A complete history of the Marquis de Lafayette, major-general in the American army in the war of the revolution. Embracing an account of his tour through the United States, to the time of his departure, September, 1825. By an officer in the late army.

MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. 317
has uniformly acted, in regard to the arbitrary maxims and
measures of the imperial and royal administrations, like one
who deemed the voluntary allegiance which he had paid in his
youth to the principles of freedom, as perpetually obligatory,
and paramount to all considerations of personal interest and security, at any period or in any situation. In the chamber of
deputies, under the existing government of France, he always
stood forth the champion of constitutional and natural rights,
and the adversary of despotic doctrine and rule, with a firmness, serenity, and dignity, which must have finally extorted
the admiration even of the ultras, who so often sought to force
him down by clamour and menaces. He came to this country
a liberal by generous instinct and enlightened reason;-he has
remained so through all vicissitudes and dangers. He has
never deserted the banners under which he first contended; he
has done honour to the political school in which he was formed, by proving that the true disciple can never be an apostate
nor a prevaricator. It is enough to say, that he is eminently
obnoxious to the governments of France, Austria, and Prussia;
-he is odious to them and to the Russians, as the veteran and
inflexible apostle of that creed which they most dread, and are
most anxious to suppress; —he is the worst of liberals in their
eyes; a patrician by birth, the subject of a monarchy, who
deserted to republicanism at the first opportunity; who would
never afterwards bend the knee to absolute power, and whom
they have been unable to crush, although lie has raised his voice
to all the globe against their doctrines and designs, and become
the model and patriarch of constitutionalists.*
M. de Lafayette now withdrew himself entirely from political affairs, encircled by those he best loved, and conscious that
he had done every thing for his country that his powers and opportunities had allowed. Let us follow this "last of the Romans," for a moment, to his peaceful retreat, and contemplate
the man who had rode upon ruder storms, and dared greater
* North American Review, January, 1825.-National Gazette, February 4, 1824.