511 
F O N 
ing the gnefts, lie ate very heartily, but did not fpeak a 
word : at length he got up, faying he mu ft go to the aca¬ 
demy ; and vhen homebody obferved that it was much 
too toon, " Oh,” faid he, “ I will take the longeft way.” 
The literary fociety of Paris, however, fixed him to the 
capital, though he was accuftomed every year to pay a 
vifit to his wife in the month of September, on which oc- 
calion he took with him one or more of his friends. At 
thefe vifits, too, he feldom failed to get rid of part of his 
property; and as he never gave a leal'e of a houfe, or re¬ 
newed that of a farm, it may be fuppofed that his eftate 
fell into great diforder. His wife was as little attentive 
to economy as liimfelf. He had one foil, whom, at the 
age of fourteen, he put into the hands of M. de Hail ay, 
who promifed to provide for him. After a long ablence, 
lie met the youth at a houfe to which both were invited, 
without knowing him ; and, on converting with him, ex- 
preffed liimfelf pleafed with the young ftranger’s talents. 
When he was told that the ftripling w'as his Ton, “ Ah,” 
faid he calmly, “ I am very glad of it.” La Fontaine, 
either in conlequence of the licentioufnefs of fome of-his 
writings, or of his want of courtly manners, was no fa¬ 
vourite with Louis XIV, and lie was the only eminent 
writer of his time who did not partake of the royal boun¬ 
ty. When he was elected a member of the French aca¬ 
demy, the king hefitated in confirming the nomination ; 
at length, that body having gratified him with choofing 
Boileau, whom they did not like, lie gave his confent to 
both elections. It ought to be mentioned to the credit of 
La Fontaine, that his life and converfation were not in the 
leaft tainted by the licence of his pen. He behaved with 
the greateft refpeCt to the female fex, never indulged 
himlelf in any thing like double entendre, and even gave ex¬ 
cellent advice to mothers as to the education and conduCt 
of their daughters. Indeed, the fpirit of all his tales is 
fportive badinage ; and as the fubftance of them is moftly 
taken from writers of grave and dignified characters, it is 
probable that he was infenfible to the fmalleft part of 
their impropriety. As a proof of this, it is faid, that, 
having once compofed a very loofe tale, in which a monk 
was introduced in a manner unbecoming his character, he 
dedicated it to the famous. Dr. Arnauld, and was with 
difficulty convinced of the incongruity, by Boileau and 
Racine. 
After the death of Mad. de la Sabliere, with whom he 
had lived twenty years, La Fontaine was invited by Mad. 
Mazarin and St. Evremond to take up his abode in .Eng¬ 
land, and went fo far in compliance as to begin learning 
Engli(Ti ; but the difficulty he found in this attainment, 
and his habitual attachments in France, prevented the 
fcheme from taking place. As, in the Roman-catholic 
fyftem, it appears to be of more conlequence how a man 
dies than how he lives, it was a great objeCt to effeCt a 
converfton of this fimple creature, who had (hewn the 
lame indifference with refpeCt to religion, which diltin- 
guiflied him in his temporal affaii s. A diforder, with 
which he was attacked in 1692, allilted the eloquence of a 
pried, who vifited him for the purpofe of awakening his 
mind. The converfation was charaCteriltic on the part of 
La Fontaine. “ I have lately,” faid he, taken to read 
the New Teftament : I allure yon it is a very good book, 
an excellent book, in faith 1 but there is one article to 
which I could not accede—it is that of the eternity of fu¬ 
ture punilhments. I cannot comprehend how this eter¬ 
nity is compatible with the goodnefs of God.” The 
pried thereupon entered into an explanation of this arti¬ 
cle, as well as of feverul others, and finilhed his con¬ 
ferences with the entire conviction of his penitent. 
The poet threw into the~ fire a theatrical piece he 
had begun, foletnnly declared his contrition for his 
offences againlt morality and decorum, and renounced 
all the profit of a new edition of his Tales, then printing 
in Holland. On the news of his converlion, tire young 
duke of Burgundy (the pupil of Fenelon) very humanely 
obferved, that it was not reaionable that he Ihculd be- 
-Vol. VII. No. 448. 
