100 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



[JAN. 



around her. Something whispered to her 

 that she alone could save them. She de- 

 termined to write for the public ; and, un- 

 der the auspices of M. Suard, and M. De- 

 vaines, men of genius, and old friends of 

 her family, she produced a lively and pi- 

 quante romance, entitled Des Contradic- 

 tions. Her second romance, La Chapellc 

 d'Ayton, was founded upon an English 

 work of fiction. It evinced great spirit 

 and feeling j and, as well as its precursor, 

 was very successful. About the same 

 time, Mademoiselle de Meulan wrote va- 

 rious articles on general literature, the 

 drama, &c. in Le Publlciste, a paper 

 edited by M. Suard, and in other journals. 

 Some of these papers have been collected 

 under the title of Essais de Litterature et 

 de Morale. 



Hitherto, it must be allowed, Mademoi- 

 selle de Meulan has displayed more genius 

 than judgment : her opinions were defi- 

 cient in precision and consistency ; her 

 principles were unfixed and incongruous. 

 In the mouth of March, 1807, the death of 

 M.Dillon, her brother-in-law, and a de- 

 cline of health, obliged her to suspend her 

 literary pursuits. An incident remarkable 

 in its character occurred. She received a 

 letter from a person, who, without naming 

 himself, offered to write for her in Le 

 Publicistc as long as she pleased. At 

 first she declined the otter 5 but, on re- 

 newed application, she acceded. In con- 

 sequence she soon received several articles 

 in happy accordance with her own taste 

 and feelings. Still the author remained 

 concealed ; conjecture and inquiry proved 

 equally futile. At length, after a fort- 

 night's suspense, she addressed her mys- 

 terious correspondent through the medium 

 of the paper; and the result was that M. 

 Guizot, a young gentleman of a Protestant 

 family, avowed and presented himself. M. 

 Guizot was born at Nismes in 1787 ; con- 

 sequently, at the time of his introduction 

 to M. de Meulan, he was only twenty years 

 of age, and fourteen years younger than 

 the lady. Notwithstanding this disparity 

 of age and on the wrong side too there 

 seems to have been a perfect congeniality 

 of sentiment and character between the 

 parties. M. Guizot had been sent to Ge- 

 neva for his education, and had studied 

 principally philosophy and German litera- 

 ture. From Geneva he went to Paris, 

 where he devoted himself entirely to 

 literary pursuits. The most friendly inti- 

 macy succeeded the first interview be- 

 tween M. Guizot and Mademoiselle de 

 Meulan ; to friendship succeeded exclu- 

 sive preference, and passionate tenderness ; 

 but it was not till 1812 that they were mar- 

 ried. Monsieur and Madame Guizot con- 

 jointly edited, at different times, Le Publi- 

 ciste. La Gazette de France, Le Mercurc, 

 and Lea Archives Litteraires. Madame 



Guizot's attention became more particular- 

 ly devoted to moral philosophy, and to the 

 science of education. Her husband had 

 undertaken the publication of a periodical 

 entitled Les Annales de C Education ; and 

 to that work Madame Guizot contributed 

 various articles : amongst others, the Jour- 

 nal of a Mother, which contains the germ 

 of her last and greatest production, The 

 Lettres de Famille sur r Education JJo- 

 mestique, published in 1826. About the 

 time that she was a contributor to the An- 

 nals of Education, she produced two 

 volumes of tales, entitled Les Enfans, 

 which have been much and deservedly 

 admired. 



Until the year 1814, M. Guizot was 

 known only as a literary man j but, after 

 the Restoration, he obtained, under the 

 protection of the Abb Montesquieu, the 

 office of Secretary General to the Minister 

 of the Interior; and, after the return of the 

 king from Ghent, he was made Secretary 

 General to the Minister of Justice. He 

 was also Royal Censor till that office was 

 suppressed. M. Guizot's entrance into 

 public life allowed his wife a season of 

 repose. In 1820, however, he retired, and 

 Madame Gui/ot resumed her pen. This 

 was chiefly to aid her with the means of 

 educating her child. In 1821, she pub- 

 lished KEcolier, a romance of education 

 which obtained for her the prize of the 

 Academy. In 1823, appeared her Nou- 

 veaux ( antes ; and, in 1826, as already 

 mentioned, her Letters on Domestic Edu- 

 cation. 



It was soon after this that Madame 

 Guizot was attacked by a slow disease, 

 against which she unsuccessfully strug- 

 gled for nearly a twelvemonth. At length 

 she resigned herself to her fate. Oa the 

 30th of July, 1827, she tenderly and tran- 

 quilly bade adieu to her husband, her son, 

 and her family. On the morning of the 

 1st of August, she requested her husband 

 to read to her. He read a letter of Fe.ne- 

 lon's for a sick person ; after which he 

 began a sermon of Bossuet, on the Immor- 

 tality of the Soul. In the midst of this 

 sermon she expired. Madame Guizot was 

 buried according to the rites of the Re- 

 formed Church the religion of her hus- 

 band, and the only form of worship the 

 funeral ceremonies of which presented 

 nothing contrary to the tenets of her 

 belief. 



THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. 



The Right Reverend George Tomline, 

 D.D., Lord Bishop of Winchester, Prelate 

 of the Order of the Garter, Provincial 

 Sub Dean of Canterbury, and Visitor of 

 Magdalene, New Trinity, St. John's, and 

 Corpus Christ! Colleges, Oxford, F. R. S,, 

 &e., was born about the year 1750. His 

 family name was Prettymau. He was the 



