Francesco Algarotti
A man of broad knowledge (including architecture and music), he acquired the scientific interests of his French friends (most of the leading authors of his times). Because of his interest in the work of Isaac Newton Émilie du Châtelet invited him to Cirey in 1735. He arrived there in November 1735 and stayed for six weeks. During his visit, he worked on a book which was a simplified explanation of Newton's work, and which he published in 1737: Il Neutonianismo per le Dame (Newtonianism for Ladies).
His visit is noted by Voltaire in his letter to Nicolas Claude Thieriot[1] (3 November 1735 (à Cirey); D935):
During the last months of 1735 and during 1736 Voltaire had turned his attention to Newton whose works he read and annotated. In a letter to M. Berger (D1113) he notes:Nous avons icy le marquis Argalotti [sic], jeune homme qui sait les langues et les mœurs de tous les pays, qui fait des vers comme l'Arioste, et qui sait son Loke et son Newton. Il nous lit des dialogues qu'il a faits sur des parties intéressantes de la philosophie. Moy qui vous parle j'ay fait aussi mon petit cours de métaphisique, car il faut bien se rendre compte à soy même des choses de ce monde[2].
Voltaire’s first edition of his Éléments de la Philosophie de Newton appeared in 1738, and several revised and enlarged edition followed. His initial admiration for Algarotti’s book waned because of the latter’s vulgarization of the system of universal gravitation.J’étudie la philosophie de Newton sous les yeux d'Emilie qui est à mon gré encore plus admirable que Newton. Je compte même faire imprimer bientôt un petit ouvrage qui mettra tout le monde en état d'entendre cette philosophie, dont le monde parle & qu'on connaît encore si peu[3].
Voltaire and Algarotti
In 1736 Voltaire wrote the sonnet, À M. le Comte Algaroti, vénitien (OCV vol. 16, pp. 85-86: “On a vanté vos murs bâtis sur l’onde,…”) in which he praises Algarotti’s poetry. The correspondence between the two men spans a period dating from to 2 February 1738 to 5 December 1763[4] and it is cordial. In his letters to Algarotti Voltaire describes him as the “swan of Padua”: “mon aimable cygne de Padouë” (“my amiable swan of Padua”; 14 September, 1761 - D10007). In 1762, such a phrase returns: “L'éternel malade et l'éternel barbouilleur ne peut guère écrire de sa main, mais son cœur aimera toujours son cygne de Padouë” ("The eternal sick man and the eternal scribbler can scarcely write with his hand, but his heart will always love his Swan of Padua"; letter to Algarotti dated 13 August 1762 - D10644)
Frederick II composed the epitaph for Algarotti’s tomb in Pisa – “Algarotto Ovidii aemulo, Neutonii discipulo, Fridericus rex” and the Gazette littéraire de l’Europe published a short obituary (by Voltaire, though his name does not appear in this publication).
Danielle Mihram, June 2017
SourceMasseau, Didier. “Algarotti, Francesco.” Inventaire Voltaire – Sous la direction de Jean Goulemot, André Magnan, Didier Masseau. Paris: Gallimard, 1995, pp. 42-43.
[1] Nicolas Claude Thieriot (1697–1772), a friend of Voltaire from 1714, acted as his literary agent in Paris as well as his editor on occasion. Thieriot was one of the first correspondents who, in the eighteenth century, provided information on the literary life of Paris. Through Voltaire, but not on his direct recommendation, he became, as early as 1736, the literary correspondent of Frederick II who was then, Prince of Prussia. See: Jochen Schlobach. “Nicolas Thierot.” Dictionnaire des journalistes. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2005. http://dictionnaire-journalistes.gazettes18e.fr/journaliste/769-nicolas-thieriot
[2] “We have here the Marquis Argalotti [sic], a young man who knows the languages and customs of every country, who writes verses like Ariosto, and who knows his [John] Locke and his Newton. He reads to us dialogues that he wrote on interesting parts of philosophy. I, who speak to you, have also written my little course in metaphysics, for it is necessary to be aware of things of this world.” Letter to Nicolas Claude Thieriot (3 November 1735; D935)
[3] “I study the philosophy of Newton under the eyes of Emilie, who, to my mind, is even more admirable than Newton. Indeed I shall soon have a little work printed, which will enable every one to understand this philosophy, of which the world speaks, and which we know so little.”
[4] Most most letters, for both men, are in Italian: 57 letters from Voltaire to Algarotti from 2 February 1738 (D1448) to 17 October 1763 (D16773); 20 letters from Algarotti from 1 March 1738 (D1466) to 5 December 1763 (D11531).
Francesco Algarotti appears in the following letters.
Francesco Algarotti appears in the following indexes.
