Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) _By S. G. Tallentyre_ The Life of Voltaire The Life of Mirabeau Matthew Hargraves THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE [Illustration: _Voltaire from the statue by Houdon at the Comédie Française._] THE LIFE OF VOLTAIRE BY S. G. TALLENTYRE AUTHOR OF “THE WOMEN OF THE SALONS,” ETC. “_Je n’ai point de sceptre, mais j’ai une plume._”--VOLTAIRE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS THIRD EDITION G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE BOYHOOD 1 II. EPIGRAMS AND THE BASTILLE 16 III. “ŒDIPE,” AND THE JOURNEY TO HOLLAND 25 IV. THE “HENRIADE,” AND A VISIT TO COURT 37 V. ENGLAND, AND THE “ENGLISH LETTERS” 48 VI. PLAYS, A BURLESQUE, AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE “LETTERS” 60 VII. MADAME DU CHÂTELET 74 VIII. A YEAR OF STORMS 86 IX. WORK AT CIREY 96 X. PLEASURE AT CIREY 106 XI. THE AFFAIR DESFONTAINES 117 XII. FLYING VISITS TO FREDERICK 127 XIII. TWO PLAYS AND A FAILURE 137 XIV. VOLTAIRE AS DIPLOMATIST AND COURTIER 149 XV. THE POPE, THE POMPADOUR, AND “THE TEMPLE OF GLORY” 159 XVI. THE ACADEMY, AND A VISIT 167 XVII. COURT DISFAVOUR, AND HIDING AT SCEAUX 175 XVIII. THE MARQUIS DE SAINT-LAMBERT 183 XIX. THE DEATH OF MADAME DU CHÂTELET 194 XX. PARIS, “ORESTE” AND “ROME SAUVÉE” 206 XXI. GLAMOUR 221 XXII. THE RIFT WITHIN THE LUTE 233 XXIII. THE QUARREL WITH MAUPERTUIS 249