256 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

her from the charge of too vehement an admiration forsuch, or they would not he, as they are, models forgrace, ease, and nature.

Another accusation brought against her is, that shewas a little malicious in her mode of speaking of per-sons. It is strange how people can find dark spots inthe sun: for, as that luminary is indeed conspicuousfor its universal light, and not for its partial darkness,so madame de Sevigne ’s letters are remarkable for theirabsence of ill-nature ; and, when we reflect with whatunreserve and pouring out of the heart they werewritten, we admire the more the gentle and kindlytone that pervades the whole. “ There is a personhere,” she writes to her daughter, of her uncle, the abbede Coulanges, “ who is so afraid of misdirecting hisletters after they are written, that he folds them andputs the addresses before he writes them.” The spiritof hyper-criticism alone could discover ill-nature in thequick sense for the ludicrous that the mention of thismost innocuous piece of caution displays. In a few ofher letters we find her record with pleasure some ill-natured treatment of a certain lady ; but this lady hadcalumniated madame de Grignan, and so drawn on her-self the mother’s heaviest displeasure.

The last fault brought against her is her beingdazzled by greatness:—her saying to her cousin,Bussy, after LouisXIV. had danced with her, “Wemust allow that he is a great king,” which, as a fronde-use, she was at that time bound to deny: but he was agreat king, and posterity may therefore forgive her. Shemade no sacrifices to greatness, and was guilty of notruckling. She allows she should have liked a court life.She traces her exclusion from it to her alliance with thefronde, her friendship for Fouquet, and her jansenistopinions ; but she never repines ; and this is the morepraiseworthy, with regard to her jansenism, since sheonly adhered to it from entertaining the opinionswhich received that name, not from party spirit ; and