3 70 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

know he was a man of genius ?” This was his com-mon expression for some time to all whom he met,without distinction of persons, from a buffoon to abishop.

It was one of his singularities, that, when anythingtook his fancy, he could think of nothing else for thetime ; and he introduced his favourite topic, or favouriteauthor, in a manner at once unseasonable and comic.One day, whilst in company with the abbe Boileau,his head full of Rabelais , whom he had just beenreading, he abruptly asked the grave ecclesiastic whichhe thought had more wit, Rabelais or St. Austin.Some were shocked, others laughed ; and the abbe, whenrecovered from his surprise, replied, “ M. de la Fon-taine, you have put on your stocking the wrong sideout,” which was really the fact. Wishing to testifyhis respect for the celebrated Arnaud, he proposed de-dicating to him one of the least scrupulous of his tales,in which a monk is made to cite scripture in a mannerfar from edifying. Boileau and Racine had the utmostdifficulty in making him comprehend that such anoffering would be an outrage to the respected and rigidJansenist . He was nearly as absent as the man whoforgot in the evening that he had been married in themorning. It occurred to him one day to go and dinewith a friend. On his knocking at the door, a servantin mourning informed him that his friend had beenburied ten days before, and reminded him that he hadhimself assisted at the funeral.

The humour and fancy which abound in his tales,and his reputation among the men of genius of histime, made him an object of curiosity. He was soughtand shown in company as “ a lion,” if one may use thatephemeral term. A farmer-general invited a largeparty “ to meet the celebrated La Fontaine .” Theycame prepared to hear him talk like “ Joconde,” or tellsuch stories as “ The Matron of Ephesus.” Poor LaFontaine eat, drank, never opened his mouth for anyother purpose, and soon rose, to attend, he said, a