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and wit, however, of Voltaire , continued to expose him tocalumny and danger. He was suspected of havingwritten the “ Philippiques,” a clever, but most atrociouslibel against the regent and his family. His frequentvisits at Sceaux, the palace of the duchess de Maine , andhis intimacy with Goerts, caused his name to be mingledin the intrigues which cardinal Alberoni excited in France .
The regent, however, refused to credit his enemies,and limited his displeasure to an intimation that he hadbetter absent himself from Paris for a time. Voltaire spent several months in going from one friend’s chateauto another, being sedulously occupied, meanwhile, by the“Henriade ” and other literary projects. The most im-portant in his eyes was his tragedy of “ CEdipus.” This 1718 .piece, commenced at eighteen, altered and altered ■‘Vtat.again, was at last brought out, and had the greatest 2i ’success. This was not solely caused by its intrinsicmerit. The reputation of the author, its being his firsttragedy, and the discussions, to which it gave rise withregard to the ancient and modern theatre, imparted afactitious interest ; it was attacked and defended on allsides, and pamphlets were daily published and hawkedabout on the subject. To these legitimate sources ofinterest were added the unworthy one of the calumniesin vogue against the duke of Orleans, which made theodious subject of the tragedy peculiarly piquante.*
Voltaire wrote several letters on the treatment of hissubject. His critique on the tragedies of Sophocles gives us, at once, the measure of his taste and learning:nothing can be more contemptible than either. TheFrench soi-disant poet was utterly incapable of enteringinto the solemn spirit of the Athenian tragedian, andstill less could he comprehend his sublime poetry, beingeven ignorant of the language in which it was written.
* The love of scandal, which belongs to humanity, always busies itselfinexaggerations. In a virtuous and primitive state of society, slight peccadilloesserve the turn of the backbiter ; the inventions gro%v with the necessity ofsurpassing the fact. If the regent had been a Quaker, he would have beenaccused of kissmg any favoured lady by stealth : being unfortunately aprofligate, he was accused of incest; the next step beyond the fact whichit was neoessary for slander to.m&ka