F O N 
come poorer for having done his duty; and fent him a 
purfe of fifty louis, all the money he had about him. La 
Fontaine furvived this illnefs, and paffed two years in the 
houfe of Mad. d’Hervart, who fupplied the place of his 
former kind patronefs. He undertook to tranflate fome 
pious hymns, but did not fucceed in this new fpecies of 
writing. Though his converfion was fincerc, it is faid 
that he could not altogether forbear from fome levities of 
compofition, though, probably, of the leaft offenfive kind. 
He died at Paris in 1695, at the age of feventy-four; and, 
when he was undreffed for interment, a hair cloth was 
found next his {kin ! to this circutpftance the younger 
Racine has alluded in fome lines, ending with 
“ Et 1 ’auteur de Joconde eft arme d’un cilice.” 
The place occupied by La Fontaine among the poets 
of his country is given him principally as a writer of in- 
terefting tales, and a fabulift, in both which kindred walks 
lie is reckoned inimitable. His verfes, though negligent 
and incorreCt, have a charm of nature, which none of his 
contemporaries with all their ftudy could acquire. They 
appear to flow from his pea fpontaneoufly, and abound in 
grace and delicacy. His manner of narration is enlivened, 
with all the little touches which render defeription ani¬ 
mated and interefting ; and his reflections are the molt 
perfeCt fpecimen of that naivete, flynefs under theguife of 
iimplicity, which has no word in any other language : for 
la Fontaine, though really fimple to the verge of ftupid- 
ity in his conduCt, was capable of making extremely nice 
and Ihrewd obfervations'upon living manners. His Contes 
(Tales), which are now. fcarcely admitted into the more 
decent libraries, have been^edited with all the decorations 
of fculpture. The beft editions are thofe of Amjlerdam, 
16S5, and Paris, 1762. Of his Fables, innumerable edi¬ 
tions have been made, and they have been put into the 
hands of young people, as well as admitted into all the 
collections of capital authors. A magnificent publication 
of them was made in 4 vols. folio, 1755, 1759 ; in which 
each fable is decorated by a plate executed with zoolo¬ 
gical precifion. Of the fmall editions, one by Code, in 
2 vols. 121110. 1744, is efteemed. La Fontaine wrote be- 
fides, Lcs Amours de PJ'yche, a romance. Le Florentin, a 
comedy of one aCt. L'Eunuque, another comedy. Ana- 
creontiqucs. Lettres, and feveral occafional poems, which 
are collected in Les CEuvres diverfes de La Fontaine. His 
literary character is thus fummed up by d’Alembert 
(Elogede Defpreaux) : “ If, among the celebrated wri¬ 
ters of the age of Louis XIV. La Fontaine is not the great- 
eft, he is at leaft the moft Angularly original, the tnoft an 
object of defpair to imitators, and, if we may fo fpeak, 
the writer whom it would coft nature the moft pains to 
reproduce.” His country has been fenfible of bis merit, 
and fondly cheriflies his memory. Of this an illuftrious 
proof was given by M. d’Armenonville, when intendant 
of Soiflbns; who, being informed that the widow of the 
poet was molefted for the payment of fome taxes, wrote 
to his fub-delegate, that he would have the family of La 
Fontaine exempted from all public burthens ; and the 
exemption has continued ever fince. 
FONTAI'NE-le-BOURG, a town of France, in the 
department of the Lower Seine : three leagues north of 
Rouen, and fix and a half weft of Gournay. 
FONTAI'NE-le-DUN, a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Lower Seine, and chief place of a canton, 
in the diftriCl of Cany : three leagues euft of Cany, and 
four fouth-weft of Dieppe. 
FONTAI'NE l’EVEQJJE, a town of France, between 
the Sambre and the Meule, formerly belonging to the bi- 
ftiopric of Liege, but ceded to France in 1667. In June 
1794, the French were defeated near this town by the al¬ 
lies, under the command of the prince of Orange : ten. 
miles eaft of Mons, and three welt of Charleroy. 
FONT A I'NE-FRAN CO IS E, a town of France, in the 
department of the Cote-d’Or, and chief place of a canton, 
in the diftriCt of Is-fur-Tille ; where Henry IV. gained 
6 Y a victory 
