ty; that expression, to be lively longer the actress, it was Roxane and profoundly penetrating, re- herself, whom the audience thought quires gradations, shades, unfore- they saw and heard. The astonseen and sudden traíts, which it ishment, the illusion, the enchantcannot have when it is stretched ment, was extreme. All inquired and forced." She used to reply where are we? They had heard sometimes with impatience, that nothing like it. I saw her after I should never let her rest, till she the play ; I would speak to her of had assumed a familiar and.comick the success she had just had. tone in tragedy. " Ah ! no, Ma. « Ah!" said she to me, “don't you demoiselle,” said I, “ that you will see that it ruins me? In all my never have ; nature has forbidden characters, the costume must now it ; you even have it not,while you be observed ; the truth of 'declaare speaking to me ; the sound of mation requires that of dress ; all your voice, the air of your counte. my rich stage-wardrobe is from nance, your pronunciation, your this moment rejected ; I lose gestures, your attitudes, are natu- 1200 guineas worth of dresses ; rally noble. Dare only to confide but the sacrifice is made. You in this native talent, and I dare shall see me here within a week warrant you will be the more tra- playing Electre to the life, as I gick."

have just played Roxane." <Other counsels than mine pre- • It was the Electre of Crébillon, vailed, and, tired of being impor. Instead of the ridiculous hoop, and tunate without utility, I had yield- the ample mourning robe, in which ed, when I saw the actress sudden- we had been accustomed to see ly and voluntarily come over to her in this character, she appeared my opinion. She came to play in the simple habit of a slave, Roxane at the little theatre at Ver. dishevelled, and her arms loaded sailles. I went to see her at the with long chains. She was admi, toilette, and, for the first time, I rable in it; and some time after, found her dressed in the habit of a ward, she was still more sublime sultana ; without hoop, her arms in the Electre of Voltaire. This half naked, and in the truth of part, which Voltaire had made Oriental costume : I congratula- her declaim with a continual and ted her. “ You will presently be monotonous lamentation, acquir, delighted with me," said she. “I ed, when spoken naturally, a beau

. have just been on a journey to ty unknown to himself'; for on Bourdeaux ; I found there but a seeing her play it on his theatre at very small theatre ; to which I Ferney, where she went to visit was obliged to accommodate mye him, he exclaimed, bathed in tears self. The thought struck me of and transported with admiration, reducing my action to it, and of “ It is not I who wrote that, 'tis she: making trial of that simple decla. she has created her part !" And mation you have so often required indeed, by the infinite shades she of me.

It had the greatest success introduced, by the expression she there : I am going to try it again gave to the passions with which here, on this little theatre. Go this character is filled, it was per and bear me. If it succeed as haps that of all others in which well, farewel my old declamation.” she was most astonishing. ... The event surpassed her ex- Paris, as well as Versailles, re, pectation and mine. It was no cognised in these changes the true

a

tragick accent, and the new degree of the religious tears, they had of probability that the strict ob- made us shed.' servance of costume gave to the The origin of Marmontel's cel. atrical action. Thus, from that ebrated Tales does him great credtime all the actors were obliged to it. He had procured the ap, abandon their fringed gloves, their pointment of Editor of the Mer. voluminous wigs, their feathered cure François for Boissy, a man of hats, and all the fantastick apparel, letters in distress ; Boissy found that had so long shocked the sight himself unequal to the task of supof all men of taşte. Lekain him- porting the publication, and appliself followed the example of ma- ed to Marniontel for his friendly demoiselle Clairon ; and from that aid : moment their talents, thus perfec- • Destitute of assistance, finding ted, excited mutual emulation, and nothing passable in the papers that were worthy rivals of each other.' were left him, Boissy wrote me a

Marmontel speaks thus of an letter, which was a true picture of interview with Massillon :

distress. “ You will in vain have • In one of our walks to Beaurer given me the Mercure,” said he ; gard, the country house of the « this favour will be lost on me, bishoprick, we had the happiness if you do not add that of coming to to visit the venerable Massillon. my aid. Prose or verse, whatever The reception this illustrious old you please, all will be good from man gave us, was so full of kind, your hand. But hasten to extriDess, his presence and the accent cate me from the difficulty in which of his voice made so lively and I now am ; I conjure you in the tender an impression on me, that name of that friendship which ! the recollection of it is one of the have vowed to you for the rest of most grateful that I retain of what my life.” passed in my early years.

This letter roused me from my * At that age, when the affec, Blumber ; I beheld this unhappy tions of the mind and soul have, editor a prey to ridicule, and the reciprocally, so sudden a commu- Mercure decried in his hands, nication, when reason and senti- should he let his penury be seen, ment act and re-act on each other It put me in a fever for the whole with so much rapidity, there is no night ; and it was in this state of one to whom it has not sometimes crisis and agitation that I first con, happened, on seeing a great man, ceived the idea of writing a tale, to imprint on his forehead the fear After having passed the night with, tures that distinguished the char dut closing my eyes, in rolling in Acter of his soul and genius, It my fancy the subject of that I have was thus that among the wrinkles entitled Alcibiade, I got up, wrote of that countenance already decay, it at a breath, without laying dową ed, and in those eyes that were soon my pen, and sent it off. This tale to be extinguished, I thought I had an unexpected success. could still trace the expression of required that the name of its aux that eloquence, so sensible, so ten; hor should be kept secret. No der, so sublime, so profoundly pen; one knew to whom to attribute it ; etrating, with which I had just been and at Helvétius's dinner, where enchanted in his writings. He the finest connoisseurs were, they perinitted us to mention them to did me the honour of ascribing it him, and to offer him the homage to Voltaire, or to Montesquieu,

POETRY..