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praise or blame ; the actors to represent his plays ; andthe masters of schools to allow their pupils to learn hisverses.. Such arbitrary and puerile acts always destroy; themselves, and add to, instead of detract from, thereputation of the man against whom they are levelled.

Othier governments showed more liberality. Cathe-rine off Russia , who had corresponded with him, andwhom he had held up to the admiration of the world,openly- mourned his death. His old friend Frederic ofPrussia caused his academy to hold a meeting in hishonouir, during which an elaborate eulogium, writtenby hinnself, was pronounced.

The character of Voltaire is displayed in the preced-ing pages. He was a zealous, a warm, and constantfriend. When Thiriot acted weakly and injuriously —sending to Frederic of Prussia the libels publishedagainst his friend—madame du Chatelet and others

f implored him to renounce him ; but Voltaire , while hereproved, let no word of unkindness escape. In laterdays, d’Alembert wrote to tell him that the duke deRichelieu was acting a false part by him, and pre-vented his plays from being acted. Voltaire could notbe touched in a more sensitive place; but he replied,“ that such might be true, but that he could not quarrelwith a friend whom he had known for fifty years.”He was, it is true, a rancorous enemy — never pardon-w ing, but visiting any injury done him with the se-verest retaliation of sarcasm and ridicule. He wassingularly benevolent and generous. His letters arecrowded with instances. His exertions in favour ofthe oppressed have been partly recorded in the preced-ing pages; it would require many more to commemo-rate every instance of his active and enlightened bene-volence. When, on the death of Louis XV. , he thoughthe could get annulled the sentence against the chevalierd’Etallonde, he procured his leave of absence from theking of Prussia, supplied him with money for his journeyto Ferney, and kept him there a year, while he vainlyexerted his utmost influence in his favour. He bitterly