Voltaire in Love

by Nancy Mitford

  Stanislas, very sad, gave Mme du Châtelet a state funeral, and then did all he could to keep Voltaire with him. But Voltaire felt that he must get away from ‘abominable Lunéville, the cause of her death’ as soon as he could. He also clung very much to du Châtelet at this time. When the funeral was over, the two men and Émilie’s son went to Cirey. At first Voltaire felt comforted there, but in a day or two the atmosphere of a house which he and Émilie had embellished together, where they had been so happy for years, and where he had expected to die in her arms made his grief more real and terrible than ever. Cirey, he said, had become ‘un objet d’horreur’ to him. In a mad desire to get away for ever he had all his possessions, which included much of the furniture in Émilie’s rooms as well as that in his own, piled on to wagons and sent to Paris. He and du Châtelet were prevented by some inhibition from discussing this matter and in the end the arrangement suited neither of them. Du Châtelet would have been glad to buy the furniture, as it was needed at Cirey, and Voltaire had nowhere to put it. The house in the rue Traversière, which he now took over entirely, was already furnished. Later on, Voltaire went to see du Châtelet’s sister and settled his accounts with the Marquis. He had lent him 40,000 livres for the rebuilding of Cirey. Of this, du Châtelet had engaged to pay back 30,000 but he had never done so and Voltaire had had no interest on it. In the end du Châtelet paid 10,000 and Voltaire let him off the rest saying that friendship was more to him than money.

  In spite of Voltaire’s grief it was, as usual, easy to amuse him and he would shriek with laughter at a joke. He had perfectly clear intentions about his future, which was bound up with Mme Denis. On the day of Émilie’s death, he wrote to his niece:

  Lunéville, 10 September.

  My dear child, I have just lost a friend of twenty years. For a long time now, you know, I have not looked upon Madame du Chastellet as a woman, and I am sure that you will enter into my cruel grief. It is frightful to have seen her die in such circumstances and for such a reason. I am not leaving Monsieur du Chastellet in our mutual sorrow. I must go to Cirey, there are important papers. From Cirey I shall come to Paris to embrace you and to seek, in you, my one consolation, the only hope of my life.

  From Cirey he wrote, ‘My dear heart’, and said: ‘You can see by my present grief that I have a soul which is made to love; you are far dearer to me than a person for whom, as you know, my only feeling was that of gratitude. Give me your heart and regret me, one day, as much as I am regretting Madame du Chastellet.’

  Voltaire could not bear to stay at Cirey, but was not in a hurry to get to Paris. He spun out the journey, making various excuses to Mme Denis. He had to go slowly, he had lent his fast carriage to Émilie’s son who had smashed it up. He said he could not face, as yet, the curiosity of his Paris acquaintances, their sympathy and the endless mortuary discussions which French people think suitable at these times. So he went to the Bishop of Châlons and other friends and only arrived at the rue Traversière a month after Émilie’s death. He had stayed two nights with Mme de Champbonin before leaving Champagne for ever.

  *‘Ah, my friend, it is you who have killed her for me.’

  †‘What gave you the idea of getting her with child?’

  Epilogue

  Du Châtelet lived to be seventy. He never married again. Émilie’s son was created a Duke and was Ambassador to London 1768—70. He was guillotined at the age of sixty-six. His son also died in the Revolution, in prison, and the family became extinct. Voltaire set up house with Mme Denis and lived another twenty-nine years. After his death she married a man ten years her junior. Saint-Lambert set up house with M. and Mme d’Houdetot and lived another fifty-four years.

  Émilie’s translation of Newton was published by Clairaut in 1756. Her correspondence with Voltaire, which is known to have been bound up in eight large morocco volumes, is generally thought to have been destroyed by Saint-Lambert after her death. There is no shadow of proof that this was so, but Saint-Lambert is known to have burnt all Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s letters to Mme d’Houdetot. Another story is that these volumes lay about at Cirey until the Revolution, when they disappeared. Mr Besterman still has hopes that one day they will turn up, to be included in his great edition of Voltaire’s correspondence.

  Bibliography

  Most of the information in this book comes from Voltaire’s Correspondence, edited by Theodore Besterman. This edition, indispensable to any student of Voltaire, is not yet complete but it covers the death of Mme du Châtelet. It contains already twice as many letters as any of the other editions and also gives those of various members of Voltaire’s circle.

