This Memoir (see pp. 116-18 and note 312) is noticed by M. de Broglie,
who rejects it as--
(i.) Probably unauthentic; as it has not been discovered by him or by
M. Zevort among the ordinary sources; and
(ii.) Certainly unimportant; since it is nowhere referred to, as it
assuredly would have been, in d'Argenson's Memoirs.
Now (i.) unless there existed, not merely this Memoir, but the whole
policy of which it may have been a part, a considerable portion of
the "Mémoires du Ministère" becomes unintelligible. That policy is
constantly referred to throughout Book I., Art. 4 (Rathery, IV. pp.
239-66); and it is mentioned occasionally in the "Mémoires" of 1746,
and in d'Argenson's Journal after he had ceased to be minister. Such a
document, therefore, may naturally exist.
(ii.) This Memoir is given in Flassan, "Histoire de la Diplomatie
Française," V. pp. 242-45 (published [second edition] in 1811).
It deals with facts and not with ideas, and so cannot at once be
recognised as d'Argenson's.
(iii.) On turning to the pages which precede the Memoir, we feel we are
strangely familiar with M. Flassan's text. The fact is explained by a
comparison with Rathery, Vol. IV. We find, for instance, that Flassan,
V. pp. 236-41, is positively little else than a verbal transcription
from d'Argenson, "Mémoires du Ministère," I. Art. 4 (Rathery, IV. pp.
239-66). It is not a question of the use of an authority, but simply
of the wholesale appropriation of his text. It is generally given in
inverted commas, though the source does not appear to be mentioned;
but in Flassan, V. p. 239, we find a paragraph, beginning "Quoique
véritablement" (Rathery, IV. pp. 256-57), and two entire pages, "La
Savoie," &c., pp. 240-42 (cf. Rathery, IV. pp. 257, 259-60), bodily
transferred without acknowledgment, M. Flassan securing his interest
in the whole by occasionally changing a word or an expression. An
example of the process is a sentence, taken haphazard, on Flassan, V.
p. 240; in four lines of letter-press the only alterations are "dans"
(for d'Argenson's "sur"), and "domaine de l'Autriche" (for d'Argenson's
"domaine autrichienne"; see Rathery, IV. p. 259, line 21). In fact,
the whole account of the early part of d'Argenson's ministry is a
conscientious copy of d'Argenson's text, M. Flassan confining himself
to the transposition, or occasional omission, of paragraphs, and the
changing of unimportant words. The transcription is from the original
manuscripts then in possession of the d'Argenson family, and afterwards
in the Library of the Louvre; and it was executed about fifty years
before the editions either of Jannet or Rathery were issued from the
press.
(iv.) The question suggested by the preceding is, how far is M.
Flassan's account, and therefore presumably the Memoir in question,
derived, borrowed, or taken from the manuscript of d'Argenson's
"Mémoires du Ministère." The answer is that M. Flassan's obligations
are nearly as great throughout the year 1746 as at the close of 1744;
and the only other source of original information a brief examination
has been able to disclose, are the letters and papers of Marshal de
Noailles.
The inference is that the memoir ascribed to d'Argenson by a historian
who had ransacked his papers, coinciding with d'Argenson's stated views
(_cf._ Rathery, IV. p. 257), and found among copious extracts from
what Rathery reproduces as d'Argenson's text, is authentic.
There is scarcely need to fall back upon a second line of proof, if
possible even more convincing.
(v.) In his Introduction to the "Mémoires," M. Rathery states (IV. pp.
127-28) that of the four volumes of Memoirs designed by d'Argenson,
each containing twelve articles, only Arts. I-4 of Vol. I. have been
finally written. Arts. 5-12 of Vol. I. and the whole of Vol. II. were
never edited, but remained in the form of notes and memoranda (IV. p.
125). The whole of Vol. III. exists, but imperfectly; and also Vol.
IV., with the exception of the last few articles. In brief, the memoirs
of the first six weeks of d'Argenson's ministry (Nov. 18-Dec. 31, 1744;
"Mémoires," I. Arts. I-4) are edited completely; _those of the year
1745_ ("Mémoires," I., Arts. 5-12, and II.) _are not edited at all_,
but were left as notes and memoranda; and those of 1746 are edited, but
imperfectly.
