Show HOW talleyrand WAS LAMED the vexed question settled by talleyrand the cause of Talley rands lameness has long been a matter of dispute during the fifty two years chui elapsed since his death his deformity has been accounted for in all manner of ways some stories have it that the defect was congenial others that it was occasioned casio ned by an accident which befell him in his infancy the most curious explanation of all is that offered by a writer in the quarterly review to quote the very words of our informant an eminently distinguished diplomat says this writer Talley rands vienna colleague baron told me years ago that his lameness was owing to the carelessness of his nurse who laid him down in afield while she flirted with her sweetheart and on coming bade to her charge found some pigs dining on the infants legs I 1 am sure that told me this as an established fact and I 1 am all but sure that his authority was talleyrand himself in the extracts from his memoirs published in the century talleyrand himself settles the controversy at the age of four says he 1 I accidentale accidentals acci dentals ly fell from the top of a cupboard and dislocated my foot the woman to chose care I 1 was in trusted only informed my family of this several months afterward the dislocation of my foot had been neglected too long to be remedied even my oilier foot bear alone the whole weight of my body had grown weaker and thus I 1 remained lame for life that accident he adds had a great influence over my whole life one would suppose that a consciousness of his own deformity would have made him more lenient to the defects of others that this was not tha caad is illustrated in his reply to a questioner whose misfortune it was to be cross eyed fleeting talleyrand as the great statesman was leaving a council where there had been great wrangling and confusion this person called out to him well BI de talleyrand how are things looking like your eyes sir was the cutting reply |