  Other printed sources are:

  BEUCHOT. Œuvres de Voltaire 1829-40, 72 vols.

  DESNOIRESTERRES, GUSTAVE. Voltaire et la société française au 18ième siècle. Paris, 1868, 8 vols.

  ASSÉ, EUGÈNE. Lettres de la Marquise du Châtelet. Paris, 1806.

  Lettres inédites de Madame la Marquise du Châtelet à M. le Comte d’Argental. A Paris, MDCCCVI.

  Catalogue of the Collection of Autograph Letters and Historical Documents formed between 1865 and 1882: by Alfred Morrison. 14 vols.

  WADE, IRA. Studies on Voltaire including hitherto unpublished papers of Mme du Châtelet. Princeton University Press, 1947.

  CHTELET, MADAME LA MARQUISE DU. Institutions de physique. Paris, 1740.

  LONGCHAMP et WAGNIÈRE. Mémoires sur Voltaire. Paris, 1826. 2 vols.

  CRÉQUY, LA MARQUISE DE. Souvenirs. Paris, 1840. (These mémoires are partly apocryphal and must be treated with reserve.)

  MAUGRAS, GASTON. La Cour de Lunéville au XVIII siècle. Plon, 1925.

  LA BAUMELLE. Vie de Maupertuis. Paris, 1856.

  LOUGH, JOHN. Paris Theatre Audiences in the 17th and 18th Centuries. O.U.P., 1957.

  STERN, JEAN. Voltaire et sa nièce Madame Denis. La Palatine, 1957.

  MORLEY LORD. Voltaire. Macmillan, 1872.

  Cambridge Modern History. C.U.P., 1934.

  CHESTERFIELD, LORD. Miscellaneous Works. London, 1777.

  SAINTE-BEUVE. Causeries du lundi. Paris, n.d.

  RUSSELL, BERTRAND. History of Western Philosophy. Allen & Unwin, 1955.

  CARLYLE. History of Friedrich II called Frederick the Great. Chapman & Hall, 1903.

  WILLIAMS. The Fascinating Duc de Richelieu. 1910.

  HILLAIRET. Gibets, piloris et cachots du vieux Paris. Éditions de Minuit, 1956.

  BARBER, W. H. Leibnitz in France. O.U.P., 1955.

  Unpublished sources are various letters of Mme du Châtelet at the Musée Voltaire, Geneva, and 240 letters from Voltaire to Mme Denis, which have only just come to light, and are in the possession of Mr Besterman.

  Index

  The links below refer to the page references of the printed edition of this book. While the numbers do not correspond to the page numbers or locations on an electronic reading device, they are retained as they can convey useful information regarding the position and amount of space devoted to an indexed entry. Because the size of a page varies in reflowable documents such as this e-book, it may be necessary to scroll down to find the referenced entry after following a link.

  Académie des Sciences, 79, 88, 114

  Académie Française, 137–9, 165

  Adhémar, Vicomte d’, 185, 198, 199

  Aiguillon, Anne-Charlotte de Crusol de Florensac, Duchesse d’, 61

  Aix-la-Chapelle, 136

  Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of (1748), 213–15

  Alary, Abbé Pierre-Joseph (1689–1770), 214

  Albani, Francesco (1578–1660), 60

  Alembert, Jean Le Rond d’ (1717–83), 13

  Algarotti, Francesco (1712–64): background, 60; visits Cirey, 60; Newton book, 60, 96; visits Rheinsberg, 116; on Frederick, 117; travels with Frederick, 120; affair with Lugeac, 126; Frederick makes his famous quote about Voltaire to, 213

  Alliot, M., 217–19

  Alliot, Mme, 217

  Amelot de Chaillou, Jean-Jacques (1689–1749), 145<
br />
  Andy, M., 86

  Anet, Château d’, 173–5

  Anne, Empress of Russia (1693–1740), 123

  Antin, Duc d’, 156

  Arenberg, Léopold-Philippe de Ligne, Duc d’Aerschot et d’ (1690–1754), 109–10

  Argens, Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’ (1704–71), 147

  Argenson, Marc-Pierre, Comte d’ (1696–1764):Voltaire’s relationship with, 10; uncle, 11; helps Voltaire when in trouble with authorities, 13; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 87; helps Voltaire plot departure to Berlin, 140; Hénault writes to from Cirey, 154; Émilie solicits for promotion for her husband, 194; Voltaire writes to from Lorraine, 195–6

