FENELON. 
318 
The vices of habit thus gradually corrected, thofe of 
temper were occafionally reproved with delicate raillery, 
■or their deformity reflected from the moral mirror of 
fome tale or fable. Sullennefs and obfiinacy were noticed 
with more direct reprehenfion,. and fometimes puniftied 
by the privation of an anmfement or a favourite (tudy; 
for by their converfation, w'hich w'as not lefs entertaining 
than inflruftive, they had infpired him with fuch a relith 
for mental improvement, that the temporary fufpenfion 
of it became fomething more than a negative puniffiment. 
His ftudies were dire&ed neither by conftraint, nor by rule. 
He was generally left to the guidance of his own tafte ; 
but if they wifhed to diredt his application to any parti¬ 
cular branch of fcience, it was enough to introduce the 
fubjedt in a favourable light; he immediately became im¬ 
patient to acquire it. The dry morality of the fchools 
was exploded by thofe judicious inftructors, and the 
charms of virtue were engraved on the tender mind of the 
pupil by the finger of tafte. The mod exalted virtues of 
humanity were agreeably exemplified to him from hiftory 
or fable. Even new’ works were produced, in order to 
inculcate thefe lelfons with more facility and fuccefs; 
and for this were compofed, the Dialogues of the Dead, 
and the Adventures of Telemachus. Fenelon was re¬ 
warded for his fervices in forming the mind of the young 
prince, firft with the abbey of St. Vallery, and afterward 
with tire fplendid archbifhopric of Cambray, which alfo 
contained a dukedom. 
The moil extraordinary inftance of weaknefs or foible 
in Fenelon, was his connexion with madame Guyon, a 
•woman of weak underftanding and wild imagination. Af¬ 
ter the death of her luifband, (he gave herfelf up to exer- 
cifes of devotion, and indulged ftrange vifions of myftic and 
divine love. From the fafcination of youth and beauty, 
the pronenefs of the human mind to embrace error, and 
the unaccountable attachment which mankind generally 
difcover for mad people and for enthufiafts, madame 
Guyon made many new converts ; and, among the reft, 
ftrange to relate, the new archbifhop of Cambray. Fene- 
lon’s partiality, which he manifefted for this lady and her 
opinions, has been vindicated by fome of his biographers, 
but without altering the nature of things. Indeed it could 
hardly be thought decent in the archbifhop to encourage 
the promulgator of dodrines at once abfurd and fanatical; 
and which have a tendency to inflame thofe appetites and 
paflions which it is the objeft of religion and morality to 
regulate and reftrain : for that there was a portion of fen- 
fuality in the devotion of madame Guyon, was never diL 
puted by the rational part of the public ; and, as flie 
openly afferted her nuptials with Jefus Chrift, it would 
be difficult to defend her from the charge of impiety. 
From this folly a ftorm began to gather over his head; 
and he was fora time, by order of pope Innocent XII. 
confined within the limits of Cambray. But we will turn 
from this unfavourable part of the archbifhop’s condud, 
and follow him to his diocefe, where he fhone forth a 
bright example of piety and of virtue. 
His vifitorial and inftrudive labours throughout fo large 
a diocefe were inceffant. In his diftribution of appoint¬ 
ments and preferments, it is remarked that he never pa- 
tronifed a fingle perfon from the influence of the court, 
or of any great man whatever, but made learning and me¬ 
rit the foie recommendation to his favour ; and in the 
courfe of his miniftry, he introduced to public notice and 
diftindion, a greater number of eminent literary charac¬ 
ters, than the whole epifcopacy of France. Impartial and 
affable, yet find in all tlie concerns of his diocefe, he 
infpired his vicars and inferior clergy with the fame benign 
and confcientious fentiments. The poor revered in him 
the adive piety of the ecclefiaftic, and bleffed the dif- 
terning liberality of the prince. They always had free 
accefs to him. He heard, pitied, and relieved, their dif- 
trefs. But his cares were not merely epifcopal. Tem¬ 
poral as w ell as religious beneficence was included in the 
wide fphere of his philanthropy. The fevere winter of 
1709 having blafted the hopes of the hufbandman, the 
French army in Flanders were greatly diflreffed in the 
fucceeding fummer, for the want of forage and magazines. 
