the women of the french salons-第39节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ister　in　Europe；〃　both　of　whom　entertained　her。　　But　she　would　have　been　more　than　a　woman　to　have　met　all　this　honor　with　indifference。　　No　wonder　she　believes　herself　to　be　dreaming。　　〃I　am　known　here　much　better　than　in　the　Rue　St。　Honore；〃　she　writes；　〃and　in　a　fashion　the　most　flattering。　　My　journey　has　made　an　incredible　sensation　for　the　last　fifteen　days。〃　　To　be　sure；　she　spells　badly　for　a　woman　who　poses　as　the　friend　of　litterateurs　and　savants；　and　says　very　little　about　anything　that　does　not　concern　her　own　fame　and　glory。　　But　she　does　not　cease　to　remember　her　friends；　whom　she　〃loves；　if　possible；　better　than　ever。〃　　Nor　does　she　forget　to　send　a　thousand　caresses　to　her　kitten。

A　messenger　from　Warsaw　meets　her　with　everything　imaginable　that　can　add　to　the　comfort　and　luxury　of　her　journey；　and　on　reaching　there　she　finds　a　room　fitted　up　for　her　like　her　own　boudoir　in　the　Rue　St。　Honore。　　She　accepts　all　this　consideration　with　great　modesty　and　admirable　good　sense。　　〃This　tour　finished；〃　she　writes　to　d'Alembert；　〃I　feel　that　I　shall　have　seen　enough　of　men　and　things　to　be　convinced　that　they　are　everywhere　about　the　same。　　I　have　my　storehouse　of　reflections　and　comparisons　well　furnished　for　the　rest　of　my　life。　　All　that　I　have　seen　since　leaving　my　Penates　makes　me　thank　God　for　having　been　born　French　and　a　private　person。〃

The　peculiar　charm　which　attracted　such　rare　and　marked　attentions　to　a　woman　not　received　at　her　own　court；　and　at　a　time　when　social　distinctions　were　very　sharply　defined；　eludes　analysis；　but　it　seems　to　have　lain　largely　in　her　exquisite　sense　of　fitness；　her　excellent　judgment；　her　administrative　talent；　the　fine　tact　and　penetration　which　enabled　her　to　avoid　antagonism；　an　instinctive　knowledge　of　the　art　of　pleasing；　and　a　kind　but　not　too　sensitive　heart。　　These　qualities　are　not　those　which　appeal　to　the　imagination　or　inspire　enthusiasm。　　We　find　in　her　no　spark　of　that　celestial　flame　which　gives　intellectual　distinction。　　In　her　amiability　there　seems　to　be　a　certain　languor　of　the　heart。　　Her　kindness　has　a　trace　of　calculation；　and　her　friendship　of　self…consciousness。　　Of　spontaneity　she　has　none。　　〃She　loved　nothing　passionately；　not　even　virtue；〃　says　one　of　her　critics。　　There　was　a　certain　method　in　her　simplicity。　　She　carried　to　perfection　the　art　of　savoir　vivre；　and　though　she　claimed　freedom　of　thought　and　action；　it　was　always　strictly　within　conventional　limits。

She　suffered　the　fate　of　all　celebrities　in　being　occasionally　attacked。　　The　role　assigned　to　her　in　the　comedy　of　〃The　Philosophers〃　was　not　a　flattering　one；　and　some　criticisms　of　Montesquieu　wounded　her　so　deeply　that　she　succeeded　in　having　them　suppressed。　　She　did　not　escape　the　shafts　of　envy；　nor　the　sneers　of　the　grandes　dames　who　did　not　relish　her　popularity。　　But　these　were　only　spots　on　the　surface　of　a　singularly　brilliant　career。　　Calm；　reposeful；　charitable；　without　affectation　or　pretension；　but　not　untouched　by　ennui；　the　malady　of　her　time；　she　held　her　position　to　the　end　of　a　long　life　which　closed　in　1777。