  Argenson, René-Louis, Marquis d’ (1694–1757):Voltaire’s relationship with, 10; uncle, 11; helps Voltaire when in trouble with authorities, 13; on Voltaire’s interest in natural philosophy, 66–7; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 87; Voltaire writes to from Aix, 136; helps Voltaire plot departure to Berlin, 140; on Fontenoy, 160–1; puts Voltaire in touch with Pope, 164

  Argental, Charles Augustin de Ferriol, Comte d’ (1700–88): Voltaire’s relationship with, 9, 88; helps Voltaire when in trouble with authorities, 13; qualities as a correspondent, 61; helps Voltaire with his plays, 61; Voltaire and Émilie write to about Voltaire going into exile, 68–9, 70; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 83, 84, 87; and Rousseau’s return from exile, 85; Émilie speaks to about Voltaire’s second visit to Berlin, 126–7; Émilie complains to him about Voltaire’s neglect, 147–8; knowledge of Voltaire’s whereabouts after his flight from Fontainebleau, 172; Voltaire writes to about Émilie’s death, 221

  Arnaud, François-Thomas-Marie de Baculardd’ (1718–1805), 201

  Arouet, Armand (1684–1745), 76, 77, 160

  Arouet, François (1651–1721), 9, 10, 11, 16

  Arouet family, 9

  Ashburnham, John Ashburnham, 3rd Baron, afterwards 1st Earl of (1687–1737), 15

  Austrian Succession, War of the (1740–48): background, 123–4; Frederick invades Silesia, 125, 126, 130; Mollwitz, 130–1, 132; Voltaire fears for general spread of, 132–3; France forms alliance with Prussia, whereupon Prussia makes peace with Maria-Theresa, 133–6; French defeats in Bohemia, 140, 144; Frederick intends to re-ally himself with France, 144–5; Fontenoy, 160–2; Voltaire on outcome, 204

  Badaud, Mme, 102

  Baltimore, Lord, 116

  Barber, W. H., 127n

  Bassecour, Sieur, Burgomaster of Amsterdam, 145

  Bayeux, Paul d’Albert de Luynes, Bishop of, 214

  Bayreuth, 147

  Bayreuth, Margravine of, 145, 146, 147

  Beauvau, Prince Alexandre de (b. 1725), 184

  Beauvau, Louis-Charles Antoine, Marquis de (1710–44), 125

  Beauvau, Marc de Beauvau, Prince de Craon (1679–1754), called Prince de, 217

  Bébé (dwarf of ex-King Stanislas Leczinski), 183

  Belgium, 71, 109–10, 112

  Benedict XIV, Prospero Lambertini, Pope (1675–1758), 163–4, 165, 166

  Berlin Academy, 118, 147

  Bernières, Marquis de, 17

  Bernières, Marquise de, 17, 18, 26

  Bernis, François-Joachim de Pierre, Abbé, later Cardinal de (1715–94), 162, 192, 214

  Berwick, James Fitzjames, Duke of (1670–1734), 38

  Besterman, Theodore (b. 1904), 224

  Bignon, Jean-Paul, Abbé de (1662–1748), 214

  Bohemia, French army in, 140, 144

  Bolingbroke, Henry St John, Viscount (1678–1751), 17, 22

  Bond, William (d. 1735), 62

  Bossuet, Jacques-Bénigne (1664–1743), 37

  Bouchardon, Edme (1698–1762), 30

  Boufflers, Marie-Françoise-Cathe-rine de Beauvau-Craon, Marquise de (1711–87):Voltaire at theatre with, 138; affairs, 181, 182, 183–6; becomes friends with Émilie, 187; on life at Lunéville, 188; aids Émilie’s affair with Saint-Lambert, 189; Émilie’s jealousy of, 191, 192–3; at Versailles, 192; takes the cure at Plombières, 197–9; visit to Commercy, 202; Émilie writes to about her pregnancy, 211; leaks a speech Voltaire has written for Richelieu, 214–15; kindness to Émilie during end of her pregnancy, 216; and Émilie’s death, 220, 221

