France," which were very anti-Gallic[1] Sir Robert Smith was imprisoned more than a year in Paris, went back in November 1801, in quest of his property, returned to London, and died there in 1802. Merry went with his wife to America, and died at Baltimore in 1798. He had belonged at Florence to Madame Piozzi's literary circle, satirised by Gifford. In Paris he wrote odes on the Revolution, as also in 1793 a pamphlet in which he spoke of England as rushing towards an ignominious fall, while France was rapidly rising to a pinnacle of glory and splendour, unmatched even by Athens at the meridian of its greatness. One is reminded of Goethe's distich:—
"Seh' ich den Pilgrim, so kann ich mich nicht der Thrãnen
enthalten;
Wie beseliget uns Menschen ein falscher Begriff."
Of Perry's imprisonment I shall speak presently.
- ↑ He found his old acquaintance Paine equally disenchanted. "Do you call this a republic?" said Paine. "Why, they are worse off than slaves at Constantinople."
