o control them; and the day will soon return
when, either to promote good or restrain evil, defined convictions and
intentions, strongly and openly expressed, are indispensable to the
heads of government. M. de Villele was not endowed with these qualities.
His mind was accurate, rather than expanded; he had more ingenuity than
vigour, and he yielded to his party when he could no longer direct it.
"I am born for the end of revolutions," he exclaimed when arriving at
power, and he judged himself well; but he estimated less correctly the
general state of society: the Revolution was much further from its end
than he believed; it was continually reviving round him, excited and
strengthened by the alternately proclaimed and concealed attempts of
the counter-principle. People had ceased to conspire; but they
discussed, criticized, and contended with undiminished ardour in the
legitimate field. There were no longer secret associations, but opinions
which fermented and exploded on every side. And, in this public
movement, impassioned resistance was chiefly directed against the
preponderance and pretensions of the fanatically religious party. One of
the most extraordinary infatuations of our days has been the blindness
of this party to the fact that the conditions under which they acted,
and the means they employed, were directly opposed to the end in view,
and leading from rather than conducting to it. They desired to restrain
liberty, to control reason, to impose faith; they talked, wrote, and
argued; they sought and found arms in the system of inquiry and
publicity which they denounced. Nothing could be more natural or
legitimate on the part of believers who have full confidence in their
creed, and consider it equal to the conversion of its adversaries. The
latter are justified in recurring to the discussion and publicity which
they expect to serve their cause. But those who consider publicity and
free discussion as essentially mischievous, by appealing to these
resources, foment themselves the movement they dread, and feed the fire
they wish to extinguish. To prove themselves not only consistent, but
wise and effective, they should obtain by other means the strength on
which they rely: they should gain the mastery; and then, when they have
silenced all opposition, let them speak alone, if they still feel the
necessity of speaking. But until they have arrived at this point, let
them not deceive themselves; by adopting the weapon