42 



Historical Notice respecting M. de la Harpe. [Aug, 1 j 



liis vifits were eagerly courted. Doubt- 

 lefs he owed the favour in which he 

 ■»vas v\ith p9lite circles to his early and 

 brilliant fuccel's in Icttci-s, v.hich at once 

 balanced the prejudices crcnted by the 

 unfortunate sidventure otliis youth, and 

 tlie refentiTient often excited hy the feve- 

 rity of liis criticifms. From the firft efliiy 

 oi' his talents he was patronized by \'ol- 

 taire .Tnd D'Altmbcrt, who were at the 

 head of literature anfl fciences ; and it is 

 well known what influence tliofc two ce- 

 lebrated men poffciVed over the public 

 opinion. Voltaire accorded him the en- 

 viable title of \\\s,fuvourite pupil. i\Iar- 

 xied, while yet very young, to a woman 

 of wit and beauty, JMadame de la liarpe 

 and he mutually ibone with unnfual bril- 

 liancy in the molt faihionable aflcinblies. 

 They had been formed in the art of 

 fpcakinw and declamation under the eyes 

 of Voltiiire during; a Jong ftay they made 

 at Fcrney, where they were acculiomcd 

 to perforin the principal pans in the tra- 

 gedies of tliat great poet, got up, by iiis 

 dirc6tion, at his own theatre. This 

 praCUce was'silfo of great importance to 

 M. de la llarpc in tlie art of reading, 

 which he poffcflcd in a very fnperior 

 manner. The mode was fiill at the 

 height of attending in crowds at the read- 

 ings given by authors of their works pre- 

 vious to publication ; and M. de la 

 Harpe, whofc various produclioiis fuc- 

 ceeded each other fo rapidly, was invited 

 to make his readings in ii) many circles, 

 that he was foon compelled to be fclctt 

 in his clioice of the circles he honoured 

 T>ith this gratificution. 



Among the celebrated focieties he fre- 

 quented, we muft not forget thofe which 

 afiembled at the houfes of wimien who 

 have played <i diftinguilhed part in the 

 literary world, lefs from their v\ it and ta- 

 lents, than from that nddrcfs with which 

 they brought into intimacy two clalfes 

 mutually jealous of the high coiilideration 

 refpetStively due to them, and which 

 could not indeed be denied to either : 

 V e fpeak here of the men of letters, and 

 jierfons of quality, who long lived at a 

 diftance from eacli other, without having 

 rcHccfed that an alliance between them 

 mult add mutually to their grcatnefs. 



M. de la Ilarpe, graced with the per- 

 fonal favour of lovereign princes, and co- 

 vered withlitenuy honours, ir.hcritcd al- 

 ter the dcnili of Voltaire part of the re- 

 nown of that great man ; and \\hen 

 lioufl'cau, D'Alembert, and afterwards 

 IJulfon, and other perfons of dilHnguilhed 

 Bicrit. died, he occupied, almoli uilhout 

 1 



a rival, one of the firft ranks in tlic re 

 public of letters. All eyes fecmed then 

 to be turned upon him, to confole them- 

 felves for the loifes they had* fullaincd. 

 He had arrived at the moment of receiv- 

 ing the fniit of all his labours. The 

 young pcrfon? of literary reputation con- 

 fulted him as their oracle. It was only 

 with authors of long Jlanding that he was 

 fe^erc ; their titles to fame he CNamined. 

 "ith rigour; nor did he pay any undue 

 deference to fucli as had uUirped a name 

 that lliouid be the apanage only of real 

 merit. His criticifms on fuch, which 

 might indeed have been announced in 

 more conciliating terms, did not lelfeu 

 his reputation with an impartial j)ublic, 

 whatever enemies they miglit raife up 

 againll him. The public elleem wiis ex- 

 prelVed loudly when the Adininilh-atorii 

 of the Lyceum appointed him to deliver 

 the lectures of that inftitution ; and thig 

 fchool of tafie ber:une the mod diflin- 

 guidied theatre of his glory. The magiii- 

 tufie and im])ortance of the courfe of 

 ledures he had undertaken, and the in- 

 finn ftate of his liealth, now induced liiia 

 to dedicate himfelf wholly to that labour, 

 to which he in fact had confined hinifeh" 

 for fcveral j(ars preceding the Revolu- 

 tion. 'I'liat terrible inomeiit arrived ; 

 and in vain did 1\I. de la Harpe endea- 

 vour to attratt Aill to the Lyceum the nu- 

 merous parti/ans of literature. At this 

 memorable epo<h he particijiated, with 

 other well-dil'pofcd minds, fentiments the 

 moll uncquiv(jcally fomied for the huppi,- 

 nefs of his country ; but he continued ia 

 the difcharge of his literary functions, 

 and would accept of no puiilic office. 

 He has been repmachnd «ith not lia\ing 

 forefeen the dreadful marih of the pro- 

 grirtive horrors wc have fince beheld. 

 What innocent man could have forefeen 

 them ? He has been reproached alfo 

 with changing his o[iinioii. N\ ho is there 

 tlmt has not modif.ed his during thefe 

 unhappy convulllons .' Can any one 

 rail'ehis voice to fay, thatlSL de la Harpe 

 ever applauded thefe horrors ; he ■who 

 would have arrefted the torrent ; he, in 

 a word, who, for haviiii; unmnfked the 

 ferocious madiieis of llobefpierrc, was 

 thrown into a dungeon, where long he 

 remained between the living and th« 

 dead, uncertain each hour to which he 

 Ihould belong? It was there that he had 

 leilure to groan over the follu s of the 

 human race ; there, that Religion offer- 

 ed to him her happy cojdblations ; there, 

 that he adopted the refolution ot confe- 

 crating the remainder of his uays to 



htr 



