VOLTAIRE. 57 



was about 40,000 francs, equal to about 6000/. in this 

 country at the present time. 



The family appears to have lived together in great 

 harmony, though occasionally somewhat broken by 

 the rather impetuous temper of the fair analyst. 

 They led a retired, contemplative, and studious, but 

 by no means a dull or unvaried life. Visits were 

 occasionally made to Paris ; in Brussels and the 

 Hague it became necessary to pass some time, partly 

 on account of Voltaire's work then printing there, 

 the ' Elements,' partly on account of a law-suit by 

 which the family had been exhausted for sixty years, 

 and of which Voltaire's active interposition obtained 

 the amicable settlement, by payment to the Marquess 

 of 220,000 francs. 



Some of the greatest mathematicians of the age fre- 

 quented the chateau, and assisted the Marchioness in 

 her studies. Kcenig and his brother, disciples of the 

 Bernouillis, passed two years there ; but also D. Ber- 

 nouilli himself was occasionally a visitor ; and so was 

 the illustrious Clairault. Maupertuis, a man of very in- 

 ferior mark, but esteemed at that time, when his journey 

 to measure a degree in Lapland caused him to be over- 

 rated, was more than once the Marquess's guest and 

 his wife's instructor or fellow-student. The Mar- 

 chioness seldom dined with the family, whose dinner- 

 hour was twelve ; but they more frequently assembled 

 all together to supper at eight in the evening. Though 

 the Marchioness was chiefly engaged in her ' Com- 

 mentaries on Newton,' and her able and learned trans- 

 lation of the ' Principia,' she could distract her mind 

 from such studies by the pleasures of music and of the 

 stage ; and w r e find Voltaire telling friends whom he 



