During the Terror phase of the French Revolution, all titles of nobility were proscribed. The viscount of Saint-René was interrogated: “What is your name?”
“Viscount of Saint-René.”
“There are no more viscounts.”
“I’m called de Saint-René.”
“No one is de any longer.”
“I’m called Saint-René.”
“There are no more Saints.”
“So then, I’m René.”
“There is no longer a Re (king).”
“Well then, I’m just né (French for “born”)
“And shortly you will be dead.”
Fernando Palazzi, Enciclopedia degli aneddoti (Milan: Ceschina, 1946), 3 vols., Col. 12350. (Nobility.org translation.)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 58
