, descended of a very ancient family of Picardy, was born December 17, 1706.
, descended of a very ancient family of Picardy,
was born December 17, 1706. Among the women of her
nation who have rendered themselves illustrious, she is
certainly entitled to the first rank. Before her, many of
them had acquired reputation by agreeable romances,
and by poetical pieces, in which there appeared the graces
of wit, and the charms of sentiment. Several also, by
applying themselves to the study of languages, by making
their beauties to pass into their own, and by enriching
their versions with valuable commentaries, had deserved
well of the republic of letters. By composing works on
subjects which unfold themselves only to men of rare genius, she has classed herself, in the opinion of her countrymen, with the greatest philosophers, and may be said to
have rivalled Leibnitz and Newton. From her early youth
she read the best authors, without the medium of a translation: Tasso, Milton, and Virgil were alike familiar to
her; and her ear was particularly sensible to the melody
of verse. She was endowed with great eloquence, but not
of that sort which consists only in displaying wit or acquirements; precision was the character of her’s. She
would rather have written with the solidity of Pascal than
with the charms of S6vigne. She loved abstract sciences,
studied mathematics deeply, and published an explanation of the philosophy of Leibnitz, under the title of “Institutions de Physique,
” in 8vo, addressed to her son,
the preliminary discourse to which is said to be a model of
reason and eloquence. Afterwards she published a treatise
on “The Nature of Fire.
” To know common geometry
did not satisfy her. She was so well skilled in the philosophy of Newton, that she translated his works, and enriched them by a commentary, in 4 vols. 4to its title is
“Principes Mathematiques de la Philosophe Naturelle.
”
This work, which cost her infinite labour, is supposed to
have hastened her death, which took place in 1749. With
all her talents and personal qualifications, however, it is generally admitted that she had no pretensions to chastity.