The archbifhop of Cambray fet an example of patriotifm 
and humanity to the provinces around, in gratuitoufly 
fupplying the wants of thofe troops; thoufands of whom 
muft othervvife have fallen the famiftied vidims of their 
fovereign’s criminal ambition. Though Fenelon fincerely 
lamented that deftrudive and unchriftian fpirit in Louis 
XIV. he did every thing in his power to relieve the un¬ 
happy inftruments of it. After the hard-fought battle at 
Malplaquet, be converted his palace and diocefan femi- 
nary into hofpitals for the wounded officers and foldiers; 
but thefe not being fuffieient for all that flood in need of 
his humane affiftance, he hired houfes, in which he lodged 
and villted the reft with paternal tendernefs and care. In 
the courfe of that perilous war, his military guefts were 
generally fucceeded by crowds of diftreffed fugitives from 
the country, who, on the approach of ail hoftile army, 
fought fecurity within the walls of Cambray. Neither the 
fqualid appearance of poverty, the corruption of wounds, 
nor the contagious breath of putrid difeafe, deterred him 
from perfonal attendance on the mod loathfome objects 
among them. Furnifhed with clothing, food, and me¬ 
dicine, at his expence, they alfo received dally confolatioiu 
and inftruftion from their noble benefactor.—It is among 
the moft pleafing anecdotes of the war, that the duke of 
Marlborough, and the other generals of the allies, when 
in poffeffion of that part of Flanders, exprefsly exempted 
the ardhiepifcopal lands of Cambray from all pillage or 
exaftion, regarding them as devoted to the purpofes of 
common beneficence. They frequently paid their ref pedis 
to the worthy prelate, and always received from him the 
ftrongeft imprellions of efteem and admiration. Yet pre¬ 
vious to thofe unbounded calls on his munificence and 
bounty, he experienced the misfortune of having his pa¬ 
lace at Cambray, with all its furniture and books, con- 
fumed by fire. Fie bore the lofs with perfeCt tranquillity, 
obferving, “ that it was better all thefe fttould be burned, 
than the cottage of. one,poor family.”' 
He w as a ftrong oppofer of the Janfenifts, and his re- 
monftrances to the king concerning his illicit connexion 
with madame de Maintenon, threw him out of favour at 
court. The death of his pupil, the duke of Burgundy, 
followed by thofe of his intimate friends and admirers, 
the dukes of Chevreufe and Beauvilliers, were alfo fevere 
blows to his feelings. This excellent prelate died on,the 
8th of January, 1715, in the fixty-fourth year of his age, 
amid the unfeigned borrow of his friends and connexions, 
and the bleftings and regrets of the poor. He died as he 
lived, without debt, and without accumulation, having 
difpofed of his revenue, as the faithful fteward of Provi¬ 
dence. “ In no fenfe, (fays his biographer,) did he abufe 
the talents intruded him by heaven ; an imputation on 
whole goodnefs it would be to doubt his prefent enjoy¬ 
ment of the moft gracious rewards that the divine juftieg 
and bounty can beftow.” 
The principal works of Fenelon are, 1. Dialogues of 
the Dead, 2 vols. 121110. 2. Dialogues on Eloquence in 
general, and on that of the Pulpit in particular ; with a 
Letter on Rhetoric and Poetry, i2mo. addreffed to the 
French academy, of which he became a member in 1693. 
3. Philcifophical Works, or Demonftrations of the Exift- 
ence of a God by natural Proofs, 121110. 4. Letters on 
different Religious and Metaphyfical Subjects, 121T10. 
5. Spiritual Works, 4 vols. 121110. 6. Sermons, nmo, 
and feveral pieces in favour of the bull Unigenitus, and 
of the Formulary. Of all his writings, hisTelemachus is at 
prefent by much the moft known; and fcarceiy has any 
performance been more generally popular. As a work of 
invention it has great merit, and is read with pleafure for 
the beauties of its ftyle, and the elegance of its fidtions, 
even by thofe who are little interefted in its political 
leftbns.’ It lias been publifhed in a great variety of forms, 
and tranftated into moft modern languages. 
FENERA/TIONj 
