VOLTAIRE (François Marie AROUET, known as: 1694–1778) Writer - Lot 216

VOLTAIRE (François Marie AROUET, known as: 1694–1778) Writer and Philosopher. Manuscript by a contemporary of Voltaire, titled “Portrait of Monsieur de VOLTAIRE. ” 2 pages, in-4°, circa 1770: “You ask me for a portrait of VOLTAIRE, whom you do not know. Consider that, through his works, it is already, in my opinion, quite enough to know the author: You wish to see the man; I shall describe both to you. Monsieur de VOLTAIRE is shorter than the stature of great men—that is to say, slightly above average height. I speak as a naturalist, so there is no quibbling over the observation. He is thin, with a dry temperament; he has a fiery temper, a gaunt face, a witty and caustic air, sparkling and shrewd eyes; all the fire he possesses in his writings is present in his demeanor—lively to the point of absent-mindedness. He is a fiery soul who comes and goes, dazzling you and crackling with energy. A man of such disposition cannot help but be of frail health. Cheerful by nature, serious by habit, open yet lacking candor, political yet lacking finesse, sociable yet friendless—he knows everything and forgets it all, Aristippus in the morning, Diogenes in the evening. He loves grandeur but despises the great; he is at ease with them but constrained among his equals; he begins with politeness and ends in disgust. He loves the court yet is bored there… He works less for reputation than for money. He hungers and thirsts for it; in the end, he hurries to work as if he were compelled to hurry just to survive… Such is the man; such is the author. Born a poet, verse comes too easily to him; this ease is his undoing—he overuses it and produces almost nothing worth finishing. An easygoing, ingenious, and elegant writer… Mr. de VOLTAIRE, in his latest work, sought to emulate BAILE’s style… Mr. de VOLTAIRE is always dissatisfied with his own nation and lavishes excessive praise on what lies a thousand leagues away from him. As for religion, it is clear that he is indecisive on the matter; no doubt he would be the impartial man we seek were it not for a hint of anti-Jansenism somewhat concealed in his works. Mr. de VOLTAIRE is well-versed in both foreign and French literature, and possesses that eclectic erudition so very much in vogue today—a politician, a physicist, a geometer—he is whatever he wishes to be, yet always superficial, incapable of delving deeply. He does, however, possess a sharp enough mind to skim the surface of all subjects as he does…. An ingenious satirist but a poor critic, he loves the abstract sciences—and this comes as no surprise. Imagination is his element, yet he lacks inventiveness—and this is surprising. He is criticized for never staying within reasonable bounds—sometimes a philanthropist, sometimes an extreme satirist. To put it simply, in a word, Mr. de VOLTAIRE wants to be an extraordinary man, and he is certainly… non victus non colot unus.”