TALLEMANT DES BEAUX, teiPntlits' dtt GgatoN (1619-92). A French writer, born at La Rochelle, and connected through his mother with the famous Rambouillet family. He took his degrees in law, but refused to fulfill his father's wish that he should go into the magis tracy. He employed his leisure in literary work, wrote verses in the taste of the time, and began a tragedy of CEdipc. But he is chiefly remem bered by his Historiettes, a series of biographi cal, anecdotal, and character sketches of con temporary personages. Light, witty, somewhat cynical, and usually less restrained than modern taste demands, they are an invaluable document of the period, and particularly of the HOtel de Rambouillet. They have been collected by Mon inerque, Levavasseur (1840), and Techener (1860). Tallement also began the ilentoires de la "legatee d'Anne d'Austrichc, intended to throw light upon the administration of Cardinal Maza rin. These, however, have not come down to us.
rggorf, CHARLES MAURICE, Duke de, Prince of Benevento ( ) . A French states man, born in Paris. His father was an officer in the French Army, and fought through the Seven Years' War. Charles Maurice was the eldest son; on account of an accident in infancy which rendered him lame for life, he was trained for the Church at Saint Sulpice, the Sorbonne, and Rheims. He showed brilliant tal ents, but neither moral purpose nor a calling for the Church. He obtained, however, several ec clesiastical benefices, among them the abbacy of Saint Denis, in the diocese of Rheims (1775), in the year of his ordination. Appointed agent general for the clergy in 1780, a lucrative and important post which brought him into close connection with the Government, he began a serious apprenticeship in public business. leading at the same time a notoriously licentious life. In 1788 his administrative abilities secured for him the bishopric of Autun. As representative of his diocese in the States-General of 1789. he favored uniting with the Third Estate, and thus won the good will of the popular party. He was appointed one of the commission to draw up a constitution for the nation. Ile assisted in fram ing the Declaration of Rights; proposed, October 10, 1789, the confiscation of Church property as belonging of right to the nation; and on Febru ary 16, 1790. he became president of the National Assembly. He was among the first of his order to take the oath to obey the Constitution, and urged the clergy of his diocese to follow his ex ample. Excommunicated by the Pope. he was compelled to resign his bishopric. in January, 1792, Talleyrand was sent to London in a semi official capacity, the object of his mission being to conciliate England. It was, however, suspected that he was a person 'disposed to serve the King,' and he was put on the list of e'atigres. lie remained in England until January, 1794, then spent more than a year in the United States, and after the fall of the Terrorists procured the revocation of his banishment, and in March, 1796, reentered Paris, having paved the way for a favorable re ception by a series of the most adroit and judi cious intrigues. He attached himself to the group of constitutionalists and in 1797, mainly through the influence of Nme. de StAl, was named Minister of Foreign Affairs.
With his usual shrewdness Talleyrand saw the significance of the rise of Napoleon Bona parte, attached himself to the fortunes of the young Corsican, and became his ally and con fidant in the coop of the 18th Brumaire, which resulted in the overthrow of the Directory. After
this Talleyrand, who had been reappointed Min ister of Foreign Affairs by Bonaparte. directed his whole effort toward consolidating the power and authority of his master. In the diplo matic negotiations that followed the Vic tories of France under the Consulate he had the principal part; he was the prime mover in the seizure and execution of the Duke d'Enghien, and assisted in the establishment of the Empire and in the organization of the Confederation of the Rhine. For these services he was made Prince of Benevento in 1806. Ile opposed Na poleon's disastrous policy with regard to Eng land, and soon after Tilsit (1807) laid down his office as Foreign Minister, and after some in triguing retired from active life (1809), resid ing on his estates, and preparing for the turn of the tide. When after the French disasters of 1812 Europe rose against Napoleon Talleyrand became the centre of a group of malcontents, whose influence grew with the advance of the allied armies, and finally communications were opened with the Bourbons. Talleyrand dictated to the Senate the terms of the deposition of Na poleon; and on the restoration of the Bourbons he became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Government of Louis XVIII. He represented France at the Congress of Vienna and played there a game of masterly politics, working on the jealousies of the powers, and by appealing to the principle of legitimacy gaining solid advantages for France. He had succeeded in bringing about a secret alliance between Austria. Great Britain, and France against Russia and Prussia when Napoleon's return from Elba shattered his plans. Henceforth he had little part in public affairs. lie resumed the office of Foreign Minister in Nay, 1814. after the restoration. but soon re signed, owing to the hostility of the old nobility.
After the .July Revolution Louis Philippe em ployed him as Ambassador at the English Court, where he contrived to bring about a friendly feel ing between the new monarchy and the English Government, and negotiated the Quadruple Alli ance of 1834 between France,Great Britain,Spain, and Portugal. lie returned to France in 1835, and died at Valencay, May 17, 1838. Talleyrand stands out preeminently as the type of the un scrupulous diplomat and politician. A skeptic in religion and a cynic in morals, he possessed a remarkable insight into the grosser nature of man and almost unexampled adroitness for play ing on the lower motives. He had a rare talent for caustic epigram, and his disillusioned view of human nature is attested by numerous witty say ings which have become part of the world's nar rower wisdom.
The Me/noires of a man of Talleyrand's keen perceptions and close contact with great events necessarily have considerable historical value. His plan was to have them published thirty years after his death, but at that time it was de cided to postpone their publication, and they were finally issued in five volumes (Paris) in 1889-91. Consult, in addition to general works on the period: Bastide, Vie religieuse et politigue de Talleyrand (Paris, 1838) ; Correspondance du prince de Talleyrand et du roi Louis XVIII. pendant lc congres de Vienne (ib., 1881) ; Sorel, Essais d'hist-oire et de critique—Talleyrand au congrals de Vienne (ib., 1883) ; Sainte-Beuve, "Talleyrand," in Nouveaux Landis, vol. xii. (ib., 1872).