MARMONTEL. 
586 
MARMONTEI/(John-Frnncis), a drftinguifhed French 
writer, was born in 1723 at Bort, a fmall town in Limo- 
fin. His father was in an humble fituation ; and was 
obliged to exercife great frugality to bring up a large fa¬ 
mily of children, of whom this was the eldeft. His early 
education correfponded with the condition of life in 
which his lot was calf; but he enjoyed the advantage of 
having a mother whofe language and fentinients were 
much fuperior to her rank, and who conffantly favoured 
that ardour for mental cultivation by which he was foon 
riillinguilhed. Through her influence he was lent to the 
Jefuits’ college of Mauriac, where, with the practice of 
ft riff economy, he was initiated in claflical ftudies and rhe¬ 
torical exercifes. At the age of fifteen his father placed 
him with a merchant at Clermont. As this deftination 
was by no means to his talfe, he quitted it immediately af¬ 
ter his arrival; and, hiring a garret for his lodging, with a 
few livres in his pocket, wrote to his father that he felt 
a vocation for the ecclefiaftical profeflion. Having ob¬ 
tained indulgence for this inclination, he applied for ad- 
miffion to the college of Clermont, and was received into 
the philofophical clafs. Soon after, fame lcholars were 
put under his care, from whom he received an acknow¬ 
ledgment which fufficed for his moderate wants. The 
death of his father in the fecond year of this occupation 
was a fevere ftroke to him; and he difplayed the good- 
nefs of his heart by taking upon liirnfelf the paternal 
charge with refpeff to the deftitute family. After fluc¬ 
tuating fotne time between different plans of life, he went 
to Touloufe, and there engaged as teacher of philofophy 
in a feminary of the Bernardines. His natural quickneis 
of parts and-acquired knowledge made him appear with 
diftindtion in a fociety of monks; and profpedts of greater 
celebrity foon opened upon him. The Academy of Floral 
Gaines at Touloufe gave annual prizes for literary com- 
pofitions, which foon became an objedt of his ambition. 
He wrote an ode as one of the competitors, and was much 
mortified that it did not obtain the prize. Refolved to 
appeal to a higher tribunal, he fent his performance to Vol¬ 
taire, who returned it with liberal applaufe, and with a 
prefent of a copy of his works. Flattered to excels with 
this condefcenlion from fo great a man, he proceeded with 
ardour ip his career, and obtained the prizes of feveral 
fucceflive years. His reputation continually increaf- 
ed; he fometimes fupplied the place of the profeflor of 
philofophy, was made an adjundl in the academy, and 
had the fatisfadlion of feeing the number of his fcbolars 
augmented. He employed his gains in kind fnccours to 
his family, and fent for one of his brothers to be edu¬ 
cated at his expenfe under his own eye. In proportion 
to his worldly fuccefs, his zeal for the ecclefiaftical office 
abated; he difcerned feveral things in it which gave him 
difguft, and found other inclinations riling in his mind. 
The advice of Voltaire, to try his fortune at Paris as a 
man of letters, was therefore too conformable to his 
wiflies not to command his attention; and, when he re¬ 
ceived a billet from him, announcing that M. Orri, the 
comptroller-general of the finances, to whom Voltaire 
had mentioned him, promifed to take care of him, the 
matter was determined, and he fet out for the capital. 
Marmontel arrived at Paris in 1745, where the firft: 
news he heard was that Orri had loll: his place. Voltaire 
fupported his fpirits, and advifed him to write for the 
ftage. He began to fiudy for that purpofe ; and in the 
mean time w rote a poem which obtained a prize at the 
French Academy; and, in c’onjunftion with a literary 
friend, publilhed a periodical paper, which had but little 
fuccefs. All his efforts were unable to preferve him from 
a hate of indigence, when a fortunate introduction to a 
lady who engaged him toeducate her grandfon impioved 
his circumflances, and gave him admiflion to a feleCt and 
agreeable, fociety. He finiflied a tragedy entitled Denis 
Le Tiran, which vvas brought upon the ftage in February 
1748, and obtained general applaufe. Money and fame 
now poured in upon him'; he became in fa(hion, was 
feafted and complimented, and at once fell into the vor¬ 
tex of Parifian diflipation. A connexion with Madlle. 
