MONTESQUIEU, (Charles de Secondat, baron of) and likewise of la Brede, was born at the mansion-house of the latter estate, near Bordeaux, on the lath of Ja nuary, 1689. His father, at one time a soldier, had soon relinquished that profession : and young 'Montesquieu was early destined to the bar, from wnich his paternal grandfather and uncle had successively risen to the dig nity of president h mortice' in the parliament of their na tive province. His education was carefully attended to ; and the flattering presages of childhood being in this case followed by judicious management, were afterwards completzly verified. On the 24th of February, 1714, he became an advocate in the parliament of Bordeaux ; and the office of president a mortier in that court was con signed to him by the uncle already mentioned, on the 13th of July, 1716. He also inherited the property of that relation, who had lost an only son.
The new president sustained the reputation which his predecessor had acquired. His colleagues showed what opinion they entertained of his address and inte grity, by charging him with the remonstrance, which they judged it proper to make, against the imposition of a new tax, during the minority of Louis XV. in 1722. This delicate task he successfully accomplished.
But the attainment of professional honour was not the chief object of Montesquieu's ambition. Following the instinctive bent of genius, he was unwearied in acquiring general knowledge ; and his vigorous mind seems, at an early periud, to have conceived the germ of those ideas, which he afterwards so brilliantly developed in his writ ings. Before the age of twenty, he had studied, with higher views than those of a mere lawyer, the voluminous works which treat of Roman jurisprudence : his regu lar abstract of their contents was probably the ground work of the Esprit des Lois. But though already cher ishing the hope of fame, he felt no impatience to show himself before the world. It was not till the age of thirty-two, that his first production, the Lettres Persanes, was given to the public in 1721, without the author's name. If the Siamois, of Dufreni, or the EspionTurc, suggested the plan of this work, its execution is entirely original.
" The delineation of oriental manners," says d'Alembert, cc real or supposed, of the pride and the dulness of Asiatic love, is but the smallest of the author's objects ; it serves only, so to speak, as a pretext for his delicate satire of our customs ; and for other important matters which he fathoms, though appearing but to glance at them." The work was generally read and admired ; but some censures bestowed upon the conduct of Louis XIV. caused it to be regarded with an evil eye at Court ; and one or two sarcasms levelled at the Pope awakened the zeal of such as were rigidly devout, or found it convenient to seem so. The author was in dustriously represented as a man equally hostile to the interest of religion and the peace of society. Those ca lumnies reached the ear of Cardinal de Fleury ; and when Montesquieu, sustained by the public opinion of his talents, applied for the place which M. Sacy's death had left vacant in the French academy, that learned body was made to understand, that his majesty would never give his consent to the writer of the Lettres Per sanes ; because, though his majesty had not read the work, persons in whom he placed confidence had shown him its poisonous tendency. Without feeling too much anxiety for literary distinction, Montesquieu perceived the fatal effect that such an accusation might produce upon his dearest interests. He waited upon Fleury, therefore, and signified, that although for particular rea sons he had not acknowledged the Lewes Persanes, he was very far from wishing to disown that work, which appeared to contain nothing disgraceful to him, and which ought at least to be read before it was con demned. Struck by these remonstrances, the cardinal pet used the work ; the objections were removed ; and France avoided the disgrace of forcing this great man to depart, as he had threatened, and seek among foreigners, who invited him, the security and respect which his own country seemed little inclined to grant.* The 24th of January, 1728, is the date of his admission ; and the in augural discourse pronounced by him on that occasion appears to have been distinguished by that originality for which all his writings are remarkable.