Mirabeau
Mirabeau. By Everts Scudder. (Arthur Barker. 108.) WHERE the subject is still so comparatively unhaekneyed as Mirabeau, a good popular biography like Mr. Scudder's deserves a welcome.
Mirabeau ranks as one of the striking failures of history ; and in spite of the modern prejudice (which Mr. Scudder shares) in favour of rakes, it is clear that Mirabeau's failure was due not to any lack of intelligence, or political sense, or political ambition (he had all three in a high degree), but purely and simply to his disreputable character. Even those who needed him, and even those who were conscious of his personal charm, never fully trusted him. Lafayette, who owed him much, called him " an active and artful rascal " ; and Rivarol declared that he was " capable of anything for money, even of a good action." The ambition of Mirabeau, whose historical career is limited to the first two years of the French Revolution, was to mediate between the royal power and the " generous fury " of the mob. It was an intelligent, and perhaps at this stage a possible, policy. But the first requisite in a mediator is to inspire confidence ; and Mirabeau's attempt was doomed to failure long before it was brought to an end by his premature death. The most novel and most interesting chapters of Mr. Scudder's book are those dealing with Mirabeau's early life. His precocious vigour soon brought him into conflict with a ruthless father, determined at all costs to uphold paternal authority as it was understood in eighteenth- century France. Yet it is difficult to feel unreserved sympathy for the son.
Mr. &kidder has done his best to invest the most famous of Mirabeau's love affairs with a suitable halo of sentiment.
But if Mirabeau had some of the impulses of a knight-errant, these were oddly blended with the impulses of the common cad ; and it was generally the latter which in the last resort came uppermost.
E. H. CARR.
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