m　at　that　time。　　When　he　returned　from　there；　he　was　the　saddest　of　poets。　　For　some　time　he　was；　as　it　were；　stunned。　　His　very　soul　seemed　to　be　bowed　down　with　his　grief。　　He　was　astonished　at　the　change　he　felt　in　himself；　and　he　did　not　by　any　means　court　any　fresh　inspiration。
  _J'ai　vu；　le　temps　ou　ma　jeuxesse_　　　　　　　　　_Sur　mes　levres　etait　sans　cesse_　　　　　　　　　_Prete　a　chanter　comme　un　oiseau；_　　　　　　　　　_Mais　j'ai　souffert　un　dur　martyre_　　　　　　　　　_Et　le　moins　que　j'en　pourrais　dire_；　　　　　　　　　_Si　je　lessayais　sur　a　lyre_；　　　　　　　　　_La　briserait　comme　un　roseau_；
  he　writes。
  In　the　_Nuit　de　Mai_；　the　earliest　of　these　songs　of　despair；　we　have　the　poet's　symbol　of　the　pelican　giving　its　entrails　as　food　to　its　starving　young。　　The　only　symbols　that　we　get　in　this　poetry　are　symbols　of　sadness；　and　these　are　at　times　given　in　magnificent　fulness　of　detail。　　We　have　solitude　in　the　_Nuit　de　decembre_；　and　the　labourer　whose　house　has　been　burnt　in　the　_Lettre　a　Lamartine_。　　The　_Nuit　d'aout_　gives　proof　of　a　wild　effort　to　give　life　another　trial；　but　in　the　_Auit　d'octobre_　anger　gets　the　better　of　him　once　more。
  _Honte　a　toi；　qui　la　premiere　　　　　　　　　M'as　appris　la　trahison　。　。　。！_
  The　question　has　often　been　asked　whether　the　poet　refers　here　to　the　woman　he　loved　in　Venice　but　it　matters　little　whether　he　did　or　not。　　He　only　saw　her　through　the　personage　who　from　henceforth　symbolized　〃woman〃　to　him　and　the　suffering　which　she　may　cause　a　man。　　And　yet；　as　this　suffering　became　less　intense；　softened　as　it　was　by　time；　he　began　to　discover　the　benefit　of　it。　　His　soul　had　expanded；　so　that　he　was　now　in　communion　with　all　that　is　great　in　Nature　and　in　Art。　　The　harmony　of　the　sky；　the　silence　of　night；　the　murmur　of　flowing　water；　Petrarch；　Michel　Angelo；　Shakespeare；　all　appealed　to　him。　　The　day　came　when　he　could　write：
  _Un　souvenir　heureux　est　peut…etre　sur　terre　　　　　　　　　Plus　vrai　que　le　bonheur_。
  This　is　the　only　philosophy　for　a　conception　of　life　which　treats　love　as　everything　for　man。　　He　not　only　pardons　now；　but　he　is　grateful
  _Je　ne　veux　rien　savoir；　ni　si　les　champ　s
  fleurissent；　Nice　quil　adviendra　di。；　simulacre
  humain；　Ni　si　ces　vastes　cieux　eclaireront　demain
  Ce　qu'　ils　ensevelissent。　　heure；　en　ce　lieu；
  Je　me　dis　seulement：　　a　cette
  Un　jour；　je　fus　aime；　j'aimais；　elle　etait　belle；
  Jenfouis　ce　tresor　dans　mon　ame　immortelle
  Et　je　l'em　porte　a　Dieu。_
  This　love　poem；　running　through　all　he　wrote　from　the　_Nuit　de　Mai_　to　the　_Souvenir_；　is　undoubtedly　the　most　beautiful　and　the　most　profoundly　human　of　anything　in　the　French　language。　　The　charming　poet　had　become　a　great　poet。　　That　shock　had　occurred　within　him　which　is　felt　by　the　human　being　to　the　very　depths　of　his　soul；　and　makes　of　him　a　new　creature。　　It　is　in　this　sense　that　the　theory　of　the　romanticists；　with　regard　to　the　educative　virtues　of　suffering；　is　true。　　But　it　is　not　only　suffering　in　connection　with　our　love　affairs　which　has　this　special　privilege。　　After　some　misfortune　which　uproots；　as　it　were；　our　life；　after　some　disappointment　which　destroys　our　moral　edifice；　the　world　appears　changed　to　us。　　The　whole　network　of　accepted　ideas　and　of　conventional　opinions　is　broken　asunder。　　We　find　ourselves　in　direct　contact　with　reality；　and　the　shock　makes　our　true　nature　come　to　the　front。　。　。　。　　Such　was　the　crisis　through　which　Musset　had　just　passed。　　The　man　came　out　of　it　crushed　and　bruised；　but　the　poet　came　through　it　triumphant。