〃Alas；〃　said　d'Alembert；　who　had　been　in　the　habit　of　spending　his　mornings　with　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse　until　her　death；　and　his　evenings　with　Mme。　Geoffrin；　〃I　have　neither　evenings　nor　mornings　left。〃

〃She　has　made　for　fifty　years　the　charm　of　her　society；〃　said　the　Abbe　Morellet。　　〃She　has　been　constantly；　habitually　virtuous　and　benevolent。〃　Her　salon　brought　authors　and　artists　into　direct　relation　with　distinguished　patrons；　especially　foreigners；　and　thus　contributed　largely　to　the　spread　of　French　art　and　letters。　　It　was　counted　among　〃the　institutions　of　the　eighteenth　century。〃


CHAPTER　XIII。　ULTRA…PHILOSOPHICAL　SALONSMADAME　D'EPINAY　Mme。　de　GraffignyBaron　d'HolbachMme。　d'Epinay's　Portrait　of　HerselfMlle。　QuinaultRousseauLa　ChevretteGrimm　DiderotThe　Abbe　GalianiEstimate　of　Mme。　d'Epinay

A　few　of　the　more　radical　and　earnest　of　the　philosophers　rarely；　if　ever；　appeared　at　the　table　of　Mme。　Geoffrin。　　They　would　have　brought　too　much　heat　to　this　company；　which　discussed　everything　in　a　light　and　agreeable　fashion。　　Perhaps；　too；　these　free　and　brilliant　spirits　objected　to　the　leading…strings　which　there　held　every　one　within　prescribed　limits。　　They　could　talk　more　at　their　ease　at　the　weekly　dinners　of　Baron　d'Holbach；　in　the　salons　of　Mme。　Helvetius；　Mme。　de　Marchais；　or　Mme。　de　Graffigny；　in　the　Encyclopedist　coterie　of　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse；　or　in　the　liberal　drawing　room　of　Mme。　d'Epinay；　who　held　a　more　questionable　place　in　the　social　world；　but　received　much　good　company；　Mme。　Geoffrin　herself　included。

Mme。　de　Graffigny　is　known　mainly　as　a　woman　of　letters　whose　life　had　in　it　many　elements　of　tragedy。　　Her　youth　was　passed　in　the　brilliant　society　of　the　little　court　at　Luneville。　　She　was　distantly　related　to　Mme。　du　Chatelet；　and　finally　took　refuge　from　the　cruelties　of　a　violent　and　brutal　husband　in　the　〃terrestrial　paradise〃　at　Cirey。　　La　belle　Emilie　was　moved　to　sympathy；　and　Voltaire　wept　at　the　tale　of　her　sorrows。　　A　little　later　she　became　a　victim　to　the　poet's　sensitive　vanity。　　He　accused　her　of　sending　to　a　friend　a　copy　of　his　〃Pucello；〃　an　unfinished　poem　which　was　kept　under　triple　lock；　though　parts　of　it　had　been　read　to　her。　　Her　letters　were　opened；　her　innocent　praises　were　turned　against　her；　there　was　a　scene；　and　Cirey　was　a　paradise　no　more。　　She　came　to　Paris；　ill；　sad；　and　penniless。　　She　wrote　〃Les　Lettres　d'une　Peruvienne〃　and　found　herself　famous。　　She　wrote　〃Cenie；〃　which　was　played　at　the　Comedie　Francaise；　and　her　success　was　established。　　Then　she　wrote　another　drama。　　〃She　read　it　to　me；〃　says　one　of　her　friends；　〃I　found　it　bad；　she　found　me　ill…natured。　　It　was　played；　the　public　died　of　ennui　and　the　author　of　chagrin。〃　　〃I　am　convinced　that　misfortune　will　follow　me　into　paradise；〃　she　said。　　At　all　events；　it　seems　to　have　followed　her　to　the　entrance。

Her　salon　was　more　or　less　celebrated。　　The　freedom　of　the　conversations　may　be　inferred　from　the　fact　that　Helvetius　gathered　there　the　materials　for　his　〃De　l'Esprit；〃　a　book　condemned　by　the　Pope；　the　Parliament；　and　the　Sorbonne。　　It　was　here　also　that　he　found　his　charming　wife；　a　niece　of　Mme。　de　Graffigny；　and　the　light　of　her　house　as　afterwards　of　his　own。