  Bouhier, Président Jean (1673–1746), 165

  Bouquetière, Babet la, 192

  Bourbon, Louis-Henri, Duc de (1692–1740), 18, 21, 25

  Bourget, (Charles-Joseph-) Paul (1852–1935), 165

  Bouverie, Mrs, 23

  Boyer, Jean-François see Mirepoix, Bishop of

  Brancas, Marie-Angélique de Maras, Duchesse de, 51

  Breteuil, Commandeur de, 4

  Breteuil, Comtesse de, 4

  Breteuil, Abbé Élisabeth de (b. 1711), 97

  Breteuil, Gabrielle-Anne de Froulay, Baronne de, 4–5, 54

  Breteuil, Louis-Nicolas, Baron de (1648–1728), 4–5, 15

  Breteuil, Marquise de, 4, 70

  Breteuil family: members described, 4–5; society in which they moved, 3–4, 5–6

  Broglie, Victor-François, Duc de, Marshal of France (1671–1745), 144

  Brunswick, 147

  Brunswick-Bevern, Anna Leopoldovna, Duchess of, 111

  Brunswick-Bevern, Anton-Ulrich, Duke of (1714–76), 111

  Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Charlotte Philippina, Duchess of, 147

  Brussels, 71, 109, 112

  Bussy, Roger de Rabutin, Comte de (1618–93), 37

  Carlyle, Thomas (1795–1881), xi, 60, 65, 109, 131

  Caroline, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1683–1737), 23, 24

  Cassini, César-François (1714–84), 61

  Cassini, Jacques (1677–1756), 61

  Caumartin, M. de, 6

  Caylus, Anne-Olaude-Philippe de Tubières, Comte de (1692–1765), 30

  Châlons, Claude-Antoine de Choi-seul-Beaupré, Bishop of, 160, 201, 206–7, 223

  Châlons-sur-Marne, 193, 201, 206–7

  Champbonin, Mme de: background, 45–6; has own room at Cirey, 60; Voltaire writes to, 69, 110; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 86, 87; Grafigny on, 93, 96, 97, 99, 102, 104, 105; welcomes Voltaire and Émilie to Cirey, 180; Voltaire stays with after Émilie’s death, 223

  Champbonin, M. de, 77

  Champs, Château de, 155

  Charles VI, Habsburg Emperor (1685–1740), 123–4

  Charles X, King of France, 106

  Charles Emmanuel III, King of Sardinia (1701–73), 133

  Charolais, Charles de Bourbon-Condé, Comte de (1700–60), 42–3

  Châteauroux, Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle, Marquise de la Tournelle, Duchesse de (1717–44), 137, 159

  Châtelet-Lomont, Florent-Claude, Marquis du (1695–1766): attitude to Émilie’s affair, 1; background, 6–7; marriage and children, 6–7, 8, 44–5; fighting the Germans, 46; allows Voltaire to live at Cirey, 51, 55; reaction to his wife’s affair becoming public knowledge, 53; forced into amateur dramatics by Voltaire, 55; supports Voltaire against the authorities, 68; refuses to remove protection from Voltaire, 70, 72; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 86, 87; trips to Lorraine Court, 90; mentioned in Grafigny’s letters, 93, 97, 105; travels to Low Countries with wife and Voltaire, 108; Voltaire tries unsuccessfully to get Frederick to employ, 116; Voltaire rejoins in Brussels, 147; goes to Cirey, 149, 151; daughter marries, 159; lawsuit finally won, 160; son’s smallpox attack, 160; in the army, 162–3; Émilie hopes he will get a position at Lunéville, 192, 194; he does so, 203; hoodwinked into believing Émilie is pregnant by him, 209–10; and Émilie’s death, 220, 222; later life, 224

  Châtelet, Florent-François, Chevalier du (b. 1700), 71

  Châtelet, Florent-Louis-Marie, Comte (afterwards Duc) du (1727–93): background, 2; birth, 7; tutors, 50, 52, 55, 86; life at Cirey, 55, 69, 74, 97; Voltaire gives present to, 59; Institutions de physique dedicated to, 113; smallpox attack, 160; Émilie tries to get him made a colonel, 162, 189; reaction to Émilie’s pregnancy by Saint-Lambert, 211; and Émilie’s death, 222; Voltaire lends carriage to, 223; later life,
224

