Nicholas de Malezieu, a native of Paris, was born in 1650. Like Madame de Staal, he possessed much talent, and, like her, he displayed it in childhood. By the time that he was four years old he had, with scarcely any assistance, taught himself to read and write, and at twelve years of age had gone through a complete course of philosophy. His merit gained for him the friendship of Bossuet, and the Duke of Montausier, and so highly did those eminent men rate it, that they recommended him as tutor to the Duke of Maine. Fenelon was subsequently added to the list of his friends, and, notwithstanding the breach between that amiable prelate and Bossuet, he retained the good-will of both. He seems, too, to have lived in harmony with all the principal contemporary authors. The marriage of the Duke of Maine with the high-spirited and intelligent grand-daughter of the great Condé drew still closer the ties which bound Malezieu to the family of the duke. His learning embraced a wide circle, he was a proficient in mathematics, elegant literature, Greek, and Hebrew, and his extemporary translations from the Greek dramatists and poets, and his illustrations and comments on them, are said to have been delivered with a degree of eloquence which excited universal admiration. The duchess listened to his instructions with delight. It is therefore not wonderful, that he acquired an almost unbounded influence in the ducal palace. “The decisions of M. Malezieu,” says Madame de Staal, “were thought as infallible as were those of Pythagoras among his disciples. The warmest disputes were at an end the moment any one pronounced the words ‘_He_ said it.’” There was another reason which had, perhaps no small effect in rendering him a favourite with the duchess. He was not one of those stately personages who think that it derogates from their dignity to attend to graceful trifles. The duchess was fond of giving magnificent spectacles and entertainments, and having plays acted, at Sceaux, where she held a sort of miniature court. Malezieu had the management of them, and when verses, and sometimes pieces, were wanted, his ready pen was called in to supply them. From these light occupations he was taken away for a time, to become mathematical preceptor to the youthful Duke of Burgundy; in this task he was for four years engaged, and he performed it in a manner which enhanced his reputation. The lessons which he gave to his royal pupil were afterwards published, under the title of “Elements of Geometry.” The days of Malezieu were spent in uninterrupted tranquillity, till the period when the duchess rashly plunged into intrigues with the Spanish court. It was not unnatural that he should espouse warmly the cause of his noble patrons, and he was perhaps led to the verge of treason before he was aware. His heaviest offence seems to have been his writing, at the request of the Duchess of Maine, sketches of two letters against the Duke of Orleans which were to be sent to the