His writings continued to make more and more stir in the world of letters, and he was to a great extent the arbiter of intellectual thought all over Europe during the last twenty years of his life. He hailed the advent of Louis XVI. to the throne of France with joy, believing a new and enlightened _régime_ was about to begin. Pressure was put upon him on all sides to return to Paris, Queen Marie Antoinette herself interceded with the King to give the required permission for the exile’s reception at Court, and in February 1778, Voltaire quitted Ferney and arrived in Paris on the evening of the 10th of that month. He had been an exile for twenty-nine years. From this time until his death his existence was one perpetual ovation. The excitement of this round of entertainments and receptions--which culminated, when after a performance of his new tragedy _Irene_, his bust was crowned upon the stage of the _Théâtre Français_--was too much for his aged feeble frame to support, and taken suddenly ill he expired on May 30, 1778, aged eighty-four and three months. He desired to receive the last Sacraments, but when the priest arrived the patient was already unconscious. He had, however, confessed himself to the Abbé Gauthier, an ex-Jesuit, and received the Communion on the previous March 2, when he signed a retractation of his deistic and infidel opinions. He added--“I shall die adoring God, loving my friends, and detesting superstition of every kind.” Voltaire was buried in the Abbey of Scellières, where his body lay until it was removed to the Panthéon by the order of the Convention. Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED Tavistock Street, London FOOTNOTES [1] See Appendix. [2] These articles have since 1802 increased a hundredfold in value.--[ED.] [3] This bird is undoubtedly a Penguin. [4] Probably an albatross. [5] Italian or rather Corsican pronunciation. [6] This statue is the celebrated dying Gladiator immortalised by Byron. [7] Chauvilet. [8] I must here relate two very extraordinary circumstances respecting the younger Sheares, whom I described in Letter XII. as a charming young man and the admirer of Mlle. Théronne (Théroigne). During the King’s trial he sat near me, and was so extremely affected he shed tears, observing at the same time that the French would dishonour their name and the cause of freedom by this proceeding.