Molière had a high opinion of Lulli's facetious powers. "_Fais nous rire, Baptiste_," he would say, and it cannot have been any sort of joke that would have excited the laughter of the greatest of comic writers. Nevertheless, he fell out with Lulli when the latter attained the "privilege" of the Opera, and, profiting by the monopoly which it secured to him, forbade the author of _Tartuffe_ to introduce more than two singers in his interludes, or to employ more than six violins in his orchestra. Accordingly, Molière entrusted the composition of the music for the _Malade Imaginaire_, to Charpentier. The songs and symphonies of all his other pieces, with the exception of _Mélicerte_, were composed by Lulli. The story of Lulli's obtaining letters of nobility through the excellence of his buffoonery in the part of the Muphti, in the _Bourgeois Gentilhomme_ has often been told. This was in 1670, but once a noble, and director of the Royal Academy of Music, he showed but little disposition to contribute to the diversion of others, even by the exercise of his legitimate art. Not only did he refuse to play the violin, but he would not even have one in his house. To overcome Lulli's repugnance in this respect, Marshal de Gramont hit upon a very ingenious plan. He used to make one of his servants who possessed the gift of converting music into noise, play the violin in Lulli's presence. Upon this, the highly susceptible musician would snatch the instrument from the valet's hands, and restore the murdered melody to life and beauty; then, excited by the pleasure of producing music, he forgot all around him, and continued to play to the great delight of the marshal. Many curious stories are told of Lafontaine's want of success as a librettist; Lulli refused three of his operas, one after the other, _Daphné_, _Astrée_, and _Acis et Galathée_--the _Acis et Galathée_ set to music by Lulli being the work of Campistron. At the first representation of _Astrée_, of which the music had been written by Colasse (a composer who imitated and often plagiarised from Lulli), Lafontaine was present in a box behind some ladies who did not know him. He kept exclaiming every moment, "Detestable! detestable!" [Sidenote: LAFONTAINE'S IMPARTIALITY.] Tired of hearing the same thing repeated so many times, the ladies at last turned round and said, "It is really not so bad. The author is a man of considerable wit; it is written by M. de la Fontaine." "_Cela ne vaut pas le diable_," replied the _librettist_, "and this Lafontaine of whom you speak is an ass. I am Lafontaine, and ought to know." After the first act he left the theatre and went into the Café Marion, where he fell asleep. One of his friends came in, and surprised to see him, said--"M. de la Fontaine! How is this? Ought you not to be at the first performance of your opera?"