The Life of the Grasshopper 



Florlan ^ was less concise in his story, 

 which is on another theme; but what a long 

 way we are from the warmth and vigour of 

 old La Fontaine ! In Florian's fable Le 

 Grillon, there are plenty of flowery mead- 

 ows and blue skies; Dame Nature and af- 

 fectation go hand in hand; in short, we have 

 the feeble artificialities of a lifeless rhetoric, 

 which loses sight of the thing described for 

 the sake of the description. It lacks the sim- 

 plicity of truth and also the saving salt of 

 humour. 



Besides, what a preposterous idea, to 

 represent the Cricket as discontented, be- 

 wailing his condition in despair ! All who 

 have studied him know, on the contrary, that 

 he is very well pleased with his own talent 

 and his hole. This, moreover, is what the 

 fabulist makes him admit, after the Butter- 

 fly's discomfiture : 



'^ Combien je vats aimer ma retraite pro- 

 fond e I 

 ^^ Pour zivre heiireiix, vivons cache /^^ ■ 



^ Jean Pierre Claris de Florian (1755-1794), Voltaire's 

 grand-nephew, the leading French fabulist, after La 

 Fontaine. — Translator's Note. 

 ^ " My snug little home is a place of delight: 

 " If you want to live happy, live hidden from sight! " 



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