  It　has　been　insisted　on　too　much　that　George　Sand　was　only　the　reflection　of　the　men　who　had　approached　her。　　In　the　case　of　Musset　it　was　the　contrary。　　Musset　owed　her　more　than　she　owed　to　him。　　She　transformed　him　by　the　force　of　her　strong　individuality。　　She；　on　the　contrary；　only　found　in　Musset　a　child；　and　what　she　was　seeking　was　a　dominator。
  She　thought　she　had　discovered　him　this　very　year　1835。
  The　sixth　_Lettre　d'un　voyageur_　was　addressed　to　Everard。　　This　Everard　was　considered　by　her　to　be　a　superior　man。　　He　was　so　much　above　the　average　height　that　George　Sand　advised　him　to　sit　down　when　he　was　with　other　men；　as　when　standing　he　was　too　much　above　them。　　She　compares　him　to　Atlas　carrying　the　world；　and　to　Hercules　in　a　lion's　skin。　　But　among　all　her　comparisons；　when　she　is　seeking　to　give　the　measure　of　his　superiority；　without　ever　really　succeeding　in　this；　it　is　evident　that　the　comparison　she　prefers　is　that　of　Marius　at　Minturnae。　　He　personifies　virtue　a　_l'antique：_　he　is　the　Roman。
  Let　us　now　consider　to　whom　all　this　flattery　was　addressed；　and　who　this　man；　worthy　of　Plutarch's　pen；　was。　　His　name　was　Michel；　and　he　was　an　advocate　at　Bourges。　　He　was　only　thirty…　seven　years　of　age；　but　he　looked　sixty。　　After　Sandeau　and　Musset；　George　Sand　had　had　enough　of　〃adolescents。〃　　She　was　very　much　struck　with　Michel；　as　he　looked　like　an　old　man。　　The　size　of　his　cranium　was　remarkable；　or；　as　she　said　of　his　craniums：　　〃It　seemed　as　though　he　had　two　craniums；　one　joined　to　the　other。〃　　She　wrote：　　〃The　signs　of　the　superior　faculties　of　his　mind　were　as　prominent　at　the　prow　of　this　strong　vessel　as　those　of　his　generous　instincts　at　the　stern。〃＇21＇　In　order　to　understand　this　definition　of　the　〃fine　physique〃　by　George　Sand；　we　must　remember　that　she　was　very　much　taken　up　with　phrenology　at　this　time。　　One　of　her　_Lettres　d'un　voyageur_　was　entitled　Sur　_Lavater　et　sur　une　Maison　deserte_。　　In　a　letter　to　Madame　d'Agoult；　George　Sand　tells　that　her　gardener　gave　notice　to　leave；　and；　on　asking　him　his　reason；　the　simple…minded　man　replied：　　〃Madame　has　such　an　ugly　head　that　my　wife；　who　is　expecting；　might　die　of　fright。〃　　The　head　in　question　was　a　skull；　an　anatomical　one　with　compartments　all　marked　and　numbered；　according　to　the　system　of　Gall　and　Spurzheim。　　In　1837；　phrenology　was　very　much　in　favour。　　In　1910；　it　is　hypnotism；　so　we　have　no　right　to　judge　the　infatuation　of　another　epoch。
  ＇21＇　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_。
