ManylaboriousstatesmenbesidesLordBroughamhaveoccupiedtheirleisure，orconsoledthemselvesinretirementfromoffice，bythecompositionofworkswhichhavebecomepartofthestandardliteratureoftheworld。Thus’Caesar’sCommentaries’stillsurviveasaclassic；theperspicuousandforciblestyleinwhichtheyarewrittenplacinghiminthesamerankwithXenophon，whoalsosuccessfullycombinedthepursuitofletterswiththebusinessofactivelife。
WhenthegreatSullywasdisgracedasaminister，anddrivenintoretirement，heoccupiedhisleisureinwritingouthis’Memoirs，’
inanticipationofthejudgmentofposterityuponhiscareerasastatesman。Besidesthese，healsocomposedpartofaromanceafterthemanneroftheScuderischool，themanuscriptofwhichwasfoundamongsthispapersathisdeath。
Turgotfoundasolaceforthelossofoffice，fromwhichhehadbeendrivenbytheintriguesofhisenemies，inthestudyofphysicalscience。Healsorevertedtohisearlytasteforclassicalliterature。Duringhislongjourneys，andatnightswhentorturedbythegout，heamusedhimselfbymakingLatinverses；thoughtheonlylineofhisthathasbeenpreservedwasthatintendedtodesignatetheportraitofBenjaminFranklin:”Eripuitcaelofulmen，sceptrumquetyrannis。”
AmongmorerecentFrenchstatesmen——withwhom，however，literaturehasbeentheirprofessionasmuchaspolitics——maybementionedDeTocqueville，Thiers，Guizot，andLamartine，whileNapoleonIII。challengedaplaceintheAcademybyhis’LifeofCaesar。’