VOLTAIRE. 35 



reported in its favour with a courage wholly to be 

 expected from him. The success of the piece was 

 great, but, like * Alzire,' it has not retained its place 

 on the stage. 



Many of his other pieces were damned from the 

 first. This was the fate of 'Artemire,' the second 

 which he produced ; but he changed it in some particu- 

 lars, and it had a great success under the name of ' Mari- 

 amne,' as indeed ' Zaire' itself had been the substitute 

 for ' Eryphyle,' which failed. 'Adelaide,' in like manner, 

 failed, and ' Gaston de Foix,' its substitute, had some 

 success. The failure was owing to a jest passed on 

 one of the passages much admired by critics. When 

 Vendome exclaims, " Es tu content, Couci ?" a wag in 

 the pit cried " Couci-couci," the French for so-so, or 

 indifferent. A similar practical joke had for a while en- 

 dangered the performance of ' Mariamne' some one, 

 on the Queen drinking, cried out "La Reine bolt" 

 The panegyrists of Voltaire dwell on these and similar 

 anecdotes, to account for the loss of many of his pieces, 

 but no play of real merit was ever thus destroyed. 

 Many, also, praise the construction of some of them, 

 and dwell especially upon the excellence of the plots. 

 But the theatrical hell is paved with good designs ill 

 executed, as well as the other. 



As for the comedies of Voltaire, they are wholly to 

 be rejected : the utmost praise to which they can 

 aspire is as pieces de societe. They were indeed very 

 little played at any time, except in private parties. 

 The best is the * Ecossaise,' which never was played 

 at all. It is a bitter satire on Freron, under the name 

 of Frelon (hornet), a profligate, mercenary, libeller, 



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