Navarre, a capricious beauty, miftrefs to marfhal Saxe, 
fucceeded by another with Madlle. Clairon, the cele¬ 
brated actrefs, were fome of the titles by which he fuf- 
tained his new character of a man of pleafure. He did 
not, however, negledt the art to which he was indebted 
for his reputation; and in 1749 his fecond tragedy of 
Arijlomcne appeared on the theatre. Voltaire fat with 
him in his box, and cordially joined in the applaufes 
which it received. He was for fome time domefticated 
with M. de la Popliniere, a rich financier, whole wife 
was the daughter of an actrefs. His lioufe was a fcene 
of luxury and profusion of every kind ; Marmontel en¬ 
tered with full relilh into all the enjoyments it afforded- 
In his dramatic progrefs, the tragedy of Cleopatra was 
finiflied and acted in 1750. He had compofed it carelefsly, 
and its fuccefs was indifferent. Another piece, Les Hcra- 
clides, which lie charaCterifes as the inott pathetic, but the 
molt feebly written, of his tragedies, was reprelented in 
1752, and abfolutely failed. This difappointment vvas of 
fervice in giving a tone to his mind, relaxed by too much 
indulgence. It it did not yet make a philofoper of him, 
it rendered him more attentive to his future fortune ; 
and, having already ingratiated himfelf with the all-pow¬ 
erful madame Pompadour, by fome court-incenfe, he 
took an opportunity of being introduced to that fa¬ 
vourite, and was gracioufly received. It was his object 
to obtain by her influence a place in one of the public of¬ 
fices; but, as flieexprefled a wilh that he (hould again try 
his fortune at the theatre, lie complied, and produced Les 
Funerailles de Sejhflrts. This piece, however, was not more 
iuccefsful than the laft; and his new patronefs confoled 
him by the place of fecretary of the royal buildings un¬ 
der her brother, M. de Marigny. He left M. de la Po¬ 
pliniere, took apartments at Verfailles ; and “here, thank 
Heaven (fays he, in his Memoirs), terminate the errors 
and deviations of my youth.” 
Good fenfe, prudence, and a regard to propriety, feem 
to have marked the character of Marmontel as foon as 
the fire of the paflions was moderated. No one more 
agreeably mingled the man of bufinefs with the man of 
letters; or in his commerce with the great better pre- 
ferved a decent freedom, without giving offence by vanity 
or indifcretion. In his literary capacity lie was at this 
time much connefted with d’Alembert and Diderot, and 
was their coadjutor in the Encyclopedie. His afliduities 
and fervices to perfons in power at length procured him 
a penfion upon the privileged periodical work called the 
“ Mercure Frangois. He had obtained the privilege of 
the work itfelf for a friend of his, named Boifly, who, 
being once at a lofs for original pieces to fill it refpedta- 
bly, applied in great hafte to Marmontel for his afiilt- 
ance. The tale entitled Alcibiades, compofed at a fingle 
fitting, vvas the refult of this application. It was re¬ 
ceived with fo much applaufe, that the author was en¬ 
couraged to follow it in the fame publication with Soli- 
inan II. the Scruple, and others ; and this was the origin 
of the “ Contes Moraux,” which became fo popular 
throughout Europe. Boifly dying foon after, the Mer¬ 
cure was given to Marmontel, who thereupon quitted 
Verlailles and his place of fecretary of the buildings, and 
went to Paris, where he took up his abode with Mad. 
Geoffrin : this was in the year 1758. His firft care vvas 
to render the work which lie fuperintended more impor¬ 
tant and relpedtable ; for which purpofe he extended his 
plan, and enlarged its correfpondences. He was nowin 
a favourable fituation for cultivating an acquaintance 
with all the-eminent men of letters and artilts at Paris, 
who were accuftomed to aflemble at tile lioufe of Mad.. 
Geoffrin. He likewife faw there a party of perfons of 
rank of both fexes ; and at the fame time he frequented 
the meetings of 'fome men of wit and pleafure at the 
lioufe of a farmer-general named Pelletier, where freedom 
was carried to the bounds of licentiouinefs. This life of 
enjoyment 
