, an ingenious French lady, was daughter of a master of the accounts,
, an ingenious French lady, was daughter of a master of the accounts, and born at Paris in 1647. She lost her father at
three years old; and her mother re-married to the ingenious Bachaumont, who took a singular pleasure in cultivating the happy talents of his daughter-in-law. She was
married to Henry Lambert, marquis of S. Bris, in 1666,
and lost him in 1686. After this, she had long and painful law- suits, concerning her property, which being at
length decided in her favour, she settled in Paris, and
kept a house, to which it was thought an honour to be admitted. All the polite among the lettered tribe resorted
thither, for the sake of conversation for hers was almost
the only house that was free from the malady of gaming
and Fontenelle has taken notice, that the delinquents in
this way would frequently glance a stroke at madame de
Lambert’s. This lady died in 1733, aged eighty-six; having been the authoress of some very pleasing productions,
indicative of good sense and elegant manners, which were
collected and printed in 2 vols. 12mo, and of which there
is an English translation. The principal are, 1. “Avis
d'une mere a son fils, & (Tune mere a sa fille.
” 2. “Nouvelles Reflexions sur les f* imes.
” 3. “Traite de l'Amiti.
” “Her treatise upon friendship (says Voltaire) shews
that she deserved to have friends.
” 4. “Traite de la Veillesse.
” These two last were published in English in La Femme Hermite;
” and several small pieces of
morality and literature. In 1808, a new edition of her
works appeared at Paris, with a collection of her letters,
of which our authority speaks with indifference.