472 D'ALEMBERT. 



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

 subjects, as well as of all poets. The first impression 

 made upon him was, in all probability, by Voltaire's 

 dramatic works. His other poems confirmed and ex- 

 tended 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 

 insomuch that we actually find him infinitely flattered "par 

 le suffrage accorde a Tarticle ' Geometric,' " and hoping 

 that Voltaire would be equally pleased with the articles on 

 Forces and Gravitation, and begging him to read that on 

 the Figure of the Earth, the merit of which consists in his 

 correcting Clairaut's hypothesis, and on this correction 

 Voltaire was utterly incapable of offering an opinion. 

 The article on Gravitation consists of four sections, three 

 of which are full of calculus, and so unintelligible to 

 Voltaire that it seemed like a mockery to mention them. 

 (Cor. de Volt., (Euv., xv., 41.) 



The admiration which he expresses for Tasso is cer- 

 tainly quite legitimate. But who can allow him to 

 single the 'Gerusalemme' out of all ancient and modern 

 epics, as the "only one which we can read from begin- 

 ning to end with pleasure and interest""? (CEuv. iv., 116.) 

 He had just pronounced, dogmatically, the somewhat 

 astounding dictum, that no one can read Virgil or Homer 

 through without being weary of the task. When he 

 singles out Tasso, indeed, he makes him the solitary 

 exception "among dead poets;" but this qualification is 

 manifestly introduced on behalf of the 'Henriade/ the 

 author of which was still alive. 



