156 Luck and III- Luck. [FEB. 



list of the forty immortals and I wrote a tragedy By means of ranch 

 care and trouble, I had it performed ; but a wit of the parterre damned 

 it in the third scene by a joke ; a very good joke, I confess, but not at all 

 conclusive as to the merits of the piece, In the mean time, Bernard, having 

 returned to Paris, modestly enjoyed there the high reputation of a war- 

 rior, a lawgiver, and a philosophical traveller. Thinking to repair, as 

 muoli as possible, ray theatrical failure, I endeavoured to bring together 

 some people of fashion, and many of the literati, to hear my play read. 

 An optra dancer, who was protected by Bernard, gave, on the same day, a 

 grand souper ; all the literati were engaged to it; and T had no other 

 auditors but some young dandies, and some old rakes of the Regency, who 

 listened to me with affected grimaces, yawning, or dosing, and ratified the 

 decree of the public by pronouncing unanimously my play detestable. I 

 was not discouraged : arid an epic poem was the fruit of this poetical resig- 

 nation. No bookseller would print it : my reputation had preceded me; 

 and, on going out of one of their shops, I learned that Bernard had been 

 just named a member of the Academy for admission into which illus- 

 trious body he offered no other title than that of having composed a 

 quatrain in honour of that high and handsome lady, whom Maria-Theresa 

 had called her friend and good cousin (Madame de Pompadour). 



'After having exercised all employments, with some talent, and much 

 honesty, I began to think that intriguing mediocrity has the best chance 

 of success. A man of this class has gathered the fruit of all my talents 

 all my toils in the four quarters of the globe. I was growing old, and felt 

 the necessity of securing my future prospects. It was, however, with 

 some pain that I decided on falling into the common track. Soliciting for 

 place, I frequented the anti-chambers of the great ; I wrote petitions to 

 them, and bouquets-d-Chloris for their mistresses. I made friends in the 

 newspapers, in the public offices even in the king's garde-robe. Finally, 

 I obtained zealous patrons, and all the necessary steps to obtain the em- 

 ployment which I solicited were made. The road to the court was opened, 

 and I had nothing to do but present my petition to the king : it is only 

 natural that the hand which was to have presented it should be struck 

 powerless all at once. I foresaw my fate, and do not complain. The 

 clashing of our vehicles has overturned with me, in the middle of the way, 

 the result of all my assiduity with the great, and my verses to Chloris ; 

 but for once, my ill-luck be praised ! ] t would have been too painful a 

 reflection, that the only blameable action of my -life should be the only 

 one attended with success. From every little check a great good results, 

 when considered from a proper point of view. If my different catastrophes 

 have hurt my fortune and my reputation things in themselves frail and 

 perishable they have also developed my mind, and enlarged the sphere of 

 my understanding., by compelling me to exercise my moral powers in dif- 

 ferent ways among different nations : they have taught me, not to squander 

 either esteem or disdain, without a profound knowledge of men and things, 

 according to vain appearances ; for many men of talent and merit 

 must exist in the world whom unfavourable circumstances and unlucky 

 chances have cast, like myself, into the obscure ranks of the poor and 

 unknown. The eclat of grand titles and great reputations do not now im- 

 pose upon me. A trifle is sufficient to raise or destroy all human glories, 

 as I have often experienced. The shape of Cleopatra's nose (as Pascal 

 has observed with so much sagacity) caused the fortune of Augustus and 

 the ruin of Antony, and deranged the face of the world. According to the 



