The Love Of Country

"Vinet," in speaking of the ChancellCr D'Aguesseau, says : "He was once tragicul, or, at least, eloquent. The spirit of liberty maintained by the reading of the aucients, and by parliamentary traditions, were stirred up in the pas sages on the Love of Country, delivcred two months after the death of Louis XIV. Two months before, he could not have given utterance to auch words. The term country does not occur ttviee in the writers of the seventeenth century. When Raoine uses it, it i.s under cover of a subject taken from the Greek theatre ; perhaps it is found also in Boil eau. By crusliing parliaraent, the great King had, as it were, stifled the patriotic pirit; but this spirit lived in D'Agues seau, and to hini the king waS not the state " "From the Love of Country : " Sacred tie of the authority of kings, and the obedieuce of the people - the love of country should unite all their desirea. But does this love, almost natural to man, does the virtue, which we know by ieeliug, praise by reason, and should follow from interest, cast its roots deep into our heart ? Aud should we not say that ii is like a strange plant in inonarcbies, aud that it only grows luxuriantly, aod makea its precious fruit be tasted, in república ?" "In these the citizen is accustomed early, nay, almost at his birth, t'„ regard the fortune of the state as identified with Lis owu. That perfect equality, and tha! species of civic frateruity which ! makes all the citizens ouly, as it were a singlo l'amily, gives to them all an equal interest ia the good and evil of their The f ate of the vessel, of which every one thiuks bimself the pilot, could not be a matter of indiffereuce. The love of country becomes a species of sell love. They truly love 1 bemselves in the love of the republic, au4, they come, at laft, to love it more themselves. " The inflexible Roman sacrifioes his children to the safety of the republic; he orders their puuishment ; he does more - he sees it executed. The fatber is absolved, and, as it were, annihilated in the coüsul. JNature shudders at it, but country, strouger than nature, be í-tows upon bim ae uiany cliildrcQ as the citizeus, whom he [ireserved by the loss of his owq offspnuff. " Shall we tbeu.be reduced to seek the love of country in popular states, aud perhaps iu the ruins of aneicut Rome ? Is the safety of each citizan in the countries whioh only known a single m aster ? Will it be necessary to teach men iu theui to love a country wliich gives or preserves to them all vrhich they lovu iu their othur teuefits? J3ut shall we be surprised at this ? How many there are who live aud die without even knowiug whether tbere is euch a LbJDg ae country 'i " Kreed frorn the care, and deprived of the honor of governmeut, they regard the fortune of the state ad a vessel tbat floats at the will of ita master, and for bioi alone is saved or lost. We sleep with full confidence in the pilot who guides us. If any unexpected storm awakos us, it only rouses ub t.o make poworless vows and rash complaints whieli tnerely annoy him who holds the helm ; snd sometimos even, whon we tand as. idlo spectators of the shipwrock of our oountry, so great it' our folly, that we console ourselves with thu pleasure of reviling thoso by whom it was occasioned A brilliant stroke of satire, wlione severity gratifies us by itsnovelty, or delights us by its malignity, is an iodeiniiification for all public misfortunes ; and it might bc said tbat we sought rather to avenue onr country by criti cisrn, than to defend it by our services."