  Michel's　cranium　was　bald。　　He　was　short；　slight；　he　stooped；　was　short…sighted　and　wore　glasses。　　It　is　George　Sand　who　gives　these　details　for　his　portrait。　　He　was　born　of　peasant　parents；　and　was　of　Jacobin　simplicity。　　He　wore　a　thick；　shapeless　inverness　and　sabots。　　He　felt　the　cold　very　much；　and　used　to　ask　permission　to　put　on　a　muffler　indoors。　　He　would　then　take　three　or　four　out　of　his　pockets　and　put　them　on　his　head；　one　over　the　other。　　In　the　_Lettre　d'un　voyageur_　George　Sand　mentions　this　crown　on　Everard's　head。　　Such　are　the　illusions　of　love。
  The　first　time　she　met　Michel　was　at　Bourges。　　She　went　with　her　two　friends；　Papet　and　Fleury；　to　call　on　him　at　the　hotel。　　From　seven　o'clock　until　midnight　he　never　ceased　talking。　　It　was　a　magnificent　night；　and　he　proposed　a　walk　in　the　town　at　midnight。　　When　they　came　back　to　his　door　he　insisted　on　taking　them　home；　and　so　they　continued　walking　backwards　and　forwards　until　four　in　the　morning。　　He　must　have　been　an　inveterate　chatterer　to　have　clung　to　this　public　of　three　persons　at　an　hour　when　the　great　buildings；　with　the　moon　throwing　its　white　light　over　them　and　everything　around；　must　have　suggested　the　majesty　of　silence。　　To　people　who　were　amazed　at　this　irrepressible　eloquence；　Michel　answered　ingenuously：　　〃Talking　is　thinking　aloud。　　By　thinking　aloud　in　this　way　I　advance　more　quickly　than　if　I　thought　quietly　by　myself。〃　　This　was　Numa　Roumestan's　idea。　　〃As　for　me；〃　he　said；　〃when　I　am　not　talking；　I　am　not　thinking。〃　　As　a　matter　of　fact；　Michel；　like　Numa；　was　a　native　of　Provence。　　In　Paris　there　was　a　repetition　of　this　nocturnal　and　roving　scene。　　Michel　and　his　friends　had　come　to　a　standstill　on　the　Saints…Peres　bridge。　　They　caught　sight　of　the　Tuileries　lighted　up　for　a　ball。　　Michel　became　excited；　and；　striking　the　innocent　bridge　and　its　parapet　with　his　stick；　he　exclaimed：　　〃I　tell　you　that　if　you　are　to　freshen　and　renew　your　corrupt　society；　this　beautiful　river　will　first　have　to　be　red　with　blood；　that　accursed　palace　will　have　to　be　reduced　to　ashes；　and　the　huge　city　you　are　now　looking　at　will　have　to　be　a　bare　strand　where　the　family　of　the　poor　man　can　use　the　plough　and　build　a　cottage　home。〃
  This　was　a　fine　phrase　for　a　public　meeting；　but　perhaps　too　fine　for　a　conversation　between　friends　on　the　Saints…Peres　bridge。
  This　was　in　1835；　at　the　most　brilliant　moment　of　Michel's　career。　　It　was　when　he　was　taking　part　in　the　trial　of　the　accused　men　of　April。　　After　the　insurrections　of　the　preceding　year　at　Lyons　and　Paris；　a　great　trial　had　commenced　before　the　Chamber　of　Peers。　　We　are　told　that：　　〃The　Republican　party　was　determined　to　make　use　of　the　cross…questioning　of　the　prisoners　for　accusing　the　Government　and　for　preaching　Republicanism　and　Socialism。　　The　idea　was　to　invite　a　hundred　and　fifty　noted　Republicans　to　Paris　from　all　parts　of　France。　　In　their　quality　of　defenders；　they　would　be　the　orators　of　this　great　manifestation。〃　　Barb'es；　Blanqui；　Flocon；　Marie；　Raspail；　Trelat　and　Michel　of　Bourges　were　among　these　Republicans。　　〃On　the　11th　of　May；　the　revolutionary　newspapers　published　a　manifesto　in　which　the　com