FONTENELLE, Bernard le Bovier de, was born at Rouen on the 11th February 1657, and died at Paris on the 9th January 1757. It was during this interval of time, comprehending an entire century, that the greatest writers France has produced commenced or terminated their career; and amongst these illustrious men, who were all either the friends, the enemies, or the rivals of Fontenelle, none was more remarkable whilst living, or has been more celebrated since his death. For this advantage he has been principally indebted to the variety of his acquirements, the fineness of his genius, and the versatility and grace of a talent peculiarly French, which seems to have acquired its greatest perfection, and displayed itself in the happiest manner, in the country which gave him birth, and in the age when he flourished. Fontenelle received his education in the college of Jesuits at Rouen, where the quickness and aptitude of his powers became conspicuous at a very early period. When only thirteen years of age he commenced the study of rhetoric; and so rapid was his progress, that in a note opposite his name on the register of the college, he is described as adolescens omnibus partibus absolutus, et inter discipulos princeps. At the desire of his father he studied the law; but as he lost the very first cause in which he was employed as an advocate, he became disgusted with his profession, and devoted himself entirely to literature and philosophy. He composed a considerable part of the operas of Psyche and Bellerophon, which were printed under the name of his uncle Thomas Corneille; and he also wrote a tragedy called Aspar, but as it did not succeed, he consigned the manuscript to the flames, and never afterwards attempted that species of composition. His Dialogues des Morts were published in the year 1683, and well received as a specimen of elegant composition, combining morality with the charms of literature; in fact, this work laid the foundation of the great reputation of Fontenelle. His Lettres du Chevalier d’Her, published in 1685, without his name, discovered much wit and ingenuity, but at the same time no small share of affectation, and obtained[7:9:720] only moderate success. But his Entretiens sur la Pluralité des Mondes has been regarded as one of his ablest performances, combining science and philosophy with vivacity and humour, a talent which may be said to belong almost exclusively to the French nation. It was universally read, and translated into several foreign languages. In his Histoire des Oracles he supported the opinion that oracles were forgeries, in opposition to those who contended that they were supernatural operations of evil spirits, put to silence by the appearance of Christ, and consequently exposed himself to much clerical animadversion. Le Tellier denounced the book, and the Jesuit Baltus attempted to refute it; whilst others, again, wrote as warmly in its defence, contending that the opinion therein maintained was conformable to that of the most renowned theologians. Fontenelle took no part in the dispute, but contented himself with writing to Μ. Leclerc, “It belongs rather to Μ. Van-Daale than to me to answer on this occasion; he is my guarantee, I am only his interpreter; and I have no objection that the Devil should be a prophet since the Father Jesuit wishes it so, and considers it the more orthodox opinion.” His Pastoral Poems, which appeared in the year 1688, with a discourse on the nature of the eclogue, were very much admired for their delicacy of sentiment, as was also his opera of Thetis and Peleus; but his Aeneas and Lavinia was not so successful. In the year 1699 Fontenelle was chosen secretary of the Academy of Sciences, which office he held during the long period of forty-two years. Whilst in this office he published annually a volume of the history of that learned body, entitled Histoire de l’ Académie des Sciences, filled with analyses of memoirs, and éloges on deceased members. Besides his labours as secretary, he also made his contribution as an academician, by composing his Géométrie de ī Infini, a work of which he jocularly observed that there were only eight men in Europe in a condition to understand it, and that the author was not one of the number. It appears, however, that Fontenelle was by no means profound in the mathematics; and hence, with the exception of a preface to the Analyse des Infiniment* Petits of L’Hôpital, and a memoir on the extension of the property of the number nine, he produced no other works on the subject. As a poet, Fontenelle did not rise above elegance and ingenuity; as a man of science, he excelled in throwing light on the inventions of others, rather than in discovering new truths himself; and as a general writer, he united solid sense with the delicacy and refinement of a man of wit. He studied his own comfort as much as most men, but never sacrificed to selfish gratification the duties of a man of honour and of virtue. He had many friends, and towards the close of his life scarcely a single enemy. He was never married, and, for a man of letters, had acquired considerable affluence. Although of a delicate constitution, he reached the age of ninety without any complaint except deafness; and died, as already mentioned, on the 9th of January 1757, being within a few days of a hundred years of age. When asked by a certain person how he could pass so easily through the world, he replied, by virtue of two axioms, namely, that all is possible, and that every one is in the right.

There are only two complete editions of the works of Fontenelle; one in eleven volumes 12mo, Paris, 1758, 1760; and the other in eight volumes 8vo, Paris, Bastien, ] 790. In these editions are found the Prefaces and Eloges which form part of the History of the Academy of Sciences; but they contain neither the Analyses nor Ae Géométrie de ĩ Infini, which first appeared in 1727, 4to. The edition of the Oeuvres Diverses, published at the Hague, 1728, 1729, is much sought after on account of the engravings of Bernard Picard. But the work of Fontenelle which has been most frequently reprinted is his Entretien sur la Pluralité des Mondes. The first edition appeared in the year 1686; but the sixth conversation, composed long afterwards, was only printed in the edition of 1719. The principal other editions are that of Dijon, Causse, 1793, in 8vo; that of Didot, 1796, in 4to; and that printed in 1800, with the notes of Lalande, which is the best. In 1730 there appeared at Leipsic, in 8vo, a German translation by Gottsched; in 1751, an Italian translation by Vestrini, published at Arezzo; and there are three English translations, the best of which was published in 1760, in 8vo.