lS2i.l Memoirs ef 



success, and gav'c tlie author such con- 

 Bfquence in tlic eyes ot" the multitude, 

 that he w'as called for to appear on the 

 theatre; and tlse same demand was 

 nr^od on the three lolloping represen- 

 laiioiis. 'I'lie first piece for which such 

 a demand had been made was " Mc- 

 rijpo," and " Dioiivsius'' was the second. 

 Such an acquaintance witii ancient his- 

 tor}', and tlie iiifoi mation comniiniicatcd 

 sclative lo iIk; slate of its subjects, in a 

 Limousin of twenty- fotir, was entitled 

 lo consideration. Crebillon was dead, 

 •Voltaire was getting old, and tliis coup 

 <Vessi!i of a provincial frequently drew 

 «n hifn exclamations of "There goes 

 one (lro[i[)ed from the clouds." 

 ' " Aristomene," another tragedy, pro- 

 <lucetl in 1749, had a run of success 

 nearly as gK^neral and prevalent. For 

 this he was indebted to some beautiful 

 verses, and to that correct knowledge of 

 ilramatic feelings, which enabled Made- 

 moiselle Clairoii, in every part which 

 slie personated, and ihr(>u<i;h each snc- 

 -cessive scene, to represent with proiHiely 

 the various bc:iuties of an author. 

 ■ JMarmontel had now surmounted liis 

 difficulties, as Voltaire had predicted. 

 He had not only acquired celebrity, ihc 

 admiration and applause of the judici- 

 ous ; but, by property, was in such a 

 situation of life, as not to sigh in vain 

 {'or the comforts of [>olislied society. The 

 rich financier. La Popiniere, sent for 

 and cntertaitiid him at his country- 

 house. He had elicited plaudits of 

 admiration from the ladies, -r-one test of 

 excellence and meed of genius ; and 

 claimed considerable attention, when a 

 party, in their coteries. j\Iadiime dc 

 Pompadour wished to sec him, and he 

 read "the Death of Sesostris" to her. 

 This dramatic piece appeared interest- 

 ing, though tiie representation on the 

 stage did not succeed. To console the 

 author, she procured for him the [)lace 

 of secretary des Batimens dn Roi, and 

 he was attached also to the service' of M. 

 de Marigny, brother to the fav(nirite. 

 Some time after, he obtained the rank 

 and privilege of Le Mcrcitre, \\liieh in 

 two years brought him in 40,000 francs. 

 It is, however, easy to conceive, that 

 adventures might occur wherein he 

 would experience malignity. A parody 

 ■on a scene of "Cinna," replete with sa- 

 tirical humour, was parading the fashion- 

 able circles; in this, a great lord of the 

 court, the Due d'y\amont, first gentle- 

 man of the chamber, was aimed at. 

 Among ladies and genllenien it raised 

 curiosity, and a geneial laugh. I\lar- 



Murmoniel. 



52t 



montel was acquainted with its author, 

 and, happening to recite some verses of 

 it among his friends, it was generally 

 understood thai he had composed it. 

 On the bare suspicion of this, he was 

 sent to the Ba^tille, where, however, he 

 was respectfully treated, and his deten- 

 tion was only for eleven days. To gra- 

 tify theresenluicntof the Due d'Aumont, 

 the Meraire was taken from him. The 

 Due do C'hoisenI ofl'eretl to restore it, on 

 disclosing the name of tlie author; but 

 a strong and lively sense of honour en- 

 tered into the sjiirit of his character, and 

 in two verses of "Nicomede" he avow- 

 ed it, as beuig totally inca[iable of 

 meanness :— 

 '^ Le niaitre qui prit soiu de former ma 



jeiinesse, 

 Ne ni'a jamais wppris a faire une bassesse." 



Cury, intendant des Menus, was author 

 of the parody; but this was not divulged 

 till alter his death. 



Marmontel now looked up to otiier 

 resources, to repair this defalcation of 

 his fortune; and, in the honest pursuit 

 of his profession, brought forth his 

 Bloral Tales and Comic Operas, which 

 had the success and credit due to his 

 aliilities. Grelry had arrived in France; 

 and, with the re»<uisiles of their united 

 talents, the public might well hope for 

 excellence. The dialogue, the music, 

 aiid the ariettes, justly ap[)lauded by 

 the critics, were universally courted, 

 not only at Paris, but on the French 

 stage everj « here. 



His "IJelisarius" had been recently 

 published; and the characters drawn in 

 it exliibilrd a luiiversal knowledge of 

 history, with ll;e particular differences of 

 national manners, as varied in the pages 

 of the aiieicnt masters, his great origi- 

 nals. The information contained in it 

 has always formed a considerable addi- 

 tion to the numerous laurels which 

 adorned his brows, achieved in other 

 sj)ecies of literature. 



The correspontlence of a man pos- 

 sessed of all these qualifications was 

 now sought, as lucessary to be acquired, 

 by all who aspired to the celebrity of 

 mental perfections. Letters came to 

 the author, from all parts of Europe, 

 full of euloginms on his work. Princes, 

 such as had employed themselves in 

 reading, dignitietl their .stations by 

 placing a just value on its interior em- 

 bellishments. Catharine, empress of 

 Russia, had it translated into the Rus- 

 sian language, and- dedicated it to an 

 archbishop of her country. The Empress 

 Maria TheieBU ordered it (o be printed 



and 



