the
Royalists, their moral convictions and personal resentments, their love
of order and thirst for vengeance, their pride in the past and their
apprehensions for the future, their determination to re-establish honour
and respect for holy observances, their old attachments, their sworn
pledges, and the gratification of lording it over their conquerors. To
the violence of passion was joined a prudent calculation of advantage.
To strengthen their party, and to advance individual fortunes, it was
essential for the new rulers of France to possess themselves everywhere
of place and power; therein lay the field to be worked, and the
territory to be occupied, in order to reap the entire fruits of victory.
Finally must be added, the empire of ideas, more influential than is
commonly supposed, and often exercising more power over men, without
their being conscious of it, than prejudice or interest. After so many
years of extraordinary events and disputes, the Royalists had, on all
political and social questions, systematic views to realize, historical
reminiscences to act upon, requirements of the mind to satisfy. They
hastened to apply their hands to the work, believing the day at last
arrived when they could, once more, assume in their own land, morally as
well as physically, in thought and deed, the superiority which had so
long been wrested from them.

As it happens in every great crisis of human associations, these
opposing principles in the reaction of 1815, had each its special and
exclusively effective representative in the ranks of the Royalists. The
party had their fighting champion, their political advocate, and their
philosopher. M. de la Bourdonnaye led their passions, M. de Villele
their interests, and M. de Bonald their ideas; three men well suited to
their parts, for they excelled respectively, the first in fiery attack,
the second in prudent and patient manoeuvring, and the third in
specious, subtle, and elevated exposition; and all three, although
unconnected by any previous intimacy, applied their varied talents with
unflinching perseverance to the common cause.

And what, after all, was the cause? What was, in reality, the end which
the leaders of the party, apparently on the very verge of success,
proposed to themselves? Had they been inclined to speak sincerely, they
would have found it very d