St. Lambert, Charles Francis De

, formerly a member of the French academy, was born in Nancy, Dec. 16, 1717, of a family of Lorrain. He was educated among the Jesuits at the college of Pont-a-Mousson, but in early | life entered into the army, which he quitted at the peace of Aix-ia-Chapelle in 1748, and joined the gay party assembled by Stanislaus, king of Poland, at Luneville. There he became an admirer of Madame de Chatelet, who returned his attachment. He was afterwards intimate with, and the egregious flatterer of Voltaire, It is not said what part he took in the revolution, but he escaped its dangers, and died ai Pans Feb 9, 1805. He was a man of genius, but his steps in the literary career were rather slow, and incommensurate with the activity of his genius; for his first poetical nork, “Les Fe>es de l‘Amour et de l’Hymen,” a theatrical performance, was published about 1760, when he was already turned, of forty years of age. His poem entitled “Lt-s quaires parties du jour” appeared in 1764, and soon ranked him among the greatest poets of his age. The composition was acknowledged to possess novelty in the descriptions, interest in the details, and elegance in the style; although, on the other side, it was charged with coldness, w,nu or unity, and monotonous episodes. The same year he published his “Essai sur le luxe,” 8vo. His next, and justly celebrated, poetical performance, “Les Saisons,” which was published in 1769, raised him to the highest decree of reputation. It was generally admitted that he exhibited here a large share of ingenuity and invention, by introducing pastoral poetry into a composition of a different sort, making it still preserve its native simplicity, and yet associate naturally with more elevated subjects. An additional merit was discovered, with regard to this elegant wurk, in the motive of the author as his professed design was to inspire the great proprietors of land with an inclination to live on tneir manors, and contribute to the happiness of the cultivators.

In 1772, he published his “Fables Orientales,” which did little either to increase or to diminish his poetical fame: and many years after he;*roduced his “Consolation de la Vieiliesse,” a proof that his talents had suffered no diminution from age or infirmity. The last publication -of Saint Lambert is a philosophical work in prose. It appeared in 1798, in 3 vols. bvo, under the title of “Catechisme Universel.” It was intended to exhibit a system of morals grounded on human nature; and the favourite object of the author was to confute the doctrine of a moral sense, which has been supported by many eminent metaphysician*, ever since the writings of Shaftesbury and of Hutcheson. | This work was justly denominated by some French critics, alluding to the age of the author, Le soir d’un beau jour (the evening of a beautiful day) He wrote also some articles for the Encyclopedic, and many fugitive pieces in the literary journals. ¹