voltaire (1694-1778). - Lot 145

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  3. voltaire (1694-1778). - Lot 145
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Lot n° 145
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voltaire (1694-1778). - Lot 145
voltaire (1694-1778). L.S. "V", Ferney September 27, 1769, to Nicolas-Sébastien de CHAMFORT; written by his secretary Jean-Louis Wagnière; 2 1/2 pages in-4, addressed to "Monsieur Renard, Libraire au palais pour faire tenir s.l.p. à Monsieur de Champfort" (repaired splits, small tear by broken seal without touching the text). Interesting letter to Chamfort on Molière and Shakespeare, about Chamfort's Éloge de Molière, crowned by the Académie française. "Everything you say, Sir, about the admirable Molière, and the way you say it, are worthy of him and of the beautiful century in which he lived. You have very cleverly made us feel the absurd injustice done to this theatrical philosopher by people who played on a more respected theater. You have skilfully passed over the obstinacy with which a debauchee refused burial to a wise man. Archbishop Chamvalon died since then, as you know, in Conflans, of the death of the blessed on Made de Lesdiguiere, and he was buried pompously with the sound of all the bells, with all the beautiful ceremonies which infallibly lead the soul of an archbishop into the Empires. But Louis 14 had had great difficulty in preventing the one who was superior to Plautus and Terence from being thrown into the street. It was the design of the archbishop and the ladies of the hall, who were not philosophers. The English had given us another example a hundred years before; they had erected in the cathedral of Strafort, a magnificent monument to Shakespear, who however is hardly comparable to Moliere, neither for art nor for morals. As you know, a kind of secular play has just been established in honor of Shakespear in England. They have just been celebrated with extreme magnificence. There were, it is said, tables for a thousand people. The expenses which one made for this festival would enrich all the French parnassus. It seems to me that genius is not encouraged in France with such profusion. I have even seen sometimes small persecutions being the only reward for those who have enlightened the French. One thing that has always delighted me is that I have been assured that Martin Fréron won much more with his Literary Donkey than Corneille did with the Cid and Cinna; but it is not among the French that this happened, but among the Welches. It is necessary, Sir, that you are Welche; you are one of the most pleasant French, and I hope that you will make more and more honor to your fatherland "... Correspondence (Pléiade), t. IX, p. 1112.
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