A　more　permanent　interest　is　attached　to　the　famous　dinners　of　Baron　d'Holbach；　where　twice　a　week　men　like　Diderot；　Helvetius；　Grimm；　Marmontel；　Duclos；　the　Abbe　Galiani　and　for　a　time　Buffon　and　Rousseau；　met　in　an　informal　way　to　enjoy　the　good　cheer　and　good　wines　of　this　〃maitre　d'hotel　of　philosophy；〃　and　discuss　the　affairs　of　the　universe。　　The　learned　and　free…thinking　baron　was　agreeable；　kind；　rich；　and　lavish　in　his　hospitality；　but　without　pretension。　　〃He　was　a　man　simply　simple；〃　said　Mme。　Geoffrin。　　We　have　many　pleasant　glimpses　of　his　country　place　at　Grandval；　with　its　rich　and　rare　collections；　its　library；　its　pictures；　its　designs；　and　of　the　beautiful　wife　who　turned　the　heads　of　some　of　the　philosophers；　whom；　as　a　rule；　she　did　not　like　overmuch；　though　she　received　them　so　graciously。　　〃We　dine　well　and　a　long　time；〃　wrote　Diderot。　　〃We　talk　of　art；　of　poetry；　of　philosophy；　and　of　love；　of　the　greatness　and　vanity　of　our　own　enterprises　。　。　。　　Of　gods　and　kings；　of　space　and　time；　of　death　and　of　life。〃

〃They　say　things　to　make　a　thunderbolt　strike　the　house　a　hundred　times；　if　it　struck　for　that；〃　said　the　Abbe　Morellet。

Among　the　few　women　admitted　to　these　dinners　was　Mme。　d'Epinay；　for　whom　d'Holbach；　as　well　as　his　amiable　wife；　always　entertained　the　warmest　friendship。　　This　woman；　whose　position　was　not　assured　enough　to　make　people　overlook　her　peculiar　and　unfortunate　domestic　complications；　has　told　the　story　of　her　own　life　in　her　long　and　confidential　correspondence　with　Grimm；　Galiani；　and　Voltaire。　　The　senseless　follies　of　a　cruel　and　worthless　husband；　who　plunged　her　from　great　wealth　into　extreme　poverty；　and　of　whom　Diderot　said　that　〃he　had　squandered　two　millions　without　saying　a　good　word　or　doing　a　good　action；〃　threw　her　into　intimate　relations　with　Grimm；　this　brought　her　into　the　center　of　a　famous　circle。　　Her　letters　give　us　a　clear　but　far　from　flattering　reflection　of　the　manners　of　the　time。　　She　unveils　the　bare　and　hard　facts　of　her　own　experience；　the　secret　workings　of　her　own　soul。　　The　picture　is　not　a　pleasant　one；　but　it　is　full　of　significance　to　the　moralist；　and　furnishes　abundant　matter　for　psychological　study。

The　young　girl；　who　had　entered　upon　the　scene　about　1725；　under　the　name　of　Louise　Florence　Petronille…Tardieu　d'Esclavelles；　was　married　at　twenty　to　her　cousin。　　It　seems　to　have　been　really　a　marriage　of　love；　but　the　weak　and　faithless　M。　d'Epinay　was　clearly　incapable　of　truth　or　honor；　and　the　torturing　process　by　which　the　confiding　young　wife　was　disillusioned；　the　insidious　counsel　of　a　false　and　profligate　friend；　with　the　final　betrayal　of　a　tender　and　desolate　heart；　form　a　chapter　as　revolting　as　it　is　pathetic。　　The　fresh；　lively；　pure…minded；　sensitive　girl；　whose　intellect　had　been　fed　on　Rollin's　history　and　books　of　devotion；　who　feared　the　dissipations　of　the　gay　world　and