Philosophical Dictionary (Vol. 2)

he was forgotten at the end of his life, how little the consideration that people seek with such care actually amounts to, and how happy are those who wish to live and die unknown. This knowledge would be more useful than that of dates.

A MINOR ANECDOTE.

It matters very little whether the Pierre Broussel for whom the barricades were built was a clerical councilor original: "conseiller clerc". The fact is that he had bought a position as a clerical councilor because he was not rich, and those offices cost less than the others. He had children and was not a cleric in any sense. I know of nothing so useless as knowing such trifles.

ANECDOTE REGARDING THE TESTAMENT ATTRIBUTED TO CARDINAL DE RICHELIEU.

Father Grifet wants at all costs for Cardinal de Richelieu to have written a bad book: very well; so many statesmen have done so! But it is a fine passion to fight for so long to try to prove that, according to Cardinal de Richelieu, the Spaniards, our allies, governed so happily by a Bourbon, are tributaries of hell, and render the Indies tributaries of hell. The testament of Cardinal de Richelieu was not written by a polite man.

“That France had more good ports on the Mediterranean than the entire Spanish monarchy.” This testament was given to exaggeration.