and who gave so much of his time and interest to the theatre at Weimar. On acquiring the estate of Ferney in 1759, on the western shore of the lake, he built a theatre, the ruins of which still exist, and the conduct of which continued to afford him extraordinary delight. On one occasion, while seated watching the performance of "Zaire" from the side-scenes, he became so excited as the catastrophe approached, that he wheeled his arm-chair on to the stage, and continued unconsciously to press forward till he got between the actors, so that Orosman was unable to stab the heroine. This or any other fancy he could well afford to indulge, for his income was great, and far beyond his expenses. He had about £7000 a-year,—a princely revenue in those days; and one of his Parisian visitors observed that he was the only man in France who really lived like a grand seigneur. He kept an extremely hospitable and well-supplied table, habitually entertaining a great number of guests, and maintaining a large establishment of servants. The audience at his plays were always entertained at supper, and the repast was sometimes followed by a ball. Besides building a theatre, he pulled down the ruinous church of Ferney and replaced it with another at his own cost, which bore the inscription, Deo erexit Voltaire. "The church that I have built," he wrote, "is the only church in the universe that is dedicated to God alone—all the others are dedicated to saints. For my part, I would rather build for the master than the valets." He built also the chateau of Ferney, and surrounded it with gardens in the English taste, and drained and improved the surrounding land. The neighbouring hamlet, in which a few miserable labourers inhabited dilapidated cottages, gave place to a small town,
