LANTIER, ETIENNE-FRANCOIS DE, was born at Marseille, September 1, 1734. Although passionately attached to literature, Lantier did not appear as an author till 1778, wheu his comedy of the L'Impatient ' was performed after having been retained in manu script for three years. Notwithstanding the very sinister predictions of some of his friends, the piece had a decided success ; and thus encouraged, Lantier published his Tales,' in prose and verso, which latter La Harpe pronounced to be inferior only to those of Voltaire and Lafontaine. Ile was admitted into the Academy of Marseille in 1786, and began collecting materials for his celebrated Voyages d'Antenor,' the idea of which had been suggested to him by a visit to Horculaneum. The success of this work, composed amid the storms of the revolution, was almost unprecedented. Some critics would fain have persuaded the public that this delightful production was merely a feeble imitation of Barthelemy's Anacharsis,' although Lantier had purposely abstained from reading the latter work until he had corn pleted his own. In fact, although resembling each other in their
general Poore, the two works are very dissimilar in character and style, and in their respective merits. One proof of its popularity is, that Anterior' has been translated into Oerman, Italian, Spanish, Portu guese, Ilutaian, and modern Greek. He afterwards produced two other fictitious narrative, of travels, 'Les Voyageurs en Suisse, and ' Le Voyage en Espagne,' both of which possess considerable interest; also his Correepoudence do Cezarine d'Arly; a work captivating for the graces of its tone and style, and almost a literary prodigy when considered as the production of an octogenarian. Even nixie:sty-ono years had not extinguished his literary ardour, for at that very advanced age be composed a poem in eight cantos, entitled Geoffrey ltudel, ou le Troubadour. Ho died at Marseille, where he had resided for the last twelve years, January 31, 1826, at the ago of ninety-two.