Now (vi.) we find that the second half of Flassan, Vol. V. book 4, is
occupied with a careful and copious account of _the first six weeks_
of d'Argenson's ministry (mostly in d'Argenson's own words); but no
sooner are those first six weeks over than d'Argenson's manuscript and
Flassan's fulness come to a sudden and simultaneous end; and the events
of the whole year 1745 are disposed of in eight pages, of which the
relations between France and Prussia occupy the four following lines:--
"En conséquence de cette communication [Frederick's proposal for peace,
December, 1744, _see_ this essay, p. 103], le roi de Prusse fit, le 25
décembre 1745, sa paix à Dresde, afin de s'assurer la Silésie, qu'il se
fit garantir par l'Angleterre."
In the year 1746 (when the "Mémoires" are edited, but imperfectly)
d'Argenson and M. Flassan are again intimately associated.
(vii.) The appearance of fulness given to the account of 1745 is
produced by the insertion of three long memoirs: (_a_) this disputed
memoir to Louis XV.; and (_b_) a couple more designed by d'Argenson for
the king of Poland. The manner of their appearance is peculiar.
On p. 241 (Vol. V.), without any clear connection with the preceding,
M. Flassan writes an original twenty lines of introduction, and
suddenly reproduces the Flassan Memoir (V. pp. 242-45). The Memoir is
followed, not by any consecutive argument, or even by any original
writing, but is simply wedged in its place with a couple of paragraphs
taken word for word from d'Argenson's "Mémoires," I. Art. 4 (one of the
articles perfectly edited, and referring to a period some time before).
Comp. Flassan, V. p. 245, and Rathery, IV. p. 261.
Then follow the eight pages referred to above. They bring Book IV. to a
close.
(viii.) Book V. opens with three pages of introduction (pp.
257-60),--certainly borrowed, we believe from d'Argenson's Journal
(which was in manuscript along with the "Mémoires")--and these are
followed (pp. 260-72) by the two long memoirs for the king of Poland.
Now _these memoirs are written by d'Argenson_. Unlike the former, they
deal with ideas and not with facts; and we recognise them at once.
This is not a matter of argument; to question any one's opinion upon
such a matter would be simply to impeach his knowledge of the man. The
inference is clear. If these are d'Argenson's, so presumably is the
other.
Having dealt with these memoirs, M. Flassan (V. p. 273) proceeds at a
bound to the help given by France to the Chevalier St. George, or, in
other words, to the end of 1745. In 1746 his task is easy.
In brief, we have a copious account of the wholly uneventful first six
weeks; the eventful year 1745 is represented by eight pages of original
writing, and three memoirs attributed to d'Argenson and wedged in their
places with pieces of d'Argenson's text. We submit that the inference
is as follows:--
That for his account of the year 1745, and of the last six weeks of
1744, M. Flassan relied entirely upon d'Argenson's manuscript; that
he made copious use of the perfectly edited articles so long as they
held out; and that, finding the year 1745 represented solely by notes
and memoranda, he selected three documents as of peculiar importance,
and one of them the Flassan Memoir. That consequently the Memoir is
authentic, and was one of the documents designed by d'Argenson as the
basis of the unedited "Mémoires du Ministère," Vol. I. Arts. 5-12, or
Vol. II. It was turned over, but not published, by M. Rathery, who
could not, of course, have realised its critical importance.
The last piece of evidence remains.
(ix.) This Memoir, with the rest of d'Argenson's manuscripts, perished
in the burning of the Library of the Louvre in 1871. It follows that
neither M. de Broglie (who wrote in 1888 "Marie Thérèse") nor M. Zevort
(in 1879) would have expected to find it if they had known where it
might have been found.
M. de Broglie protests that, even if authentic, it is at least
unimportant, as it is not mentioned by d'Argenson in his published
memoirs. To this we reply--
(i.) That it could not have been, as the memoirs during the period into
which it would have fallen ("au mois de février"--Flassan) have been
neither edited nor published.
(ii.) That a memoir of an exactly similar character is categorically
mentioned by d'Argenson as having been presented by him to the king a
few weeks before (_cf._ "Mémoires du Ministère" [Rathery], IV. p. 257,
and this essay, p. 104).
(iii.) That unless the policy set forth in this memoir had a very real
existence, much of the "Mémoires du Ministère," I. Art. 4, and many
scattered references to be found elsewhere, are simply unintelligible.
The question is important; for if this memoir is authentic, it follows
that the history of d'Argenson's ministry during the year 1745 has yet
to be written.