"Là git la sombre Envie, à l'œil timide et louche, "Pale Envy see, with faltering step advance, Of Pride : Auprès d'elle est l'Orgueil, qui se plait et s'admire." "La Faiblesse au teint pale, aux regards abattus: Of Ambition : Sanglante, inquiète, égarée, De trônes, de tombeaux, d'esclaves entourée." "Restless, bloodstain'd, all perils wildly braves, Of Hypocrisy : "La tendre Hypocrisie aux yeux pleins de douceur: "The tender creature's eyes with sweetness swell: Nor is the song of these furies, on seeing Henry approach their impious troop, without the highest merit: "Quel mortel, disent-ils, par sa juste conduite, These are passages of true poetry; they even approach the seventh Canto to the sixth book of the 'Eneid.' It may be questioned if the ideas of making Envy "triste amante des morts"-Feebleness "tyran qui cède aux crimes et détruit les vertus"-and Hypocrisy "tendre," are equalled by any of Virgil's moral pictures. Certainly to all in the eleventh book of the 'Odyssey' it is beyond doubt immeasurably superior, as indeed is the sixth Æneid. Nor can we hesitate to affirm that, had the rest of the 'Henriade' been composed in the same poetic spirit, we should not have been suffered with impunity to consider it an eloquent history. In the year 1730 Voltaire wrote part of another poem, which he finished at intervals during the seven or eight years following-his too famous mock-heroic, the 'Pucelle d'Orléans. It is painful and humiliating to human genius to confess, what yet is without any doubt true, that this is, of all his poetical works, the most perfect, showing most wit, most spirit, most of the resources of a great poet, though of course the nature of the subject forbids all attempts at either the pathetic or the sublime; but in brilliant imagery-in picturesque description-in point and epigram-in boundless fertility of fancy-in variety of striking and vigorous satire-all clothed in verse as natural as Swift's, and far more varied as well as harmoniousno prejudice, however naturally raised by the moral faults of the work, can prevent us from regarding it as the great masterpiece of his poetical genius. Here of course the panegyric must close, and it must give way to indignation at such a perversion of such divine talents. The indecency, often amounting to absolute obscenity, which pervades nearly the whole composition, cannot be excused on the plea that it is only a witty licentiousness, instead of one which excites the passions; still less can it be palliated by citing bad precedents, least of all by referring to such writers as Ariosto, who more rarely violates the laws of decorum;* * In some of the author's correspondence he is fond of referring to indelicate passages of other writers in his justification; nay, even to the plain language used in some parts of the Old Testament. This flimsy whereas Voltaire is ready to commit this offence at every moment, and seems ever to take the view of each subject that most easily lends itself to licentious allusions. But this is not all. The 'Pucelle' is one continued sneer at all that men do hold, and all that they ought to hold, sacred, from the highest to the least important subjects, in a moral view-from the greatest to the most indifferent, even in a critical view. Religion and its ministers and its professors-virtue, especially the virtues of a prudential cast-the feelings of humanity -the sense of beauty-the rules of poetical composition-the very walks of literature in which Voltaire had most striven to excel-are all made the constant subjects of sneering contempt, or of ribald laughter; sometimes by wit, sometimes by humour, not rarely by the broad grins of mere gross buffoonery. It is a sad thing to reflect that the three masterpieces of three such men as Voltaire, Rousseau, Byron, should all be the most immoral of their compositions. It seems as if their prurient nature had been affected by a bad but criminal excitement to make them exceed themselves. Assuredly if such was not Voltaire's case, he well merits the blame; for he scrupled not to read his 'Pucelle' to his niece, then a young woman. * reason is at once put to flight by Sir Joshua Reynolds's and Mr. Hume's illustration of the nakedness of the Indian and the prostitute. But it is worth while to observe how carefully the first and greatest of poets avoids all cause of blame in the passages where he is brought towards the verge of indecency. The Song of the Bard, in the 8th Odyssey, where Vulcan's discovery of Mars and Venus is related, is the most remarkable of these; and the jocose talk of Apollo and Mars on the subject savours somewhat of ribaldry. But see the short and simple expressions used, and mark that nothing is liquorishly dwelt on : Ως τα πρωτα μιγησαν εν Ηφαιστοιο δομοισιν.—(viii. 269.) And Αυταρ εγων ευδοιμι παρα χρυσιη Αφροδίτη.-(viii. 342.) So when describing in the 11th Odyssey Neptune's rape of Pyro, the old bard only says— Αυσε δε παρθενιην ζωνην, κατα δ'υπνον εχευεν.—(xi. 244.) *Correspondance Générale, iii. 454. But here it would be unjust to forget that the same genius which underwent this unworthy prostitution, was also enlisted by its versatile possessor in the service of virtue and of moral truth. There may be some doubt if his moral essays, the 'Discours sur l'Homme,' may not be placed at the head of his serious poetrynone whatever that it is a performance of the highest merit. As the subject is didactic, his talents, turned towards grave reasoning and moral painting, adapted rather to satisfy the understanding than to touch the heart, and addressing themselves more to the learned and polite than to the bulk of mankind, occupied here their appointed province, and had their full scope. Pope's moral essays gave the first hint of these beautiful compositions; but there is nothing borrowed in them from that great moral poet, and there is no inferiority in the execution of the plan. A strict regard to modesty, with the exception of a line or two, reigns throughout, and the object is to inculcate the purest principles of humanity, of tolerance, and of virtue. None but a Romanist bigot could ever have discovered the lurking attack upon religion in the noble verses against substituting vain ceremonies for good works, and attempting to honour the Deity by ascetic abstinence from the enjoyments which he has kindly provided for our happiness. Nay, the finest panegyric on the ministry of Christ is to be found mingled with the same just reprehensions of those who pervert and degrade his doctrines (Disc. vii.), and even the optimism of which in his other works he has ridiculed the extravagant doctrines, is here preached with a pious approval of its moderate and rational faith, (Disc. iii. v.) His ridicule of saints is confined to the fanatical devotees or hypocritical pretenders who degrade and desecrate the name. If he mentions any miracles with disrespect, it is their false ones, as in that fine passage, which yet gave offence, in the seventh Dis course "Les miracles sont bons; mais soulager son frére, Mais à ses ennemis pardonner leurs vertus, C'est un plus grand miracle, et qui ne se fait plus." To judge of the admirable tendency of this noble poem, we need only cite such lines as give the subject of the first discourse-omitted strangely with some of the very finest of the whole, as those on Timante, Cyrus, and De Thou, in the seventh : "Mortel, en quelque état que le ciel t'ait fait naître, Sois soumis, sois content, et rend grace à ton maître:" and those on tolerance in the second "Ferme en tes sentimens et simple dans ton cœur, The panegyric on friendship in the fourth is perhaps unequalled on that trite subject. That point and satire should be found in this poem was to be expected, but they are by no means overdone; nay, they are kept in subjection to the great and good design of the work; and if we have a dark picture strongly but admirably drawn, it is that of the despicable Des Fontaines: "Ce vil fripier d'écrits que l'intérêt dévore, Qui vend au plus offrant son encre et ses fureurs, "Huckster of printed wares, who barters still |