VOLTAIRE. 75 



attendant, and which sixty years' living in the world 

 never cured hardly mitigated in Voltaire. His ex- 

 pressions were, no doubt, stronger than his feelings ; 

 but we know that this strength of expression has a 

 certain re-action, and excites the feelings in its turn ; 

 certainly is ever taken into the account when its object 

 makes a bad or a cold requital, and irritates the minds 

 from which it had proceeded, if in no other way, at 

 least by wounding their pride. Nothing can be more 

 extravagant than the technology of Voltaire's affec- 

 tions : " My dearest friend" is too cold to be almost 

 ever used ; it is " My dear and adorable friend ;" " My 

 guardian angel ;" " My adorable friend ;" and often to 

 the Argentals especially the union of both, "My 

 adorable angels." All philosophers are New tons ; all 

 poets Virgils ; all historians Sallusts ; all marshals 

 Csesars. The work of the President Renault is not 

 certainly " son" but " votre charmante, votre imrnortel 

 ouvrage :" being the most dry and least charming 

 history that ever was penned, and which never would 

 be read but as a convenient chronicle. The ex- 

 pressions of affection, of eternal, warm, even passion- 

 ate affection, are lavished constantly and indifferently. 

 Nay, to one friend, a Marshal and Duke (Richelieu), 

 he says, addressing him as Monseigneur, " II y a dans 

 Paris force vieilles et illustres catins, a qui vous avez 

 fait passer de joyeux moments, mais il n'y en a point 

 qui vous aime plus de moi."* With all this vehemence 

 of feeling and facility of effusion, as well as of exag- 

 geration, there was joined an irritability that brought 



* Corr. Gen. iv. 193. 



