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Updated: June 18, 2025
It was this curious early observation of evolving keramic art that made Goguet an anthropologist born out of due season first hit upon that luminous theory of the origin of pottery now all but universally accepted. Plenty of evidence to the same effect is now forthcoming for the modern inquirer.
The prisoner seemed to thoroughly enjoy the recollection of the scene he had described, for he now burst into another hearty laugh, to the great amazement of Lecoq, and the scandal of Goguet, the smiling clerk. M. Segmuller also found it difficult to conceal his surprise.
On one occasion, he says, 'When I was so bad that I thought I should have gone distracted, I shut myself up, and for three days studied all the most abstruse works that I could find on the origin of government and society, such as Godwin, Goguet, Rousseau, et cætera, from seven in the morning till twelve at night, which quite set me up again. 'Natural history, at another time he tells his sister, 'is my principal pursuit at present, and from half-past six in the morning to twelve at night I am incessantly at work, with the exception of about two hours for exercise, and two more for meals.
As for the versatile Goguet he returned with increased conviction to his former opinion, that the prisoner had the advantage over his accusers. "How unfortunate," remarked the governor of the Depot, with a shade of sarcasm in his voice, "that so much trouble, and such marvelous penetration, should be wasted!"
"Ah!" exclaimed the clerk, whose smile had disappeared, "If I were in your place, sir, I would only let him in here with an escort of soldiers." "What! you Goguet, you, an old clerk make such a proposition! Can it be that you're frightened?" "Frightened! No, certainly not; but " "Nonsense!" interrupted Lecoq, in a tone that betrayed superlative confidence in his own muscles; "Am I not here?"
"He did not say that." "Reflect a moment; you, yourself just told me so." "Oh, I didn't say that, I'm sure, my good sir." "Yes, you did, and I will prove it by having your evidence read. Goguet, read the passage, if you please."
"But for that supposition, your words would have been meaningless?" "What words?" The magistrate turned to his clerk: "Goguet," said he, "read the last remark you took down." In a monotonous voice, the smiling clerk repeated: "I should like to kill the person who dared to say that I knew Lacheneur." "Well, then!" insisted M. Segmuller, "what did you mean by that?"
His thoughts had gone no further when Goguet, the smiling clerk, boldly broke the silence with the trite remark: "What a pity such a clever comedy didn't succeed." These words startled the magistrate from his reverie. "Yes, a shameful farce," said he, "and one I would never have authorized, had I not been blinded by a mad longing to arrive at the truth.
Soc., II. vii. Goguet was much nearer to a true conception of this kind; see, for instance, Origine des Lois, i. 46. Decree of the Committee, April 20, 1794, reported by Billaud-Varennes. Compare ch. iv. of Rousseau's Considérations sur le Gouvernement de Pologne.
Thus, it frequently happened that while some unsuspecting culprit was complacently congratulating himself upon getting the best of the judge, the poor wretch was really being turned inside out like a glove. By the side of such a man as M. Segmuller a grave and slender clerk would have excited distrust; so he had chosen one who was a caricature of himself. This clerk's name was Goguet.
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