_Latin Verse on Franklin_ (Vol. iv., p. 443.; Vol. v., p. 17.).--The
line on Franklin--
"Eripuit coelo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis,"
was written by Turgot, Louis XVI.'s minister and controller-general of
finance. This verse, however, so happily applied to the American
philosopher and statesman's double title to renown, is merely the
modification of one in the _Anti-Lucretius_ of Cardinal Polignac, the
37th of the first book, "Eripuitgue Jovi fulmen, Phoeboque sagittas,"
which again had for its model that of Marcus Manilius, a poet of the
Augustan age. It is the 104th of his _Astronomicon_, where he says of
Epicurus (lib. v.), "Eripuitque Jovi fulmen, viresque Tonanti." This
appears to be the original source of the phrase, so far as I could trace
it. Turgot, though highly appreciated by his sovereign, and promoted to
the prime ministry in consequence, was only suffered to hold the
responsible situation for a short time, from August, 1774, to May, 1776,
when he fell a sacrifice to court intrigues, which the weak king had not
the energy to resist, while emphatically saying, "Il n'y a que Turgot et
moi qui aimions le peuple." This eminent statesman's advocacy of the
freedom of commerce, state economy, and general liberty of the subject,
exposed him not only to courtly but to popular hostility. The French
were certainly ill prepared for such innovations on their policy or
habits, nor, I may add, even now, notwithstanding the constantly
alternating schemes of government, from despotic to constitutional, in
the long interposed period, do they appear fully to appreciate, or
anxious to introduce these desirable improvements.