LA FONTAINE.

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meeting of the academy. “ The distance is short: youwill be too early,” said the host. “ I ’ll take the longestway,” replied La Fontaine. Madame de la Sabliere at one time discharged her whole establishment whilstLa Fontaine was residing in her house. “ What!” saidsomebody, have you kept none ?” “ None,” replied

the lady, “ except mes trois betes *,—my cat,my dog, andLa Fontaine .” Such was her idea of his thoughtlessand more than childish simplicity. It will hardlycause surprise that such a man never had a study or alibrary. He read and wrote when and where he feltdisposed j and never thought of being provided withany other books than those he was immediately using.

After twenty years of unwearied kindness, he wasdeprived of the society and care of his benefactress, andsoon after of thehome which he hadenjoyed in her house.The circumstances present one of the most curiousviews of French manners and character at the time.Madame de la Sabliere, a married woman , with an in-dependent fortune, lived on terms of civility with herhusband, who scarcely merited even this, and main-tained with the anacreontic poet, La Fare, that ambi-guous but recognised relation of tender friendship, intowhich no one looked beyond its decorous exterior, andwhich created neither scandal nor surprise. La Fare,after an attachment of some years, deserted his “ friend”for the gaming table and the actress Champmele,who turned so many heads in her day. This de-sertion so preyed upon the mind of madame de laSabliere that she sought refuge in devotion and a con-vent. Her husband, a rhyming marquis, who passedhis life in writing madrigals upon his frivolous amours,was deserted about the same time by a mistress, andtook it so to heart that he poisoned himself — atthe romantic age of sixty-five! This event had suchan effect upon madame de la Sabliere, joined with herown private sorrows, that she did not long survive him,

* The term “bete ” as used here, and familiarly in French conversationis untranslatable into English .