10 LITER ARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

which he was drawn rendered him still more averse tohis legal studies. He implored his father to permit himto quit them; the old man asked him what other pro-fession he would adopt: to this the son could not reply.

He had a friend, M. de Caumartin, who was alsoacquainted with the father, and asked permission thatFrancois-Marie should visit him at his chateau of St.Ange, where he could deliberate at leisure on his futurecourse, and where he would be separated from the con-nections deemed so dangerous. At St. Ange the youngpoet found a library; and, plunging into study, becamemore than ever eager for the acquisition of knowledge.The father of his host was a man of great age; he hadbeen familiar with the nobles of the days of Henri IV. ,and with the friends of Sully : his enthusiasm for thosetimes and men was warm and eloquent. Voltaire lis-tened to his anecdotes and eulogies with deep interest;and began, without yet forming a plan, to write verses. in their honour.

The last years of the reign of Louis XIV . had beendisastrous, through unfortunate wars and perniciouspolicy. Adversity in various forms visited the old age ofthat illustrious monarch. The generation immediatelysucceeding to him, brought up in his days of glory andpower, died oft"; of the young race that remained,its hope and flower, the duke of Burgundy, died; helost another of his grandsons also by death, and thethird was removed to the throne of Spain . The suc-cessor to his crown w'as an infant only five years of age ;the successor to his power was a prince whose dissolutecharacter inspired the devout with hatred, and thethoughtful with sorrow and distrust. It was a moment1715. full of eager interest, when Louis died; the cord thatAStat . j-jjg faggot snapped ; and it became doubtful by21 ' whom, and in what way, it would again be gatheredtogether. The pupil of Dubois became regent; thekingdom rang with his intrigues, his debaucheries, andthe misconduct of his children. But the duke of Or-leans, perverted as he was as a moral character, was a