Possibility, presumptions, relations of facts, statements by those who
tell of what they have seen and heard; the absence of any interested
motive for their assertions; such are the foundations, the elements of
certainty, and it is by their means that two important facts have been
proved: first, that of the exchange between the jailer Chiappini and the
Comte de Joinville; secondly, that of the identity of the Comte with the
late Duc d’Orléans-Egalité.
So I know who is my brother; I can name my mother; at last I belong to a
family. Alas! shall I be for ever excluded, repulsed, from its bosom?
Shall I always be conspicuous as a witness to the truth that the
Divine vengeance sometimes avenges the criminal’s guilt even upon his
unfortunate posterity?
I have been derided for my ridiculous credulity; accused of pursuing
phantoms, of feeding on dreams and idle fancies.
Kind and attentive reader, you have seen, you have examined, the papers
and the evidence I have submitted to you; you have considered and weighed
them all; now give judgment, and condemn me if my documents are but lies,
if my claims are but folly and wild extravagance.
But no! I dare to say your decision has been in my favour; and this
flattering victory foretells for me the fullest, the happiest results.
No; it will not be in vain that I shall carry my humble supplications to
the foot of the august throne where sits the most equitable as the best
of kings; it will not be in vain that I shall lift my eyes and send forth
my hopes to the sanctuary of justice; the throne will cover me with its
beneficent shadow, and justice will give me the victory. Victory all
the sweeter to my heart that then I shall be able to follow my love of
liberality and benevolence without restraint or caution.
And what other compensation have I for so many perfidies and
persecutions; for the long-drawn-out torture of the sad and solitary life
to which I have been reduced?
Shall I be believed if I say that this profound sadness, this dark
melancholy, that crushes and consumes me, does not arise solely from the
vast abyss of my own misfortunes; it has, too, another cause in the cruel
distress I have already inflicted on the involuntary usurper of so many
rights which henceforth he cannot keep without guilt; for I know that
she whom he wishes to appear so weak, and whom he affects to look upon
with nothing but contempt, has troubled and frightened him; and, without
knowing it, he proclaims and cries it aloud.[81]
And what especially increases my sorrow and completes my trouble is to
think that that must fall upon a Princess so worthy of all respect and
also upon the offspring of that venerable mother; and if I were thinking
of nothing but my own interests, if I were the only person concerned,
there would soon be a full and complete surrender.
But no! maternal love; the honour of my race; the glory of the most
ancient of dynasties; all speak to me with their imperious voices, and
how can I refuse the hard tasks imposed upon me?
Born of illustrious blood, my sentiments will always accord, always
harmonize, with the loftiness of my origin.
It is true I see myself parted from my friends, separated from all I hold
most dear on earth; I am alone, without stay or support; but the memory
of my ancestors, the thought of my dear children, lead me on and rouse me
to battle, and fighting under such banners how could I fail in courage or
boldness? What greater proof of that boldness and courage could I give
than my being here? I could have gone back to my adopted country, to
the bosom of that tender mother, that gracious England to whom I owe an
everlasting debt of love and gratitude.
From there I could have looked without terror upon the perils of the
fight and seen the manœuvres of the enemy without fear of his darts. But
I must always keep in the forefront of the battle, show myself in the
breach, and guard against all blows.
Far from me be any shameful capitulation! May my hand perish rather than
sign any degrading concession!