ABSTRACT
The death of Socrates crowned his life with undying fame. Fenelon suffered no martyrdom for his faith, but he was unchanged by the temptations of a court, and bore injustice with cheerful resignation. Amidst the roughness and almost rusticity of Socrates, there was something majestic and sublime, that inspired awe: the gentleness and charity of Fenelon, so simple and true in all its demonstrations, excites a tender reverence. The marquis de Fenelon, his uncle, invited him to his house in Paris, and treated him as his son. The marquis was lieutenant-general of the armies of the king, a man of distinguished valour, and a friend of the great Conde, who said of him, that “he was equally qualified to shine in society, in the field, and in the cabinet.” He added piety to his more worldly qualities, and soon perceived and took pride in the admirable dispositions of his nephew.
