680 
nister, who entertained a high Reece 
for his merit. When the French Premier 
was weary of public affairs, he conversed 
with nin on the subject of literature ; 
and, on all occasions, he expressed his 
opinions with adegree of frankaess which 
the other had hitherto been but hittle ac- 
customed to. It was to please him that 
he translated Suetonius into French, 
which was begun and compieted in the 
space of two months. We lament to add, 
that it was immediately published, white 
still in an imperfect state; and as he 
had, by this time, mhcrensed the number 
of his enemies, in consequence of the 
bofdness and severity of his criticisms, 
they took care to point out all its faults, 
and that too with an unexampled degree 
cf bitterness. La Harpe, on the other 
hand, admitted all the egrors attributed 
to him, with a degree of frankness which 
was but little expected, and this contri- 
buted not a little to obtain his pardon 
with the public. 
In addition to this, he now added 
greatly to his former reputation by means 
of a drama, entiled “ Mel anie,” re- 
specting which Voltaire, D’Alembert, 
and most of the celebrated men of that 
age, had already raised the curiosity of 
the ‘public. The moral of it was wholly 
directed avainst monastic institutions, 
and vows made at a period when the con- 
tracting party was incapable of judging 
as to the solemnity and extent of the en- 
gagement. The poet of Ferney wrote 
to him as follows on this subject: ee OU 
have all the philosophers and the ladies 
on your side, and, with such a recom- 
mendation, it is impossible to fail.” 
This prophecy was fully conlirmed by 
the event; but, in the very zenith of his 
reputation, he-was. in danger of being 
Bent to the Bastile, in Soeur be ice of 
some satirical verses against the Duke de 
Richelieu, a nobleman celebrated for his 
gallantries and debaucheries of all kinds, 
but whose influence at the court of Louis 
XV. a prince of a similar temperament, 
was such, as to have shut up one half of 
the men ‘of letters in Paris, on bare sus- 
gacion, had he been so inclined! Voltaire 
on this, as on every other occasion, 1n- 
terposed his wis, and preserved his 
friend. 
_ Meanwhile the Elogy of Fenelon, which 
obtained the prize at the French Acade- 
my, conferred new reputation on the la- 
bours of La Harpe, and he pleased the 
philosophical: party, by whom he had 
been constantly protected, in conse- 
quenee of somé sly Attacks on the cha- 
Retrospect of French Literature—Biography. 
racter of Bossuet. As D’Alembert wae 
now in high credit with this body, he waé 
at length certain that he would be ad- 
mitted a member, and this consideration 
supporied and enabled hua to continue 
his labours. 
On the-accession of Louis XVI. M. 
Turgot, become one of the new ministers, 
took every opportunity of exhibiting a 
high degree of regard for the subject of 
this memoir, who was now busily occu- 
pied about: hree different dramatic works, 
which were to point at three different ob- 
jects. In the “ Baremécides,” he en- 
deavoured to describe heroisin and gene- 
rosity; in “ Jeanne de Naples,” the fa- 
tal ee of the passions; and in “ Men- 
zikofl,” the disgrace of a powerful mini- 
ster, a aime the better calculated to 
obtain interest and attention, by being 
accompanied with a degree of resignation 
almost without a parallel i in history. The 
last of these attracted such applause, that 
the young Queen became desirous to be 
present at the representation ; and such 
was the effect of this trifiing circumstance 
ina despotic country, that it put the ad- 
versaries of the author to sifence! 
Nearly at the same time, he obtained 
the long-expected ¢hair of the French 
Academy, having succeeded Colardeau. 
From this moment his enemies became 
more reserved in their attacks, and he 
in his censures. M. Necker also, on his 
advancement to a high sitvation in the 
management of the fincas evinced the 
grea .test respect for La Harpe: but it 
was to Calonne, with whom he had no 
manner of connexion, that he was in- 
debted, about this period, fora pension. 
After having distinguished himself by 
his criticisms in three different litera 
journals, all of which he rendered oie 
brated, M. de la Harpe at length deter- 
mined ‘to commence a “ Cours de Litté- 
rature” at the Lyceum. In the capacity 
of a Professor, he accordingly read a 
course of focnures to the Parisians, both 
male and female, who were se captivated 
with his taste and talents, that this 
amusement not only became fashionable, 
but he himself obtained - the appellation 
of “ The French Quintilian’” 
When the Revolution occurred, not- 
withstanding the joss of his pension, our 
author for some time adopted the ya 
ciples of the reformers. During tw 
whole years, he remained firm to the 
party that then triumphed; but he no 
sooner imagined that they had overstep- 
ped the boundaries at which they ought 
to have stopped, than he wrote agaist 
“them 
