VOLTAIRE, MARIE FRANCOIS AROUET DE, one of the most celebrated and voluminous writers of any age or country, was born at Paris, on the 20th of February 1694. His father belonged to the legal profession, and had held the office of treasurer of the chamber of accounts. Like Gibbon, Voltaire, in his childhood and youth, was remark able for the weakness of his constitution, and for bad health. But this did not affect the activity of his mind, the readiness of his wit and sarcasm, or the sprightliness of his imagination. He may be said, for example, like Pope. to have " lisped in numbers;" a fact, indeed, of which he boasted in future life. In his early years he became so eminent for those very characteristics which marked his maturer age, that Ninon de L'Enclos left him a legacy to buy books; several essays of great vigour, afterwards published, were writ ten by him between the ages of twelve and four teen; and he began the Henriade before he had completed his eighteenth year. Destined for the law by his father, he abandoned that study, being of too restless a disposition, cultivating poetry and satire too ardently, and being at the same time too eager for literary distinction to prosecute that profession with any degree of energy and success.
Nec patiens corpus, nec mens fuit apta labori, Solicitaeque fugal ambition's erat.
His talents and acquirements were of so cap tivating a nature that they obtained for him intro duction into the first circles both of genius and rank; hence his remark when speaking of his companions, while he was very young, " we are all princes or poets." His tendency to satire and irony was not long in being displayed; and, not withstanding the number of his powerful friends, he was, in 1717, committed to the Bastile for some poignant philippic against the government. But his release from confinement was not less honour able to him than his imprisonment itself had been disgraceful. His tragedy of Oedipus having, in the subsequent year, been represented with great success, the Duke of Orleans, having, on account of this performance, taken an interest in the author, got him restored to freedom. From this date, his life, as it indeed had always been, was devoted to literature. Meanwhile several copies of the Hen riade, which poem he had endeavoured to suppress, having got into circulation, the author, in order to check the effect of such surreptitious copies, pub lished it under the title of the League. The work, however, did not meet with that favour and suc cess which he expected. His eulogy on Queen Elizabeth and other parts of it gave such offence that an attempt was made to get it suppressed. This attempt, though unsuccessful, so hurt his feelings that he resolved to abandon France and visit England, a laud of liberty, in order to finish the poem there and publish it. This was one of the most fortunate steps in his life. He was received in England with such favour, and the subscription to his work met with such encou ragement, being promoted even by his majesty George I. and the Princess of Wales, afterwards queen, that he realized a large sum of money from the publication. This was the beginning of his fortune, which was afterwards very great. The money thus obtained, he invested, on his return to France in 1728, in a lottery, which to him proved a most fortunate speculation; and by other specu lations, independent of literature, such as engaging in trade and becoming a government contractor, not to speak of pensions which he got, he ere long amassed a large fortune.
But the Henriade was not so deserving of hostil ity on the part of the government. or the public, as many of his subsequent publications. His .Lettres Philosophiques, abounding with most inde cent attacks on revealed religion, were burned by a decree of the French legislature, and a warrant was issued for apprehending their author. Voltaire,
however, having withdrawn and taken shelter under the roof of the Marquise du Chatelet, whose chateau of Cirey was situated on the borders of Champagne and Lorraine, the storm soon subsided. Ere long, indeed, through the interest of this cele brated woman, and of the famous Madame de Pompadour, he became a great favourite at court, being appointed a gentleman of the bed-chamber in ordinary, and historiographer of France. Mean time, having devoted his time to the study, not merely of polite literature, but of the systems of Leibnitz and Newton, he had produced many of his most eminent works, particularly plays. He was admitted a member of the Academy of Sciences, and had altogether become one of the most illus trious writers in Europe of his time. He at first entered into a literary correspondence with Frede rick . the Great of Prussia, and afterwards, on invitation, went to reside at Sans Souei, the palace of that monarch, who, among other marks of' respect, conferred on him a pension of twenty thousand livres. This connexion, however, was not of long continuance. Maupertuis, who lived at the same court, and Voltaire having quarrelled, the former involved the subject of this article in a misunderstanding with the king. A separation was the consequence. After some little delay, Voltaire, probably weary of the uncertainty of court favour, settled in 1755 at Geneva, where, after a residence of twelve years, he purchased the Castle of Ferney, a place on the French frontier, three miles from Geneva; which continued to be his home, consecrated to literary retirement, till within a few months of his death. Here he was visited by all travellers who entertained any admi ration for genius: indeed, some of the most illus trious men of the age visited him at Ferney: Ca tharine of Russia sent an embassy from her distant capital to the French philosopher on the bank of the lake of Geneva, to pay homage to him and to make presents. In several instances he showed the benevolence of his disposition, and his hatred at despotism, by the interest he took in the cause of suffering humanity and of oppressed innocence. We allude in particular to the case of John Calas, a protestant merchant at Thoulouse, whose son [1761] having committed suicide, after having be come a catholic, was supposed to have been mur dered by the father in consequence of having changed his religion. The suspicion was un founded; but the local magistrates, having on false grounds obtained the sanction of the par liament of the kingdom, on mere prejudice con demned the whole family to the torture; and Calas himself was afterwards burnt as an obstinate heretic. Voltaire could not look on such a pro ceeding with indifference. Ile afforded the widow an asylum, and exerted his influence in her favour. He applied to the council of state and to parlia ment; and he succeeded in getting the horrible proceedings referred to annulled as illegal and disgraceful, the local magistrates degraded, and Calas and his family declared to have been in nocent. Nor was this the only instance we can trace of the benevolence of his heart, and of his hatred at persecution and oppression. Ere long he had successive opportunities of vindicating the innocence of two other condemned families, which he did with a sympathy and an energy highly honourable to his character both as a man and a patriot. Many other circumstances might be detailed to show that he was a ready benefactor and a bountiful friend. Amid the profanity and the licentiousness by which his character and writings were marked, it is consolatory to dwell on any circumstance so opposite and so amiable.