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She is just what you would expect a weak American girl to be who was poisoned by Paris, who mistook what was most obvious for what was most characteristic, whose ideas of foreign society and female habits were based upon an experience of resorts, more renowned for ease than elegance, who has no instinct fine enough to tell her that a lionne cannot be a lady, who imitates the worst manners of foreign society, without the ability or opportunity of perceiving the best, who prefers a double entendre to a bon-mot, who courts the applause of men whose acquaintance gentlemen are careless of acknowledging, who likes fast driving and dancing, low jokes, and low dresses, who is, therefore, bold without wit, noisy without mirth, and notorious without a desirable reputation.
Scholars and the higher classes can talk eloquently of Corneille and Racine; the beaux and spirituelle women of the day can repeat and enjoy the last hit of Scribe, or the new bon-mot of the theatre: but contrast these results with the national love and appreciation of Shakspeare, with the permanent reflection of Spanish life in Lope de Vega, the patriotic aspirations which the young Italian broods over in the tragedies of Alfieri.
Somers; "and I do not well see how that can be done without allowing what many people do in practice, though not in theory that it is right, and becoming, and prudent, to sacrifice a friend for a bon-mot." The angry emphasis, and pointed manner, in which Mrs. Somers spoke these words, terrified and completely abashed Emilie, who saw that something more was meant than met the ear.
The general being of Sterne's opinion, that a bon-mot is always worth more than a pinch of snuff, gave the ingenious dreamer the value of her dream. Innumerable instances might be quoted of the Hibernian genius, not merely for repartee, but for what the Italians call pasquinade. We shall cite only one, which is already so well known in Ireland, that we cannot be found guilty of publishing a libel.
The Wits who will not condescend to utter anything but a bon-mot, and the Whistlers or Tune-hummers, who never articulate at all, may be joined very agreeably together in concert; and to these tinkling cymbals I would also add the sounding brass, the Bawler, who inquires after your health with the bellowing of a town-crier.
"Yes," said Sir P , "so many live by their wits in Paris, that even the marquis of the mob might have his chance; but a bon-mot actually saved, within these few days, one even so obnoxious as a bishop from being sus. per coll. In the general system of purifying the church by hanging the priests, the rabble of the Palais Royal seized the Bishop of Autun, and were proceeding to treat him
Walpole says, "It was evidently designed for a small altar-piece to a chapel; in the middle on a throne sits the Virgin and child; on one side kneels an elderly gentleman with two sons, one of them a naked infant opposite kneeling are his wife and daughters." There is recorded a bon-mot of Sir Thomas on the birth of his son.
Reminding me of my early declaration at my father's table against the naturalization of the Jews, and the bon-mot I had made, and the toast I had drunk, and the pledge I had given, Mowbray easily engaged me to join him against the Jew boy; and a zealous partisan against Jacob I became, canvassing as if my life had depended upon this point.
Macrobius tells us that Cicero, by the happiness of a bon-mot, brought the accused off safely, though he was manifestly guilty. He adds also that Cicero took care not to allow the joke to appear in the published edition of his speech. There are parts of the speech which have been preserved, and are sufficiently amusing even to us.
Perhaps it was this to which you alluded when you said that the King of Prussia was not the only person who would not hesitate to sacrifice a friend for a bon-mot. What injustice you do me by such an idea! I will not here say one word about my gratitude or my affection, lest you should again reproach me with hypocrisy any thing else I am able to bear. Pray write, if you will not speak to me.
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