VOLTAIC PILE VOLTAIRE. 



845 



the first consul made him a present of 6000 francs. 

 He was subsequently deputy from the university of 

 Pavia to the consulta held at Lyons, and Napoleon 

 conferred upon him the cross of the legion of hon- 

 our, and the order of the iron crown. In 1815, the 

 emperor Francis appointed him director of the 

 philosophical faculty in the university of Pavia. As 

 a man, Volta was simple, modest and religious, a 

 good father and citizen. Antinori edited a collec- 

 tion of his works (Opere di Volta, Florence, 1816, 

 5 vols.), and professor Zuccala published a eulogy 

 upon him (Elogi di Volta) in 1827. 



VOLTAIC PILE. See Galvanism. 



VOLTAIRE, FRANCIS MARIE AROUET DE. If 

 any man ever showed the natural sovereignty of the 

 intellect, and its superiority to all earthly splendour, 

 it was this distinguished man, who, in a nation, and 

 at a time, when the learned and scientific were con- 

 sidered in the light of upper domestics of the great, 

 undertook to secure for them an independent sta- 

 tion. His influence was felt throughout Europe ; 

 and never did a man, by the force of his writings, 

 obtain such power over his nation. Voltaire was 

 born at Chatenay, near Paris, February, 20, 1694. 

 His father, Francis Arouet, notary of the Chatelet, 

 and finally treasurer of the chamber of accounts, 

 possessed considerable property, so that he was 

 enabled to give his son an excellent education. 

 Voltaire received his first instruction in the Jesuits' 

 college of Louis XIV., under Poree and Le Jay. 

 Here he displayed talents which warranted the 

 highest expectations. In his third year he was able 

 to repeat the fables of La Fontaine, and, somewhat 

 later, recited, from memory, a poem of Rousseau 

 (La Motsade), before the celebrated Ninon de 

 1'Enclos, who was so much pleased with the talent 

 of the boy, that she left him a legacy of 2000 livres 

 to purchase a library. According to the custom of 

 the time, he was obliged to leave the family name 

 to the eldest son, and therefore assumed that name 

 which has since become so famous. His father 

 wished to see him a lawyer and advocate ; but his 

 love of literature and general study did not allow 

 him long to devote himself to the law. He wrote 

 poetry continually, and cultivated his talents in the 

 company of men of much accomplishment and wit, 

 but of little principle ; such as Chaulieu, the mar- 

 quis de la Fare, marshal Villars, the grand prior of 

 Vendome, the prince of Conti, and others. Here 

 he caught the tone of polished society which dis- 

 tinguishes his writings, and which greatly con- 

 tributed to his influence. His father was displeased 

 with his mode of life, and entreated the marquis of 

 Chateauneuf, French minister to Holland, to take 

 the young Voltaire with him as a page. He con- 

 sented ; but Voltaire fell in love with the daughter 

 of madame Noyer, a refugee in Holland, and was 

 therefore sent back to his family. His father 

 would receive him into favour again only on condi- 

 tion of his resuming the study of the law. A friend 

 of his father, monsieur Caumartin, at length re- 

 leased him from the necessity of pursuing his study, 

 by offering him a quiet residence on his estate, 

 where Voltaire became intimate with the elder 

 Caumartin, who awakened in him a great admira- 

 tion of Henry IV. and of Sully, and gave him a 

 lively idea of the court of Louis XIV. Hence 

 originated the Henriade and the Sidcle de Louis 

 XIV. In 1716, he was imprisoned in the Bastile, 

 on the charge of having written a satire against the 

 government. He remained in confinement a year 

 and a half, and, in this situation, planned a poem 



upon the league, the result of which was the Hen- 

 riade. He likewise improved his tragedy CEdipus, 

 which was brought upon the stage in 1718, and 

 was performed forty-five times in one year. Mean- 

 while, the poet had been released from prison in 

 consequence of the real author of the satire having 

 disclosed himself, but had been banished from Paris. 

 Now, however, in consequence of the regent, the 

 duke of Orleans, being delighted with the (Edipus, 

 he was allowed to return. His father himself was 

 so much pleased with the representation of this 

 play, that he embraced his son with tears in his 

 eyes, and from this time left him to his own incli- 

 nation. Voltaire now fell passionately in love with 

 the marchioness of Villars, so that his attention was 

 withdrawn, for a time, from poetry ; but, having 

 recovered from this passion, he wrote the play ot 

 Artemire, which was unsuccessful. It was after- 

 wards brought upon the stage, in 1725, under the 

 name of Marianne, when it met with much applause, 

 and was often repeated. In 1722, he accompanied 

 madame de Rupelmonde to Brussels, where he be- 

 came acquainted with Jean Baptiste Rousseau ; but 

 the characters of the two were so different, that their 

 acquaintance terminated in a complete separation. 

 In 1723, Voltaire was engaged in completing the 

 Henriade, which, about this period, appeared for 

 the first time in London, under the name of the 

 League, but without the consent of Voltaire, and 

 in a very imperfect state. The president Renault, 

 and other friends, disturbed him so much by their 

 criticisms upon this production, that he threw it 

 into the fire. Henault snatched it out, with these 

 words: "Your poem is like your hero: notwith- 

 standing his faults, he was a great king, and the 

 best of men." In 1726, Voltaire was again im- 

 prisoned, at the age of thirty-two years, in the 

 Bastile. He had offended the chevalier de Rohan, 

 a proud young nobleman, who, in consequence, 

 caused him to be beaten by his servant. Voltaire 

 now learned to fence, and challenged the chevalier, 

 whose relations thereupon procured an order for 

 his imprisonment. At the end of six months, he 

 was released at the intercession of the marchioness 

 de Prie, the favourite of the regent, who admired 

 his poetical talents ; but he was obliged to leave 

 the kingdom. He went to England, where his 

 Henriade was published by subscription, at the 1 re- 

 quest of king George I. and the princess of Wales. 

 From this he obtained considerable emolument. 

 He became acquainted with many men of rank, and 

 distinguished scholars, but gave such license to his 

 wit, that it is said Pope's mother was sometimes 

 driven away, by his conversation, from her son's 

 table. In 1728, he received permission to return to 

 France, where he put his acquisitions into a lottery. 

 By this, as well as by other fortunate speculations 

 (he traded under the name of Du Moulin, and sent 

 ships to Africa), he obtained great wealth, so that, 

 after he came into possession of the estates of his 

 father and brother, his income amounted to nearly 

 130,000 livres, which he employed in a praiseworthy 

 manner: he particularly aided youthful literary 

 talent. In 1730, he brought the tragedy of Brutus 

 upon the stage ; but, notwithstanding much merit, 

 it did not please universally. His talent for dra- 

 matic poetry was even doubted ; and Fontenelle 

 and La Motte advised him not to employ his genius 

 any more in this manner. His answer was the 

 Zaire, a play, which produced a deep and universal 

 impression, and is still a favourite on the French 

 stage. He afterwards attacked the pretensions of 



