and Wailly;600 to poets and dramatists, as Chéron,601 Colardeau,602 Delille,603 Desforges,604 Ducis,605 Florian,606 Laborde,607 Lefèvre de Beauvray,608 Mercier,609 Patu,610 Pompignan,611 Quétant,612 Roucher,613 and Saint Ange;614 to miscellaneous writers, as Bassinet,615 Baudeau,616 Beaulaton,617 Benoist,618 Bergier,619 Blavet,620 Bouchaud,621 Bougainville,622 Bruté,623 Castera,624 Chantreau,625 Charpentier,626 Chastellux,627 Contant d'Orville,628 De Bissy,629 Demeunier,630 Desfontaines,631 Devienne,632 Dubocage,633 Dupré,634 Duresnel,635 Eidous,636 Estienne,637 Favier,638 Flavigny,639 Fontanelle,640 Fontenay,641 Framery,642 Fresnais,643 Fréville,644 Frossard,645 Galtier,646 Garsault,647 Goddard,648 Goudar,649 Guénée,650 Guillemard,651 Guyard,652 Jault,653 Imbert,654 Joncourt,655 Kéralio,656 Laboreau,657 Lacombe,658 Lafargue,659 La Montagne,660 Lanjuinais,661 Lasalle,662 Lasteyrie,663 Le Breton,664 Lécuy,665 Léonard des Malpeines,666 Letourneur,667 Linguet,668 Lottin,669 Luneau,670 Maillet Duclairon,671 Mandrillon,672 Marsy,673 Moet,674 Monod,675 Mosneron,676 Nagot,677 Peyron,678 Prévost,679 Puisieux,680 Rivoire,681 Robinet,682 Roger,683 Roubaud,684 Salaville,685 Sauseuil,686 Secondat,687 Septchènes,688 Simon,689 Soulès,690 Suard,691 Tannevot,692 Thurot,693 Toussaint,694 Tressan,695 Trochereau,696 Turpin,697 Ussieux,698 Vaugeois,699 Verlac,700 and Virloys.701 Indeed, Le Blanc, who wrote shortly before the middle of the eighteenth century, says: ‘We have placed English in the rank of the learned languages; our women study it, and have abandoned Italian in order to study the language of this philosophic people; nor is there to be found among us any one who does not desire to learn it.’702
Such was the eagerness with which the French imbibed the literature of a people whom but a few years before they had heartily despised. The truth is, that in this new state of things they had no alternative. For where but in England was a literature to be found that could satisfy those bold and inquisitive thinkers who arose in France after the death of Louis XIV.? In their own country there had no doubt been great displays of eloquence, of fine dramas, and of poetry, which, though never reaching the highest point of excellence, is of finished and admirable beauty. But it is an unquestionable fact, and one melancholy to contemplate, that during the sixty years which succeeded the death of Descartes, France had not possessed a single man who dared to think for himself. Metaphysicians, moralists, historians, all had become tainted by the servility of that bad age. During two generations, no Frenchman had been allowed to discuss with freedom any question, either of politics or of religion. The consequence was, that the largest intellects, excluded from their legitimate field, lost their energy; the national spirit died away; the very materials and nutriment of thought seemed to be wanting. No wonder then, if the great Frenchmen of the eighteenth century sought that aliment abroad which they were unable to find at home. No wonder if they turned from their own land, and gazed with admiration at the only people who, pushing their inquiries into the highest departments, had shown the same fearlessness in politics as in religion; a people who, having punished their kings and controlled their clergy, were storing the treasures of their experience in that noble
‘Nous avons mis depuis peu leur langue au rang des langues savantes; les femmes même l'apprennent, et ont renoncé à l'italien pour étudier celle de ce peuple philosophe. Il n'est point dans la province d'Armande et de Belise qui ne veuille savoir l'anglois.’
