Jean de La Bruyère

The fame of Cicero flourishes at present, but that of Aristotle is utterly decayed.

La Bruyere passes the seas, and still maintains his reputation.

But the glory of Malebranche is confined to his own nation, and to his own age.

And Addison, perhaps, will be read with pleasure, when Locke shall be entirely forgotten.

We were happily found some valuable books, which was by no means extraordinary, having been selected by a minister that truly deserved that title, in whom learning, which was the rage of the times, was but a secondary commendation His taste and good sense being most conspi- conspicuous.

The History of the Church and Empire by Le Seur, Bossuet's Discourses on Universal History, Plutarch's Lives, The History of Venice by Nanni, Ovid's Metamorphoses, La Bruyère, Fontenelle's World, his Dialogues of the Dead, and a few volumes of Molière were soon ranged in my father's closet, where, during the hours he was employed in his business, I daily read them with an avidity and taste uncommon, perhaps unprecedented at my age.

Plutarch presently became my greatest favorite.

The satisfaction I derived from repeated readings I gave this author extinguished my passion for romances, and I shortly preferred Brutus and Aristides to Orondante's Artemius and Juba.

Though bores find their account in speaking ill or well of themselves, it is the characteristic of a gentleman that he never speaks of himself at all.

La Bruyère says, "The great charm of conversation consists less in the display of one's own wit and intelligence than in the power to draw forth the resources of others.

He who leaves one after a long conversation pleased with himself and the part he has taken in the discourse will be the other's warmest admirer." In society, the absent-minded man is uncivil.

There are many persons who commence speaking before they know what they are going to say.

But what followed was something like this.

Condition in Middle Ages of, habits in the Fiji Islands of, worshipped as goddesses by, weaker in moral sense than, idealism of, greater conscientiousness of, South Sea Islanders, age of puberty among, attractiveness of, offered as sacrifice to, small size of brain of, profounder subconsciousness of, less hair on the body of, mental, moral, and physical inferiority of, love of children of, greater length of life of, weaker muscles of, strength of affections of, vanity of, higher education of, Shakespeare's opinion of, Lord Birkenhead's opinion of, Dean Inge's opinion of, La Bruyère's opinion of, Dr. Johnson's opinion of, Mr. Oscar Browning's opinion of.

Here I drew breath and added indeed in the margin, why does Samuel Butler say, wise men never say what they think of women? Wise men never say anything else apparently.

But, I continued, leaning back in my chair and looking at the vast dome, in which I was a single but by now somewhat harassed thought, what is so unfortunate is that wise men never think the same thing about women.

Here is Pope.

Most women have no character at all.

And here is La Bruyère.

Les femmes sont extrêmes, elles sont meilleures ou pires que les hommes.

Of the doctrines themselves, that is, of their falsity, or of their probability, I say nothing.

I assert, however, that much of our incredulity, as La Bruyère says of our unhappiness, vient de ne pouvoir être seul.

But there are some points in the Hungarian superstition which were fast verging to absurdity.

They, the Hungarians, differed very essentially from their Eastern authorities.

The fame of Cicero flourishes at present, but that of Aristotle is utterly decayed.

La Bruyere passes the seas, and still maintains his reputation.

But the glory of Malebranche is confined to his own nation, and to his own age.

And Addison, perhaps, will be read with pleasure, when Locke shall be entirely forgotten.

I noticed Cornelier, Racine, Moliere, La Fontaine, Ronsard, Victor Hugo, and Lamartine.

Our moralists, Montaigne, Pascal, La Bruyere.

Our historians, Meseret, Chateaubriand, Augustin Thierry.

Our philosophers, Cuvier, Bédouin, Elie de Beaumont.