D'ALEMBERT. 453 



able, not extensive or profound ; of Greek very far 

 from considerable, indeed hardly competent; and of 

 the principles of criticism he was imperfectly master. 

 In truth nothing could be more alien to his natural and 

 amiable diffidence than the position which he assumed, 

 without any title whatever, of dictating ex cathedra his 

 many crude opinions and hasty and superficial com- 

 ments on literary topics. His taste, accordingly, as a 

 critic, was, without being positively vicious, certainly 

 far from very correct. He appears to have preferred 

 Bossuet to Massillon ; but in this he agrees with pro- 

 bably the majority of his countrymen. He is far from 

 placing Corneille on the same level to which his power- 

 ful genius has by general consent elevated him ; and 

 his pleasure was great when he found the idol of his 

 worship, Voltaire, joining in repeated attempts to de- 

 cry that illustrious author. Even Racine pleases him 

 but little. The versification he thinks a model, but the 

 dramatic eifect small. 'Athalie' is a "Tragedie de 

 college " without action, without interest. He compares 

 Eacine, Boileau, and Voltaire, together thus ; Boileau 

 makes us think and feel what labour the verse has cost : 

 Racine makes us think without feeling it: Voltaire 

 makes us neither think it nor feel it ; and to him he 

 gives the decided preference. (Cor. de Volt., (Euv. 

 xvi. 106.) 



Indeed, Voltaire was in all things his idol. No one 

 can read any of his literary works and not be convinced 

 that he regarded that extraordinary man as standing 

 at the head of all writers, ancient and modern, upon 

 literary subjects, as w T ell as of all poets. The first im- 

 pression made upon him was, in all probability, by 

 Voltaire's dramatic works. His other poems confirmed 

 and extended the influence thus acquired over his mind; 

 and the sceptical opinions and satirical spirit of his prose 

 writings completed the enchantment, leaving him no 

 power of supposing either that the god of his idolatry 

 could ever err, or that anything was beyond his reach 



