must not be allowed to starve; let her come back, but let her beware of presenting herself before me, do you hear?" Madame Denis promised she should not, and upon this Madeline came forth from her concealment, but carefully kept out of the way of her master. One day, however, Voltaire rising from table, found her standing opposite to him; Madeline coloured, and, with downcast eyes, wished to stammer out some excuses: "Not a word more of it," said he; "but mind you at least, that it is not necessary to kill everything which happens to be lean.'

CCCIX. ASKING QUESTIONS.

When still a young man and eager for instruction, Voltaire was perpetually putting questions. Despreaux on one occasion reproved him for this propensity, with impatience and something of harshness. At a more advanced age, he held people who are ever asking questions in such aversion, that he has often been known to rise bluntly and leave his place. He said to an inhabitant of Geneva, who had furnished him with the idea and model of the interrogating Bailiff in the "Droit du Seigneur,"" Sir, I am very well pleased to see you; but I inform you before-hand, that I know nothing about what you are going to ask."

CCCX. THE ANTIQUITY OF THE WORLD.

Voltaire was at table one day when the company were conversing on the antiquity of the world. His opinion being asked, he remarked that "the world was like an old coquette who disguised her age."

CCCXI. MARMONTEL.

Voltaire thought much more of the poetics of Marmontel than of his poetry. "This author," he

observed, " is like Moses, having conducted others to the promised land, which he was not himself allowed to enter."

CCCXII. VOLTAIRE AT THE COURT OF STANISLAUS I.

In the history of Stanislaus I. of Poland by the Abbé Proyart, we have the following:

Voltaire had been admitted to the Court of this Prince, but the philosopher's temper was such as to render him a disagreeable and even dangerous. guest. The difficulty was how to get him to quit Luneville. The King began to treat him with coldness, a sort of language which Voltaire affected not to understand. He then consulted Alliot, his intendant, who answered, "Sire, hoc genus dæmoniorum non ejicitur nisi oratione et jejunio." Voltaire, whose rations were upon this discontinued, wrote to Alliot: "When Virgil was at the court of Augustus, Alliot made it his business that he should want for nothing." The new Mæcenas proved insensible to the little flattery of this modern Virgil, so that he was at length obliged to leave the court of Augustus.

CCCXIII. PIRON AND VOLTAIRE.

Piron one morning going into the house of the Marquis de Mimenre, found Voltaire buried to the shoulders in a large chair, his legs spread, and his heels resting one on each arm of the chair. He received Piron with a slight inclination of the head, in return for five or six profound bows. Piron took a chair, and seated himself as near the fire as possible. A dry conversation soon dropped. The one pulled out his watch; the other his snuff-box: the one laid hold of the tongs, the other took snuff. Voltaire sneezed; Piron blew his nose; the former

yawned profoundly; Piron was about to follow in the same way, when Voltaire drew from his pocket a crust of bread, and began to crunch it between his teeth, with so extraordinary a noise, as to astonish his companion. Piron, without loss of a noment, pulled out a flask of wine, and emptied it at a draught. Voltaire lost his temper. " Sir," he said, addressing Piron, "I can take raillery as well as another, but your pleasantry, if it is such, is very much mistimed." "No raillery," answered Piron; "all the merest chance." Voltaire interrupted him, saying, he had just escaped from an attack of illness, which had left him with a continual desire to eat."Eat, sir, by all means eat," replied the author of Metromanie, "you do right; and I, sir, have just escaped from Burgundy with a continual desire to drink, and I do drink."

CCCXIV. VOLTAIRE AND HIS CUP.

Voltaire, when he was in Paris in 1778, lived in the house of the Marquis de Villette. One day the Marquis had invited a large party to dinner. Coming to table, Voltaire did not find in its place before him his own particular cup, which he had marked with his cachet. "Where is my cup?" he inquired, his eye sparkling, of a tall simple domestic, whose special duty it was to wait upon him. The poor fellow, quite at a loss, stammered out some words. "Enemy of your master!" exclaimed the old man in a fury, "go, seek for my cup; I must have my cup, or I shall not dine to-day." The cup could not be found; and, leaving the table in his passion, he walked off to his apartment and shut himself up. The guests were confounded and disappointed by the scene. At length it was agreed that Mr Villevielle, to whom he was much attach

VOLTAIRIANA.

CCXCVII. THE ABBE DE VOISENON.

The Abbé de Voisenon was one day in com pany with Racine the younger, at the house of Voltaire, who was reading to them his tragedy of Alzire. Racine, thinking he recognised one of his own verses, kept repeating between his teeth, "That verse is mine." The Abbé, growing impatient at this continued murmur, went up to Voltaire and said, "Give him his verse, and let him go."

CCXCVIII.

VOLTAIRE AND THE ENGLISHMAN.

An Englishman who stopped at Ferney, in his way to Italy, offered to Voltaire to bring him from Rome whatever he desired. "Good," said the philosopher," bring me the ears of the grand Inquisitor." The Englishman, in the course of a familiar conversation with Clement XIV., related to him this piece of pleasantry. "Tell Voltaire from me," answered the Pope, laughing, " that our Inquisitor is no longer possessed of ears."

ССХСІХ. IRENE.

Voltaire, the last time he was in Paris in 1778, wholly engrossed with bringing out his tragedy of Irene, had settled the distribution of the parts, and superintended all the other arrangements for the performance. With the prompter's copy in his

hands, he made the actors repeat their parts before him, and, dissatisfied with everything, he obliged them to begin again several times; and, in order to give every one the proper tone, he declaimed the whole tragedy himself, from beginning to end. It was on this occasion that, in a moment of convulsive rage, he broke out to Madame Vestris, who was to play the principal part, that of Irene," So! I must have the trouble of making verses of six feet, that you may mince three of them !"

CCC. VOLTAIRE'S GENIUS.

It was observed by Madame Neckar that Voltaire had extracted from his genius everything of which it was susceptible; that in his case it was like a sponge, which he had drained of its contents to the last drop.

CCCI. THE CAPUCHINS.

A carriage having broken down in a bad stony road, near the small town of Gondecourt, it became necessary to have it repaired. There was a great deal of work and few workmen, and the consequence was, that the traveller must make up his mind to a considerable delay, while there was nothing in the place to relieve the dulness of the interruption. The Judge, the Curé, the Bailiff's wife, the Fiscal's wife-all the good company, in a word, were gone to the country. The traveller observes, in a sufficiently agreeable situation, a very modest-looking house, surmounted by a very modest-looking clock; it was a small establishment of Capuchins, so he walks up to it and knocks. The door being opened, the inmates perceive a very thin gentleman, appearing somewhat in distress, but otherwise well to look upon, and very polite, who entreats their hospitality. The bre