Page:The Writings of Prosper Merimee-Volume 1.djvu/27

Rh spend his evenings." And, as has been said, he had no warm affection for the Emperor, though they got on well enough when he was asked to assist in the Vie de César; he certainly was not more warmly disposed toward most of the members of the Imperial entourage; and while the growing "Papalino" tendency of Empire policy offended his prejudices, other points about it alarmed, with better reason, his patriotism, which was real, and his shrewdness, which was uncommon. Still his affection for the Empress, and hers for him, positively alleviated some of these things and served as a compensation for them all; and there is no doubt that Mérimée, who had in this or that way early made acquaintance with an unusual number of distinguished people in many European countries, was glad of the opportunity to maintain and extend it.

His changed life, moreover, was not entirely unfavourable to his literary production. He had always had a leaning toward historical study, and had produced his History of Peter the Cruel as early as 1843. He followed this up with a curious episode of Russian history, Les Faux Demetrius, just at the time of the change of government, and that, later still, with remarkable sketches of Les Cosaques d'Autrefois. He collected his Miscellanies. He began after a long