The International Weekly Miscellany - Volume I, No. 4 | Page 5

house, to whose houses she herself
very seldom went; and as long as the appearance of fashionable
infidelity and of scoffing, which was then the mode in the higher
circles, was necessary to this object, she carefully concealed her real
religious opinions.
The weak Marmontel, who, according to his own description, was only
fitted for superficial conversation and writing, boasts of the prudence,
foresight and skill of his protectress, and shows how she understood the
way to gain the confidence of others without ever yielding her own.
This distinguished art made the house of Madame Geoffrin invaluable
to the great world, and to those learned men who wished to shine in this
kind of society, and to cultivate and avail themselves of it, for such
people must learn above all things neither to say too much nor too little.
This society, indeed, was not calculated for any length of time for a
Rousseau or a Diderot. Even the great admirers of Geoffrin admit that
savoir vivre was her highest knowledge, she had very few ideas with
respect to anything besides; but in the knowledge of all that pertained
to the manners and usage of good society, in the knowledge of men,
and particularly of women, she was deeply learned, and was able to
give some very useful instructions.
It would lead us too far into the history of the following period, to
enumerate and characterize the members of these regular societies. It
may suffice to mention, that in addition to all the guests who
frequented Madame de Tencin's, all the friends of Voltaire's school, and
at first also Rousseau, made a part of the society at the house of
Madame Geoffrin. We have already remarked that no prince, minister,
or distinguished man of all Europe came to Paris who did not visit
Madame Geoffrin, and think it an honor to be invited to her house,
because he there found united all that was exclusively called talent in
Europe.

Kaunitz also, who was then only a courtier in Versailles, came to
Madame Geoffrin's parties. He was a man who combined in a most
surprising manner true philosophy and a deep knowledge of political
economy, with the outward appearance of a fop and a trifler. Among
the other distinguished men who lived in Paris, Marmontel names with
high praise the Abbé Galliani, Caraccioli, who was afterward
Neapolitan ambassador, and the Swedish ambassador, Count Creutz.
Marmontel was so much delighted with this society, even at a very
advanced age, that he gives us also accounts of their evening parties:
"As I was in the habit of dining with the learned and with the artists at
Madame Geoffrin's, so was I also of supping with her in her more
limited and select circle. At these petits soupers there was no carousing
or luxuries,--a fowl, spinach and pancakes constituted the usual fare.
The society was not numerous: there met together only five or six of
her particular friends, or even persons of the highest rank, who were
suited to each other, and therefore enjoyed themselves." It appears
distinctly from the passage already quoted from Marmontel, how the
high nobility on these occasions treated the learned, and how the
learned demeaned themselves toward the nobility. It appears, therefore,
that Rousseau was not in error when he alleged that emptiness and
wantonness only were cherished in these societies, and that the
literature which was then current was only a slow poison.
Madame du Deffant appeared on the stage of the great world
contemporaneously with Geoffrin, and attained so high a degree of
celebrity, that the Emperor Joseph paid her a visit in her advanced
period of life, and thus afforded her the opportunity of paying him that
celebrated compliment which is found related in every history of
France. With respect to Deffant, however, we must not listen to
Marmontel; she stood above his rhymes, his love tales, his sentimental
wanton stories, and besides, he knew her only when she had become
old. What we Germans name feminine and good morals formed no part
of the distinction of Deffant, but talents only. Like Tencin, she was
ill-reputed in her youth on account of her amours, and reckoned the
Regent among her fortunate wooers; at a later period she turned her
attention to literature.

Deffant brought together at her house all those persons whom Voltaire
visited when he was in Paris; among these the President Hénault, and,
at a later period of which we now speak, D'Alembert attracted to this
circle distinguished foreigners and Frenchmen, who made any
pretensions to culture and education. Deffant assumed quite a different
tone among the learned from that of Geoffrin. She set up for a judge in
questions of philosophy and taste, and carried on a constant
correspondence with Voltaire. Among celebrated foreigners, the
Englishman