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098 Account of the Life and Writings of Madame.du Boccage. [O&i+15 
deration induced Madame du Boccage to 
imitate that celebrated produétion of Gef- - 
ner in the fame manner as fhe had imitated 
Milton. -it is, however, apparent - that 
fhe found it much lefs dificult tq catch 
the fpirit of the Helvetic Virgil, than that 
of the Britifh bard. This did not pre- 
vent her from faying, with her ufual mo- 
defy— I beg pardon of Milton and 
Geffaer for the injuttice I have done 
them.” 
Emboldened by the fuccefs of her Pa- 
radife Loft, Madame du Boccage, in the 
year 1749, procured her tragedy of the 
Amazens to be reprefented at the Theatre 
Francais. ‘This piece obtained its author 
tire applaufe of one half of the {peétators, 
the jealoufy of the other, and toon after- 
wards the honopr of a tranflation. 
Madame du Boccage was not the firft 
female who had attempted tragedy in 
France; but it was referved for her to 
furpafs her, predeceffors in that line,” and 
to diftinguifh herfclf fill more in epic 
poetry ; in which the French are however 
inferior to fome cther nations of Europe. 
The Columbiad; or, Difcovery of Ame- 
lica, an epic poem, in ten cantos, crowned 
the reputation of Madame du Boccage, 
though its execution is far from corre- 
fponding with the magnitude of the un- 
dertaking. © 
With the Columbiad .Madame du 
Boccage terminated her poetic careers A 
project fo valt requires in its author know- 
ledge equally varied and -extenfive. Se- 
cluded, from licr infancy, from dangerous 
or frivolous diverfions, Madame du Boc- 
cage appears, during her whole life, to 
have been influenced by only one paffion, 
that of ftudy. With all the charms of 
her fex fhe manifefted an uncommon de- 
fire of knowledge; her talents were more 
folid than brilliant; and her fimplicity 
alone imparted luftre to them. 
“With a mind ftored with information, 
which fhe was fill folicitous to increafe, 
fhe, at the age of forty, conceived the 
cefign of travelling. Like Plato, the 
thought it more advantageous to fee the 
world in the autumn, than in the prime 
of life. ‘* At the ageof fifteen or twenty 
years, (fays fhe) our native country, by 
which we are caeffed, and for which we 
poflefs the charms of a nafcent flower, 
likew fe has thofe of novelty forus. We 
muft, therefore, firft enjoy it; every 
thing then furnifhes fubje€ts of refleétion, 
pleature, and aftonifhment. By habit, 
objects are rendered infipid, and we be- 
come the fame tothem. Let us change 
our rehdence; ina foreign country we 
thall become a new being; and. though 
mankind are every where the fame, their 
manners, their paffions, which we meet 
with under other forms, excite our atten~ 
tion and curiofity. This charm would 
doubtlefs accompany ary one, who fhould’ 
have the courage to make the tour of the 
globe, and would inceffantly- renew his 
fenfations blunted by time, and the fatiety 
of conftantly beholding the fame object.” 
In accompanying Madanie du Boccage 
in her travels through England, Holland, 
and Italy, her Letters exhibit her in a 
new point af view. The moft perfect 
models of epiltolary correfpondence before 
her time were Madame de Sevigné and 
Voltaire; but without taking either of 
thefe as an objeét of imitation, fhe has _ 
very naturally approached the manner of 
Lady M. W. Montagu, efpecially in her 
Letters on Italy. Refpeéting the latter, 
Voltaire, in 1764, wrote to her: * They 
are equal to thofe of Lady Montagu. 
I know Conftantinople from her, and 
Rome from you; and, tnaanks to your 
ftyle, I give the preference to Rome.’’* 
It was in that capital of the arts that 
every thing appeared interefting to Ma- 
dame du Boccage. It may be feen in her | 
Letters with what enthufiaim fhe defcribes 
the beauties of every kind that met her 
eye, and how her delight is diffufed over — 
all the {ubjeéts of which fhe treats. 
Madame du Boccage, it is true, expe- 
‘rienced at Rome the moft diltinguifled 
reception. Next to Pope Benedict XIV. ~ 
to whom fhe had dedicated her Colum- 
biad, Cardinal Paffionnéi, whofe funeral 
oration’cf Prince Eugene fie had tranf- 
lated, by his conftant attentions, contri- 
buted the moft to procure her every kind 
of pleafure. 
Grofley in‘orms us, that when the Car- 
dinal went out in his carriage with Ma- 
dame du Boccage, the Pope ufed to re- 
pair to the window, and to favour them 
with a two-fold benenediétion, faying at’ 
the fame time, ‘et homo fadius ef ?—. 
‘© he has become a man.” This rivalfhip 
between two old men of eighty was equally 
flattering and amufing to Madame du 
Boccage, who, upon her departure from 
Rome, was treated by the Pope with the 
fame honour as if fhe had been a prin- 
cefs. 
Upon her return from Italy fle paffed 
through Geneva, and vifited Voltaire at 
his manfion, called Déhces. On the firft 
* This opinion may be afcribed to Vol- 
taire’s imperfect knowledge of the Englifh 
language. pp: 
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