VOLTAIRE. 135 



were condemned to be burnt. It is none of the least absurd 

 parts of Condorcet's work, that he, being so well versed in 

 physical and mathematical science, passes without any parti- 

 cular observation the writings of Voltaire on physical subjects, 

 when he was so competent to pronounce an opinion upon their 

 merits. But the strangest part of the matter is,, that the au- 

 thor of Voltaire's 'Life' should apparently never have read 

 his voluminous and various correspondence, from which 

 alone the real materials for such a work are to be obtained. 

 He might as well have undertaken the ' Life ' of Rousseau 

 without reading the ' Confessions.' 



The publication in 1820 of Madame de Grafigny's ' Letters,* 

 while residing for six months at Cirey, entitled, not accurately, 

 'Vie privee de Voltaire et de Madame du Chatelet,' adds 

 some curious particulars to our former knowledge of Madame 

 du Chatelet and of her household, always supposing that we 

 can entirely rely on the testimony of a woman whose own 

 character was very far from respectable, and who professedly 

 acted the very unworthy part of an eaves- dropper for so con- 

 siderable a time, pleading only as her excuse the extreme 

 penury from which the hospitality that she violated afforded 

 her a shelter. On Voltaire's character it casts no new light 

 whatever, except that it tends to raise our admiration of his 

 talents, if that be possible, and also of his kindly disposition. 

 Of Madame du Chatelet it gives a far less amiable picture. 



APPENDIX II 



I AAVE been favoured, by the great kindness of Mr. Stanford, 

 F.R.S., with part of a series of letters which Voltaire wrote 

 to the Duchess Louisa of Saxe Gotha, grandmother of the 

 late Duke, and of which his Serene Highness was graciously 

 pleased to allow hiih to nlake a copy. By Mr. Stanford's per- 