  Châtelet, Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du (Émilie) (1706–1749): Voltaire’s mode of addressing, 1–2; her real name, 2; appearance and character, 2–3, 91; society in which she moved, 3–4, 5–6; family background and home, 3, 4–5; education, 5; and Jacobitism, 6; marriage and children, 6–7, 8; affairs, 7; visits Voltaire, 29; Voltaire courts, 30–3; love for Maupertuis, 32–3, 44–5, 46, 54, 57; correspondence with Voltaire, 32–3; attends Richelieu’s wedding, 36–8; supports Voltaire in his troubles over Lettres philosophiques, 39–40; baby’s death, 44–5; joins Voltaire at Cirey, 45–6; helps Voltaire get clearance to return to Paris, 49; on new fashion for reasoning, 50; rejoins Voltaire at Cirey, 52; her affair with Voltaire is publicly revealed, 53–4; life at Cirey, 55–8, 60–3, 89–106; society jealousy of her talents, 56–7; reaction to Voltaire’s correspondence with Frederick, 65; opinion of study of history, 67; reaction to Voltaire fleeing abroad again, 69–70; relationship with Frederick, 73, 74; entertains Kaiserling, 74; problems with Linant, 75–6; entertains Voltaire’s niece, 77–8; enters Académie des Sciences fire competition, unsuccessfully, 79, 88; and Voltaire’s row with Desfontaines, 82–4, 86–7; life at Cirey, 89–106; cooling in relationship with Maupertuis, 90; interest in Leibnitz, 90–1; her rooms at Cirey, 94; her jewellery and snuff-boxes, 95; Voltaire buys Hôtel/Palais Lambert for, 108; travels to Low Countries with husband and Voltaire to settle family lawsuit, 108–10; studies in algebra, 109; trip to Paris with Voltaire, 110–12; resumes relationship with Maupertuis, 112; returns to Brussels with Voltaire, 112–15; publishes Institutions de physique, 113–14, 121, 127; Frederick hopes to avoid meeting, 118–19, 120–1; tries to lure Voltaire back to France by getting him invitation to Court, 122–3; despair at Voltaire’s second visit to Berlin, 126–7; rebuffed by Richelieu, 127–8; Voltaire rejoins her in Brussels, 127–30; family lawsuit takes favourable turn, 131; stay in Paris with Voltaire, 131–6; to Rheims and Brussels with Voltaire, 136; tries to stop Voltaire going to Berlin, 141; Voltaire writes to from Prussia, 142–3, 146; Voltaire chooses her over Frederick, 147; Voltaire rejoins her, 147–8; runs up gambling debts, 149, 162, 170; Réflections sur le bonheur, 149–51, 176; happy summer at Cirey with Voltaire, 151–5; and La Princesse de Navarre, 153; attends thanksgiving festivities for King’s recovery from illness, 155–6; daughter marries, 159; lawsuit finally won, 160; son’s smallpox attack, 160; irritates people at Court, 162–3; slander campaign against, 166, 167; disastrous visit to Fontainebleau with Voltaire, 169–71; unpopularity as employer, 169–70; pays off gambling debts, 172; visits to Duchesse de Maine, 173–5; relationship with Voltaire in doldrums, 175–7; leaves Paris with Voltaire in his semi-exile, 177–80; carriage accident, 179–80; visit to Lorraine Court, 186–95; affair with Saint-Lambert, 189–95, 198–9, 205–6; accompanies Boufflers to take the cure at Plombières, 197–9; Voltaire rejoins at Lunéville, 202; a further stay in Lorraine, 202–6; a very long card game at Châlons, 206–7; more work on Newton translation, 207, 210, 212; pregnant by Saint-Lambert, 208–10; decides to have baby in Lorraine, 211–12; leaks a speech Voltaire has written for Richelieu, 214–15; last days at Lunéville, 216–17; daughter born, 219–20; death, 220–1; funeral, 222; translation of Newton published, 224; fate of correspondence with Voltaire, 224