



Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images available at The Internet Archive)









                          _By S. G. Tallentyre_


                          The Life of Voltaire
                          The Life of Mirabeau
                          Matthew Hargraves




                               THE LIFE

                                  OF

                               VOLTAIRE

   [Illustration: _Voltaire from the statue by Houdon at the Comédie
                             Française._]




                               THE LIFE

                                  OF

                               VOLTAIRE


                                  BY
                           S. G. TALLENTYRE

               AUTHOR OF “THE WOMEN OF THE SALONS,” ETC.


     “_Je n’ai point de sceptre, mais j’ai une plume._”--VOLTAIRE


                          WITH ILLUSTRATIONS


                             THIRD EDITION

                          G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
                          NEW YORK AND LONDON
                        The Knickerbocker Press




CONTENTS


CHAPTER                                                             PAGE

I. THE BOYHOOD                                                         1

II. EPIGRAMS AND THE BASTILLE                                         16

III. “ŒDIPE,” AND THE JOURNEY TO HOLLAND                              25

IV. THE “HENRIADE,” AND A VISIT TO COURT                              37

V. ENGLAND, AND THE “ENGLISH LETTERS”                                 48

VI. PLAYS, A BURLESQUE, AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE “LETTERS”           60

VII. MADAME DU CHÂTELET                                               74

VIII. A YEAR OF STORMS                                                86

IX. WORK AT CIREY                                                     96

X. PLEASURE AT CIREY                                                 106

XI. THE AFFAIR DESFONTAINES                                          117

XII. FLYING VISITS TO FREDERICK                                      127

XIII. TWO PLAYS AND A FAILURE                                        137

XIV. VOLTAIRE AS DIPLOMATIST AND COURTIER                            149

XV. THE POPE, THE POMPADOUR, AND “THE TEMPLE OF GLORY”               159

XVI. THE ACADEMY, AND A VISIT                                        167

XVII. COURT DISFAVOUR, AND HIDING AT SCEAUX                          175

XVIII. THE MARQUIS DE SAINT-LAMBERT                                  183

XIX. THE DEATH OF MADAME DU CHÂTELET                                 194

XX. PARIS, “ORESTE” AND “ROME SAUVÉE”                                206

XXI. GLAMOUR                                                         221

XXII. THE RIFT WITHIN THE LUTE                                       233

XXIII. THE QUARREL WITH MAUPERTUIS                                   249

XXIV. THE FLIGHT FROM PRUSSIA                                        265

XXV. THE COMEDY OF FRANKFORT                                         274

XXVI. THE “ESSAY ON THE MANNERS AND MIND OF NATIONS”                 286

XXVII. THE ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND                                    296

XXVIII. THE DÉLICES, AND THE “POEM ON THE DISASTER OF LISBON”        307

XXIX. “NATURAL LAW,” THE VISIT OF D’ALEMBERT, AND THE AFFAIR OF BYNG 318

XXX.   THE INTERFERENCE IN THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR, THE
“GENEVA” ARTICLE, AND LIFE AT DÉLICES                                329

XXXI. “THE LITERARY WAR,” AND THE PURCHASE OF FERNEY AND TOURNEY     344

XXXII. FERNEY                                                        356

XXXIII. “CANDIDE,” AND “ÉCRASEZ L’INFÂME”                            369

XXXIV. THE BATTLE OF PARTICLES, AND THE BATTLE OF COMEDIES           384

XXXV. BUILDING A CHURCH, AND ENDOWING A DAUGHTER                     401

XXXVI. THE AFFAIR OF CALAS                                           413

XXXVII. THE “TREATISE ON TOLERANCE”                                  429

XXXVIII. THE SIRVENS AND LA BARRE                                    446

XXXIX. VOLTAIRE AND GENEVA: VOLTAIRE AND LA HARPE                    463

XL. THE COLONY OF WATCHMAKERS AND WEAVERS                            481

XLI. THE PIGALLE STATUE, AND THE VINDICATION OF LALLY                497

XLII. LATTER DAYS                                                    514

XLIII. THE LAST VISIT                                                530

XLIV. THE END                                                        553


INDEX                                                                573




ILLUSTRATIONS


                                                             FACING PAGE

VOLTAIRE                                                   _Frontispiece_
_From the Statue by Houdon at the Comédie Française._

NINON DE L’ENCLOS                                                      6
_From an original Picture given by herself to the Countess of Sandwich._

J. B. ROUSSEAU                                                        32
_From an Engraving after a Picture by J. Aved._

LOUIS XV.                                                             40
_From the Picture by Carle Van Loo in the Museum at Versailles._

MADAME DU CHÂTELET                                                    70
_From an Engraving after Marianne Loir._

MADAME DE POMPADOUR                                                  152
_From the Painting by François